Why is my Wi-Fi not working?

There are several things that can cause a Wi-Fi to stop working and steps that you can do to fix the problem. Below is a list of steps in order of most common to cause this problem.

Wi-Fi is not turned on

If you have a laptop, most modern laptops have a button that can turn on and off the Wi-Fi on your computer as a security feature. Make sure your Wi-Fi is turned on by looking at any button or status light indicator. Typically, the light will be either blue or green when enabled.

• Steps for enabling and disabling Wi-Fi.

Verify the wireless connection is enabled

In Windows make sure the connection is not disabled by clicking Start and typenetwork connection, select View network connections, and press enter. In the Network Connections window, if your wireless connection is listed right-click on the connection and select "Enable." If you see "Disable", the network connection is already enabled.

Verify that the SSID and security key are correct

If your wireless network shows multiple available wireless networks, make sure you are connecting to the right SSID (router name) and that you have entered the correct security key. If you are connecting to a neighbor's router or are entering the wrong security key, the laptop will not be able to connect to the network.

Make sure the Internet is working

If you can connect to your Wi-Fi device but your Internet is not working it may be your Internet and not your computer. Verify this is not the problem by making sure another device like another computer,smartphone, or tablet can connect to the Internet. If the Internet works on another device, it is safe to assume that it is the computer.

Reset Modem and Router

It is not uncommon for network DSL and Cable Modem and network routers to encounter problems that prevent one or more devices from connecting to the network. To help verify this is not the problem disconnect the power from the back of your router and the Modem. Once disconnected, wait 10-15 seconds and then reconnect power. After resetting the power, if you are still having problems try rebooting the computer again.

Disable firewalls

Having more than one software firewall installed on the computer can cause a lot of issues with your network connection. To help verify this is not a problem we suggest temporarily disabling any firewall on the computer. Disable the Windows Firewall or any Firewall that comes with security programs.

• How to enable or disable the Microsoft Windows Firewall

Restore Windows to an earlier copy

If you are using Microsoft Windows and the Wi-Fi has worked in the past try restoring Windows to an earlier copy. In some cases, bad software or settings may have caused problems with your Wi-Fi adapter.

• How do I restore Windows back to an earlier copy?

Reinstall wireless device and drivers

Corrupt drivers or other issues with the wireless drivers is one of the most common causes for why you may not be able to see any Wi-Fi networks or have problems detecting your wireless card. Make sure you are not having driver issues by following the steps below.

Remove the device and let Windows re-detect the Wi-Fi card

1. Open Windows Device Manager
2. In the Device Manager make double-click network adapters to see all devices.
3. Highlight your Wi-Fi or Wireless network adapter and press delete on the keyboard to remove the device. If there is a checkbox to uninstall the drivers, leave it unchecked for the time being.
4. Once the device has been removed close all windows, reboot, and let Windows re-detect the network card.

If letting Windows re-detect and install the wireless card does not resolve your issue it may be the drivers themselves. Follow the steps below to reinstall the network card and wireless drivers.

Reinstall the latest network drivers

1. Located and download the network drivers for your laptop. If possible, we recommend getting the drivers directly from the laptop manufacturer (e.g. Dell orHP).
2. Open Windows Device Manager
3. In the Device Manager make double-click network adapters to see all devices.
4. Highlight your Wi-Fi or Wireless network adapter and press delete on the keyboard to remove the device. If there is a checkbox to uninstall the drivers, check the box.
5. Once the device has been removed close all open windows and install the drivers. If there is a setup file for the drivers, run that file.

Reposition wireless router or computer

If your computer has difficulties maintaining a strong signal with your wireless router, it can cause connectivity issues. Make sure this is not a problem by trying to re-position the router and its antennas. If you have a laptop, you can also move the laptop closer to the router to help verify it is not a signal issue.

If you are having signal issues, consider range extender (repeater) for your home or office to make sure all areas get a strong signal. Alternatively you can try changing the routers frequency.

Hard reset the laptop

If you have a laptop, try hard resetting the router by following the steps below. Doing a hard reset can fix various random issues with hardware being detected properly.

1. Close all windows and shut down and turn the laptop off.
2. Once the laptop is off, disconnect the AC adapter (power) and remove the battery.
3. After removing the battery and disconnecting the power cord, leave the computer off for 30 seconds and while off press and hold the power button in 5-10 second intervals.
4. After 30 seconds put the battery back in the computer and connect the power cord.
5. Turn on the computer and as the computer is booting enter CMOS setup.
6. In CMOS setup, reset the CMOS settings to the default settings and then save and exit the setup.

If after following the previous steps the Wi-Fi still does not work, try removing the Wi-Fi from Device Manager and rebooting your computer to see if Windows detects the adapter.

Upgrade router firmware

If you have never had success with the computer connecting to the router try upgrading the routers firmware. An updated firmware can help fix issues with the router including connection issues.

• How do I upgrade my router firmware?

Operating system corruption

If after following all of the above steps your Wi-Fi is still not working, and it has worked before it may be a serious corruption with Windows or your installed operating system. As a last resort to help verify if you have bad hardware, we suggest erasing everything and reinstalling your operating system. Doing this can help verify everything is clean on the computers and no other problems exist.

• Steps on how to erase your hard drive and start over.

Bad hardware

If you have tried all of the above suggestions and still have not been able to get the Wi-Fi card to work, it is likely that the Wi-Fi or related hardware device is defective. If you have a desktop with a wireless expansion card, we suggest replacing the expansion card. If you have a desktop with Wi-Fi built into the motherboard (on-board) we suggest checking any antenna cable and if ok have the motherboard replace. If you have a laptop, we suggest having the laptop serviced.

If you Wi-Fi is not working for multiple devices, and you have done all of the above steps it is more likely a problem with your router, and you should consider replacing the router.

Workaround

If replacing hardware is not in the budget or you need a quicker solution, a workaround would be to connect a USB network adapter to the computer. These adapters are relatively cheap and can be installed quickly into the computer assuming nothing else is wrong with the computer. Once installed you can use the USB network adapter for your Wi-Fi.