WiFi issues have plagued computer owners for as long as WiFi has existed. One of the most common issues with WiFi is that it works on one device but not another. Why does this happen, and how can you fix it?
If your WiFi works on one of your devices but not on another, your internet is working fine, but there is an issue with the affected device. To fix this, begin by restarting the device. Next, go into your WiFi settings and “forget” and then re-add the Wi-Fi network you’re trying to connect to.
This problem is only one of the many problems you can potentially have with your WiFi. Let’s go through some of the most common WiFi issues as well as how to fix them so that you can get back to browsing the net.
What are the Most Common Causes of WiFi Issues?
When it comes to WiFi issues, there is no shortage of potential problems and potential causes of those problems. Let’s go through some of the most common issues you can encounter with your WiFi connection and how to fix them.
No Devices Can Connect
By far, the most common problem people can have with their WiFi is it not working entirely. Before attempting to fix this problem, ensure your WiFi isn’t just down.
To do this, you’ll need to go to Downdetector.com. Here, you can enter the name of your internet service provider and your location, and you will see whether or not your ISP’s service is down. If it is, all you can do is wait for the service to come back up.
However, if it isn’t down, begin by resetting your router. Depending on the router, you may be able to press a reset button, but if it doesn’t have one, unplug the router for around 30 seconds and then plug it back in.
If resetting the router does not fix the issue, you may need to contact your internet service provider. You could also try buying a new router.
Connection Randomly Drops
Another prevalent issue is your WiFi connection randomly cutting out and then coming back on. Again, this is an issue with a rather strange potential cause.
You first must check whether the WiFi drops when your microwave is activated. You read that right. Sometimes microwaves running at 2.5GHz or old microwaves with shield issues can interfere with your WiFi connection.
If this isn’t the issue, it could potentially be due to interference from another network nearby. To check this, download and use a program called NetSpot. This program will show you every WiFi network nearby.
If your network operates on the same channel as another router nearby, you can try changing your router’s channel. The steps to do this will vary based on your router and your ISP, so make sure to research the method for your router.
Router Crashes Regularly
If your router crashes regularly, you’ve found that resetting the router is a temporary solution. Hitting the reset button on your router will fix it but only for a while until it crashes again.
You’ll likely need to factory reset your router to fix this issue. The method will depend on the router, but you can generally achieve this by holding down the reset button for approximately 30 seconds. Unfortunately, you will need to set up your router again after you do this, but it will likely fix your crashing issue.
Forgot the WiFi Password
This is another pervasive problem. Sometimes people forget the password to their WiFi. Unless you’ve created it yourself, this password is usually a random series of letters and numbers and is usually rather hard to remember.
First, ensure the password isn’t written down somewhere to solve this. Sometimes routers will even come with the password printed either on the side or the bottom of the router.
However, you’ll have to reset your router if it isn’t. Again, doing this will depend on the router, but you generally need to hold the reset button for around 30 seconds. Unfortunately, you will need to set up your router again after you do this, but it will also reset your password.
Why Your WiFi May Be Working on One Device But Not Another
If your WiFi is working on one device but not another, it is likely a sign that the issue is not with your router or your WiFi. Instead, the problem is likely with the device that can’t connect. This means we need to attempt to fix your device.
One of the simplest things you can try to fix your device is to turn off the WiFi on your device and then turn it back on again. This will hopefully reset the WiFi on your device and cause it to connect again. This is a common solution, but it is not guaranteed to work.
If it doesn’t, try deleting your current network from your device’s connected networks. After this, enter the password to your WiFi again and sign in. Once again, we are trying to reset the WiFi on your device to hopefully get it working again.
How to Check if Your Router is Working Properly
Even though this issue is more often than not a problem with your device that can’t connect to the internet rather than a problem with the router, it is still entirely possible for this to be an issue with your router.
A simple way to check whether your router is working is by plugging your computer into the router with an ethernet cable. If your computer can browse the internet using this signal, your router will likely work. However, if it doesn’t, you probably have an issue with your router.
Another way to check that your router is working is by checking the LED lights on the front. These should read “Power,” “WLAN,” “Wireless,“ “Internet,“ “Send,” and “Receive.” All the LED lights should be green or blue, depending on your router.
If these lights are not lit or are lit red, there’s likely something wrong with your router. In this case, you would probably need to reset your router.
To do this, you either need to hit the reset button if your router has one or unplug it for about 30 seconds before plugging it back in. This will reset your router, hopefully restoring any function to it.
Try Resetting the Device That’s Having Trouble
Whenever there is any technical issue, there’s always the tried and true way of fixing it: try turning off the device and then turning it back on again. In this case, we will try resetting the device that can’t connect to the internet.
Restarting your device fixes many issues because it shuts down all programs running on it. This way, if a program on your device becomes corrupted, it will be shut down and reset. Hopefully, this will restore it to how it was programmed to be.
To properly reset your device, make sure you shut it down entirely. One of the most common mistakes people make when resetting their device is putting it into sleep mode rather than shutting it down entirely. When your device is shut down, it should take longer to come back on than if you had been using sleep mode.
Once your device is shut down, all you have to do is turn it back on. Hopefully, this will reset your device’s WiFi and restore the connection to the device.
Why Your WiFi is Connected, But There’s No Internet
Another widespread problem people have with their WiFi connection is that their device is connected to the WiFi, but they have no internet. To fix this problem, we first need to determine if it is an issue with your internet or the device.
To determine this, connect any other device you have to the WiFi and see if it has the same problem. If it has no internet, the problem is likely with your router. However, if the device has internet, the problem likely lies with the device that can’t connect.
If the problem is your router, the solution is likely to reset your router. If this doesn’t work, ensure the issue isn’t a connection problem with the ISP. Go to Downdetector and type in the name of your ISP, select your location, and it will tell you if your ISP is currently having issues.
If the issue is your device, you should first try resetting the device and if that doesn’t work, try troubleshooting. On a Windows computer, right-click the network icon at the bottom right of the screen and click on “Troubleshoot Problems.” After this, Windows will attempt to diagnose and fix the problem itself.