Telus Boost Network Connection Dropping on iPhone XR and MacBook Pro

[ArneSalvesen]

Apologies if this is dealt with elsewhere, but my issue is a bit specific as outlined in the subject.

My setup:

T3200M Modem with a WCB3000 Extender connected via coax.  The WCB3000 is used to get the signal to my Optik Box

2.4G Wifi disabled on both T3200M and WCB3000.

5G Wifi active on on both T3200M and WCB3000.  Same SSID on both.  Use this network for my tenants downstairs.

Added Boost earlier this summer.  First booster is connected to T3200M, second is in the living room.  Great signal.  Great speeds.

Recently however, my iPhone XR and my MacBook Pro keep dropping off the Boost network,  I try to reconnect but am told the password is wrong (iPhone) or it just won't connect (MacBook).  She can share the PW with me from her phone, and then I can connect. My wife's iPhone 6 has no issues (nor her Windows based PC). 

If I reset the Boost station in the living room I can connect again for a short time, but then the problem re-appears.

I've tried switching the boosters with no affect.  

I am at the end of my technical knowledge.  Any ideas?

[rc]

Telus recommends that the boost have their own unique ssid. 

[ArneSalvesen]

I've done that.  Boost is one name, and the 5G from the router is another.

[epikish]

Hi, I'm having this exact same issue. Did you manage to fix it? It only seems to happen on some Apple devices. I have no problems with connecting on my android phone, but my macbook and sister's iphone keeps getting disconnected.

[botsauce]

I have the same issue. The boost network worked fine for a bit, now my MacBook drops from the network and can't stay connected.

I'll update after I call tech support.

[epikish]

Any luck??

[botsauce]

So, I called Telus numerous time over the last month to try to resolve the issues. They sent a technician over twice. Each time they were able to configure the network in a different way and solve the problem temporarily, but this wasn't any better than what I could achieve on my on by resetting the boosts each time they went wonky. The thing is, I don't want to have to reset my network every few days. Before I got the boosts the network worked fine. Boost was supposed to make it great, but it did the opposite. So, the boosts are back in the box and headed for Telus. I'll wait for the next gen before trying again.

[Powderjockey]

I glad someone else is have the same problems as me. I have a Macbook Pro that will not stay connected to the Boost, but it is just not the Macbook Pro. I have numerous devices that will not stay connected. 2.4 and 5 G devices and it is starting to become a PIA to go around the house and have to re-set up all of the devices. At the time of this typing, I have over 40 devices connected to my system. Wemos, Alexa, Nest and numerous other "smart" devices plus the usual tablets, phones, TVs, Optik boxes, laptops and computers. All of these devices fail to stay connected. Some are outside and at this time of the year, going out side to re-set up the device is a bit chilly.

I installed Wifi Analyzer on my phone and one can watch the Wifi signal for both the Boost and the Router drop regularly. Numerous times in a 5 minute span.

Telus techs have replaced the Router twice in the past 9 months, last one 6 to 8 weeks ago. I've only had the Boost for about 6 months and can't say it has been worth the purchase. I'm actually on the 3rd to 4th Router since I purchased the Fibre Optic system.

What I would like to know, is if the Modem is no working properly, does this affect the rest of the network? The very first time the Technician replaced the Router, he advised that if it still had problems, then the Modem should be replaced. Yet, every Technician that comes to the house replaces the Router and of course all works great after they leave. They tell me there is nothing wrong with the Modem.

[Jammer005]

iPhone XR as well, most of my other Apple Devices seem to work ok. Intermittent - I'll look at my phone and see that it's off the wifi. Grrrrr.  Often asks to enter password and it won't accept. Of course, I do the usual steps (forget network, airplane mode, soft reset, forget network settings) but usually rebooting the router works. 

3 Wired (+ one wireless) booster with SSID separate from the router. In fact, router has hidden SSID for some of my 2.4 older devices that had couldn't stay on the Booster network (eg Nest Camera, Wemo, etc)  and 5 Ghz turned off.

I think it has something to do with the boosters as I move around the house something likely  glitches out.

Not sure if this is an Apple problem or Telus problem since it primarily (but not always) seems to happen on my XR.

[Jammer005]

After factory resetting my 4 boosters, wifi have been solid on all our devices for 4 days  ... (fingers crossed)

[RyanLCad]

Still good after Factory resetting Boost?

[Jammer005]

Yes, no issues since the reset.

[RyanLCad]

Wow I thought I was the only one having this issues. Only happens with my iPhone XS and iPhone 11Pro, and Macbook Pro in our house. Any other device works normal. As others have mentioned the only fix is quickly unplugging one of the boosts(The main one) and that fixes the issue. 

Someone mentioned in here that Factory resetting the TELUS boost worked? I haven't tried that yet, but I may have to. 

I read somewhere that deleting your Wi-Fi and removing it from Apple Keychain, or turning off Keychain on the Laptop for a bit might help too. 

My next step is a Factory reset of the Boost. 

[Robotboy44]

I am having the very same problem with Macs and iPhones since my hardware was upgraded to the boosters.  If I plug in my own Apple router, wifi is perfect.  Wired ethernet internet is perfect too, so it's just wifi via those boosters.  This thread is really useful for Telus to see. Can anyone report a solid resolution?

[Powderjockey]

I've reset the Booster twice, this after the Telus technician set it up initially. I've since placed all of my devices on the main router with good results. Not perfect, MacBook has to be turned off and on, the Wi-Fi, at least once a day.

[Mithu]

I'm having this same issue with a Macbook running macOS Catalina (had same issue with macOS Mojave) . WiFi disconnects (sometimes every 10 seconds // sometimes every couple of minutes). Often times, when auto reconnecting it will bring up a "connection failed" Mac WiFi dialog box asking for password even though the password is saved and is correct (screenshot below). I have to select the WiFi network and "Join" again. 

The solution is usually to restart the WiFi Boosters OR restart my Telus T3200 router which stops the issue of disconnecting for a period (about one day). Very annoying fix. The reason I believe restarting the Telus router fixes the issue is because it causes the WiFi Boosters to loose their Ethernet connectivity and it renews it's configuration once the Telus router is back on-line again.

This has occurred ever since we got setup with the Telus Wi-Fi boosters in our home. Never have this problem with other WiFi networks.

I have read many similar issues on the Internet with Apple products disconnecting and people changing router settings to "fix" the issue. But, it seems that by restarting the router after making the fix, you are simply triggering a reboot to fix the issue (i.e. the router changes were not needed).

All other devices in the home network keep a constant connection including streaming services (netflix, youtube). So, it is not a problem with the Internet service or WiFi itself. The problem is in the implementation of the WIFi switching (boost 1 vs boost 2 // 2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz) and how it interacts with Apple products. 

[Jammer005]

I totally agree - it's in the switching. 

[Powderjockey]

Yes it is very annoying. Would have anything to do with the radio/antenna Apple uses in their products?

[NorthernShore]

We’re experiencing the same issue and it affects 4 family members, all who have MacBooks and iPhones, with one who also uses an iPad. The connection drop hits us all at different times but only affects one of our devices at a time. It never seems to occur for two people at the same time. To add to it, our wifi-connected HP LJ Pro 200 printer, which also use Bonjour to communicate directly with Apple devices, sometimes gets knocked off of the network. We’re a multi-platform house and have not experienced any issues with Windows devices. It makes me wonder if something in Apple’s Handoff software, and maybe Bonjour, is causing the issue as I haven’t seen mention of this same issue from Windows users. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

With the exception of this annoyance, the Boost units have performed well over the last year or so, delivering excellent and consistent bandwidth and have allowed me to tie together two buildings with a seamless experience. Is anyone using a mesh network other than Boost units with multiple Apple devices that are not experiencing this issue?

[Mithu]

Can we get someone from Telus to follow-up? On the phone it's just about standard troubleshooting or they offer to send a technician out. Is there a way to add them to this thread?

[Ncbeau]

Exact same issue... full strength TELUS boost wifi signal keeps dropping on my MacBook and iPhone XR.

Seems like a wide spread issue. TELUS, your move.