Bododio's profile

Teacher

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22 Messages

Tuesday, March 8th, 2016 11:20 PM

Macbook WIFI Connection Fail

Just got a new router/modem installed this morning, a Pace 5268AC.  I got everything connected to it (streaming TV, 2 iPhones, ethernet iMac), but I'll be darned if I can connect my Macbook Pro to it.

 

I verified that WIFI on the Macbook is turned on, and I can select my new router/modem network from the list of available networks.  It asks for a WPA2 password, which I've entered many, many times (the same one I used to connect all my other devices) in my failed attempts to connect.  I've checked and rechecked the password, and I'm absolutely positive I'm entering it correctly.  I've rebooted and reset the 5268AC several times, and I've rebooted the Macbook several times as well.  No matter what, all connection attempts have failed.  When I click the Join button, I get the "connecting..." message, followed eventually by a "connection timeout" error message.  I've searched on the forum for the same or similar problem, but no solution.

 

Is there something I'm missing?  The WIFI connection worked perfectly this morning with the previous router/modem (2WIRE 3801HGV) before the tech replaced it with the new Pace model.  Is there a different setting, either on the Macbook or on the router/modem?

 

Thanks for any help I can get.  I have very little hair left!! 😉

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

Scholar

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178 Messages

8 years ago

You could try changing the security of your password to wpa-tkip instead of wpa2. See if that helps.

Accepted Solution

Professor

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2.4K Messages

8 years ago

@Bododio

 

If you're absolutely sure the password is correct(and there isn't a saved network profile on the laptop conflicting), have you tried renaming the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz network differently and trying to connect to one or the other?

For example, change the network names from ATT94uDlz5 to ATT94uDlz5 - 2.4 and ATT94uDlz5 - 5 for the radio.

 

You can access these settings by going to 192.168.1.254 in your browser.

Teacher

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22 Messages

8 years ago

@Darknessrise

 

Thanks for your reply.  I've tried several things.  I created a hotspot on my iPhone and was able to connect the Macbook to it.  Then I tried to connect to 5268AC again without success.  My thinking was that somehow the Macbook was "stuck" with the previous profile, and connecting successfully to something else would clear it.

 

As you suggested I changed the radio name ATT5NCs5N8 to ATT5NCs5N8-2 for the 2.64ghz and ATT5NCs5N8-5 for the 5.0ghz, and was able to connect to one or the other.  I changed the names back to the original and the problem returned.

 

My preliminary conclusion is that the Macbook cannot connect to a dual band network (where the 2.64ghz and 5.0ghz radios have the same name).  Of course this defeats the purpose of having the dual bands.  So there must be a setting somewhere that enables connecting to a dual band network.  Any ideas?

Professor

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2.4K Messages

8 years ago

@Bododio

 

Just to be clear, you were able to connect to both bands when they had separate names?

 

I'm not too familiar with OSX, but you should have a list of saved wireless networks under your wireless settings(in the settings menu, not the dropdown). See if there's one for the SSID without the band designation and delete it.

 

It's honestly not that big of a deal if it doesn't work with the combined SSID(it's usually up to the client device to figure out what band it wants to choose, until you get into the expensive router range). It's usually preferred to set them different names, unless you want ease. I suspect AT&T set it by default like that so they don't have to explain to all of their customers how to deal with two wireless bands.

 

I honestly never liked Apple devices for anything Wi-Fi related.

 

 

Teacher

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22 Messages

8 years ago

@Darknessrise

 

Thanks again for your response.  Yes, I was able to connect the Macbook to both bands when they had separate names.

 

Additionally, I found the files that contained lists of saved networks and deleted them.  No problem since they get rebuilt automatically whenever networks are connected to.  But deleting the files did not solve the problem.  I still was unable to connect to the router when both bands share the same name.

 

For the moment I've given each band a separate name and have connected the Macbook to the 5ghz radio.  I did the same thing with both iPhones and the streaming TV.  But it's a stopgap solution since there has to be a way to leave both bands with the same name and connect the Macbook to it.  If I ever find out what the final solution is, I'll come back to this thread with it.

 

Thanks again and best regards.

Teacher

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22 Messages

8 years ago

@bubbagscotch

 

Eureka!!  That did it!!  You're a genius!!  I made sure the password security for both bands were set to the same thing, WPA-PSK (TKIP) / WPA2-PSK (AES).  I also changed the names of the bands back to the original, both having the same name.  I left the original passwords as they were.  All devices now point to the same router, and I can let the devices and router sort out which band gets used for the connection.

 

@Darknessrise, put this solution in your bag of tricks.

 

The only problem now is the connection speed.  I originally wanted to get a new router thinking that the newer models would have better communication protocols and speed.  I pay for 12 mbps.  I get this on my iMac which is ethernet wired to the router, but by the time the signal makes it downstairs to the streaming TV, it ranges somewhere between 3-6 mbps, and sometimes even less.  I noticed that the TV can only connect to the 2.64ghz band, so maybe I need a newer TV that can connect to the 5.0ghz band.  Either that or get a range extender.

 

Anyway, thanks so much @bubbagscotch.  And thanks also to @Darknessrise for working on the problem.  I really appreciate everyone's help!!

Professor

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2.4K Messages

8 years ago

@Bododio

 

What was the default security before you changed it? I thought the defaults were WPA-PSK (TKIP) / WPA2-PSK (AES) ? Did you somehow change it from the defaults before posting here?

 

 

Teacher

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22 Messages

8 years ago

@Darknessrise

 

No, I never touched the password security types until this morning.  According to the router browser (192.168.1.254) wifi settings page, the default security type for the 2.64ghz band is WPA-PSK (TKIP)/WPA2-PSK (AES), while for the 5.0ghz band the security type is WPA2-PSK (AES).  These default values are hard-printed on the page, not from a drop menu.  I did a copy/paste to show them to you above.  So the default is 2 different security types, although they both have the WPA2-PSK (AES) part.  Apparently OSX can't connect to the dual band router unless the security types match exactly.  I don't know if it's looking at something behind the scenes or just looking at the text strings as a basis for matching.

Professor

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2.4K Messages

8 years ago

@Bododio

I see, I wonder why.

 

What happens if you set them both to WPA2-PSK (AES) - meaning only WPA2-PSK? I do not reccomend using WPA-PSK(TKIP) too as it is not as secure and if a device somehow decides to connect using it, it will bring down your wireless speeds to legacy speeds. If you can't somehow connect when both are using WPA2-PSK (AES) only mode, then I guess your Macbook is just acting stupid.

 

Anyways, good luck and glad to hear that it's working. If you can, try what I mentioned above(with only WPA2 on both bands) and see how that goes. If your Macbook somehow decided to connect using WPA-PSK, you will need to delete the profile or it will not connect using WPA2-PSK.

Teacher

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22 Messages

8 years ago

@Darknessrise

 

Thanks for the heads up about one security type being more secure than the other.

 

I set both bands to WPA2-PSK (AES), deleted profiles on each device and reconnected successfully, even with the Macbook.  So with my limited knowledge of how such things work, for OSX the security type must match, and it can be either WPA-PSK (TKIP) / WPA2-PSK (AES) or WPA2-PSK (AES), with the latter giving better security.  Either way, I'm very happy to have the mystery solved!!

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