local wifi network is connected to the internet. Iphone will connect to wifi, but won't connect to internet.

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Level 1

12 points

local wifi network is connected to the internet. Iphone will connect to wifi, but won't connect to internet.

So this is a little weird.

The only devices in the house that won't connect to the internet are our up to date iPhone 12s.

My iMac connects wirelessly to the internet just fine, so does an old Mac mini, our Roku and Apple TV work just fine. PCs connect to the internet, iPhones do not.

I have Airport Utility on both my Macs and on the iPhones. They show different results when scanning the network. See below.

Why does the iMac and all of the other devices connect to the internet, but the iPhones do not? Why do all the other devices see the Internet, but the iPhones do not?

Thanks, as always, for all the help.

iPhone 12 Pro

Posted on Dec 29, 2021 6:39 PM

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Answer 1

Bob Timmons

Level 10

188,806 points

Dec 30, 2021 6:40 AM in response to mikegaulco

The change that precipitated the problem was the modem.

Since all of the AirPorts are in Bridge Mode, the device that you call your "modem" controls the number of devices that are allowed to connect to the Internet......because the device is really a modem/router, also known as a gateway.

Providers often limit the number of devices that can connect to the Internet......5-10 is common, but it might be more. The quickest way to find out what that number might be would be to get with the support folks at your provider and ask them what the limit of device connections to the Internet might be. You have 6 devices with just your AirPorts, so with a few other computers or accessories the number of Internet connections required might be 12+.

If the modem/router will only provide say 12 Internet connections and you need 15+, ask the support folks how to set up the modem/router to allow 20-25 device connections.

There is another way to do this, but it will take a good deal of time for the slow step by step process. Post back if you are unable to find out from your provider how many connections the modem/router or gateway will allow, and we'll come at the issue from a different angle.

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Answer 2

Bob Timmons

Level 10

188,806 points

Dec 30, 2021 8:38 AM in response to mikegaulco

Were you able to find out from your Internet Service Provider (ISP)..........(I assume that they provided the "modem" to you).........what the device limitation might be as far as Internet connections that are allowed?

For example, my neighbor recently had a new ATT modem/router installed and found out that the device.......out of the box.....was preset to only allow 10 devices to connect to the network and get an Internet connection. With ATT's help, he was able to get into the administrator settings for the modem/router and change things so that 20 devices were allowed to connect and obtain an Internet connection.

If you cannot find out from your provider about the number of device connections that your modem/router or gateway might be limited to, there is another test that you can run to find out whether it is the iPhones/iPad.....or..... your modem/router that might be the culprit with the current issue.

It is going to take some time, but for now I would like for you to temporarily power off all of the AirPorts except the Time Capsule. Then, restart your modem/router and move the iPhones and iPad to the same area as the Time Capsule and see if they can connect and get an Internet connection that way.

The idea here is to eliminate the iPhones and iPad as the culprits for your current issue. If the iPhones and iPad can connect to the Time Capsule, then you know that the iPhones and iPad are OK, and the issue is being caused by another device........very likely the new "modem".

However, if the iPhones and iPad cannot connect during this test with only the Time Capsule providing a WiFi network, then you know that they will also not work when other AirPorts are powered on again......and we'll have to try to figure out what it is about the iOS devices that is different than your other devices. If this happens to be the case, I have some suspicions but do not want to jump to conclusions.

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Answer 3

Bob Timmons

Level 10

188,806 points

Dec 30, 2021 12:52 PM in response to mikegaulco

Keep the same setup with only the Time Capsule powered on for now, but try the following with one of the iPhones or the iPad.

Home Screen tap Settings

Tap Wi-Fi

Tap on the blue circle with the "i" next to the name of the Wi-Fi network

Scroll down to see if Private Wi-Fi Address is turned "On"

If it is, move the slider to "Off"

You may see a message that the connection will be temporarily interrupted

Go back to the Home Screen on the iPhone and completely turn off the iPhone

Wait about 30 seconds, then power the iPhone back up again

Check to see if the iPhone can get an Internet connection

If the iPhone can connect now, it is a good news / bad news situation. I will explain more if that is the case.

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Answer 4

Bob Timmons

Level 10

188,806 points

Dec 31, 2021 3:02 PM in response to mikegaulco

What about resetting the phone’s Network Settings?

Worth a try.

Tap Settings on the Home Screen

Tap WiFi

Tap on the "blue i" inside the circle next to the name of the network

Tap Forget This Network

Then try to connect to the network again.

If still no luck, this is either a modem issue.......after all, this is the only device that changed if I understand your post.......or a strange iPhone issue for which I cannot find a similar issue.

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Answer 5

Bob Timmons

Level 10

188,806 points

Jan 2, 2022 7:11 AM in response to mikegaulco

Double NAT means that you have two routers on the same network........the device that you call your "modem" and the Time Capsule........ are both providing DHCP and NAT routing services for the network.

You only want one device performing the DHCP and NAT service on a network, which means that all the other routers need to be in Bridge Mode. Apple calls this setting "Off (Bridge Mode)". The "Off" means that DHCP and NAT routing services are turned "Off". This is the correct setting to use when your modem is really a modem/router or gateway.

It is also the reason why AirPort Utility will automatically set up the Time Capsule in Bridge Mode during the product setup.

You would want to avoid a Double NAT error if possible, because it makes things less efficient on the network. But, it does not usually cause issues on a simple home network. Your network is somewhere between simple and complex. I do not recommend setting up a network with a Double NAT error, but there are sometimes times when you cannot avoid this.

The issue is obviously with the device that you call your "modem", but I don't know why it won't allow the iPhones to connect when all of the AirPorts are set up in the correct Bridge Mode setting to work with your modem/router or gateway.

Things would be a lot better if your ISP could provide you with a "simple modem"......the kind with only one Ethernet port. Then, the DHCP and NAT setting on the Time Capsule would be the correct setting to use, since the Time Capsule will be acting as the only router for the network. As it stands now with Double NAT, you have two devices on the network both trying to act like routers.....not ideal.

You can select the option to "Ignore This Issue" and the Time Capsule will display a green light. Unfortunately, this won't make the Double NAT issue go away, but you can check to see how things perform over the next week or two.

If you have a brief power outage or power "blip", the setting on the Time Capsule will likely revert to "Off (Bridge Mode)" automatically, so you'll have to watch for this and manually change the setting back to DHCP and NAT if that occurs.

What is the make and model number of the device that you call your "modem"? I ask because other users with iPhones are likely having the same issues.

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Answer 6

Bob Timmons

Level 10

188,806 points

Dec 29, 2021 6:57 PM in response to mikegaulco

The only devices in the house that won't connect to the internet are our up to date iPhone 12s.

Were the iPhones working before and the issue has just appeared?

Or, are these new iPhones?

Any recent changes that you have made to the iPhones......like updating the operating system, for example?

Have you tried the oldest troubleshooting step in the book? That would be powering off the entire network.....all devices.....then starting things up one device at a time starting with the modem, Time Capsule, AirPorts, then other network devices.

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Answer 7

Bob Timmons

Level 10

188,806 points

Jan 2, 2022 1:11 PM in response to mikegaulco

Life would be tons easier if you are able to install the correct type of modem to allow the Time Capsule to function as your main router. That would be a simple modem. It will look something like the example below:

A modem/router or gateway locks you into a Bridge Mode setting for all of the AirPorts for correct setup, unless you want to try to deal with a Double NAT error on the network.

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Answer 8

mikegaulco Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 30, 2021 11:38 AM in response to Bob Timmons

With all the secondary devices powered off, and only the TC remaining on, the iMac maintains an internet connection, and its Airport Utility scan shows the missing devices and the active internet connection. The iPhone still does not connect, and the Airport Utility shows all the missing devices, the active TC, and no internet connection.

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Answer 9

mikegaulco Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 30, 2021 3:51 AM in response to Bob Timmons

Hi Bob. Thanks for coming back and helping out with my network again.

The change that precipitated the problem was the modem.

With your help, previously, I got my network set up partially wired and partially wireless, with three routers, the TimeCapsule and two airport extremes each creating the same WiFi network, and the three airport expresses extending the same network. I still intend to hard wire the airport expresses and have them create rather than extend, but that’s a different issue for a different day. In the meantime, this is how the network has been set up and working.

The TC is connected by Ethernet to a modem. (TC WAN port to Modem LAN port). The two AirPort Extremes are connected by Ethernet to the TC. (AExt WAN ports to TC LAN ports)

The modem has its WiFi radios turned off., and the three routers are in Bridge Mode, and all broadcast 2 frequencies of WiFi all named the same.

This system has worked for a long time, but because of where we live the two wire connected modem has provided a slow but capable network.

We got tired of the two wire slow network and wireless connectivity became available with faster speeds, so we subscribed and got a second modem. Yesterday I switched which modem the TC was connected to (from the two wire slow modem to the faster wireless modem) and the IPhones quit seeing the internet connection even though everything else connects as described previously.

I’ve since tried connecting an iPad as well, and have the same problem.

All the hardwired connections work, Roku, Apple TV, PCs.

And the iMac connects wirelessly.

iPhones and iPads won’t connect to the internet via the WiFi, but they interact just fine with all the other devices. ie: I can still control housewide iTunes broadcast from the iMac with the Remote app from my phone or pad. I haven’t tried printing yet, but I will, and will let you know about that later.

i imagine the problem is in some of the router settings, but I can’t identify which ones.

as always, help is greatly appreciated.

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Answer 10

mikegaulco Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 31, 2021 10:42 AM in response to Bob Timmons

Hi Bob.

Thanks for keeping on this with me. I really appreciate it.

I turned off Private Address and rebooted. No change, except with Private Relay off iCloud Private Relay showed up as a toggle option. (Maybe it was there before and I just overlooked it). I turned iCloud Private Relay off and rebooted, and still, I can connect to the network and control my Mac with my phone but I still have no internet connection with my phone over WiFi.

What do you think now? What about resetting the phone’s Network Settings? Actually, never mind, I can’t even find that option anymore…

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Answer 11

mikegaulco Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 31, 2021 8:09 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Yeah. Thanks, Bob.

I’ve done the forget and reconnect, already. No go. My only conclusion is this is some weird iOS thing. So frustrating, because I really want to boot the old ISP, but I don’t want to give up my wired LAN. Seems I can’t have both, with my existing hardware.

Do you know how to reset the reset the Network Settings with the current OS? I can’t find it under General. All I see is a whole phone reset.,.

Happy New Year!

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Answer 12

mikegaulco Author

Level 1

12 points

Jan 2, 2022 6:31 AM in response to Bob Timmons

Good morning Bob.

I hope you don’t mind staying on this with me a little further.

I continued having suspicions that there are issues with the settings of the routers in my network, the TC in particular, and they were/are causing the connection issues.

This morning I started looking through them. Part of the issue is I don’t trust Airport Utility very much, because it often seems I find different settings than I believe were set in the first place.

Anyway, long story short, I switched the TC Router Mode from Bridge to DHCP and NAT, and my iPhone finds the internet and connects. However in Airport Utility the TC now shows an error, Double NAT.

How do I correct the Double NAT issue, and maintain the internet connectivity? As you know, when I followed the advice of the Status Message, I lost phone connectivity with the internet… Is it safe to “ignore” the issue, or are there other settings I can correct?

Thanks as always.

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