Unable to connect to TTU wired network on your Mac


Symptoms

Your computer is unable to connect to the TTU wired network.

Cause

There are many possible causes. Please follow the steps below to troubleshoot the problem.

Resolution

  1. Check port designation (residence halls only)

    For TTU residence halls, the connection is only guaranteed to be enabled if someone is registered to be living there. For instance, if you live alone in a room and are registered to live on the A side, the only port which may function is the A port; the B port may be turned off. Make sure you are using the correct port on the side that you are registered to live. The name of the port should be visible on the wall plate.

    NOTE: If you have a physically damaged port, please see Network port is physically damaged and needs repair.

  2. If possible, test the port by plugging in another device to the port. This may give you more information about whether the problem is with the port or the device.

  3. Open System Settings.

  4. Click Network. Then, click your wired network adapter. This may be labeled Ethernet, or it could vary if you have an external adapter.

    Network settings window with the wired adapter selected

  5. On the right side of your wired adapter, click Details.

    Wired adapter screen with "Details" selected

  6. Click the TCP/IP tab and verify the following settings:

    • Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
    • Configure IPv6: Automatically

    Details screen with TCP/IP tab active. For "Configure IPv4", the option "Using DHCP" is selected. For "Configure IPv6", the option "Automatically" is selected.

  7. Click the DNS tab.

    Details screen with "DNS" tab active.

  8. In the "DNS Servers" field, remove any manually-added entries. You may do this by clicking each entry and then clicking the minus () button. If there are entries that macOS will not let you remove, make note of what they are in case you need to share this information with your technical support personnel.

    NOTE: Default DNS servers assigned by DHCP will be greyed out in the field and cannot be removed.

    Details screen with DNS tab active. An example DNS server address is highlighted, and the minus button is selected.

  9. In the "Search Domains" field, remove any manually-added entries. You may do this by clicking each entry and then clicking the minus () button. If there are entries that macOS will not let you remove, make note of what they are in case you need to share this information with your technical support personnel.

    NOTE: Default search domains assigned by DHCP will be greyed out in the field and cannot be removed.

    Details screen with DNS tab active. An example search domain is highlighted, and the minus button is selected.

  10. Click the Hardware tab and verify the following. Then, click OK.

    • Configure: Choose Automatically if you are in the residence halls or if you're in an office or general academic area and your port is configured for 1 Gbps. Choose Manually if you're in an office or general academic area and your port is configured for 100 Mbps.
    • Speed: Skip for 1 Gbps connections or residence halls. Choose 100baseTX for offices or general academic areas where the port is configured for 100 Mbps.
    • Duplex: Skip for 1 Gbps connections or residence halls. Choose full-duplex for offices or general academic areas where the port is configured for 100 Mbps.
    • MTU: Skip for 1 Gbps connections or residence halls. Choose Standard (1500) for offices or general academic areas where the port is configured for 100 Mbps.

    Details screen with Hardware tab active. The "Configure" option is set to "Automatically".

    Details screen with Hardware tab active. The "Configure" option is set to "Manually". The "Speed" option is set to "100BaseTX". The "Duplex" option is set to "full-duplex". The "MTU" option is set to "Standard (1500)".

  11. Try connecting to the network/Internet again.

    If you still cannot connect, you may wish to test your computer by plugging it into a port that you know to be working, such as a friend or co-worker's port which they have been using. This will tell you whether the problem is the port that you have been using or whether the problem is something on your computer.

Outcome

After adjusting your settings, your Mac should be able to connect to the TTU wired network.