moltopiacere wrote:
It has nothing to do with 3rd party apps as I first rebooted my Mac and reinstalled Mac OS Golden Gate before downgrading to Tahoe. The issue persisted nonetheless.
If your Mac remains connected to Wi-Fi after waking from sleep but cannot access the Internet, first check System Settings > Network > Wi-Fi and confirm that Wi-Fi shows Connected.
Apple recommends restarting the Mac, checking that the date and time are correct, and installing any available macOS updates. You can also renew the DHCP lease from the Wi-Fi network's Details > TCP/IP settings. (Apple Support)
If the problem continues, try forgetting the Wi-Fi network and joining it again. Go to System Settings > Wi-Fi, click Details next to the network, choose Forget This Network, and then reconnect. (Apple Support)
Because the problem occurs after sleep, the most useful time to investigate it is while it is actually happening.
After waking the Mac, check whether Wi-Fi still says Connected, try opening a website, and note whether turning Wi-Fi off and back on restores Internet access. Also record approximately how long the Mac was asleep.
While the connection is failing, check the Wi-Fi menu for Wi-Fi Recommendations.
You can also run Wireless Diagnostics by holding Option (⌥) while clicking the Wi-Fi menu and selecting Open Wireless Diagnostics.
Apple says this analyzes the wireless connection and reports detected problems and possible solutions without changing your network settings. (Apple Support)
It is also useful to test the Mac on another Wi-Fi network and repeat the same sleep/wake test. If the problem occurs only on the home network, Apple recommends checking the router, its firmware, and the Internet service. Apple also recommends restarting the router and using its recommended Wi-Fi settings. (Apple Support)
If you use a VPN or other software that monitors or interacts with network connections, check whether it could be affecting Internet access. (Apple Support)
One additional point is worth checking because the Mac was subsequently downgraded from macOS 27 Golden Gate to macOS 26 Tahoe: determine whether Migration Assistant was used when Golden Gate was originally set up. Apple says Migration Assistant can transfer applications, user accounts, files, Privacy & Security settings, and System & Network settings. (Apple Support)
If Migration Assistant was used, that does not mean it caused the Wi-Fi problem. However, if you want to isolate that possibility, a useful controlled test would be to install Golden Gate, set the Mac up as a new Mac without using Migration Assistant, install no third-party software, connect to the same Wi-Fi network, and repeat the same sleep/wake test. If the problem still occurs, migrated software and settings become less likely to explain the behaviour. If it does not occur, the migrated environment would warrant further investigation.
As an optional third-party diagnostic step, you can run EtreCheck while the problem is occurring or shortly afterward and save the report. It can provide additional information about installed software and system configuration. EtreCheck is not an Apple diagnostic tool, so its report should be treated as additional diagnostic information rather than proof that a particular component is causing the problem. EtreCheck
If the problem occurs with one version of macOS but not another, record the exact macOS version, how long the Mac was asleep, whether Wi-Fi still showed Connected, whether Internet access was unavailable, and whether toggling Wi-Fi restored the connection.
That information is useful to provide to Apple, although it does not by itself establish the cause.
Keeping the Wireless Diagnostics report, EtreCheck report, and results from repeating the same sleep/wake test on another Wi-Fi network and, if practical, on a clean Golden Gate installation would give Apple Support much more concrete information to work with.
