A Windows 8.1 network always works in a home environment.  When taken to a public library, the network itself works but wouldn't connect to the Internet.  After a lot of fiddling, changing user, restarting the computer and so on, all of a sudden it starts to work.  Windows diagnostic does not detect any problem.  When it comes back home, it works straight away without any drama.

When the problem happens with a public network, the Windows diagnostic and ipconfig reports no ip address has been assigned to the computer.  So I think perhaps the network runs out of IP address to be assigned.  Then I use a mobile phone which connects to the library network and hence the Internet to set up tethering and portable hotspot and test the computer again.  Again the computer has no problem with the network but wouldn't connect to the Internet.

I think to myself, if it is a hardware problem then it would not even work at home.  If it is an intermittent hardware problem, then such problem should be experienced at home as well.  But no, nothing happens at home so far.  Could anything peculiar to Windows 8 that causes such phenomenon?

Hi

Try delete the wireless profile for that public network then reconnected.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/manage-wireless-network-profiles

if issue still persists, sounds like a firewall issue or just bad connaction. You might need to try at least one more another public network for good measure.

Id suggest try using mobile phone hotspot at home then see what happen, we need at least one more test.

Check if your network connection can get right IP address and shows as Internet access.

Update your network adapter driver first, then disable Windows Firewall see if it solve this issue.

Regards

D.

Hi

Try delete the wireless profile for that public network then reconnected.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/manage-wireless-network-profiles

if issue still persists, sounds like a firewall issue or just bad connaction. You might need to try at least one more another public network for good measure.

Id suggest try using mobile another device as hotspot at home then see what happen, we need at least one more test.

Check if your network connection can get right IP address and shows as Internet access.

Update your network adapter driver first, then disable Windows Firewall see if it solve this issue.

Regards

D.

I tested again using a mobile as a hotspot while the mobile was connected to a home network working with Internet.  The computer laptop in question still wouldn't connect to Internet.  Windows Update didn't connect.  It wouldn't ping any URL except itself, the localhost.  I had it connected back to the home network and everythings worked fine.

At the moment I am not too sure if my way of connecting a portable hotspot is correct and I have just started another thread https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/32c8eecf-153d-4ac0-88ca-bcb206847122/how-to-connect-windows-7-windows-81-to-a-wifi-network-via-a-tethering-portable-hotspot?forum=w8itpronetworking working on the issue.  I might have to get back to this one later on.

Hi,

Thanks for your feedback and we hope your issue has been resolved, if you've found solution by yourself or from other thread. We would appreciate it if you could share with us and we will mark it as answer.

Regards,

D. Wu

So far I still can't make any progress to prove it one way or the other.  Perhaps you may close this thread for the time being.

By the way, someone on the other thread mention that only mobile phone using cellular data can be set up as hotspot.  Is it right?  If it is so, my test on this problem using a mobile phone would not be valid then.

Hi

Thanks for your feedback and sure, I will close this thread for you for this time being.

I cannot be sure that all of mobile devices only can share cellular data by using hot spot, but most of them do like this way. But it wont make any difference about the whole process (DHCP etc.). That is also why I suggest do some more tests on different public wifi spot so we could rule out the compatibility issue between your laptop adapter and hotspot from cell phone.

Regards,

D. Wu

This thread is missing some key pieces of information. You mentioned that you did not receive an IP address in the original post. Do you receive an IP address at home? From the hotspot? Obviously if you do not receive an IP address you wont be able to connect to the internet. Diagnosing why you are able to attain an address at home and not in other locations will help to narrow down the cause of your issue.

Brandon
Windows Outreach Team- IT Pro
Windows for IT Pros on TechNet

I've just tested it.  I did get the IP address at home.  Please see the screen shot captured below.  It is really hard to believe that portable Wi-Hi hotspot of a mobile phone has to be operated with celular data.  What is the technical reason?

• Edited by healee 6 hours 10 minutes ago

I've just tested it.  I did get the IP address at home.  Please see the screen shot captured below.  It is really hard to believe that portable Wi-Hi hotspot of a mobile phone has to be operated with celular data.  What is the technical reason?

• Edited by healee Thursday, May 28, 2015 1:14 AM

Hi,

most of these mobile devices can not relay WiFi signals to other devices (at least not without a jailbreak). To share a single WiFi login with several devices we need to set up a WiFi repeater and cell phone doesn't have this feature/device supported.

Regars,

D. Wu 

Thanks for your advice!