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Q: Powerbook G4 v 10.2.8 not connecting to wi fi

Hello,

 

I own a PowerBook 5,2 (version = 1.1) G4 mac system version OS X 10.2.8. I am trying to get it connected via wi fi but Airport does not turn on, even when I click on it and it does not recognize the wi fi connection. When I open the Safari browser, the Internet dial up connection starts to initialize. What do I do to get the computer to connect via wi fi?

 

Thanks.

PowerBook, Mac OS X (10.2.x)

Posted on Jul 15, 2013 12:12 PM

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Q: Powerbook G4 v 10.2.8 not connecting to wi fi

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  • by a brody,Helpful

    a brody a brody Jul 31, 2013 7:03 AM in response to mafube
    Level 9 (66,781 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Jul 31, 2013 7:03 AM in response to mafube

    The Airport capability on those machines was optional.  Meaning the internal card wasn't always installed.   http://www.ifixit.com/ has directions to determine if there is one installed.   It takes the Airport Extreme 802.11g.   That does not support 802.11n or 802.11a or 802.11ac. I would not attempt to hook to an 802.11b network as it is slower and less secure.

  • by Allan Jones,Helpful

    Allan Jones Allan Jones Aug 1, 2013 5:15 PM in response to mafube
    Level 8 (35,039 points)
    iPad
    Aug 1, 2013 5:15 PM in response to mafube

    10.2.8 may not support WPA encryption. It could be limited to the older and less secure WEP protocol. My 1ghz 17-inch PowerBook5,1 running Tiger can connect at "g" speeds to a WPA router without problems.

  • by Texas Mac Man,

    Texas Mac Man Texas Mac Man Aug 3, 2013 12:13 PM in response to mafube
    Level 8 (46,611 points)
    Aug 3, 2013 12:13 PM in response to mafube

    Turn Off your PB. Then turn Off (disconnect power cord for 30 seconds or longer) the wireless router & then back On. Now boot your PB. Hopefully it will see the WiFi.

     

     Cheers, Tom

  • by mafube,

    mafube mafube Aug 7, 2013 3:17 PM in response to a brody
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 7, 2013 3:17 PM in response to a brody

    Thanks for the link and the info. I was not able to get directions from the site but I was able to determine that the Powerbook can recognize a wi fi network. However, when I entered the password after selecting the network, I got an error message that my password was incorrect.

  • by mafube,

    mafube mafube Aug 7, 2013 3:32 PM in response to Allan Jones
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 7, 2013 3:32 PM in response to Allan Jones

    Thanks. O.K. I wonder if that explains my problem. I was able to see the wi fi network but when I entered my password, I got an error message.

  • by mafube,

    mafube mafube Aug 7, 2013 3:34 PM in response to Texas Mac Man
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 7, 2013 3:34 PM in response to Texas Mac Man

    Thanks Tom, I was indeed able to see the wi fi network but it is not accepting my password.

  • by Donald Morgan,

    Donald Morgan Donald Morgan Aug 7, 2013 10:36 PM in response to mafube
    Level 6 (12,783 points)
    Aug 7, 2013 10:36 PM in response to mafube

    Be sure that you are using the Password to the Network.

    Often when we get frustrated we have the tendency to use the password to the computer and not the Router and the Network.

    As  it has already been pointed out, The Powerbook trying to connect to a Dial-Up Connection. Using 10-2-8 is a little confusing because I wonder why you didn't upgrade to 10.3.9.  Hopefully you were aware that it was a free upgrade, and if you had an Airport Extreme Card in your computer there were a ton of critical updates to the Airport Extreme.

  • by Knucklesmac,

    Knucklesmac Knucklesmac Aug 8, 2013 1:12 AM in response to mafube
    Level 4 (2,225 points)
    Aug 8, 2013 1:12 AM in response to mafube

    Hello,

     

    To test if it's the encryption, try turning off your wifi security. (i.e remove the passsword) Connect the PowerBook and see if it connects.

    If it does, then it's a problem with the encryption not being compatible. Other ways around this is to setup another wifi connection like a guest and set the encryption type to  WEP, which should work fine with this PowerBook

  • by mafube,

    mafube mafube Aug 13, 2013 2:15 PM in response to Knucklesmac
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 13, 2013 2:15 PM in response to Knucklesmac

    Thank you. This really helped me. I turned off my wifi security and I was able to connect the PowerBook to the network. I'll have to look into the set up of another wifi connection and set the encryption type to WEP as you suggested. Thanks again.

  • by mafube,

    mafube mafube Aug 13, 2013 2:23 PM in response to Donald Morgan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 13, 2013 2:23 PM in response to Donald Morgan

    I was not aware that 10.3.9 was a free upgrade to 10.2.8. It's a pity that I did not know that there were also critical upgrades to the Airport Extreme. I was not using the PowerBook for a while so I was not checking frequently for updates. Thanks.

  • by a brody,

    a brody a brody Aug 13, 2013 2:40 PM in response to mafube
    Level 9 (66,781 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Aug 13, 2013 2:40 PM in response to mafube

    There never was a free update from 10.2.8 to 10.3.9.  I should know. 

  • by mafube,

    mafube mafube Aug 14, 2013 5:34 PM in response to a brody
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 14, 2013 5:34 PM in response to a brody

    Thanks for the clarification.