New Mac MIni- Internet Connection

Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
Points
1
My son has a new Mac Mini. We are having trouble connecting to internet over Verizon FIOS WiFi. Anybody want to give us a hand?
 
Joined
Sep 10, 2011
Messages
1,823
Reaction score
51
Points
48
Location
Lancashire
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Air M1 2020 Ventura 13.4.1 500Gb 8Gb. iPhone12, Watch 5, HomePods.
My son has a new Mac Mini. We are having trouble connecting to internet over Verizon FIOS WiFi. Anybody want to give us a hand?

Hello there,
What happens when you click on the wi-fi icon on the menu bar...does it find the network?

Screen Shot 2013-01-05 at 10.29.28.png
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Unfortunately, Verizon's wireless router is downright awful - and if it's like mine, it will default to WEP encryption. WEP encryption is weak at best, difficult to configure and can be broken in a matter of minutes, with readily available tools.

My recommendation would be to disable the wireless radio on the Verizon modem/router combo and get a real wireless router.

Barring that, you may want to give them a call and ask them to walk you through configuring the router for WPA security. You'll then have to reconnect your wireless devices/computers, but the benefit in terms of speed, security and overall reliability will be well-worth the effort.
 
OP
M
Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
Points
1
You know- silliest mistake ever! wrong password- entered multiple times. I told my son it was wrong but he's teenager, so he knows better. what's a better wireless router? which one?
thanks for the help, btw
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
You know- silliest mistake ever! wrong password- entered multiple times. I told my son it was wrong but he's teenager, so he knows better. what's a better wireless router? which one?
thanks for the help, btw

Before you go and do that, just make sure you're using WPA security and not WEP. If you need help, Verizon's help desk should be able to assist. If you find the router to be less than stellar going forward, I would recommend looking at a dual-band router, like Apple's Airport Extreme (easy to setup) or Netgear N900 (outstanding range and speed). Some of the new 802.11AC models are getting good reviews too.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
In addition to the good advice from cwa107, you might want to give Verizon support a call and ask them to replace your model Actiontec router with the latest model. The newer Actiontec routers default to WPA2 and are user configurable even to be able to choose DNS providers. Also, they are 100% wireless and no longer require an ethernet connection for FIOS TV. (If you have FIOS TV.)
 
OP
M
Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Before you go and do that, just make sure you're using WPA security and not WEP. If you need help, Verizon's help desk should be able to assist. If you find the router to be less than stellar going forward, I would recommend looking at a dual-band router, like Apple's Airport Extreme (easy to setup) or Netgear N900 (outstanding range and speed). Some of the new 802.11AC models are getting good reviews too.


what is wrong with WEP? That is the setting it is on.
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
what is wrong with WEP? That is the setting it is on.

WEP is dead. Google "hack WEP" and you'll see what I mean. There are readily available tools that any 13-year-old can download to crack your encryption, giving them open access to your network and your Internet connection. If you value your privacy and your identity, you should be using WPA at a minimum or preferably WPA2/AES. Beyond that, WPA is far more efficient and secure, requiring only a simple passphrase as opposed to a 26-character key. WPA has been around since 2004 and most wireless devices fully support it at this point. At one time, people would opt for WEP for compatibility purposes, but that is no longer the case.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top