Apple USB Ethernet Adapter has a self-assigned IP address and will not be able to connect to the Internet.

Question

Apple USB Ethernet Adapter has a self-assigned IP address and will not be able to connect to the Internet.

I have a 2018 MacBook Pro and a Belkin USB-C to GigaEthernet Connector. When the WiFi went down, I tried to hook up my adapter to use the ethernet and when I tried to access it via System Preferences, I got the following message. "Apple USB Ethernet Adapter has a self-assigned IP address and will not be able to connect to the Internet." Firewall is off and I attempted to reset the DCHP. Nothing seems to work. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Sep 3, 2018 9:04 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 4, 2018 9:14 AM in response to seanfromorangepark

Have you connected any other machine via an ethernet cable to the same router?

our connection is set to DHCP but the mac is not getting an address from the DHCP server (presumably, your router). That is the situation that causes the message you are getting.

Maybe the router is not set to give out addresses via DHCP over a wired connection.

Or maybe it has restrictions on MAC addresses and you have to add the MAC address of your Belkin adapter to a table on your router's configuration.

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Answer 2

Sep 5, 2018 3:51 PM in response to seanfromorangepark

So it is not on your home router, but at school?

Here at my work, they have a policy that requires one registers the mac address of the machine(s) that are to be connected at each ethernet plug, and the symptoms you describe match my experience. You will have to check with the IT department at your daughter's school about it.

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Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

158,190 points

Sep 4, 2018 8:55 AM in response to seanfromorangepark

Doh! You're correct. Sorry about that!. It still may be possible that the Belkin adapter you got is flaky and should be returned for replacement or your money back.

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Answer 4

Sep 3, 2018 2:39 PM in response to Tesserax

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, the Apple Thunderbolt converter only works on a traditional Thunderbolt (not a Thunderbolt 3). Even the USB-C to Ethernet connect sold on the Apple site is a Belkin USB-C to Ethernet.

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Answer 5

Sep 4, 2018 4:46 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Thanks, it is for my daughter at school and other things worked fine via ethernet (i.e., smart tv) but the Mac did not; so I will have to get her to check with the school tech support to see if it is a permissions thing regarding the address fro the DHCP.

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Answer 6

Tesserax

Level 10

158,190 points

Sep 3, 2018 9:35 AM in response to seanfromorangepark

It just may be possible that the Belkin adapter is faulty. I suggest that you return the Belkin adapter and get the Apple Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter instead. Your 2018 MacBook Pro has four Thunderbolt 3 ports. USB-C is a type of port that is used by both the USB and (much faster) Thunderbolt protocols.

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Apple USB Ethernet Adapter has a self-assigned IP address and will not be able to connect to the Internet.

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