Maz K
Level 1 (6 points)
iPhone

Q: WiFi not turning on when network is available. Can't see any networks at all.

Hi there,

 

All of a sudden, my Mac can’t sign on to WiFi. I get the empty sector icon and when I select “Turn WiFi On”, nothing happens. Tried restarting several times and it doesn’t work. This happened a couple of weeks ago and I left it to the following day and everything worked. I’m on a rMBP with latest El Capitain OS. When I select that icon, no surrounding WiFi networls are displayed but, strangely, iStumbler can see all the WiFi networks in my area.

 

I can sign on to WiFi on BootCamp so I am pretty certain it’s not an AirPort problem as other posts have suggested. Appears to be software related. I did the reset of the card through the Terminal app as well and no luck.

 

 

Any idea would be greatly appreciated…

 

 

 

Maz

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.1)

Posted on Jan 11, 2016 7:01 AM

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Maz K

Q: WiFi not turning on when network is available. Can't see any networks at all.

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 11, 2016 1:07 PM in response to Maz K
    Level 10 (207,925 points)
    Applications
    Jan 11, 2016 1:07 PM in response to Maz K

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.

    This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

    The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

    Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem.

    Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

    Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

    The login screen appears even if you usually login automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

    Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

    After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

  • by Maz K,

    Maz K Maz K Jan 11, 2016 7:29 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (6 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 11, 2016 7:29 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Very strange but the Mac has now decided to see WiFi networks and turn on, I've got no idea why this happened.

     

    I've saved this post and will try if or when it happens again.

     

     

    Thanks,

     

    Maz

  • by Maz K,

    Maz K Maz K Jan 12, 2016 1:20 AM in response to Maz K
    Level 1 (6 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 12, 2016 1:20 AM in response to Maz K

    Further to this... I was thinking if temperature could be a cause and saw from https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201640 that the operating temperature of a Mac should be 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C). I may have had the Mac at maybe about 5 or 6°C (but certainly less than 10°C) so maybe there was an issue there. I'll have to monitor the temperature next time this occurs and will post back.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Maz