Mac interferring with Windows Wireless

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I travel a lot and have a Windows laptop and a MacBook Pro (2010, Snow Leopard). Recently, the Windows laptop has really been slow with a wireless connection. It either doesn't connect properly, or just runs really slow... I do the Windows network check and it cannot find the problem.

At work we have a wireless network. I took my machines into the IT department to get them hooked up. The technician said that the Mac was interfering with the Windows wireless connection. He didn't give details and I don't know what he did.

Now at work the Windows laptop seems okay on the wireless network but in my hotel it is back to really slow again.

Can anyone give me advice as to what to do? I have looked through all the Windows network options and I cannot see anything that needs to be changed.

Obviously, in a hotel I don't have direct access to the router. I can talk to the technician but he won't be able to help at my hotel, although maybe he has some advice.

Some clear steps and explanations would be helpful (I am using Windows 7).
 

chscag

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At work we have a wireless network. I took my machines into the IT department to get them hooked up. The technician said that the Mac was interfering with the Windows wireless connection. He didn't give details and I don't know what he did.

I would take what he said with a "grain of salt". Unless he's familiar with Macs (not that many IT folks are) he may be "wagging" it.

The way I understand your post, it's your Windows machine that's having trouble connecting via wireless? Does the Mac work OK? If the Mac is OK connecting, you need to focus on resolving the problem that your Windows machine is having.

Most hotels do not provide optimum wireless unlike your home provider or the one at work. Did you check your network speeds while connected via the hotel's system?
 
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Actually, I do have an issue but I don't know how to rectify it.

When my Windows laptop boots up it does come up with a message, something like this:

Client Mac Address xx xx xx xx xx xx (in letters and numbers I have just put xx) GUID: FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF...

DHCP

Then after a few seconds, it says no file boot name received, and proceeds to boot up no problem. It hasn't affected anything apart from the internet and I forgot about this message.

Is there a way to sort this out easily?
 

vansmith

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This doesn't have anything to do with the Mac. A Mac is a computer like any other and uses "traditional" hardware - it doesn't have special hardware that might interfere with others.

Is that computer booting from the network (PXE specifically)? If so, see here. If you don't know, that might be something to ask your IT guy (although, he did say that the Mac is causing interference...).
 

chscag

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Client Mac Address xx xx xx xx xx xx (in letters and numbers I have just put xx) GUID: FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF...

As already been mentioned, that has nothing to do with your Mac machine. What you saw was actually "Client MAC Address.............." notice the difference, MAC, not Mac.

MAC = Media Access Control Wikipedia Definition
 
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Okay, good to know. I have moved on so I am not at the same place with the helpful IT guy..

I brought an ethernet cable with me and connected with that which was great. However, when I move again I will be back to wireless so hopefully I can get it sorted out.
 
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Stayed at a hotel in Sydney, Australia, last month and they offer broadband. Would you believe the router was 802.11b, from about the days of the Ark! No wonder it was slow.
 
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I'd suggest that your boot sequence is set to Network Boot first. So it's trying to boot from the network (that isn't available). Once that times out it moves onto the windows boot drive and everything carries on.

Change the boot sequence to look at your windows boot drive first (more often than not C drive).
 

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