Eric Willhelm
Level 1 (96 points)

Q: What's wrong in this wi-fi scenario?

Okay, so I have a Motorola wireless router, and two Macs and two iPhones. All of them are communicating fine with the router, except for my iMac, which is suddenly saying (according to the wireless diagnostic routine) that "the Mac can establish a connection with the router, but the router can't establish a connection with the internet". Meanwhile, my other Mac and both phones are getting flawless internet access. I've tried all the usual things, like resetting/restarting the router and restarting the iMac. But no luck. Anyone have any idea what could be wrong? Or what else I can check? I also ran the ol' network diagnostic thing, and it usually winds up with the last three indicators (ISP/internet/server) as failing (red). So there's that. Once it actually got all green, but when I went to try opening a web page, still nothing happened, and when I came back to the diagnostic, it was back to those three being red again.

So....anyone?

Posted on Oct 22, 2014 7:02 PM

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Eric Willhelm

Q: What's wrong in this wi-fi scenario?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by dwb,

    dwb dwb Oct 23, 2014 7:54 AM in response to Eric Willhelm
    Level 7 (24,467 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 23, 2014 7:54 AM in response to Eric Willhelm

    It sounds like the computer isn't getting an IP address from the router. Step 1, open System Preferences, select the Network tab and then choose Wi-Fi in the left window pane if it isn't already selected. Click on the Advanced button and you should see a list of Preferred Networks. Select each one and click on the little minus button below that window. (You'll need to know your router's password when you reconnect in a couple minutes.) Click on the OK button, click on the Turn Wi-Fi Off button, and close System Preferences. Now reboot the computer. Once the reboot is finished turn Wi-Fi back on, select your router & type in your password. You should be connected now.

     

    If not repeat the steps but before you turn WiFi back on and try to reconnect, reboot your router. In most cases this means unplug the electricity, wait 15 seconds, and plug it back in. Depending on the router it takes 30 seconds to a couple minutes for the router to restart and be active again. Wait until the router is active again before trying to reconnect.

  • by Eric Willhelm,

    Eric Willhelm Eric Willhelm Oct 23, 2014 4:34 PM in response to dwb
    Level 1 (96 points)
    Oct 23, 2014 4:34 PM in response to dwb

    Thanks for the advice. I tried it all, but still the wi-fi status indicator says 'no IP address', and the connection times out when I try connecting after entering the password. In fact, it says it gave itself an IP address of 169.254.235.66, and as such, is not able to connect to the internet. Strange, especially since every other device in the house is fine and dandy.

  • by dwb,

    dwb dwb Oct 24, 2014 4:09 AM in response to Eric Willhelm
    Level 7 (24,467 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 24, 2014 4:09 AM in response to Eric Willhelm

    From your original description it sounded like you were connecting to the router but not getting an IP address from the router. But now it is sounds like the computer isn't connecting to the router. Have you checked out this Apple help document?

     

    Assuming the iMac was connecting just find but suddenly stopped can you think of anything you've changed around the house? Did you move the router or Mac? Did you buy a new cordless phone or microwave? Was there a power outage?

  • by Eric Willhelm,

    Eric Willhelm Eric Willhelm Oct 24, 2014 6:08 AM in response to dwb
    Level 1 (96 points)
    Oct 24, 2014 6:08 AM in response to dwb

    That's the funny thing. When I run the wireless diagnostic thing, the report says the Mac can connect with the router, but the router can't get an IP address. As for recent changes, nothing comes to mind. Everything is where it was. No new devices or appliances in the house. I'll keep messing about. Thanks again for the input!

  • by dwb,Helpful

    dwb dwb Oct 24, 2014 6:31 AM in response to Eric Willhelm
    Level 7 (24,467 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 24, 2014 6:31 AM in response to Eric Willhelm

    Try doing an SMC reset.

     

    1. Shut down the computer.

    2. Unplug the computer's power cord.

    3. Wait fifteen seconds.

    4. Attach the computer's power cord.

    5. Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.



  • by Eric Willhelm,

    Eric Willhelm Eric Willhelm Oct 24, 2014 12:24 PM in response to dwb
    Level 1 (96 points)
    Oct 24, 2014 12:24 PM in response to dwb

    Heh, I may have inadvertently done just such a reset when I unplugged it and moved it to a different location in the house to see if it would work with a regular ethernet connection. It did, and then I unplugged the ethernet cable and tried the wi-fi from there, which worked, Then I unplugged the machine and moved it back to the original troublesome location...and was back in business! Figured maybe it just wanted a change of scenery, however brief. But indeed, in doing this, I guess I did an SMC reset, so maybe it was that! Thanks!

  • by aleckz,

    aleckz aleckz Oct 24, 2014 2:26 PM in response to Eric Willhelm
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 24, 2014 2:26 PM in response to Eric Willhelm

    Ever since I got Verizon Fios, I'm having a very similar problem. I fixed it a week ago and now it's back.

    I have an Airport router, I have an Apple TV, two iPhones 5s, one iMac, one iPad Air, one Macbook all connected to the router, they all work/connect fine, well my iMac seems to be getting disconnected all of sudden, I don't know if it's Verizon Fios, (since it's the first time I have it) or the iMac or the router, or the new upgrades. When my iMac disconnects from the router what I do and works for me is:

    Open settings, click on network, click on assist me, click on diagnostics, continue, etc... in about 5 seconds all the red "lights" will change to green and you're good to go. At least for  about 30 mins or a few hours if you're lucky.

    I remember when apple had excellent customer service care over the phone and it was free.

  • by Eric Willhelm,

    Eric Willhelm Eric Willhelm Oct 25, 2014 4:46 PM in response to dwb
    Level 1 (96 points)
    Oct 25, 2014 4:46 PM in response to dwb

    Okay, how about this. The problem is persistent now. And I noticed (having finally found the wireless diagnostic utilities window) that the iMac isn't even able to find ANY wireless networks when it has the problem, while my laptop right next to it can find at least 6. Would that seem to indicate a problem with the iMac itself?