Mac won't connect to Wi-Fi. My MacBook does not see (does not find) the Wi-Fi network that others use

To set up Wi-Fi on Mac OS, you need to have certain skills and abilities.

On the Internet you can find many detailed instructions and recommendations with the help of which setting up WiFi yourself will not be difficult.

We offer 2 methods that will allow you to set up Wi-Fi on Mac OS X Lion and unite all wireless gadgets into a common network.

Follow our tips to achieve your goal.

Method 1

It's simple and quick way WiFi settings on Mac OS:

  • Find the wireless network shortcut in the upper right corner of the screen and click on it once;
  • in the window that appears, select “Connect to another network...”;
  • select “Show networks”;
  • A window will open showing a list of currently available networks. Select the network and password (if required) and click “Connect”.

Did it work? If not, then move on to the second method.

Method 2

This is a more complex way to configure:

  • go to " System Settings"("System Preferences");
  • go to the “Network” section;
  • select the AirPort option from the list;
  • activate AirPort and go to the TCP/IP tab;
  • select “Configure IPv4” from the list;
  • select the “Manually” option from the list;
  • fill in all empty fields with your data. If the “Subnet Mask” and “Router” fields do not change, go to the “PPPoE” tab and disable “Connect using PPPoE”. Then go back to the TCP/IP tab and select Manually. Enter settings;
  • click on Airport status;
  • select Wireless;
  • click "Apply".

And that's it for the setup. wireless connection completed.

Note to users: You should protect your network by making it hidden. You can also restrict access to data with a password.

If you came to this page, then most likely you also encountered a problem when your MacBook doesn't see Wi-Fi network . At the same time, the Wi-Fi network actually exists, and everyone else around is successfully using it. Why then doesn’t the MacBook find it at all?

I found myself in this situation twice... and each time there was a smart guy who started making fun of MACs in general. “ How so? Such an expensive MacBook, and it can’t even connect to Wi-Fi...”.

Why doesn't MacBook see Wi-Fi network?

Let's understand a little about the theory of wireless networks... Stop! Don't go! I will quickly tell you only what the problem is connected with, and then we will immediately move on to the solution.

Most Wi-Fi routers operate at frequencies in the range of 2.412GHz to 2.484GHz. In this case, this range is usually divided into 14 channels. Each channel has its own specific frequency.

So your Wi-Fi router works in certain moment time on any one channel. Usually in the router settings it is specified Automatic selection channel (at the discretion of the router).

The router itself selects the channel depending on how many third-party Wi-Fi networks are nearby. You're probably already thinking, why am I rambling on here? So, the whole problem lies in the channel (actually in the frequency) why your MacBook does not see the Wi-Fi network.

The thing is that most MacBooks were brought to us under gray schemes from America and Canada. By overseas Wi-Fi standards The receiver built into the MacBook does not work on all frequencies, but only on those corresponding to channels 1 to 11.

Thus, if your router automatically switches to channel 12, 13 or 14, then the MacBook simply will not see this Wi-Fi network.

This fact explains the situation when you successfully used wireless internet on my MacBook, and at one point the network stopped being detected, although other devices still see it.

I hope that you learned at least a little useful information from the two paragraphs above. Let's now move on to solving this problem. To do this, we will need to manually specify any of the first 11 channels in the router settings.

Selecting a Wi-Fi router channel

So, we have already understood the essence of the problem and the way to solve it. Regardless of your router model, follow the steps below to select a Wi-Fi channel.

STEP 1 - Take your Wi-Fi router in your hands and turn it upside down. On the bottom side there is a sticker with various information. We are interested in the login/password to access the settings.

Please note the IP address for the Web Configurator. Usually it is the same for all routers: https://192.168.1.1.

STEP 2 - Enter the IP address https://192.168.1.1 in the address bar of any browser. Since there was no other computer at hand, I used my iPhone.

STEP 3 - A window should appear to entering login and password, which you should have seen on the router sticker. In my case it is admin/1234.

You will have something similar. If the login and password from the sticker do not match, someone could have changed them (for example, the administrator who set up the network).

STEP 4 - The picture may differ depending on your router model, but the meaning remains the same - in the settings you need to find the item with the channel number.


STEP 5 - Having gone into the settings, I discovered that the router works on channel 13. Manually change to any from 1 to 11. I chose 7.


STEP 6 - Click “ Apply” and wait for the router to make changes to wireless network.

Immediately after the procedure, my MacBook detected a wireless network and successfully connected to it. Many users begin to blame the Wi-Fi router itself and even run to buy a new one.

Others start trying to install new firmware and do completely unnecessary things. Who would stop them? After all, the reason that the MacBook does not find the Wi-Fi network is completely different.

As you already understand, the only limitation that may arise on your way is obtaining a login/password to access the router settings. After all, if you want to use the public Internet, you are unlikely to be able to get that deep. Although, try it, and then write in the comments.

Good afternoon I carefully read the article about what to do if the computer does not receive internet when WiFi is connected. I didn't find a solution to my problem. I got a new one MacBook Pro.

It connects to the Internet in the office without problems, but at home it takes a very long time to connect and as a result there is no Internet. On all other devices, including the previous Mac, it connects without problems. I tried rebooting the router, changing the IP address of this Mac, deleting configuration files from the Mac. Nothing helped. Please advise what could be the problem?

Answer

Good afternoon. If the Internet works on other devices, including on another computer with Mac OS, then the problem is unlikely to be in the router. Although, the new MacBook Pro may not like some of your Wi-Fi network settings.

As far as I understand, on the MacBook you tried removing the Wi-Fi network from the list of known networks and connecting to it again (with entering the password)?

Return TCP/IP settings to "Automatic" (DHCP).

Try setting up DNS from Google in the MacBook Pro settings.

It's unlikely that anything else can be done on the side of the MacBook Pro itself. Moreover, it works with other Wi-Fi networks.

What can you try in the settings? Wi-Fi router(after these settings you will most likely have to reconnect all devices):

  1. Change the Wi-Fi network name (SSID). Set a unique name in English letters.
  2. The security type of your Wi-Fi network should be WPA2 with AES encryption. Read more.
  3. If possible, then in the Wi-Fi network settings on the router you need to set the operating mode to 802.11n.
  4. You can try setting the Wi-Fi channel width to 20 MHz.

Reading time: 7 min

Let's now look at the main reasons why your MacBook Pro or Air does not automatically connect to WiFi, although this network is familiar to it, i.e. The password is correct, but it still says that the time has expired.

This article is suitable for all MacBook Pro and Air models released in different years. There may be some differences in the architecture or description of the Mac OS version.

Causes of the problem

First of all, you need to determine what the problem is. Various information about the error will help you choose the right solution.

Update your software

  • For Mac computer install all available updates.
  • If you are using a third-party Wi-Fi router, check whether the latest version firmware. If an update is available, follow the manufacturer's instructions to install it.
  • Check that the firmware of the Apple Wi-Fi base station is up to date.

Do the symptoms appear on other Wi-Fi devices?

WITH Wi-Fi problems may be connected due to the network or computers connected to it that are equipped with a Wi-Fi module. If other devices connect to the Internet without problems, then most likely the Wi-Fi router is working.

Ask your question to a specialist

Don’t know how to solve a problem with your gadget and need expert advice?

Checking connections

Certain network problems can be caused by disconnected or loose cable connections. We check all power cables and Ethernet cables that are connected to Wi-Fi router. You can solve the problem by checking that the modem and router are turned on, disconnecting and reconnecting Ethernet cables, or replacing damaged cables.

Restarting network devices

Turn off the power to the router or modem for a few seconds, then turn it on again. This way you can solve a number of network problems without taking additional troubleshooting measures.

Checking TCP/IP settings

If the device connects to a Wi-Fi network, but there is no access to the Internet, then you should check the TCP/IP settings. Select the “Network” area in the “System Preferences” window and perform the following steps:

Resetting Wi-Fi settings

In most cases full reset Wi-Fi settings allows you to solve the problem. We carry out the algorithm of actions:


Hardware shutdown of the Wi-Fi module


Increase

This will cause the Wi-Fi module to be disabled, which often solves the problem.

Hardware problems

The Wi-Fi module itself often breaks down, and the situation may manifest itself without visible reasons. Wi-Fi problems may be due to the following:

  • Contact with moisture.
  • Voltage drop.
  • Factory defect.

In almost all of the above situations, it is necessary to change the Wi-Fi module. Even if a problem occurs, you need to check the Wi-Fi antenna. They very rarely break on their own, since they are very securely placed in the display case and are almost not subject to wear.



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