How Can I Test Wifi Connectivity
Understanding Internet Addressing
When using the Internet, you are assigned a Public IPv4 address or an IPv6 address. You can verify your IP address at https://test-ipv6.com/. However, translating and communicating these addresses in a non-technical way can be challenging, and dealing with MAC addresses adds another layer of complexity. Moreover, there is a lack of historical data when it comes to previous issues.
Navigating the World Wide Web
Accessing a webpage begins with contacting a DNS server to translate the URL into an IP address. Your computer and browser also transmit specific information with every web request, such as the type of browser being used.
Significance of Default Gateways
The default gateway, typically automatically assigned via DHCP, is the address that your computer uses to route all its traffic. Whether it ends in .1 or .254, depending on the scope, understanding the default gateway is crucial for proper routing. For more detailed information on configuring IPv6 connectivity, refer to our blog at /blog/how-to-fix-ipv6-connectivity/. On Mac or Linux, you can verify this configuration.
IPv4 Routes and the Host IPv4 Route Table (inc. VPN)
netstat -rn -f inet | egrep -i "default|0/1|128.0/1"
0/1 172.18.12.193 UGScg utun3 default 10.7.18.53 UGScg en0 128.0/1 172.18.12.193 UGSc utun3
Note: We are not just looking for the default but also for any VPN that overrides the public v4 address space.
IPv6 Routes and the Host IPv6 Route Table (inc. VPN)
netstat -rn -f inet6 | egrep -i "default|2000::/3"
If you have IPv6 active the above should return at least one route (as per below) via a known interface such as “en0 " on a Mac.
default fe80:35d8:87fd:7bbd:df12%en0 UGcg en0 default fe80::%utun0 UGcIg utun0 default fe80::%utun1 UGcIg utun1 default fe80::%utun2 UGcIg utun2 2000::/3 utun3 USc utun3
Note: We are not just looking for the default but also for any VPN that overrides the public v6 address space.
Debugging DHCP for both IPv4 and IPv6
To get a look at the low level DHCP configuration (Mac/Linux):
ipconfig getpacket en0
...
domain_name_server (ip_mult): {124.188.151.137, 0.199.77.113}
end (none):
...
So, in the above we are not getting IPv6 DNS servers from the DHCPv4 reply but…
ipconfig getv6packet en0
DHCPv6 REPLY (7) Transaction ID 0x80940b Length 76
Options[4] = {
CLIENTID (1) Length 14: DUID LLT HW 1 Time 668691856 Addr 9e:97:d6:df:7f:af
DNS_SERVERS (23) Length 32: 2606:4700:4700::1111, 2001:4860:4860::8844
DOMAIN_LIST (24) Length 0: Invalid
SERVERID (2) Length 10: DUID LL HW 1 Addr 3b:f8:e7:5d:e8:dc
}
Resolve Issues with Wired or Wi-Fi Connection
When it comes to transmitting data to your router, you might be utilizing either a wired or wireless (Wi-Fi) medium at the physical and data layer.
Troubleshooting Tips for Apple macOS / OSX
No matter which version of OSX/macOS you’re using, whether it’s 10.12.4, 11.0.6, or 12.2.5, there are various tools available for resolving issues. However, these manual processes and scripts do not provide a set of correlated values over time. This is where automated remote troubleshooting becomes valuable, particularly for teams that are adopting remote work and Work From Anywhere (WFA).
Embedded Scripts for Assistance
One valuable tool on OSX/macOS is sudo wdutil info, which provides a dump of current wireless settings to the CLI and can be configured to generate specific logs for troubleshooting purposes. Furthermore, the sysdiagnose tool can be used to generate a wide array of logs, although much of it is point-in-time related to wireless, just like wdutil.
sudo nohup /usr/bin/sysdiagnose -u & will run the tool in the background and generate logs at /var/tmp/<blah>.tar.gz for you. If you prefer to run it interactively (although there isn’t much interaction), you can entersudo /usr/bin/sysdiagnose, which will prompt a privacy warning. When not run in the background, it should open Finder in the correct location, or you can navigate to /var/tmp or use Finder with Cmd+Shift+G to direct Finder to the specific path. Keep in mind that the file sizes are approximately 300MB, more or less.
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P.S. Tips For Remote Network and Client Support
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