Fix MacBook Air M2 WiFi Disconnection Issue (AWDL)

Fix MacBook Air M2 WiFi Disconnection Issue (AWDL) | Sumiran Dahal

System Overview

Property	Value
Model	MacBook Air 15-inch (2023)
Model ID	Mac14,15
Chip	Apple M2
RAM	24 GB unified memory
macOS Version	Ventura / Sonoma
Region / Keyboard	USA (LL variant)

What is AWDL?

AWDL (Apple Wireless Direct Link) is a low-latency, high-speed WiFi protocol built into macOS. It powers peer-to-peer Apple features such as:

AirDrop
AirPlay
Handoff / Continuity
Sidecar
Bonjour discovery

The Problem

Whenever AWDL is active, it locks the WiFi radio for small intervals — approximately 50–100ms once per second for Bonjour discovery alone. This creates latency spikes and causes the router to perceive the Mac as repeatedly disconnecting and reconnecting. On M1/M2 Macs, AWDL runs more aggressively in the background due to features like Universal Clipboard and Continuity Camera, making the issue more pronounced.

Step 1: Identify Your Mac Variant

First, confirm your Mac model using the terminal:

system_profiler SPHardwareDataType

Sample output:

Model Name: MacBook Air
Model Identifier: Mac14,15
Chip: Apple M2
Memory: 24 GB

Mac14,15 = 15-inch MacBook Air M2 (2023)
Mac14,2 = 13-inch MacBook Air M2 (2022)

Step 2: Confirm AWDL is the Culprit

Temporarily disable AWDL and observe if WiFi stabilizes immediately:

sudo ifconfig awdl0 down

Then verify it's disabled:

ifconfig awdl0 | grep status

Expected output:

status: inactive

If WiFi connects and stabilizes immediately after running this command, AWDL is confirmed as the cause.

To re-enable AWDL temporarily (if needed for AirDrop etc.):

sudo ifconfig awdl0 up

⚠️ Note: This fix is temporary and resets on every reboot. Follow the steps below to make it permanent.

Step 3: Make the Fix Permanent

Since sudo ifconfig awdl0 down resets after every reboot, we need to create a LaunchDaemon that runs the command automatically at startup.

Why a simple LaunchDaemon doesn't work

A naive LaunchDaemon that directly calls ifconfig awdl0 down will fail at boot because:

ifconfig: interface awdl0 does not exist

The daemon runs too early — before macOS has created the awdl0 interface. The solution is to use a shell script that waits for the interface to appear before disabling it.

3.1 — Create the Shell Script

sudo nano /usr/local/bin/disable-awdl.sh

Paste the following:

#!/bin/bash
# Wait for awdl0 interface to appear
while ! /sbin/ifconfig awdl0 > /dev/null 2>&1; do
  sleep 1
done

# Disable it
/sbin/ifconfig awdl0 down

# Keep watching and re-disable if macOS re-enables it
while true; do
  STATUS=$(/sbin/ifconfig awdl0 | grep "status: active")
  if [ -n "$STATUS" ]; then
    /sbin/ifconfig awdl0 down
  fi
  sleep 5
done

Why the loop? macOS services like mDNSResponder can re-enable awdl0 after boot. The while true loop watches every 5 seconds and re-disables AWDL if macOS turns it back on.

Save with Ctrl+O, then exit with Ctrl+X.

Make the script executable:

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/disable-awdl.sh

3.2 — Create the LaunchDaemon Plist

sudo nano /Library/LaunchDaemons/disable-awdl.plist

Paste the following:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN"
  "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
  <key>Label</key>
  <string>disable-awdl</string>
  <key>ProgramArguments</key>
  <array>
    <string>/bin/bash</string>
    <string>/usr/local/bin/disable-awdl.sh</string>
  </array>
  <key>RunAtLoad</key>
  <true/>
  <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
  <string>/tmp/disable-awdl.err</string>
  <key>StandardOutPath</key>
  <string>/tmp/disable-awdl.out</string>
</dict>
</plist>

3.3 — Set Correct Permissions and Load the Daemon

sudo chown root:wheel /Library/LaunchDaemons/disable-awdl.plist
sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/disable-awdl.plist
sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/disable-awdl.plist

3.4 — Verify it's Working

ifconfig awdl0 | grep status
sudo launchctl list | grep awdl

Expected output:

status: inactive
-       0       disable-awdl

status: inactive → AWDL is disabled
0 → daemon ran successfully (exit code 0)

Step 4: Reboot and Confirm Persistence

sudo reboot

After reboot, verify:

ifconfig awdl0 | grep status

Expected:

status: inactive

If you see status: inactive after a fresh reboot — the fix is permanent.

Troubleshooting

Daemon fails with exit code `1`

Check the error log:

cat /tmp/disable-awdl.err

Common error:

ifconfig: interface awdl0 does not exist

Fix: Make sure your shell script includes the while loop that waits for awdl0 to appear (see Step 3.1).

AWDL comes back after reboot

Confirm the plist is loaded: sudo launchctl list | grep awdl
Confirm the script exists: cat /usr/local/bin/disable-awdl.sh
Confirm permissions: ls -la /usr/local/bin/disable-awdl.sh (should be executable)

Trade-offs

Disabling AWDL affects the following Apple features:

Feature	Status
Regular WiFi/Internet	✅ Works fine
Bluetooth	✅ Works fine
AirDrop	❌ Disabled
AirPlay	❌ Disabled
Handoff / Continuity	❌ Disabled
Sidecar	❌ Disabled

If you occasionally need AirDrop or AirPlay, you can temporarily re-enable AWDL:

sudo ifconfig awdl0 up

And disable it again when done:

sudo ifconfig awdl0 down

How to Undo / Uninstall

If you ever want to revert this fix completely:

sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/disable-awdl.plist
sudo rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/disable-awdl.plist
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/disable-awdl.sh
sudo ifconfig awdl0 up

Summary of Steps

Step	Command / Action	Purpose / Verification
1	`sudo ifconfig awdl0 down`	Immediately disable the awdl0 interface
2	`ifconfig awdl0 \| grep status`	Verify it shows `status: inactive`
3	`sudo nano /usr/local/bin/disable-awdl.sh`	Create the disable script
4	`sudo nano /Library/LaunchDaemons/disable-awdl.plist`	Create the LaunchDaemon property list file
5	`sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/disable-awdl.plist`	Load the daemon (runs at boot)
6

Quick Reference One-Liner Summary

# Disable now
sudo ifconfig awdl0 down

# Create script + daemon → reboot or load manually
# Verify: sudo launchctl list | grep awdl

# Undo
sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/disable-awdl.plist
sudo rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/disable-awdl.plist
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/disable-awdl.sh
sudo ifconfig awdl0 up

References

Recent Apple updates leading to Wi-Fi issues & an interim solution
- Source: Meter (meter.com) — December 5, 2022
- Link: https://www.meter.com/mac-osx-awdl-psa
M2/M1 MacBook Having Wi-Fi Issues? This Workaround Helps
- Source: OSXDaily — December 12, 2022
- Link: https://osxdaily.com/2022/12/12/m2-m1-macbook-having-wi-fi-issues-this-workaround-helps/
Some M1/M2 Mac users facing Wi-Fi connectivity and speed issues
- Source: 9to5Mac — December 12, 2022
- Link: https://9to5mac.com/2022/12/12/macbook-wifi-issues-m1-m2-fix/

Quick Note: These references are from 2022 — most users report the problem was largely resolved in later macOS Ventura/Sonoma updates. If you're still seeing issues, check for the latest system update first.

sudo launchctl list | grep awdl

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