Campus Network (macOS) - Connectivity Troubleshooting

If UWNet is not working for you, try configuring and using eduroam on your computer. eduroam is the preferred wireless network on the UW-Madison campus.

See Connect to Campus Wi-Fi for instructions to connect to eduroam. 

1. If you are connecting using an Ethernet cable, try unplugging the cable plugging it back in after 15 seconds.

2. If you are connected wirelessly, try disconnecting from your current Wi-Fi network and rejoining it.

3. Verify the device you are attempting to connect is registered for use with UWNet. You can use this for initially registering devices and for lapsed registration.

   1. For devices with a browser, like computers, mobile phones, and tablets: UWNet - Log In to UWNet.
   2. For devices without a browser, like smart TVs, game devices, routers: UWNet - Register a Device Without a Browser.

4. Make sure your network adapters are enabled. This document shows you how to check for that below. 

5. Try rebooting your computer.

6. Make sure your computer is updated to the newest version.

7. Make sure the date and time are correct on your Mac.

8. Do you have viruses prohibiting your use of the internet? Try running a virus scan with an application like Malwarebytes or AVAST Antivirus.

9. If you connect to a router either wired or wirelessly, make sure that it is connected to the wall jack.

10. Routers need to be registered with UWNet in order to use them. Wireless Network - Router Information

11. If you are using an Ethernet cable, make sure that that cable is not faulty by testing your connection with another wall jack. Or by testing the same jack with a different cable. 

12. Turn off iCloud Backups in the background. If you only have 5GB iCloud storage (the default free storage) there is no reason to have this on at all. If you pay for iCloud, do backups manually occasionally instead of having your MacBook backup automatically in the background.

See the Apple Support documentation for instructions to use the Wireless Diagnostics tool on your Mac. Use the dropdown to select your version of macOS.

This may pinpoint issues that are happening within your computer and provide steps for solving those problems.

1. Open the Apple Menu in the top-left corner.
2. Click System Settings.
   
3. Click Network.

   

4. Click Wi-Fi (or Ethernet).

   

5. Click Details.

   

6. Look for IP address. Valid campus network IP addresses are 128.x.x.x, 146.x.x.x, or 144.x.x.x.
   

   A 169.x.x.x IP address is an automatically assigned IP address by the computer, and means the machine is not communicating with the network.

   

See the Apple Support documentation for more information on network traffic in Activity Monitor.

1. Open the Activity Monitor app on your computer.
2. Click Network.
3. Look under Packets In, Packets Out. If received Packets In are 0 and you have a valid IP address, you may have one or multiple of the following:
   1. A problem with your computer's network card.
   2. A bad network/Ethernet cable.
   3. A bad data jack on your device.

1. Open the Apple Menu in the top-left corner.
2. Click System Settings.
   
3. Click Network.

   

4. Click Wi-Fi (or Ethernet).

   

5. Click Details.
6. Click the TCP/IP tab.
7. Click Renew DHCP Lease, then click OK.

   

A VPN (virtual private network) and other downloaded security software that monitors or interacts with your network connections could affect access to the internet. See Apple Support documentation for more information.