Why Has my Wireless Stopped Working?

F

fossman

Guest
I got an iBook G4 about a year ago. I have a wireless router connected to the internet through a cable modem. I use two PCs with wireless (802.11g) and a desktop wired directly. I also use WEP Encryption.

Both of my wireless laptop PCs and the desktop work fine. The MAC used work fine until a few months ago.

When I troubleshoot, it shows the AirPort settings are fine - I have wireless connected with excellent signal strength. But I cannot seem to get DHCP functioning and therefore cannot get onto the network.

Is there an equivalent fuction to "IP Config /release" and "IP Config /renew" for the MAC?

Thanks ...
 
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I

init6

Guest
I'm in the exact same boat as fossman. My iBook G4 is about 15 months old. I bought it with the express purpose of taking it to Moscow with me while I was studying there and, of course, because I wasn't eligible for AppleCare (Florida sucks) when I bought it via Apple's website, it died about a month before I came back to the US.

$400 later I have a new Logic Board and RAM (I don't think the RAM needed replacing, but I digress) and the thing is flaky as heck on my home network.

My router and cable modem work fine, because there is a PC desktop attached via cable and a PC laptop via Wi-Fi attached to the network and they both work flawlessly (understand why I'm getting upset? Two PCs work and my Mac doesn't?!!). The iBook has the same issues with staying connected when I'm sitting next to the WAP as well as across the house.

I used to be able to go to System Prefs=>Network=>Assist Me=>Diagnostics and straighten it out. Now nothing works and it just tells me it can't fix the problem.

It's also not likely to be the Airport Extreme because it works fine at both the local B&N and in my pub (they have wi-fi).

Please help before I have to find out where Steve Jobs lives and travel to California. :eek:neye: Otherwise I'll be posting a link to eBay where you can find my excellent condition, 14" iBook G4 for sale.

*EDIT: Netgear Wireless Router, all clients use 802.11b. No machine is more than fifty feet from router.
 
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init6

Guest
Slight update - it seems like it had (I know "it" can't configure itself, but I never changed anything - maybe Apple techs or the local shop did) been configured to use the public IP address, which seemed weird to me since every machine on the internal network uses a "192.168.0.n" address (the PCs do, anyway).

Anyhow, to keep myself from bouncing my iBook off the tile (I don't have much patience with technology, especially if I paid in excess of $1000 for it, when it doesn't work :p) I shut 'er down and let it sit. I fired it back up to do a bit of work for an online class (yeah, I recognize the irony) and it connected without incident.

Only problem now is that it's S L O W. I'm getting barely better than dialup speed on websites, yet I downloaded aMSN at like 150KB/sec.

So I'm chalking this one up to voodoo, or perhaps I offended one of the gods.
 
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F

fossman

Guest
D3v1L80Y said:
Have you tried power cycling your setup?

Yes - I have tried just about everything I know how to do with the MAC.

Another piece of information - when I "wire in" directly to the ethernet jack - everything works fine. The two PC Laptops I have work fine wirelessly. I have full signal strength on the MAC.

This is looking like a networking issue of some sort - DHCP is not working. Anything I can to do test that?
 
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fossman said:
Yes - I have tried just about everything I know how to do with the MAC.
The instructions I gave you have nothing to do with whether its a Mac or a Windows system. :black:
fossman said:
This is looking like a networking issue of some sort - DHCP is not working. Anything I can to do test that?
The link I gave you was a DHCP/Networking solution. :black:
 
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fossman

Guest
D3v1L80Y said:
The instructions I gave you have nothing to do with whether its a Mac or a Windows system. :black: The link I gave you was a DHCP/Networking solution. :black:


Sorry - I tried the links you gave me - there are many posts about a lot of topics, but I haven't found anything to help me solve this yet. I will try to be more precise:

(1) Yes, I tried powering the machine down and restarting several times. It did not work.

(2) When using Network Diagnositics - The "AirPort" and "AirPort Settings" are green and seem to be configured properly. The "Network Settings" are yellow and of course ISP, Internet and Server are Red.

This is why I am suspecting that I cannot obtain an IP Address and therefore I may have DHCP configuration problem.

(3) If you would, could you explain how I might check my DHCP configuration and run a simple ping test to see if this may the problem.

If there is a specific thread I can view please let me know - I am new to this forum.

Thanks and I appreciate the help.
 
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fossman said:
Sorry - I tried the links you gave me - there are many posts about a lot of topics, but I haven't found anything to help me solve this yet. I will try to be more precise:

(1) Yes, I tried powering the machine down and restarting several times. It did not work.
There is more to that than just powering down your comptuer.
Just to be clear... you need to power down EVERYTHING. Modem, router and comptuers... ALL of them.
:black:
The link to my post should have explained the order and time for shutting things down.
:)
Sometimes, you have to try it twice.
 

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