A wireless network is one of the most popular and convenient things in your home or office, but when it’s down, then what?
Your Wi-Fi is the force that keeps you working to earn the dough; it also keeps you from being bored when it’s 1 a.m. and you can’t sleep.
It is the glue that holds a family together. Once your Wi-Fi is out, you can forget about working on your PC and watching your favorite Netflix show on your tablet or mobile phone.
Your Wi-Fi signal is the strongest when it is nearby. If your device is too far away, or there are building materials like thick walls in between you, that could explain your connection problems. If that’s not the issue, read on.
In this article:
What can be causing the problem?
Here are a few common reasons as to why your Wi-Fi isn’t working:
- An issue with the network itself – It isn’t necessary that your device might be malfunctioning, but that there is a problem from the provider’s side. To test this, you might want to connect to public Wi-Fi or a friend’s hotspot.
- Your device is the problem – Your laptop or tablet might be connecting to the Wi-Fi, yet your mobile phone isn’t connecting. To confirm this, check other devices and find out if the problem is just with that one device.
- There are too many devices using the same Wi-Fi – Not all Wi-Fi networks can support many devices. It might become difficult for the network to work consistently, and the performance may fall.
- There’s an issue with the router – Older routers may not have the same bandwidth capacity as compared to AC routers, which support a bandwidth of 8 x 150 MHz. You might find your internet becoming slow or eventually coming to a stand-still.
Now, how do I fix it?
Here’s how you can address the issues mentioned above:
Your network
- If there’s an issue with the network, you might want to check if your router is functioning normally and if the same lights are on as it usually is.
- If this doesn’t work, the good old "turn it off then back on" trick might work. Technology is strange, and a little kick start might get it running away.
- If this doesn’t work either, you might want to contact your network provider to see if everything is working from their end.
Your device
- Try turning the device off, then on again. This simple trick solves a lot of issues, including Wi-Fi issues.
- You can consider performing a factory reset if you don’t have a lot to lose, or be sure to back up your data, first. A reset will establish that you’re facing a hardware issue rather than a software issue.
- Try troubleshooting your device – Running network diagnostics isn’t known as the most effective option, but it may or may not solve the issue for you.
Too many connected devices
- The quickest way to solve this is to disconnect some devices.
- If this doesn’t work, you can purchase a new router or establish different networks for your guests or children along with QoS (Quality of Service) that lets you categorize traffic according to the transmitted data.
Your router
- The only thing you can do here is to purchase a new router. The increase in bandwidth will allow more data to be transmitted back and forth. More modern routers also have features such as MIMO (Multiple-In-Multiple-Out) as well as multiple USB connectors.
That didn’t work, now what?
If nothing seems to be working for you, and your laptop isn’t connecting to your Wi-Fi, the best option is to take it to local on-site customer support. Having a professional tend to your problem personally is a better option as compared to doing it yourself or looking for remote assistance. Physical damage, hardware failure, and other laptop issues are easier to solve when an expert can take a look at it hands-on.
Local customer support or local repairing such as Geeks on Site laptop repair lets you have a face-to-face conversation with a professional tech support expert that can handle issues that cannot be solved remotely.
Get your Wi-Fi sorted out quickly
Although nobody would want to keep their Wi-Fi in a state of despair, figuring out what is causing the issue and how to solve it is crucial if you want to get back to doing what you do. Smaller issues can be handled by yourself with information found online or through online customer support. Still, more complicated issues will require the assistance of a professional that knows what he is doing. Take the decision accordingly to return to an easier life-pro Wi-Fi.