Connecting to internet on iMac?

[TomMessenger:Photo]

Anyone else have trouble connecting to the internet on an iMac? I've tried with the inbuilt wireless, and it wouldn't connect for some reason. Then I tried with a plug in Belkin wireless receiver - it connects, but says I have no internet. My PC/laptop I'm on now connects with no trouble

Any suggestions? Ta in advance, any pointers would be great

Tom

[squaresnappr]

Hi Tom,

How strong is your airport signal show on your Imac. Click on it in the upper right pane and click open network preferences. Then click assist me, there is a simple diagnostic assistant to help you. Sometimes changing channels on the router can help too, try changing channels in the router.

[mattyb240]

Often it is the channels in the router as interference is quite common, and lots not forget the old off and on of the router:)

[basroil]

Hi Tom,

How strong is your airport signal show on your Imac. Click on it in the upper right pane and click open network preferences. Then click assist me, there is a simple diagnostic assistant to help you. Sometimes changing channels on the router can help too, try changing channels in the router.

OP isn't using an airport.


However, the steps mentioned by square are correct. Though channel interference is unlikely if everything else works, likely a WPA key issue or even something as simple as MAC filter or user limit being enabled for no reason.

[MaxxuM]

Anyone else have trouble connecting to the internet on an iMac? I've tried with the inbuilt wireless, and it wouldn't connect for some reason. Then I tried with a plug in Belkin wireless receiver - it connects, but says I have no internet. My PC/laptop I'm on now connects with no trouble

Any suggestions? Ta in advance, any pointers would be great

Tom

This is actually a pretty common problem and there are usually two ways of fixing this. Apple does not allow mixed mode security/band because it is not approved by the IEEE. Also, N type networks usually cause Airports problems because again, there are too many standards.

Fix 1 - Do not use N or n/g or n/g/a or n/g/b - use b/g or a/b/g or just g. Change network security to WPA-Personal (only) - not not use mixed or auto security. This leaves a hole in your security and is not recommended by the IEEE thus it is not supported by Apple out of the box. Also, do not hide (SSID) your network unless you know what you are doing. This may require configuration in Apple OS because of security issues.

Fix 2 - Give your Mac a permanent IP address. This will force the router to accept your connection and override Apple's security features. Just about all routers are made for ease, not security and OS X does not like (on purpose) insecure network setups. To find a legal IP go into the router setup, find network information and it will give you a range of IP's. Pick an address that is somewhere between the legal ranges - something like 192.168.0.105 or 192.168.1.115 - just make sure it doesn't bump into another address on the network. Also take note of the Subnet Mask and Gateway (gateway is your routers address).

Hope that helps.