WiFi Problem on new MacBook Pro 13

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Hi All.

I have had years of excellent service, from my old 15 inch Mac book pro, however, airline weight restrictions, on cabin baggage , and old age, made me opt for the new. light & compact 13 inch MacBook Pro.

Ok at the time I didn't realise I had to buy a multi port dongle to plug thing s into, due to these new. mini ports or whatever they are called..

Anyway, my problem is, when using wifi in bars & cafes etc, this Mac is very finicky. it refuses to connect to the wifi, and asks to have the routers re set
Ok in some places, with no one else using the WiFi, the waiters have obliged, but in other places, where other people are both connected and working , obviously I can not expect the staff to turn the router off.

I have to say, in the same places, where this new Mac book will not connect to the WiFi, I have opened my Samsung mobile, and it has picked up the WiFi straight away.

Is there anything I can do, to make this Mac, less problematic ?

Thanks in Advance
 
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Exactly what have you tried with your new MBP, when you experience this issue?

Restart?
Turn Wi-Fi off?
Log out & log in again?
 
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Exactly what have you tried with your new MBP, when you experience this issue?

Restart?
Turn Wi-Fi off?
Log out & log in again?

I tried all 3, and as said, in places where they were willing to re start their router, then it worked.
Otherwise, as said, my old samsung galaxy phone, has no trouble whatsoever, in connecting to any wifi, so far.
Even those where the MBP would not.
The old 15 inch MBP never had a problem connecting to WiFi, anywhere.
This is the first time I have experienced any kind of connection problem, also I am not in any way, familiar with what makes a computer work.
So I was just wondering, if I could go in and change a value or whatever, that might make it less finiky ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in Advance
 

krs


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I had that problem with one of my MacBook pros, an older one.
It would not always connect to public WiFi although at home it connected all the time.
Eventually I came across an article on the net that suggested to change a setting in network preferences and after that it worked with public WiFi all the time.

I will see if I can figure out what setting was changed and post it here - maybe that would help.
 

krs


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Let me just ste up front that I know very little about setting up the Mac network configuration, but I think what we did, if I look at the old MacBook pro where we "fixed that problem, was

1. Under Network Preferences create a new location called "Public WiFi" (you can call that anything you like - it's just a name
2. Go to "Advanced" and make sure uder TCP/IP you have selected "Using DHCP" for Configure IPv4 (Configure IPv6 is "Automatically"
3. And then under "Advanced" DNS there are no servers selected - that whole "DNS Servers" field is empty

I think what happens if you have a DNS server entry, the Mac tries to connect to one of the servers on the list and if you are in a public place, that is not the DNS server they allow you to use.
With the DNS server field empty, the router will assign the server.
The explanation may be way off base, but I'm pretty sure that is what we did - create that new location with no DNS server entries and we have not had a problem since.
Back at home we just go back to the original setting
 
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KRS !

Ok, I followed your instructions, however, once I go to ADVANCED, I also get a box called RENEW DHCP ?
That box is empty. ????
 
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Yes, thank you, that's the one that ends up telling me to re set the router. If the cafe or restaurant, has no one using WiFi, but me, then yes, the staff. re set the router, and yes, that gets me joined to the WiFi

However in busy places, with lots o people online, then. no, I have not asked for the router to be re set, as that would interrupt a lot of peoples work.
In those cases, I have put the Mac away and used my Samsung Galaxy phone, which yes, connects. immediately, but not as easy to work on.
Thanks
 
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krs


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KRS !

Ok, I followed your instructions, however, once I go to ADVANCED, I also get a box called RENEW DHCP ?
That box is empty. ????

I'm still on El Capitan - so maybe your options have slightly different names.
After I create a new location which I called "Public WiFi" and then go to "Advanced", under TCP/IP for "Configure IPV4 is preselected as "Using DHCP" and then there is another button called "Renew DHCP Lease"
The empty box below that is called "DHCP Client ID" and it is empty.
I don't have a box called "RENEW DHCP.

In any case, all those settings should just be the default setting, you want to make sure the network location you are using for public WiFi shows no IP adresses in the DNS Servers field.
That at least worked for me.
All the various Mac resets and reboots did nothing for me when I had the problem. And it was similar to yours - people around me with cellphones or Windows computers had no problem connecting to the internet.
 
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It may be helpful to know the exact error message you are getting when you click on a public wi-fi network. You said, "it refuses to connect to the wifi, and asks to have the routers re set" - but I'm wondering specifically what window is popping up and what it says verbatim. Maybe grab a screenshot of it and post it here. I've never had to change any wi-fi settings to connect to public wi-fi networks, so unless you or an app has altered these settings in the past, I'm not sure why it's not working "out of the box."
 

krs


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I've never had to change any wi-fi settings to connect to public wi-fi networks, so unless you or an app has altered these settings in the past, I'm not sure why it's not working "out of the box."

It depends how the public WiFi is set up.

Some places want you (or force you) to use their DNS server.
This is what I'm trying to get across to the OP - delete all the DNS entries and try then.

This article states the same thing with a specific example to a hotel server to get connected to the net
https://appletoolbox.com/2017/06/safari-not-working-on-airport-hotel-or-public-wifi-how-to-fix/
 
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It may be helpful to know the exact error message you are getting when you click on a public wi-fi network. You said, "it refuses to connect to the wifi, and asks to have the routers re set" - but I'm wondering specifically what window is popping up and what it says verbatim. Maybe grab a screenshot of it and post it here. I've never had to change any wi-fi settings to connect to public wi-fi networks, so unless you or an app has altered these settings in the past, I'm not sure why it's not working "out of the box."

Im on the latest version of Mojave, and there is no error code.
The wifi symbol at the top, stops the bars running up n down, then an exclamation mark appears , in the middle of the now grey , WiFi Symbol
 
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Im on the latest version of Mojave, and there is no error code.
The wifi symbol at the top, stops the bars running up n down, then an exclamation mark appears , in the middle of the now grey , WiFi Symbol

And what happens when you click on that exclamation mark? What error message is given? Just seems odd that there wouldn't be some sort of error message, but like I said, I've never experienced this before (to my memory), so am not able to reproduce the issue here.
 

krs


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Im on the latest version of Mojave, and there is no error code.
The wifi symbol at the top, stops the bars running up n down, then an exclamation mark appears , in the middle of the now grey , WiFi Symbol
I think what you will see if you go to System Preferences > network
is this statement:
Wi-Fi does not have an IP address and cannot connect to the Internet.
 
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I think what you will see if you go to System Preferences > network
is this statement:

Yes, Exactly, clicking on the grey WiFi symbol, with the excla,mation mark, only brings up turn wifi off ?

I am not great, at this, so it takes some time, after daily life, to turn on, & work my way through your suggestions, in the local tavern.
So far, its a bit hit & miss.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not.
As said, my old macbook pro, never has a problem, I just bought this lighter one, for travel , fotos ,etc. since the old 15 inch weighed a lot, when you only carry the allowed 10 kilos
Thanks Again, for your help.
 

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