Check Your Modem and Router

Make sure all the LED lights on your modem and router are lit correctly. If any lights are off or blinking unusually, contact your Internet provider.

Restart

If it seems like this is the answer to everything, that’s probably because it works for many different issues. Shut down your machine, router, and modem. Let them sit for about a minute to reset entirely, and then start them up again.

If other devices connect to your Internet, you may have an issue with your device’s Wi-Fi adapter.

  1. To fix it, click on the Wi-Fi icon in the bottom-right of the taskbar.
  2. Click on “Troubleshoot Problems.“
  3. Windows will automatically look for issues and will try to fix it for you.

Flush DNS Cache

The DNS cache is a temporary database where your computer stores the information about websites you have visited. When you visit a site, the cache converts addresses you’ve typed into an IP address consisting of numbers. It’s faster for your device to keep a list of these numbers in the cache, so you don’t have to wait for the address to be converted by being sent out onto the internet. Sometimes the DNS cache becomes corrupted, so flushing the DNS cache may help.

  1. Open the command prompt by pressing Win + R.

  2. Type cmd into the box.

  3. When the command prompt window opens, type in this command:

  4. Press Enter and the command prompt screen will let you know when it is successful.

Change Wi-Fi Modes

If you are using an older router, an outdated Wi-Fi mode could cause this problem. There are different Wi-Fi modes in a router like 802.11 b, 802.11 b/g, 802.11 b/g/n, etc., with b being the oldest. If you have an older computer, try changing the Wi-Fi mode.

  1. Open any Internet browser and log in to your Wi-Fi router dashboard by typing the address of your router into the address bar. This address is typically 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. You need your username and password to get into the Settings. You most likely created them when you set up your router.

  2. Find the Wireless Mode option. It’s usually under Wireless settings.

  3. If there is a dropdown box, select option 802.11 b and save the changes. Try 802.11g if the first one does not work. (If you do not see this option, your router may not be capable of using these modes.)

Fix IP Address Conflict

Does your device connect to the Internet with other Wi-Fi networks but not yours? If so, you could have an issue with an IP Address or DNS conflict. To check to see if this is the problem:

  1. Go to the command prompt by pressing Win + R and typing cmd into the box.
  2. When the command prompt window opens, type in this command:
  3. The server will assign a new IP address to your computer.

Update Network Driver

All software needs to be updated occasionally, and this includes the drivers on your router. If you have an old driver, or it’s been corrupted somehow, you can attempt to update the network driver. There may be a place to do this on your router settings as we used in the previous step. If there is not, follow these steps to update it.

  1. Open your device manager by pressing Win + R.

  2. Type devmgmt.msc in the box.

  3. Press Enter. Device Manager will open.

  4. Click on Network Adapters.

  5. Right-click on your Wi-Fi driver.

  6. Select the Update driver option.

  7. Click on “Search automatically for updated driver software.”

Reset Your Router

If none of the less drastic troubleshooting has worked, try resetting your router back to the factory settings. Yes, you will lose all your data, but setting it back will most likely solve the problem. To do this, find the reset button on the back of the router and hold it in for about ten to fifteen seconds. The lights will begin to blink when you have held it long enough.

Reset Your Network

This final solution is the most drastic, and hopefully something else worked, and you no longer have this problem. Resetting your network will uninstall and reinstall network adapters. It will delete every network your computer connects to and forget all of your network-related passwords. It it still not working? Contact your Internet provider and let the professionals take a shot at it.