Home› Tablets and e-Readers
Click here to check out Digital Spy's Tech section for the latest news, updates, reviews and cheap deals.

Mac or Kindle, but never both

5hane5hane Posts: 2,385
Forum Member
✭✭✭
in Tablets and e-Readers #1
Hi

I wondered if anyone might know why the following keeps happening:

My stepfathers Mac will never connect to the Internet until his Kindle is offline. Both devices are using WiFi, just as the other devices in the house are (tablets & phones). But it's only ever the Kindle that has to be offline for the Mac to work.
I thought the problem might be too many devices fighting for WiFi, but even if we turn all of them off then fire up just the kindle and Mac, the Mac won't go online until the Kindle is offline.

Thanks

Comments

  • StigStig Posts: 12,446
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    #2
    It could be an IP conflict.

    Try turning everything off, rebooting the router, then turning one device on at a time.
  • 5hane5hane Posts: 2,385
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    #3
    Stig wrote: »
    It could be an IP conflict.

    Try turning everything off, rebooting the router, then turning one device on at a time.

    Thanks Stig. I didn't realise they had more than 1 IP address. It's just the 1 WiFi box I think.
  • victorslotvictorslot Posts: 619
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    #4
    The wifi modem/router does have only one IP address to the internet but the router assigns an IP address to each device that connects to it. It is possible that two devices have obtained the same IP address from the router, rebooting everything should solve this issue.
  • njpnjp Posts: 27,583
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    #5
    5hane wrote: »
    Thanks Stig. I didn't realise they had more than 1 IP address. It's just the 1 WiFi box I think.
    Every device on your network has to have a unique IP address. The router normally allocates these (via DHCP) and maps them to the single IP address your network presents to your ISP, so that everyone gets the traffic intended for them and not for another device.

    You can have problems if someone has set up manually assigned IP addresses for devices that conflict with each other or with router-assigned addresses. Failing that, your router might have dodgy firmware, so you might want to see if an update is available.

    Edit: A simple router reboot might solve the problem, as already suggested.
  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,310
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    #6
    This must be an IP address conflict. Could be that your mac is using a fixed IP address that gets assigned to Kindle by the router? Another very unlikely possibility is that they have the same mac address which should be impossible.
  • 5hane5hane Posts: 2,385
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    #7
    Thanks for the detailed explanations, all understood now.
    Just trying to get everyone to do without their devices for less then a minute now :D
  • StigStig Posts: 12,446
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    #8
    5hane wrote: »
    Thanks for the detailed explanations, all understood now.
    Just trying to get everyone to do without their devices for less then a minute now :D

    How did you get on?
  • 5hane5hane Posts: 2,385
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    #9
    Stig wrote: »
    How did you get on?

    The issue has mysteriously gone away, but if it reoccurs we'll know what to do now :D
Sign In or Register to comment.