MACBOOK PRO SHOWS AN IP ADDRESS, AND WON'T ALLOW MAC TO GO ONLINE

Question

MACBOOK PRO SHOWS AN IP ADDRESS, AND WON'T ALLOW MAC TO GO ONLINE

I recently installed an At&t Microcell at home and put a security code on the linksys router about the same time. I have 2 PCs (one of which uses VPN) and a 2.2 Macbook Pro I've had for 3 years. Never had problems getting online wherever I went.

Now, no matter where I go, my computer "connects" to my network, accepts my password, and shows full signal, but when I open Safari, or any program that requires internet access (like my mobileme account), I just get the "failed to open page because you are not connected to the internet" page.

I tried powering down the router, the microcell, rebooting my Mac, reinstalling the network new security password (which worked fine the first time I set it up) and no matter what I do, it continues to tell me I'm online with Airport, with an assigned IP address but am not able to go online. I've run set up over and over. I've run diagnostics over and over. I've tried reading on Apple discussions - or anywhere on the internet - and so far, all I find are other Mac users going through similar issues and no one who can explain what's happening.

In the meantime, I'm in a continuous loop of trying to figure out what is going on. Funny thing (or not so funny) is that my other PCs are connecting no problem so it's not the router/microcell that's the issue. It's the MAC.

I'm concerned that I'll have to pay a $49 Apple fee just to talk to someone on the phone, which, according to another earlier post, yielded no results.

So what gives? I'm supremely frustrated and having been a PC user most of my life and a fairly recent convert to Apple I'm surprised as well! I still don't like PCs and their horrible lack of security but at this point, now it's my only way online.

I'm beginning to wonder, IS there a fix? Perhaps Apple has encountered a problem it has so solution for? 😟 If so, bummer.

And if there is someone out there who can help TY TY TY TY TY TY in advance!!!!

Macbook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Aug 8, 2010 10:39 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

K Shaffer

Level 7

34,972 points

Aug 8, 2010 11:50 AM in response to Sparksparadise

Are you getting what has been referred to as a "self-assigned IP address" when you
look into the address that appears in the DHCP server setup?

If there hasn't been a negotiated connection with correct matching settings between
the computer and the wireless base station, so security and other settings are the
same, then a computer may see the connection as active, but provide none of the
usual or expected interconnected two-way data flow related to being online or on
a local network, etc.

Is the firewall set to not allow any access? Sometimes, to troubleshoot, some users
have turned off the firewall. I usually leave mine on all the time, except for the one
access to get the Apple Network Time server; but in certain instances, you could
need to have other ports in the Firewall set to allow access, conditionally, if secure.

You could try entering a valid IP address into the software settings manually; to see
if that change allows access. There may also be a need to reset the base station,
and a few other things, to try and get the hardware to renegotiate a connection.

There some items of this nature available to read through online, if you search some;
in fact, the issue is not a new one and goes back several generations of hardware &
a few versions of system software. In some previous instances, when the base station
and the computer did not have access, on occasion it was due a software update. One
either not applied, or to one unit only. There are firmware updates for base stations as
well as other updates, for the computer, too. Some of those affect a wireless connection.

When using a third-party wireless base station and not an Apple unit, there can be times
when minor issues arise and those can be a headache. Perhaps someone can cite the
exact Apple Support article or information page link, to their cure for this issue. While a
quick look didn't find the correct Support document, it is out there and it may be helpful.

It would be something like this...

• *Mac OS: How to release and renew a DHCP lease:*
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1920

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

+{ edited to add link }+

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Answer 2

Camelot

Level 9

54,333 points

Aug 8, 2010 12:32 PM in response to Sparksparadise

There are lots of reasons that might contribute to this kind of setup, so you're going to have to do some troubleshooting to determine which one(s) affect you.

First off, what IP address does your Mac have? Is it valid for your network? Is is similar to other devices on your network (e.g. the PCs)?
That will tell you whether the Mac is getting a valid IP address from your router (asusming you're using DHCP). If you're not getting a valid address then all other bets are off.

Secondly, check the other fields in the network setup, specifically the router address - that will need to match what the PCs have. If you don't have a valid router address then you can't talk to anything outside of your local network.

If the IP and router addresses check out, let's move to the application. Is this only a problem in Safari? What about other internet applications (e.g. other web browsers such as Firefox or Chrome? other applications such as Mail?).
Knowing whether it's one application or all goes a long way to narrowing down the problem.

Post back with the results to these questions and we'll take it from there.

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Answer 3

Aug 10, 2010 7:20 PM in response to K Shaffer

"Are you getting what has been referred to as a "self-assigned IP address" when you
look into the address that appears in the DHCP server setup?"

Yes, exactly what I'm getting.

"Is the firewall set to not allow any access? Sometimes, to troubleshoot, some users have turned off the firewall. ...you could need to have other ports in the Firewall set to allow access, conditionally, if secure."

Mac Fireall is set to "Allow all incoming connections." Not sure that's the only firewall you're referring to?

"You could try entering a valid IP address into the software settings manually; to see if that change allows access."

I entered the the router default I found on my PCs cmd line ipconfig. Not sure if there's another IP address you mean set the IP address to the router or just manually enter an IP address.

"There may also be a need to reset the base station, and a few other things, to try and get the hardware to renegotiate a connection."

I have reset everything more than once in every order (not the PC, though).

I'll check the other items you mentioned. And THANKS!!! Maybe it's time to get a full on Airport base station instead of keeping my old linksys. Shame though, since it still works fine for all the other computers.

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Answer 4

mls312

Level 1

0 points

Aug 13, 2010 11:19 AM in response to Sparksparadise

I am having the same problem with my home network and MacBook Pro. We have tried resetting the modem and router, but my computer continues to self assign its own IP address, which is something like 169.254.245.xx...

The interesting (and by "interesting" I mean +incredibly frustrating+) part about this is that my machine connects fine when we take off any security from our network. But if we use a MAC address filter and add my address to the allowed list, we get the IP address problem. If we change it to WEP protection, it still happens.

As far as applications go, it seems to affect all applications that are connecting to the internet. Sometimes my chat programs will work momentarily, but then I get signed out. My browsers open but will not load any pages. My Mail accounts also get disconnected.

I have tried renewing the DHCP lease multiple times. I have tried restarting multiple times (sometimes this works, but then I get kicked off again later for the same IP address reasons). This is incredibly frustrating and disappointing, and I have never had problems like this before, in the 3+ years I've had my laptop. Any help would be much appreciated.

Message was edited by: mls312

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Answer 5

K Shaffer

Level 7

34,972 points

Aug 13, 2010 11:20 AM in response to mls312

In some instances, depending on base station type and model, there may be
an associated firmware update involved to help drop-out issues. Connection
issues may be related to the security levels in some instances. I use WPA2
and it seems adequate. But then, my wireless hardware is older Apple and
for the most part has just worked.

Third-party hardware can have its own special needs, and I am not learned in
those matters. Some say I live in a tree, and when I have to go out and shoo
the squirrels away, they say I'm nuts! Oh well. We does whats we can...

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

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