OS X 10.3.9 Wireless Connection Issues

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Level 1

8 points

OS X 10.3.9 Wireless Connection Issues

Hi,

I'm trying to get an old PowerBook G4 (running OS X 10.3.9) online and connected to my wireless network however it's saying it is connected but whenever I try to load a web page I get an error saying "Server Cannot be Found".

My router is using WPA encryption and as a wireless adaptor I'm using a D-Link AirPlus DWL-G650X (to connect to the wireless I'm using the firmware supplied with the adaptor). Does anyone know of a fix or work around?

If you require any more info just ask =)

Dell, Windows 7, 16GB iPod Touch 2nd Gen

Posted on Oct 11, 2010 10:45 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 11, 2010 11:38 AM in response to Ashley_H

Can't find any Mac support for this card on the D-Link sites.

Does it show up under Apple System Profiler ?

How do you select it in the Network System Preference ?

In the Network system Preference, if you select "Network Port Configurations", how does the card appear ? And where is it in the list ?

Just because there are no Mac drivers on the site doesn't mean it won't work, I've had to use other third-party drivers to use my Linksys PCI wireless card in my old G4 MDD.

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Answer 2

Ashley_H Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 11, 2010 12:08 PM in response to Ashley_H

The card appears as "TXN,PCI1410-02" in System Profiler and appears as "PCI Ethernet Slot PC Card, Port 1" at the top of the list in "System Preferences > Network" (the same for "Network Port Configuration") there is a note next to the card saying "The cable for PCI Ethernet Slot PC Card, Port 1 is not plugged in" as this card doesn't allow cables to be connected to it I'm not sure why it is saying that. Selecting the card through Network in System Preferences brings up a configuration box which asks for DHCP Client ID and DNS Servers which I don't have/know.

The card originally came with a CD which contained some connection software which is what I'm using to select the card/connect to the network. The software is fairly straight forward, it scans for wireless networks, asks you for the encryption info and will then proceed to connect. It's at this point which mine will connect to the Router and have a LAN only connection but no internet connection.

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Answer 3

Oct 12, 2010 12:12 AM in response to Ashley_H

A well-written reply, all too often I get a one-line response to questions I ask when trying to help.

So we'll assume that the software on CD sets some sort of configuration file for a custom connection option.
Do you have an IP address when connected to the LAN ? or is it a self-assigned IP address ? Self-assigned IP addresses are of the form 169.x.x.x . Otherwise you may be getting an IP address of the form 192.168.x.x. If it's anything else, post the first two numbers.

Again, once you're connected to the LAN, do you have a Router Address (in the Network System Pref) ? This should be the LAN IP address of your router.
And do you have any addresses in the DNS Servers. Empty is OK, it would get them from your Router, which would get them from your ISP.
Incorrect or missing router address or incorrect DNS servers would cause the fault you are seeing.

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Answer 4

Ashley_H Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 12, 2010 10:09 AM in response to Ashley_H

Just a quick side note: I tried plugging the laptop directly in to the router with its on board Ethernet, bypassing the encryption, and it worked; I was able to connect to the web and run software updates etc, could it be that the software supplied doesn't support WPA encryption and would need updating or would that prevent me from connecting to the router altogether? (I remember on my old windows machine I had a wireless card which wasn't WPA compatible and it didn't even see the network at all)

Back to your post:

The software provided doesn't indicate what my LAN IP address would be but when I bypass the provided software and use the Macs "System Preferences > Network" option to the select the card the IP address is self assigned and appears as "169.254.232.146", the Router section appears blank along with "DHCP Client ID" and "DNS Servers".

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Answer 5

Oct 12, 2010 1:18 PM in response to Ashley_H

We might need to clarify what you mean when you say you can use the card and supplied software to connect to the LAN -
Even with no encryption support you should be able to DETECT the LAN, and maybe even attempt a connect to it. Being able to do this doesn't mean we have achieved anything.
when you say you can connect to the LAN, do you mean you can see and connect to other computers on the LAN ? Can you see, connect and configure the router maybe ? This would be a good sign.
With no connectivity, could be the card doesn't support the WPA or WPA2 (can't remember exactly which you said it was) protocol you have chosen on your wireless router. Don't rely on the Mac OS to detect the correct ecryption for you.
Make sure of the encryption method used by the router, make sure it is exactly the same encryption method selected when you connect with the card, ie. is it WPA Personal, WPA Enterprise, WPA2 Personal, WPA2 Enterprise or other ?
Could just be the password is incorrect.

Not a good sign that the Nework Sys Pref has a self-assigned IP, even though it isn't used to initiate the connection, it does report it accurately. It may also report that the configuration has been altered by another application if you use the supplied application while the Network Sys Pref is open.

Any consolation is that at least you don't have an AirPort Extreme card and OSX 10.5.5 or later. Improved security according to Apple, many hundreds of non-functioning AirPort cards according to the forums, got my Mac Pro too.

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Answer 6

Ashley_H Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 14, 2010 1:32 PM in response to Ashley_H

The encryption used by the router is WPA-PSK, I have this option in the D-Link software but it also asks me what encryption type (AES or TKIP), I'm not sure about this but I've tried them both and they both appeared to connect. I tried to log into the router by entering 192.168.0.1 into Safari but it just sat there for about 10 minutes with the progress bar at 10% and not moving.

I also tried assigning all of the Network details myself (such as Router, Sub-Net, IP) after connecting via the D-Link software and the card status changed from "A cable is unplugged" to "Active, Connected with IP 192.168.0.28, You are connected to the internet...". Checking the Network Utility, it also says I'm connected and it also shows packages being sent (oddly none received) which could suggest it is communicating with something.

I think that the wireless card does not support the routers encryption as it works when connected via Ethernet which bypasses the encryption and I've never had any problems before the WPA was implemented around Christmas (the laptop hasn't been used since around '06 so implementing WPA is the only thing which has changed between now and then). As the laptop is around 10 years old I'm tempted to format it and put Leopard on there as it meets the system requirements (after doing a bit off googling it appears to be possible). This should hopefully give me the option of using a more up to date wireless card which does support my routers encryption protocol.

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Answer 7

Oct 15, 2010 11:53 AM in response to Ashley_H

First thing may be to ditch Safari, and use the latest version of Firefox you can for your OS.

WPA-PSK is good, it will use the TKIP (Temporal Key something protocol). AES would be an option used by WPA2. I think all wireless devices manufactured in the last 3 or 4 years that wish to carry the official WiFi logo need to support WPA2, so that might be why the router shows it.

Just as a temporary measure you could try the router and wireless card on WEP, which I presume you were using before, just to make sure it still works, ie. it's not a signal strength issue.

Can't think of anything else to try with WPA. But using Firefox and trying to connect to and configure the router should be a start. Make sure pop-ups are not turned off, attempting to configure the router may ask you for a username and password (Did I say "may", it SHOULD ask you for user/password).

If you're handy with the Network Utility in Applications/Utilities you can try pinging the router and discover a lot more info on the traffic sent / received.

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