Internet connectivity problems with 2Wire Modem and Mac?
September 7, 2011 2:35 PM Subscribe
I have ATT Wi-Fi Internet (not U-Verse). And I've been running into connectivity issues with the 2WIRE modem that have been plaguing me consistently for the last year. More inside, but just an FYI, I have a Mac.
The problem, when I call ATT to figure out the issues, is that these connectivity problems are seemingly random. I've called them a couple of times to get it fixed but there's no way to know if it's actually fixed until it happens again.
So, breakdown:
I'm using a MacBook circa 2007, Airport, and ATT's standard Wi-Fi 2WIRE modem with a 1MB connection.
I'll be using the Internet, trying to load a site when all of a sudden I get this screen.
If I refresh the page or go back and then forward in the browser I usually then get this screen.
Of course I usually have to wait a couple of minutes or close out of the browser entirely, which will usually resort in either the Internet loading back up or getting the first error screen again.
I have no idea what is happening. My roommates get these errors too but not with nearly the same frequency as I do. And it only happens on my computer with our home Wi-Fi.
Once when I called ATT they said it might be something with the way our Wi-Fi security was set up... It's in WPA Personal now and it needs to be in WEP or something? We set it up to be in WEP but after just checking it's back to WPA.
Either way, it's an extremely annoying and pervasive error that makes using my Internet way more cumbersome than it should be. Also, while the issues are mostly random, they do seem to happen more frequently when we have a couple of people trying to connect on the Internet at once.
The problem, when I call ATT to figure out the issues, is that these connectivity problems are seemingly random. I've called them a couple of times to get it fixed but there's no way to know if it's actually fixed until it happens again.
So, breakdown:
I'm using a MacBook circa 2007, Airport, and ATT's standard Wi-Fi 2WIRE modem with a 1MB connection.
I'll be using the Internet, trying to load a site when all of a sudden I get this screen.
If I refresh the page or go back and then forward in the browser I usually then get this screen.
Of course I usually have to wait a couple of minutes or close out of the browser entirely, which will usually resort in either the Internet loading back up or getting the first error screen again.
I have no idea what is happening. My roommates get these errors too but not with nearly the same frequency as I do. And it only happens on my computer with our home Wi-Fi.
Once when I called ATT they said it might be something with the way our Wi-Fi security was set up... It's in WPA Personal now and it needs to be in WEP or something? We set it up to be in WEP but after just checking it's back to WPA.
Either way, it's an extremely annoying and pervasive error that makes using my Internet way more cumbersome than it should be. Also, while the issues are mostly random, they do seem to happen more frequently when we have a couple of people trying to connect on the Internet at once.
I've found that the modems provided by ATT don't support Apple's implementation of 802.11g. The solution was to drop to 802.11b mode for many tasks.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:21 PM on September 7, 2011
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:21 PM on September 7, 2011
Those 2wire DSL router/modems are pieces of crap. I'd suggest googling around for how to put them it in bridge mode and then put a decent WiFi after it. They work fine in that arrangement, in my experience.
posted by Good Brain at 12:36 AM on September 8, 2011
posted by Good Brain at 12:36 AM on September 8, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Lynsey at 3:04 PM on September 7, 2011