Macbook only connects to internet when it feels like it-any suggestions?

Hi all, I am, as of last week the proud owner of a shiney new Macbook, and I must say I'm very happy with it apart from one thing. Its very hard to get it to connect to my broadband at home through the ethernet connection.
I have connected using DHCP to get my settings before, but then the connection drops on its own and it usually involves restarting and/or plugging the cable in and out repeatedly to get a connection again. I have tried network diagnostics several times too which gives a green light for Ethernet, Network Settings, and ISP but usually a red or yellow light for internet and server, after which it tells me to restart the modem but still I get no connection after this.

Perhaps I am doing somethins wrong, as I am only using OS X for the last week and am not not entirely familiar with it.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Apologies to mods for double posting this, original post was in network & wireless section but I was redirected here

 

Is the cable functioning properly? If you can, test it out on another computer or device. Check for frays, especially around the ends of the jacks.

What kind of router do you have? Double check to make sure the settings in the router are right.

Is your internet just being flaky? Maybe the ISP is doing maintenance.

Try plugging in the ethernet cable, firing up terminal and pinging your routers IP address: ping 192.168.1.1 (or whatever it is) and let it run for awhile and see if there are any dropped packets or other weird behavior.

 

My brother had the same problem with his Santa Rosa MB. It would establish a connection and it would slowly drop off untill there was no connection. We had to take it to the Apple store, and they did a stress test on it to determine if it was a hardware or software problem, and they ran a software update, firmware update, and they put the machine through all it could handle with failing. They finally determined that it was a connection problem with the motherboard, and I had to send it off to get it replaced. We got it back with a fresh motherboard, and the problem seemed to just magically disappear. So comparing your case with my brother's, i'd say it's a faulty connection on the motherboard. I'd take it into a Genuis at your local Apple Store, so they can hook it up to life support before it kicks the bucket. BTW, It only took a week for them to replace it and have it back in my hands. Good luck!

 

I've tried it on another laptop with windows and the connection is fine, no problems. Not using a router just the cable straight from the modem. Cable looks fine too, bit of a pain in the TBH

 

Hope I don't have to send it back, only have it a week. I've got Windows XP on it via boot camp which I use for when I'm in college where I also connect with the ethernet cable and don't experience the same problem there as I do with my connection at home, so hopefully its not a dodgy connector or anything.

 

It's sounding more and more like a Motherboard problem. Best of luck! I'll look it up and try to diagnosis the problem.

 

It could also be a dead ethernet port. Here's a mini-guide to what might be a problem: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1317

Mac OS X: Troubleshooting a cable modem, DSL, or LAN Internet connection

Symptoms
Mac OS X includes all the applications you need to access and use the Internet right away. But if your Internet connection doesn't seem to work, the following steps can get you back online. Tip: If you connect via PPPoE, follow the steps for PPPoE connections instead.

Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.3, Mac OS X 10.2, Mac OS X 10.1, AirPort, Mac OS X 10.5

Resolution
If you're on a local area network

Contact your network administrator instead of an Internet service provider (ISP). Information specific to modems may not apply to LAN users. LAN users may have hubs, switches, routers, or connection pods that cable and DSL users may not have.

If you use AirPort

Simplify the troubleshooting procedure by temporarily removing the base station from your network. Set up one computer to connect directly to your DSL or cable modem using the steps below. After re-establishing service to the computer, see the AirPort section below. Alternatively, troubleshoot from a more AirPort-specific perspective with the AirPort Troubleshooting Guide.

Check all cables and power supplies

Make sure all the cables related to the modem are plugged in and firmly inserted. This includes the modem's power cord, the cable from the modem to the computer, and the cable from the modem to the outlet. To be sure a connector is properly inserted, disconnect and reconnect it. Check to see if the cables have been cut, chewed, or otherwise damaged.

If you have any hubs or routers, check their cables and power supplies. If you have more than one power supply available for a type of hub or router, try swapping the power supplies. A defective power supply may affect network traffic.

Reset/power cycle modem hardware

Cycle the power on your DSL or cable modem by turning it off for a few minutes then turning it back on. Some ISPs recommend you unplug the modem's power cord. This is required if the modem does not have a power button. If the modem has a reset button, you can try it before or after cycling the power.

Check indicator lights on the modem

First, check to see if the DSL or cable modem has a "standby" light or button. Some popular modems may not connect to the Internet when in standby mode. If applicable, be sure the modem is not in standby mode.

Other indicator lights can provide useful information about cabling connections. A light named "Cable" or "Online," for example, indicates whether the ISP's network is available. A "PC" or "link" light indicates whether the hardware connection between the computer and modem is good. A positive link light almost always indicates that the Ethernet ports on each device are working properly, and thus a positive link light makes it very unlikely that an Ethernet port failure is causing the issue.

Tip: If the lights on your modem vary only between on and off and do not change color, then a "positive" light is one that is on. If the lights on your modem change color, a green light is more likely to mean positive than yellow or red.

If your link light is positive, skip to the Check Network preferences settings section. If there is no link, try modem and Ethernet hardware troubleshooting.

Broadband modem and Ethernet hardware troubleshooting

If the link light is off after you checked your cables and cycled the power, you need to re-establish the link before continuing. If your computer came with an Apple Hardware Test CD, use it to check for any issues with your hardware. If nothing is found, contact your Internet service provider. They may be able to remotely test your modem to see if it has failed. If nothing is found with the modem, replace the Ethernet cable, since it is the most easily replaced component.

If replacing the Ethernet cable does not establish the link, you will need a third Ethernet device to determine whether the computer or modem is failing to link. The third device could be a simple ("dumb") Ethernet hub with link lights (an inexpensive 10BASE-T hub found at any computer store will do), an Ethernet switch with link lights, another computer, a router, or a wireless base station.

When using a hub or switch to test, simply connect both the computer and modem to the hub or switch, then check the link lights on the hub or switch to see which of the other devices is not connecting. If you use another computer (Mac or PC) to test, check to see if the other computer has an Ethernet link light (many do not). If there is no link light on the computer, set up a file sharing connection to verify connectivity. If you use a router or base station to verify connectivity, connect as instructed in the device's documentation. If the router or base station has link lights, you may use the simple link light test.

If you are not able to use this type of test, do whichever of the following is more convenient for you: either exchange your modem with your Internet service provider or take the computer somewhere else where you make sure it works, for example, a neighbor, school, work, and so forth.

Be sure that your software settings are correct, as described in the Check Network preferences settings section below.

If you still cannot connect, you may have a DNS issue. Your Internet service provider's DNS service may not be working, or you did not configure it correctly.

If you still cannot connect and your cable modem link light is positive, but you haven't replaced the Ethernet cable yet, substitute a new or known-good Ethernet cable for the one you have been using.


Check Network preferences settings

Use Network preferences to verify your TCP/IP settings and that Built-in Ethernet is your primary network interface. Follow these steps:



From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
From the View menu, choose Network.
Choose Active Network Ports from the Show pop-up menu ("Advanced" from the "Configure" pop-up menu prior to Mac OS X 10.1).
Be sure that the checkbox for "Built-in Ethernet" is selected.
Drag Built-in Ethernet to the top of the Port Configurations list to make it the preferred, or primary, network interface.
Choose Built-in Ethernet from the Show pop-up menu.
Click TCP/IP. Follow your ISP's instructions for setting up this pane. For more information, see "Mac OS X: How to Connect to the Internet With Cable or DSL".
If you have made any changes, click Apply Now.

If you still cannot connect, you may have a DNS issue. Your Internet service provider's DNS service may not be working, or you did not configure it correctly.

If you still cannot connect and your cable modem link light is positive, but you haven't replaced the Ethernet cable yet, substitute a new or known-good Ethernet cable for the one you have been using.

Sharing the connection

If you have two or more computers trying to share an Internet connection, make sure your network is set up properly. You need to know if your ISP provides only one IP address or if it provides multiple IP addresses. If only one IP address is used, you must have a network router capable of sharing the connection, also known as network address translation (NAT) or "IP masquerading." Check the documentation that came with your router for setup information. Check with the person who set up your network, or with the router manufacturer for assistance.

An AirPort Base Station can share a connection with wireless clients.

Additional steps for AirPort


After successfully connecting to the Internet with the computer, disconnect the modem from the computer.
Unplug power cords for both the modem and the base station.
Connect the base station to the modem.
Plug the modem back in first, then the base station, and wait for the base station's indicator lights to cycle through their startup routine.
Start up a computer, and try to connect to the Internet using the base station. If you cannot, use the AirPort Setup Assistant (/Applications/Utilities/) to copy your computer's network setting to the base station. If you have an advanced network setup, you may need to use AirPort Admin Utility instead.

Get help from your ISP

If you have not resolved the issue with the steps above, contact your Internet service provider.

Hope that might help!

 

Cheers for the reply man. Tried pinging 192.168.1.1 there and got the following result "10 packets transmitted, 0 packets received, 100% packet loss"

You reckon that would point to a dead port. I'm using the exact same connection right now on my PC and its working fine.

 

Talk to it real nice. Maybe sing it a song.

Seriously, beyond what was suggested - RMA it.

 

Yeah gonna give Apple a ring tomorrow and try get it sorted, pain in the . Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Like I said I've only been using OS X for about a week so thought it was something obvious I was overlooking

 

Is 192.168.1.1 the IP your router is set up as? They vary between router and brand. I just used 192.168.1.1 because it's a common IP used.

If you don't already know,

you can find the IP address (default gateway) of your router by going to:
System Preferences > Network > Ethernet > Advanced

Under TCP/IP tab, should be a label called Router

 

its not a hardware problem.

 

I was having a similar problem when I first bought my late 08 MBP. Then I realized the router I was using came with my SBC(now ATT) DSL modem and I had been using it about 3 years. I went to Circuit City, bought a new /n router, brought it home, deleted my old wireless network and built a new one. Since that day I have not had one issue with connecting to the internet automatically.

1. I wish I would of have been smart enough to get a new router with a build in DSL modem, as now I have 2 pieces of ugly plastic sitting in my living room, and;
2. Another great advantage of doing this is the new router has MUCH MUCH MUCH better security than the 3 year old one....nothing like a 63 character password to keep people out =) ...

 

what router did you get

 

Thanks for the input guys, I'll have another look at it later when I get home. Might just try setting up the connection from scratch and see how that goes

 

It's a Belkin "N" Wireless Router...can't find a model number on it. It is black and stands vertical, with blue LEDs. There were numerous ones at circuit city and I was specifically looking for one that had the increased security.

It is this one http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=459569