03-03-2012, 05:16 PM

've just taken over a sublease that has AT&T U-Verse DSL. The router is a 2Wire 2701 HG-B, and for some reason, my MacBook pro can't connect to the Internet through the router. My iPhone 4 has no problems, and my roommate's ThinkPad has no problems either. Those devices both connect without issues, so it's not a password problem.

I've reset the router, left it unplugged for 2 minutes, checked the connections, all the normal troubleshooting. The problem is somewhere between the MacBook and the router. Even when I plug in directly to the router, I still can't get to the internet.

More data: there is a coffee shop that I was at this week with a 2Wire router as well (don't know which kind, just know the name of the network) and there was the same issue.

How the error manifests:

1. The wireless icon shows that it's connecting to the network
2. It can't connect and displays the "!" and says "Alert: No Internet Connection.."
3. Network Diagnostics shows no connection to the internet

MacBook Pro
Mac OS X 10.7.3

Thanks for your help!

03-03-2012, 06:37 PM

Make sure the router is setup with WPA2-PSK (AES).

Make sure there isn't any MAC filtering enabled. That is Media Access Control, Not Mac as in Apple Mac.

Oh if for some reason your router is setup with Open WiFi, no security, then Mac computers don't like to connect to those.

Not sure why it won't get to the net when connected by cable. When you try that turn the WiFi Off. Mac's like to use WiFi over Ethernet by default.

03-03-2012, 07:06 PM

I turned the wifi off to connect directly, so that wasn't it. And there is a WPA enabled. I don't know about WPA2-PSK (AES). What is the difference?

What's the best way for me to change the settings on the router?

Media Access Control: is that in the router or in my laptop?


Thanks man

03-03-2012, 07:35 PM

Don't worry about the MAC filtering. If you don't know what it is more then likely your roommates don't either and it is no enabled.

Mac's have a hard time connecting to any older Wireless security. WPA is older, WPA2 is newer but if this is a router/modem supplied by AT&T for there Uverse system then it is a newer modem and more then likely has WPA2 enabled.

Do you see the WiFi SSID name in the list of available networks? and if you do when you click on it you type in a password and it connects?

Open System Preferences and then Networking and post the IP address the WiFi card is getting from the router.
Don't worry that IP address is a private address and can't be reached from the internet. It more then like starts with 192.168.x.x. My home LAN is 192.168.1.1-.100

03-04-2012, 04:09 PM

I'm elsewhere for internet, but the IP is 192.168.2.113. How will this help?

I connect with the password to the network. The issue is always with the ISP or the Internet, I can't recall which of those is red, or if it's both.

03-04-2012, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by austingunter

I'm elsewhere for internet, but the IP is 192.168.2.113. How will this help?

I connect with the password to the network. The issue is always with the ISP or the Internet, I can't recall which of those is red, or if it's both.

Well if your router IP is 192.168.2.254 then you are getting a valid IP address on the computer.

03-04-2012, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by Shootist

Well if your router IP is 192.168.2.254 then you are getting a valid IP address on the computer.

Ok, so that's something to go check.

Usually with this stuff, I can troubleshoot if I know which questions to ask / what the potential problems might be. Is there a laundry list of issues that I could go looking for?

Just now, I got hardwired into the router and it connected. That's nice to at least know that I can do that. But I'm not sure why it would have changed.