Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
WI-FI question
- Thread starter prasinos1
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Tell us about version of macOS installed on iMac and tell us about your wireless router and details about router configuration for 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz signals.
Are you broadcasting an SSID?
Are channels being auto selected? If so, what channels are selected?
Is band steering enabled or disabled?
What is your WiFi security setting? WPA2? WPA3? Other?
Etc, etc.
Does your wifi work OK on another computer?
Can you try an ethernet cable, directly from your router?
If your wifi won't switch on from your 2009 iMac -- maybe you need to reinstall the High Sierra system. Easy to do if you can connect directly to your router (using an ethernet cable.)
Can you try an ethernet cable, directly from your router?
If your wifi won't switch on from your 2009 iMac -- maybe you need to reinstall the High Sierra system. Easy to do if you can connect directly to your router (using an ethernet cable.)
I see. Yes Wi-Fi works fine with other computers phones etc. I have connected the mac with an Ethernet just so I can get internet access and after I got the mac I installed Sonoma but the problem did not go away.
It’s a late 2009 iMac 11,1 and yes I used version 1.4.3.
Last edited by a moderator:
Grey Wifi-icon usually means that the computer does not have Wifi.
Check System Profiler to see if the computer actually _has_ a working wifi card.
Check System Profiler to see if the computer actually _has_ a working wifi card.
The wifi antennae are easily broken when upgrading a lot of the iMacs if you go too deep around the edges of the screen. That may have happened at some point with your iMac, which would result in wifi not being available. Your options then would be to replace the broken part (difficult unless you're pretty decent at fixing electronics), use ethernet, or get a USB-wifi adapter.
Wifi being greyed out would have nothing to do with access point config.
It will be an os/firmware/hardware issue.
OP will need to reinstall os, maybe going back to an earlier version and update one version at a time.
Or wifi hardware may have died.
Edit: OP if you're using a patched os then there's your issue
a broken antenna would not disable wifi, the signal would just be really weak
OP did report (Post #14) that wifi also did not work, while still on High Sierra.
This is an ex company iMac so any work/repair would have been done by the IT department so it’s unlikely that they damaged something. What are the chances of the 2009 iMac not having wireless hardware? Probably close to 0. I am using Ethernet for internet access so it’s not a big problem.
Probably the IT department removed the wifi card.
You can just open your iMac to sneek-peek inside and check the wifi card existence, or hardware connectivity. It's located at the top of the frame, right under the webcam.
If it is missing, you can always buy another for probably 5$ including shipping.
You are probably right because there is no way a 2009 iMac would not have Wi-Fi.
The reason I got this iMac is because my other one shut down and has not started since plugging in it an external dvd drive but with the mains lead of another device. Would that have burned something and is it now only good for scrapping? Thanks