Mac Wireless Diagnostics App

If you are a Mac user, and often facing a pesky Wi-Fi issue when using the Mac, then there is a traditional solution for you to fix the Wifi issue using Apple’s Wireless Diagnostic Tool. The whole process is very simple, just open the Wi-Fi Diagnostics from the Wi-Fi menu in the OS X tool bar. .Mac Tools – TaskMobile™ – SmartPhone Scan Tool. The Mac Tools TaskMobile™ provides Professional Technicians with access to vehicle diagnostics using their smartphone when paired to the available TaskMobile™ vehicle adapter. Developed by the Global leader in professional diagnostic scan tools, TaskMobile™ provides essential information to conveniently diagnose vehicles in the. Feb 25, 2020 After isolating an issue on your Mac to a possible hardware issue, you can use Apple Diagnostics to help determine which hardware component might be causing the issue. Apple Diagnostics also suggests solutions and helps you contact Apple Support for assistance. If your Mac was introduced before June 2013, it uses Apple Hardware Test instead.

  1. Wireless Diagnostics Tool
  2. Mac Wireless Diagnostic Tool
  3. Mac Wireless Diagnostics App Download
  4. Mac Wireless Diagnostics App Setup
  5. Mac Wireless Diagnostics App User
  6. Network Diagnostics Mac
  7. Wireless Diagnostics Pc
  8. Mac Network Diagnostic Tool

Wi-Fi problems on macOS Big Sur/Mojave/Catalina

Wi-Fi connection — it is central to intelligent life on Earth. But there could be numerous reasons your Mac won’t connect to Wi-Fi: a new software update, broken Wi-Fi preferences, or several networks conflicting with each other. Below we’ll explain what to do when you can’t connect to Wi-Fi or your connection is constantly dropping off.

So here go the most common symptoms for Wi-Fi problems on Mac:

  • Mac won’t connect to internet, but other devices will
  • Mac connected to Wi-Fi, but no Internet access
  • Wi-Fi connection keeps turning off
  • Slow or unstable Wi-Fi connection on Mac?

Tip: In case your Mac is generally slow, which obviously affects the Internet too, you may start with fixing the performance issues first. The quickest is to delete junk and old caches from your drive and browsers. Here you can download the free version of CleanMyMac app. It helps to remove the unwanted files, bloatware, and junky web browser extensions. In a few minutes, your Mac should be relatively fresh.


See if your Mac keeps having Wi-Fi connection issues. If it does, read on.

Ways to fix Wi-Fi on Mac

Run the default Wi-Fi assistants

To troubleshoot Wi-Fi problems on Mac it’s good to start with native tools that came with your OS.

Go to Apple Menu -> System Preferences -> Network

This window lets you inspect your Wi-Fi preferences. If your Mac has internet connection problems, click Assist me as shown in the screenshot below. This will launch a built-in Diagnostics tool.

Did it solve the problem? Good news there’s another instrument provided by Apple, a Wireless Diagnostics app.
Option + click the Wi-Fi icon in the top right corner
Click Open Wireless Diagnostics…

Delete and reset Wi-Fi network settings

This step will reconfigure your existing Wi-Fi settings and launch your network experience from scratch. But before you begin, we seriously recommend to back your Mac up using Time Machine.

  1. Turn off Wi-Fi and close shut down your browsers
  2. Open Finder -> Go -> Go to Folder...
  3. Paste in the following line:

4. Select the files listed below (as shown in the screenshot)

preferences.plist
com.apple.eapolclient.plist
com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist
NetworkInterfaces.plist
com.apple.airport.preferences.plist

5. Move these files to Trash (without deleting)
Or move them to a new folder on your Desktop.
6. Restart your Mac
Now you will have to revisit Wi-Fi preferences (Click Open Network Preferences under Wi-Fi icon). Turn Wi-Fi on and select your Wi-Fi network again.

The path above proved to be a good remedy in cases when Wi-Fi connection drops off after upgrading to macOS Catalina. If the issue persists, you may consider to clean install macOS Catalina.

Wi-Fi won't turn on after sleep mode on Mac

In some cases, sleep mode settings is the reason your Wi-Fi drops off on Mac and wouldn’t turn on again. Try this simple fix which many users found helpful:

Go to System Preferences -> Energy Saver
Disable Wake for Wi-Fi network option

Check your Wi-Fi now (cross your fingers). Did it do the trick? If not, let’s move on to the next step.

Flush DNS cache

Another way to fix Mac Wi-Fi not working is to flush your DNS cache. DNS service helps your Mac find IP-addresses, much like in a phone book. It has a cache folder of its own. Removing these cache files is helpful when your Wi-Fi slows down at random or you can’t access certain websites.

Wireless Diagnostics Tool

To save you from meddling with critical system folders, here’s a quick workaround.

1. Download DNS Flusher (it’s built into CleanMyMac X — get it here).
2. Go to Maintenance tab and tick Flush DNS cache

That’s all — and this solution is 100% free and takes no more than a minute.

By the way, CleanMyMac X is pretty much an indispensable tool if you want to keep your Mac clean and junk-free. It removes up to 74 GB of junk files on an average Mac, so give it a spin, just in case.

Reboot your Wi-Fi router

Plug off your router and leave it for a minute or two. This way you will know if your Mac won’t connect to Wi-Fi because of router issues. Plug your router back in and try to connect other Wi-Fi devices in the room.

Additionally, try placing your router in a different place. Your Wi-Fi signal could be lost due to neighboring network or it is catching a “dead-zone” in your house. If your room allows it, move it right in the center of the room. Fewer barriers, the better signal.

Still no Wi-Fi connection on Mac? Switch off the Bluetooth

Bluetooth devices often interfere with Wi-Fi, especially if the Wi-Fi signal is weak. It’s because both rely on radio frequencies to work. So one more idea to fix your Wi-Fi not working on Mac problem is to inspect the Bluetooth settings.

Try disconnecting the Bluetooth and see if the problem persists.

Go to Apple menu -> System Preferences
Select Bluetooth
Then click Turn Bluetooth off

Update your router firmware

If you are using Apple Airport router you’ll need Airport Utility to perform the update. Obviously, this step requires an internet connection. You can connect via cable if your Wi-Fi doesn’t work on Mac.
Go to Applications
Type Airport Utility in the search bar

You’ll see your Airport base station. If you see a red notification badge next to the base name, click it for more details. If the update is available, the app will show you the Update button.

Mac wireless diagnostics sniffer

Customize MTU and DNS settings to fix Wi-Fi on Mac

MTU stands for Maximum Transmission Unit and describes the packet size that is exchanged via the network (measured in bytes). The solution described below implies lowering MTU size which should make your WI-Fi connection less laggy. While customizing DNS location has also proved effective to solve even the most bitter Wi-Fi problems on Mac.

But don’t let these geeky terms put you off. The path takes just about a minute and you’ll be proud to have fixed your Mac Wi-Fi not working, the Apple Genius way.

Step 1.

Go to System Preferences -> Network
Select Wi-Fi in the left panel
See Location menu on top
Click Edit Locations…

Step 2.
Now create a new location by clicking [+] plus button. Name it anything you like. Click Done.

Step 3.

Then choose your standard Wi-Fi connection under Network Name
Click Advanced
Go to TCP/IP tab and click Renew DHCP lease .

Step 4.

Diagnostics

Go to DNS tab and by clicking [+] buttons enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 as IP-addresses, each in a separate line. These two are Google’s alternative DNS servers that the company recommends using — they are safe. But before you do this, make sure to copy your current DNS address on a piece of paper.

Step 5.

Go to a Hardware tab from the previous step.
Under Configure dropdown menu select Manually
Click MTU and set the custom size of 1453
Click Apply

Well done. Your Mac Wi-Fi not working should have been resolved.

Still no or poor Wi-FI Connection on Mac?

Maybe all this time you’ve been digging in the wrong place as the problem is in your Mac itself. It might need some basic tidying up and maintenance to run faster. Try giving it a full clean with a tool like CleanMyMac X (it's my favorite among similar Mac tune-up apps — here's the official free download from the developer site). Hopefully, once your Mac is clean and up to speed again, your Wi-Fi should get back to norm.

May the Wi-Fi be with you. Thanks for reading.

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If you've followed the steps to connect your Mac to a Wi-Fi network, but the connection to your network or the Internet isn't reliable, the steps in this article might help.

Check for Wi-Fi recommendations

When your Mac tries to connect to a Wi-Fi network, it checks for issues that affect its ability to create a fast, stable, and secure connection. If an issue is detected, the Wi-Fi status menu in the menu bar shows a new item: Wi-Fi Recommendations. Choose it to see recommended solutions.

Wi-Fi recommendations are available in macOS Sierra or later.

Analyze your wireless environment

Your Mac can use Wireless Diagnostics to perform additional analysis.

  1. Quit any apps that are open, and connect to your Wi-Fi network, if possible.
  2. Press and hold Option (Alt) ⌥ key, then choose Open Wireless Diagnostics from the Wi-Fi status menu .
  3. Enter your administrator name and password when prompted.

Wireless Diagnostics begins analyzing your wireless environment:

If the issue is intermittent, you can choose to monitor your Wi-Fi connection:

Mac Wireless Diagnostic Tool


Mac Wireless Diagnostics App Download

When you're ready to see recommendations, continue to the summary. Wireless Diagnostics asks for optional information about your base station or other router, so that it can include that in the report it saves to your Mac.

Click the info button next to each item in the summary to see details about that item. Wi-Fi best practices are tips that apply to most Wi-Fi networks.


Back up or make note of your network or router settings before changing them based on these recommendations—in case you need to use those settings again.

Monitor your Wi-Fi connection

Your Mac can monitor your Wi-Fi connection for intermittent issues, such as dropped connections. Follow the steps to analyze your wireless environment, but choose ”Monitor my Wi-Fi connection” when prompted.

During monitoring, a window shows that monitoring is in progress. Monitoring continues as long as this window is open and you're on the same Wi-Fi network, even when your Mac is asleep.

If Wireless Diagnostics finds an issue, it stops monitoring and shows a brief description of the issue. You can then resume monitoring or continue to the summary for details and recommendations.

Create a diagnostics report

Mac Wireless Diagnostics App Setup

Wireless Diagnostics automatically saves a diagnostics report before it displays its summary. You can create the same report at any time: press and hold the Option key, then choose Create Diagnostics Report from the Wi-Fi status menu . It can take your Mac several minutes to create the report.

Mac Wireless Diagnostics App User

  • macOS Sierra and later saves the report to the /var/tmp folder of your startup drive, then opens that folder for you.
    To open the folder manually, choose Go > Go to Folder from the Finder menu bar, then enter /var/tmp.
  • OS X El Capitan or earlier saves the report to your desktop.

The report is a compressed file with a name that begins “WirelessDiagnostics.” It contains many files that describe your wireless environment in detail. A network specialist can examine them for further analysis.

Use other diagnostics utilities

Wireless Diagnostics includes additional utilities for network specialists. Open them from the Window menu in the Wireless Diagnostics menu bar:

  • Info gathers key details about your current network connections.
  • Logs enables background logging for Wi-Fi and other system components. The result is saved to a .log file in the diagnostics report location on your Mac. Logging continues even when you quit the app or restart your Mac, so remember to disable logging when you're done.
  • Scan finds Wi-Fi routers in your environment and gathers key details about them.
  • Performance uses live graphs to show the performance of your Wi-Fi connection:
    • Rate shows the transmit rate over time in megabits per second.
    • Quality shows the signal-to-noise ratio over time. When the quality is too low, your device disconnects from the Wi-Fi router. Factors that affect quality include the distance between your device and the router, and objects such as walls that impede the signal from your router. Learn more.
    • Signal shows both signal (RSSI) and noise measurements over time. You want RSSI to be high and noise to be low, so the bigger the gap between RSSI and noise, the better.
  • Sniffer captures traffic on your Wi-Fi connection, which can be useful when diagnosing a reproducible issue. Select a channel and width, then click Start to begin capturing traffic on that channel. When you click Stop, a .wcap file is saved to the diagnostics report location on your Mac.

Learn more

Network Diagnostics Mac

Additional recommendations for best Wi-Fi performance:

Wireless Diagnostics Pc

  • Keep your router up to date. For AirPort Time Capsule, AirPort Extreme, or AirPort Express Base Station, check for the latest firmware using AirPort Utility. For non-Apple routers, check the manufacturer's website.
  • Set up your router using Apple's recommended settings, and make sure that all Wi–Fi routers on the same network use similar settings. If you're using a dual-band Wi-Fi router, make sure that both bands use the same network name.
  • Learn about potential sources of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interference.

Mac Network Diagnostic Tool

Learn about other ways to connect to the Internet.