# Odd, confusing internet troubles



## theognis (Jul 24, 2012)

Hi, I have a MacBook Pro and when I try to connect with it to an internet connection (eg. the public library internet or a college I'm taking classes at's internet) the four bars show up like nothing is wrong but the internet does not work.

This all started when I went to go fix my grandmothers internet and brought my computer to make sure it was not her computer which was broken. It wasn't, and my laptop had an exclamation point through the internet signal while I was there trying to connect. I couldn't fix her internet and so I left.

Upon returning home and attempting to connect to my own internet, I had an exclamation point through the four bars, like I had twenty minutes ago at my grandmothers. I was with my brother and discovered that I had no DNS servers listed and he did (he could connect fine to the home internet, his internet also wasn't exposed to my grandmothers). As such, I manually added his DNS servers and my home internet has worked with no problems since.

Then, I went to class and though it shows four bars like nothing is wrong (and no exclamation point), I cannot access the internet. I'm moving 1000 miles away from home for college in 20 days and am almost certain I won't be able to access the internet there unless I fix this problem, so please help!

Thanks so much


----------



## strawsy (Jun 23, 2011)

Click on the WIFI icon in the top of the screen. Open network preferences. Click the location drop down menu. It should say automatic. Click edit locations then click the plus symbol. It will ask you to give the new location a name and ask how you want to connect. It should then create and new location with default network values. Hopefully that should work.


----------



## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

You may have to add the DNS entries every time, or actually make sure that the get DNS automatically is set to on.


----------



## theognis (Jul 24, 2012)

strawsy said:


> Click on the WIFI icon in the top of the screen. Open network preferences. Click the location drop down menu. It should say automatic. Click edit locations then click the plus symbol. It will ask you to give the new location a name and ask how you want to connect. It should then create and new location with default network values. Hopefully that should work.


Apologies for taking so long to try this, but I just went to the public library (to try a different internet than home which works since I manually typed in my brothers DNS servers) and the following happened:

I selected the connection and under status it said

"Wi-Fi does not have an IP address and cannot connect to the Internet." (while trying to connect)

Then exclamation point through the connection and:

Wi-Fi has the self-assigned IP address 169.254.175.10 and will not be able to connect to the Internet 

For reference, when I connect at home it says the following:

Wi-Fi is connected to HomeWiFi and has the IP address 192.168.1.5.

Any help based on this or the OP? 

@sinclair, I believe it is set to get the DNS automatically but I'm not sure how to check.


----------



## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Public WiFis can get full, and if so, you'll get the error you got. You should try a different one.


----------

