Internet issues are the worst! Your life can come to a screeching halt if your computer loses connection to your home Wi-Fi. Working from home, streaming movies and TV shows, staying connected with friends, or simply browsing the web -- you're locked out of everything without a reliable Wi-Fi connection.
✕ Remove Ads
Fortunately, the most common Wi-Fi issues on your computer can be resolved fairly easily. Some of the solutions I'll list below will require messing around your Windows or router settings, but it won't be too complicated. Let's look at the kind of Wi-Fi problems you might face on your computer, and how you can reclaim your Wi-Fi network.
Related
5 of the weirdest issues I was never able to fix on my Windows PC
Troubleshooting PCs comes with the territory, but some cases remain unsolved mysteries
1 Windows can't find any Wi-Fi networks
Alone in empty cyberspace
Strangely, this is all too common. One fine day, you might see every single Wi-Fi network vanish from the list of networks on your Windows computer. Before you do anything else, ensure everything is fine on the router's end -- the Wi-Fi lights are on, your laptop is within range, and the internet isn't down on the ISP's end. Also ensure that Wi-Fi is actually turned on in the Taskbar and airplane mode is turned off.
✕ Remove Ads
Once you're satisfied, you can proceed with updating the driver for your network adapter. An outdated driver might be preventing Windows from detecting Wi-Fi networks.
From the Start menu, search for Device Manager and click the first result.
Click Network adapters and identify your network adapter. It is usually the one with Intel or Realtek in the name, along with Wireless AC, Wi-Fi, or something similar. Before updating the driver, make sure your network adapter isn't disabled. If it has a small down arrow icon at the front of the name, that means it's disabled. If you see one, right-click the adapter and select Enable device, and check if Wi-Fi is working now.
If it isn't disabled, you can simply right-click your network adapter, and select Update driver.
Choose Search automatically for drivers to allow Windows to find and update drivers automatically.
If this doesn't solve the issue, download the latest drivers for your Realtek or Intel adapter after choosing the correct driver package (using another computer with internet access).
Extract the zip file and copy the contents to a USB drive. Connect the USB drive to your computer, and double-click the EXE file to install the driver.
✕ Remove Ads
Related
How to fix the "Windows not could find a driver for your network adapter" error
Having internet issues on your PC? Here's how you can fix your network adapter drivers to resolve the situation.
2 Windows is unable to connect to your Wi-Fi
Windows can be stubborn sometimes
If Windows doesn't automatically connect to your regular Wi-Fi network, and shows a "Windows can't connect to this network" error even after you try to connect manually, there might be an issue with your router or network adapter.
Restart your laptop or PC as a preliminary fix. If that doesn't work, restart your router, and see if that fixes the issue. Next, you can try to remove the saved Wi-Fi network you're trying to connect to. Click on the Wi-Fi icon on the Taskbar, and click the right arrow icon next to it.
Right-click your network in the list of connections, and select Forget. You'll need to click your network name again, re-enter your password to re-connect.
You can also reset your network from Windows settings. Press Win + I to open settings, and select Network & internet.
Click on Advanced network settings.
Click on Network reset.
Click on Reset now.
Your system will restart, and you'll need to connect to your Wi-Fi network as if for the first time. If you had any VPN configurations, they would also be reset.
✕ Remove Ads
3 Wi-Fi is connected but there's no internet
If you're connected, act like it
Sometimes, Windows will proclaim it's connected to a network, but show that there's no internet. Other times, even the "no internet" error is absent, but you still can't get online. This issue can usually be solved by resetting your network's TCP/IP, IP address, and DNS settings. You can reset your network using the method shown in the previous section, but if that doesn't work, proceed to the following steps.
Give the built-in Windows troubleshooter a shot. Search for Troubleshoot in the Start menu search bar, and click on Troubleshoot settings.
Click on Other troubleshooters.
Click on Run next to Network and Internet.
Let the troubleshooter do its thing, post which it will recommend a few solutions that it can perform on your behalf (in case it finds any problems).
If the troubleshooter isn't helpful, open a Command Prompt window by searching for it in the Taskbar.
Next, type the following commands, one by one, pressing Enter after each one: netsh winsock reset ipconfig /release netsh int ip reset ipconfig /renew ipconfig /flushdns
✕ Remove Ads
4 A third-party application has broken your Wi-Fi
It's more common than you think
If you notice your Wi-Fi is on the fritz soon after installing a new program or anti-virus software, uninstalling and reinstalling your network adapter can sometimes fix the problem.
From the Start menu, search for Device Manager and click the first result. Click Network adapters, right-click your network adapter, and click Uninstall device to remove the network adapter.
Restart your computer. After rebooting into Windows, your network adapter should be reinstalled automatically. Check Device Manager to confirm. If you don't see your network adapter, click Action at the top, and select Scan for hardware changes. Windows will then reinstall the adapter and its drivers.
5 Wi-Fi speed is slow
Your neighbors might be interfering
If you're getting internet, but the connection speed is awfully slower than what it should be, you can go into your router's settings, and either reset it or hop to a different "channel" to boost your connection speed.
✕ Remove Ads
To reset your router, locate the reset button on the back of your router. It'll be inside a tiny hole with Reset written near it.
Use a needle or toothpick to press and hold the button for around 30 seconds. You can release it once the router's lights turn off. If your router doesn't have a reset button, holding down the WPS button for 30 seconds will do the trick. Wait for the router to turn on, and see if your connection speed is back to normal again. You can also try to change the channel your network is operating in, as multiple neighboring connections can often crowd the same channel. To do this, enter the IP address of your router in a browser window and press Enter. You can find the IP address on the router itself or on its documentation.
Enter the username and password on the login page. These credentials are often found printed on the router. Otherwise, you can try admin for username and admin or password for the password field.
Navigate to the Wireless section, and find the Channel setting. Depending on your router, it might be under Advanced or something similar. Choose from channels 1, 6, or 11 from the drop-down.
✕ Remove Ads
Changing the Wi-Fi channel can sometimes free your connection from interference, giving your connection speed a much-needed boost. Most people never touch their router settings, so you might be able to hop on to a relatively open channel. Alternatively, you can use a program like NetSpot to see which channels your neighboring connections are using, and then switch to other channels.
Related
Is your internet connection slow? Try these steps to fix it
Save yourself some frustration
6 Wi-Fi is spotty in certain areas of the house
Some corners are hard to reach
If you have a larger house than the range of your router, you might need to experiment with the router's location. Placing it in a centralized location is ideal, as it can then adequately cover most of the area of your house. If your router is in a corner of the house, try moving it to the center, and see if it resolves the Wi-Fi vacuum in those hard-to-reach areas.
✕ Remove Ads
Other possible solutions to extend Wi-Fi coverage are connecting a Wi-Fi extender to your router, using Wi-Fi repeaters for a better result, or using a mesh router setup for the best possible experience (though this will cost you a good chunk of money).
Related
How to extend your Wi-Fi network coverage at home
Wi-Fi coverage just not cutting it? Extend your Wi-Fi coverage so you get a good signal in every room.
7 Your Wi-Fi network keeps disconnecting
Playing hard to get
If you're experiencing frequent disconnections on your Wi-Fi network, it might have something to do with the power settings of your network adapter. If it's configured to save power, that can result in a delayed connection and disconnections. This is more commonly seen on laptops.
✕ Remove Ads
To fix this, open Device Manager.
Click on Network adapters, and right-click your network adapter.
Select Properties from the menu.
Select Power Management. Un-check the box next to Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
This should ideally solve the problem of frequent disconnections on your Wi-Fi network.
✕ Remove Ads
8 Wi-Fi stops working at a specific time of day
Yes, this happens
I've actually heard of this problem first-hand. One of my friends used to swear that his internet always stopped working around midnight every single day. We all shrugged it off and made fun of said friend, but there might be some truth to his problem. If your neighbor uses their connection heavily at a specific time of day, you might experience network slowdown if you're occupying the same channel.
As shown in one of the sections above, use NetSpot to find out if you're indeed on the same channel as your neighbor, and test your connection after switching to a less congested channel. If this solves your speed issue, let me know in the comments, so I can apologize to my friend.
9 Windows firewall is blocking internet access
Security gone overboard
Windows' built-in firewall is supposed to block or allow internet access to various applications to protect you from a security attack. Sometimes, either due to a misconfigured setting or a trigger-happy application, the firewall can end up blocking the internet access to the entire system.
✕ Remove Ads
Open a Command Prompt window by searching for it in the Taskbar.
Execute the following command: netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off
Check if your computer can connect to the internet now.
10 A Windows update is causing Wi-Fi issues
Ah, the good ol' Windows update
A buggy Windows update could also be behind the sudden collapse of your Wi-Fi connectivity. If your Wi-Fi is on the fritz, and you're sure that Windows updated itself in the last few days, you can roll back to the previous version, and see if your problem is resolved. Note that rolling back to a previous Windows version is only possible within ten days of installing the new update, after which Windows deletes the old files.
✕ Remove Ads
Open the Settings app by pressing Win + I. Click the System tab on the left, and then Recovery on the right.
Click Go back to start the process.
Enter any reason in the window that appears, click No, thanks when prompted for updates, and after a few warnings, click Next to restart your computer and roll back from the latest update.
If more than 10 days have passed since the update that messed up your Wi-Fi, you can wait for a patch in the next update, or reinstall Windows to see if that solves the issue.
Related
5 signs you might need to reinstall Windows
Sometimes, the best troubleshooting step for Windows is a fresh installation.
Fix common Wi-Fi issues on Windows
Windows 11 is one of the most-used operating systems in the world, but it isn't without its peculiarities and bugs. Internet issues are common on Windows, but you can resolve most of them using some of the solutions listed above. If you're unable to restore Wi-Fi connectivity to your computer, see if you can use Ethernet as a temporary measure. If you're on an urgent deadline, and Ethernet isn't an option, your only option would be to borrow a computer from friends or family.
✕ Remove Ads