Wifi dropping out, network not found, Bluetooth no longer connecting to your mouse or headphones ? Most of these issues can be fixed with a few simple steps, no repair needed. Here’s how to proceed — and the rare cases where it’s the antenna or the card.
Wifi and Bluetooth are first of all a matter of software and environment : a network to forget then reconnect, an internet router to restart, a device to re-pair, or interference. These free steps solve the majority of cases. A hardware failure (antenna or wireless card) is rarer and shows up as wifi/Bluetooth that is absent everywhere, often after a repair or an impact. Test the simple things before dismantling anything.
Network, device, environment, then hardware : each step rules out a common lead.
A network that keeps dropping ? In Settings > Wi-Fi, “forget” the network then reconnect with the password. Also test another network (your phone’s personal hotspot) : if that one works, the problem is with your internet router, not the Mac.
Reflex : restart the internet router (unplugged for 30 s) — the No. 1 cause of drop-outs.Thick walls, microwaves, too many devices, being too far from the internet router : the wifi weakens. Move closer, test the 5 GHz band if your internet router offers it, and avoid piling wireless devices in the same spot.
Mouse, keyboard or headphones no longer connecting ? Remove the device in the Bluetooth settings, put it back into pairing mode (often charged), then reconnect. Check its battery : a discharged accessory disconnects without warning.
Test : try the accessory on another device to clear it or convict it.A restart relaunches the network services and clears many hang-ups. Remember macOS updates, which regularly fix wifi/Bluetooth issues. It’s free and often decisive.
If wifi or Bluetooth is completely absent (no network, no device detected) after all these tests — especially after a disassembly or an impact — a disconnected antenna or a failing wireless card is possible. This is a workshop diagnosis.
They solve the vast majority of wireless issues :
Before any intervention, make sure it isn’t software or the internet router :
A disconnected antenna or a failing card is handled in the workshop :
“The wifi is slow : my Mac has a hardware problem.”
Most of the time, no : it’s the internet router, a network to forget/reconnect, interference or a pending update. Test another network : if it works, your Mac is fine. The hardware (antenna, card) is only at fault if the wireless is absent everywhere, often after a disassembly.
Forget/reconnect, restart the internet router and the Mac, re-pair the Bluetooth, update : free and often enough. Only if the wireless is absent everywhere — especially after a disassembly or an impact — is an antenna/card diagnosis justified.
Forget the network then reconnect, restart the internet router (unplugged for 30 s) and the Mac, and install the updates. Test another network : if it holds, the problem is with your internet router or the environment, not the Mac.
Remove the device in the Bluetooth settings, put it back into pairing mode (often charged), then reconnect. Check its battery and test it on another device to work out where the issue is coming from.
Connect the Mac to another network, for example your phone’s personal hotspot. If it works, your Mac is fine and the problem is with the internet router or the installation. Otherwise, look on the Mac side.
Restart and update first. If no network appears anywhere, permanently, especially after a disassembly or an impact, a disconnected antenna or a failing wireless card is possible : a diagnosis will confirm it.
No, it’s typically a range or interference problem : walls, distance to the internet router, other devices. Move closer, test the 5 GHz band if available, or consider a repeater on the installation side.
Yes : depending on the model, we reconnect a disconnected antenna or replace the wireless card. It’s a workshop diagnosis, to consider only after ruling out software and the internet router.
Place du Mac guide — diagnosis and repair, workshop at 51 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, Paris 9th, 2-year warranty on parts. Apple, Mac and MacBook are trademarks of Apple Inc. ; Place du Mac is an independent repairer, not affiliated with Apple Inc.
