Wifi Not Recognizing preferred network order..

[Starhorsepax]

HELP.

Not long ago my macbook hard drive crashed and I got a new one, had it installed and then restored from Time Machine. My network hasn't change nor are the settings changed.

Co-incidental timing or not, now my wifi keeps connecting first to an unsecured Netgear. I checked the advanced settings in system preferences, deleted all unsecured networks and confirmed my preferred network was on top. I unchecked remember new networks.

And yet it either pops back or I have to manually select to get it to connect to the right network. I have no clue where to look since the usual advanced setting seems to be being ignored.

It's driving me nuts. Does anyone know how to fix this? Is there a way to specifically block unsecured networks?

 

[Altemose]

HELP.

Not long ago my macbook hard drive crashed and I got a new one, had it installed and then restored from Time Machine. My network hasn't change nor are the settings changed.

Co-incidental timing or not, now my wifi keeps connecting first to an unsecured Netgear. I checked the advanced settings in system preferences, deleted all unsecured networks and confirmed my preferred network was on top. I unchecked remember new networks.

And yet it either pops back or I have to manually select to get it to connect to the right network. I have no clue where to look since the usual advanced setting seems to be being ignored.

It's driving me nuts. Does anyone know how to fix this? Is there a way to specifically block unsecured networks?

Try turning off Wi-Fi when you delete the networks.

 

[LizKat]

~snip~ I unchecked remember new networks.

The preference is actually called "Ask to join new networks" and you should check it, not uncheck it!

 

[Starhorsepax]

The preference is actually called "Ask to join new networks" and you should check it, not uncheck it!

That box is checked. It's the one under Advanced that says Remember Networks that I unchecked.

Even with airport off every time I turn the mac back on or wake it from sleep it refuses to correct to the network at the top of the list, no matter my settings. I had this issue at work occasionally and I think that was also someone's netgear floating around unsecured causing it....

But how the heck do I correct it when I have no control over the other networks interfering?

 

[LizKat]

... It's the one under Advanced that says Remember Networks that I unchecked..

Right, I get what you mean now.

If a connection is a remembered one, it would mean it had required a password to get in, yes? is there even any keychain entry made when a network that's not secured is accessed? I don't know the answer to this from experience. The thing is, how does "Ask before joining new networks" processing ever know whats "new" if it doesn't make some sort of entry the first time an unsecured net is joined? Shouldn't it ask every time if there's no keychain record for the net? I guess I'm assuming "remembered" means recorded in keychain.

I do know I've had to clear out secured remembered networks from keychains because the "forget" part didn't operate thoroughly enough. I had multiple accounts on the machine but was the only operator of any of them, so I wanted all keychain entries gone for a particular network but it only took out the entry owned by the account I was logged into when I unchecked the pref. The system owned another entry for that network and I had to delete it later from the admin account. Mind you this was not while running Mavericks, I think it was back in Snow Leopard days.