So here's what happened last night:
I'm on the school's Internet system. From our Foreign Expert apartments, it only works (usually) reliably through the in-apartment wall Ethernet connection. Cable that to a router and we can connect our desktops/laptops through the router and create a Wifi connection to our other devices. I've even set up a separate Wifi network for colleagues when they come visit, which is also strong enough when (in good weather) we're all sitting on the patio out back the building.
I'm Apple-centric and only use Apple stuff. So in my apartment I have a 27 inch 2TB HD Retina Display desktop and a 13" MacBook Air for classroom use. Also a 9 inch iPad Pro and a 7 plus iPhone. All of them are in sync so, for example, if I make changes to a file during class on my Air, the changed file is re-synced to my iMac by the time I get back from class. Same with the iPad and iPhone. I can run my lessons from my Air, my iPad or iPhone in the classroom. Not bragging' just saying because it's relevant here.
I have an Apple Import Time capsule as my router, mostly because it just works (usually), can create strong Wifi networks that cover my crib, plus the patio outside, and because it has a built in 3 TB hard drive with automatic backups for both my iMac and MacBook Air. This, too, is relevant.
Last night, I was home using my iMac as usual. Another teacher stopped by to say goodbye, because he's going home for the winter holiday. He came by with a couple of beers for himself. I don't like beer-prefer red wine (not relevant} and a pack of smokes (red herring or relevant-you decide). I had been online minutes earlier and had just switched over to working on a lesson for next week-thus offline and in an app.
Then in walked Jose for a visit. His daughter wasn't feeling well, and he asked if I knew any international hospitals in our area of Beijing, and I said not really, but let me check.I tried to go to Beijinger.com online (nod to Noles) but suddenly my Internet wasn't working. This happens rarely, but occasionally enough-usually on weekends and holiday weekends at that when the school IT staff is gone.
I did the usual Mac OS X stuff to check it out. The Network Preferences app was showing that it couldn't connect to the Ethernet. My Airport Time capsule was glowing green which meant the connection between the Time Capsule and my iMac was fine.
So I opened up the Airport Utility which runs the Time Capsule. It showed the connection between my iMac and Time capsule was fine (thus still backing up my iMac which it does automatically every hour) but that the Internet connection was Not Connected. Back to the Network utility...it suggested I reset the router/Time capsule Tried that to no avail. SOP in those cases is to unplug the Time Capsule for a minute, let it restart and that usually solves it. In this case it didn't.
Restarted the iMac and that solved nothing. In the past, when I used Windoze, the only solution was "re-install Windows". in 7 years of
Mac, I've never had to resort to that draconian solution. Macs can usually sort themselves out.
Jose was a little anxious because he usually switches off his cellular and connects to my Guest Network when he comes by and that wasn't working either because: NO INTERNET CONNECTION. We tried the restart/reset/unplug 5 times and nothing. At which point, I mistakenly surmised,"Well the school system must be down.It's a holiday weekend."
"Is your account out of money?"
That wasn't a possibility because I had just renewed the account 2 months ago to take me through Spring Festival.
Like many of you, Jose is a Windows lover and loves to trash-talk Apple and its products. So he starts trash-talking me "See, Apple stuff sucks. All night I was using the network with my Netgear router on my Windows laptop with no problems. Your fancy iMac and Time Capsule are obviously messed up. HA HA HA!
We gave the unplug solution one last chance. Then I told him to shut up, and drink his beer. I puffed on a cigarette from the pack he brought over to me, while I tried to gather my wits and figure out what was wrong, hoping against hope that the system would not be down through the holiday weekend. I ran through the rigomorole one more time. then I clicked on the Having Trouble Connecting? box which I usually ignore because I think I know all the answers (It's one of my weaknesses.) And I followed Apple's advice in the little box, without expecting it to work.
But it did! Voila! Instant Internet access in a moment! It wasn't an Apple problem, or even a school Internet system problem. So what was the problem?
If you're so smart and have read this far...Speculate.