Member Avatar for MiketheBook

I'm in the process of upgrading my BT Broadband to Fibre Optic and ahead of the actual switchover I received a BT Hub 5. I live in a part of the house where Wireless is not great and there use Powerline plugs to connect to the internet. With my 2009 Mac Mini (RAM 8GB) and El Capitan I managed to connect both wirelessly and via the TP-Link AV500 Powerline plug. But when I try to connect to the internet on my Bootcamp Windows 7 partition, I cannot get the computer to talk with the Powerline plug and whenever I fiddle around, come up with the message, "Local Area Connection doesn't have a valid IP configuration." When I upgraded from BT Hub 3 to Hub 4, I never had any problems so don't know what's going on and Networking is definitely my weakest area of understanding. I don't know anything to be honest. Can anyone advise me please?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by priyanka543

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— quick, practical checklist to narrow this down and fix it.

Most likely causes here are: Windows on Boot Camp using the wrong network driver or IP settings, the powerline link not being fully up (or plugged into a surge strip), or the TP‑Link acting as a Wi‑Fi extender/bridge with its own settings. was right to ask whether the adapter is Ethernet-only or also a Wi‑Fi extender; that changes what to check.

Step-by-step diagnostics (do these in order):

  • Temporarily bypass the powerline: plug the Mac directly into the BT Hub with the same Ethernet cable and LAN port. If Windows gets online there, the Mac NIC and Windows stack are OK and the problem is the powerline/cable. If it still fails, focus on drivers/settings in Windows.
  • Check the physical signs: both powerline units should show a solid/link LED for the electrical link and an Ethernet/link LED where the cable plugs in. Plug both adapters straight into wall sockets (not power strips or surge protectors).
  • On Windows check Device Manager for the network adapter status; reinstall the Boot Camp/Apple network drivers if anything looks wrong. In Network Connections make sure IPv4 is NOT set to the router address itself (do not use 192.168.1.254 for the PC). If the PC shows an IP in the 169.254.x.x range it means DHCP failed.
  • Reset the Windows TCP/IP stack and Winsock, then reboot:
netsh int ip reset C:\resetlog.txt
netsh winsock reset

After reboot, test again.

Powerline specifics: if the TP‑Link unit includes Wi‑Fi, make sure it’s in bridge/AP mode (not NAT/DHCP server), and pair the two adapters again (use the pair/reset buttons per the TP‑Link instructions). If problems persist, test the AV500 with another PC or swap the Ethernet cable — that isolates whether the adapter or the Mac/Windows install is at fault.

Notes: and gave helpful starting points (DHCP/adapter reset). The steps above extend those with driver, physical-link and powerline-mode checks that commonly resolve this exact Boot Camp vs powerline symptom.

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Member Avatar for rubberman

Does your Mac Mini use a DHCP address, or a static one? Also, you probably want to make sure the TCP/IP v4 configuration for your Windows partition is using DHCP, and then you likely should disable IPv6 on it as well.

Member Avatar for MiketheBook

I've had problems with getting my Mac OS working with the internet too, sporadically. Someone on another forum has suggested that my router, a BTHub5 runs a dual system 5MHz and 2.4MHz and my TP-Link powerline is only geared up for 2.4MHz so I'm trying to figure out how to shut down the 5MHz part of the hub and see if that improves my Mac internet first. I know nothing about networking, a major hole in my computer knowledge, so I don't understand anything of what you say. I think my Mac did use a DHCP address but if doesn't work and comes up with its own IP address, so am manually using 192.168.1.254, the router address which seems to work . . . when it works. Obviously with the powerline in the way, my computer and router are not communicating very well.

Member Avatar for CimmerianX

The wifi can run dual 5 and 2.4.... this has nothing to do with the powerline adapter, unless the powerline adapter is wireless and is used as a wifi extender.

What is the make/model of the powerline adapter?

Question 1: When you are in bootcamp, are you connectiong to the Powerline adapter with cable, or wifi. I want to establish if this is a wifi extender of sorts or a more traditional powerline ethernet adapter.

Question 2: If you move closer to the router and plug in there, can windows connect? This takes powerline out of the equation.

Member Avatar for priyanka543

Use thid Open a command prompt window by click on start->accessories-> right clicking on it and running it as an administrator. The black command prompt window will open. Now type: ipconfig /release <- then hit enter.
Now type: ipconfig /renew <- and hit enter again. That should force a reset of the adapter. If you want to see what your setting now look like type: ipconfig /all There is a space between ipconfig and the /.

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