Question 2006 MBP (1,1): WiFi only connects to modem when running on battery, not plugged to power adapter

[UglyStuff]

Hi everyone,

I recently exhumed an old MacBook Pro of mine (one of the very first, 2006 models, A1150 with the 1.83GHz CoreDuo CPU) after buying a brand new battery and MagSafe 1, but I'm faced with a strange behavior: my Mac will only connect to my modem WiFi when running on battery; if I plug in the MagSafe adaptor, WiFi loses connection altogether, and will never get it back.

I've tried resetting SMC and PRAM, no dice.

This Mac is 32-bit only and can only run Snow Leopard or lower, but my SL copy is fully up-to-date.

I'm open to any and all ideas that don't entail throwing the machine out the window. Santeria, voodoo, you name it, I'll take it.

 

[firelighter487]

can you look at system report and check the wifi card is still there if you plug it in?

 

[UglyStuff]

Hi, and thanks for taking the time. The answer to your question is, Yes, it's there, whether the Mac is plugged into the main or running on battery, but as I've just tried to reset SMC and PRAM again, I still can't connect to my modem 50% of the time.

If it were a no-go 100% of the time, I'd suspect an issue with the modem (I've got four other devices that connect to it flawlessly, and it can accomodate many more), but every once in a while, I do get to connect to it via Airport.

Right now, Airport is scanning available networks every minute or so, and doesn't display my modem in the list. I can connect to my Android phone hotspot alright, I see other networks in the neighborhood (can't use those, obviously), but my own doesn't show in the list after the first connection attempt, which usually ends up with a "connection timeout" message.

I'm sure of my passphrase (I copy-paste it in the passphrase box, as it's rather long and complicated), and the right WPA2 protocol is enabled in Airport, otherwise I couldn't connect to my Android, which uses the same protocol, so there's definitely something fishy with my Airport configuration.

Can't be hardware-related, since I can connect to my Droid hotspot, can't be about security protocols, so I'm at a loss here.

 

[UglyStuff]

Addendum: Another oddity is that it takes several minutes for the Mac to accomodate the change in power supply, even after resetting SMC and PRAM; e.g.: If I plug MagSafe in, it takes at least three minutes for the charge indicator in the menu bar to register the change in power supply, and show the Mac as charging, with the remaining time until full charge, or, when I unplug it, to show it's now running on battery, and how much time I have left until it dies on me.

As I stated in my OP, both battery and MagSafe are brand-new, so it's kinda strange to see such a delay in showing a change in power supplies.