Self assigned ip may not be able to connect?

Question

hello. I have an ibook g4 1ghz 1gram osx10.5.5. I purchased a wifi usb adapter with antenna from hawking technologies. I have attempted dozens of times to connect to any number of wireless networks that it detects. I have established connections with a link quality of 90 percent and link quality upwards of 80 percent however despite thehigh percentages i get no data transfer whatsoever and the network settings in the network preferences tells me that the wifi usb adapter has a self assigned ip and may not be able to connect. Or it will say that it has no ip. Also. I do not have a wireless network in m.y home i am attempting to connect through other wireless networks in my apt building

Answer 1

Hi there:
In attempting to detect and connect to existing wireless networks in
your vicinity, there are things to consider. One of them, is, security.
Theirs may be locked, and inaccessible to your wireless hardware.
Some of those you detect may not be usable to your hardware,
since some closed systems (not accessible from outside) may
use the same wi-fi frequencies as other wi-fi hardware, but not
take you to the internet. They may be wireless local networks.
Depending on the operating system in your computer, you can
get a few good widgets for Dashboard which can help you see
and tell what kind of wi-fi (and strength, locked/unlocked, and
what channel these are using, etc) and for the sake of testing
you could then find if any are able to be visited temporarily to
see if you really do have a valid and working wi-fi setup there.
Another alternative with portable computers, is to go to a private
or public area where they offer wireless internet access; some do
for a limited time (customers) or for some duration while you are
inside their establishment; some don't allow you to be outside
their place and login. Some public libraries allow you to take a
portable computer inside and use their 'free' wi-fi system; and
of those, it is not uncommon for them to issue a password...
And these passwords change, so as to discourage outside
theft of the service or easy hacking by those who are bored.
If you had an IP address (an account of your own, to address
your equipment to go online through) this issue would be an
easier one to resolve. There are ways of resetting a wi-fi
modem, and also proper settings in the configuration to allow
accessing a wireless network. Some of the hardware you'd
use may require setup with an Ethernet cable in order to
have a base station or other setup be properly configured.
Some of the basic setup issues which sound like yours are
centered on first not finding a network to interface with; and
also in how the settings and other details are entered into it.
If you were already set up and had your own internet provider,
then full troubleshooting of the full issue would be possible.
The AirPort software and wireless configuration software in
your computer allows you to set up several different ways;
some are almost automatic, and would detect and let you
see the names of networks (even if you can't log into them.)
The most often encountered answer to an issue of your IP
self-assigned address situation, would be something along
the lines of this link's suggestion: "Self-Assigned IP address..."
http://www.ehmac.ca/mac-ipod-help-troubleshooting/59734-self-assigned-ip-address -issue.html#post619612
The Network system pref panel allows you several ways of
setting up different types of networks; among them, Ethernet,
Dial-up, AirPort, etc. The ones you want to be active can be
chosen from a list (checkbox by ones you want) and also may
be dragged into the order of likely operability; or order of use.
If you have a base station (many of which can repeat a signal)
the options change somewhat, since there is an Airport Admin
utility that can change settings on your own base station, and
to be able to reset that, when it would be available to do so,
can also make the self-assigned IP situation go away...
Your network configuration is basically not setup properly; and
some of the online searches of this issue parallel the topic link
I posted above. Check for those which do NOT follow that lead;
and try to see if another set of instructions may do the trick.
What OS version and step is your computer using now? Do you
know if the wireless card is integrated or separate, in a compart-
ment under the keyboard? If the wireless card shows in the
System Profiler and it appears active, one can hope it is working.
Another issue may be that of the internal antenna. Using an
external USB wi-fi module removes the need to have an internal
antenna, but an existing AirPort card may be giving the System
another choice from which to choose; so another user selection
from settings in the proper control panels is required in that case.
Some of those settings and what not are outlined again in this forum
link to another situation where someone couldn't get past a self-assign-
ed IP address to go online: "10.4 - AirPort Self-Assigned IP address..."
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55793
At this hour, I really don't remember what I did when my computer's
settings didn't want to connect by wireless. My first setup was with
wireless through my Extreme base station's dialup modem, so I could
use my iBook white G3 wireless, from a dialup internet connection.
The same base station, some years later, is still working fine with DSL.
A second one, some miles away, is on cable modem providing wi-fi.
Write back and tell me what settings you have and what you have
changed. And more about the system; also, if you've set the computer
to automatic and visited a place such as a public library's free internet.
Good luck & happy computing!