Why Wi-Fi may not work on a laptop and how to fix it
Wi-Fi technology is very widely used in the life of a modern person, because it allows you to easily and quickly solve the problem of connecting to the Internet without using conventional wires. This is especially true in the case of using laptops, with the help of which you can access the Internet in any convenient place due to the presence of a built-in Wi-Fi adapter.
That is why the situation when Wi Fi does not work on a laptop leads to significant inconvenience and even some problems. There are many reasons why Wi-Fi may not work on a laptop computer. It is simply unrealistic to solve the most serious of them on your own without the help of specialists, but there are quite a lot of those that can be completely eliminated on your own. Let's consider them.
Problem with laptop or router?
A fairly common problem that a laptop has stopped connecting to a WiFi network is not a problem with the laptop itself, but with the settings of the router, which distributes the network. Thus, the laptop can be configured correctly, but Wi-Fi still does not turn on precisely because it has nothing to connect to.
To eliminate the possibility that the problem is related to this, you should try to connect to the network from any other device that is equipped with a Wi-Fi adapter - from another laptop, smartphone, tablet, and the like.
If Wi-Fi does not work from another gadget, then the problem lies precisely in the Wi-Fi router distributing the Internet. If the connection is successful, the problem is in the laptop and before solving it, you first need to determine why Wi-Fi stopped working.
Hardware enable adapter
Based on such diagnostics, you can accurately determine that this problem arose precisely through the fault of the laptop. When Wi-Fi does not work on it, you can try using several methods.
The first one is to check if the wireless connection adapter is enabled on the laptop. Almost all modern models have light indicators of the WiFi module and there are special key combinations for its hardware activation.
Usually, a lit indicator indicates that the module is on. If the indicator does not glow at all or shines in red, then the Wi-Fi does not work precisely because of the wireless network adapter. It needs to be enabled.
Most often, such indicators are located directly on the keyboard, side or front panel of the device. Sometimes they are located on the monitor case or near the touchpad.
To enable the module of such a network, press the key combination Fn and one of the system F1-F12. The specific combination depends on the laptop manufacturer. Usually, the corresponding antenna icon is located on the desired key. If it is not there, then to enable Wi-Fi, you should try pressing the combination standard for a particular model:
Fn+F3 for Acer;
Fn+F2 for Asus, Dell or Gigabyte
Fn+F5 on Fujitsu devices;
Fn+F12 on HP laptops.
After pressing the appropriate keys, we check whether the indicator of the wireless connection module lights up or whether it stops glowing red. After that, you should try to connect to the network again. If this does not help, go to the next step.
Software inclusion
When Wi-Fi stopped working and its hardware inclusion does not give positive results, it is also necessary to implement its software inclusion, which is carried out directly from the operating system under which the laptop is running.
To programmatically turn on WiFi that has stopped working on Windows 7, 8 or 10, you need to perform the following sequence of actions:
1. On the notification panel, which is located near the clock, the network connection status icon is selected;
2. From the list that opens, select the "Network and Sharing Center" or "Network Settings" item, depending on the version of the operating system;
3. The next step is "Change adapter settings".
Among the list of all existing connections, you need to pay attention to the color of the "Wireless Network Connection" icon. If your WiFi does not work and the wireless adapter is disabled, then the connection icon will not be highlighted. In this case, right-click on its icon, select the “Enable” item from the context menu that opens. In this case, the color of the connection icon should change.
At the same time, the wireless network adapter turns on, it remains to find the desired one in the list of available wireless networks and connect to it.
If, after such actions, Wi-Fi, which has stopped working, continues to be inactive, you need to move on to the next method to solve the problem.
Installing and updating the driver
Quite often, the Wi-Fi wireless connection does not turn on due to the lack of a driver or when it is very outdated. To determine the presence of an installed driver, you need to select the "Properties" item from the context menu of the "My Computer" icon, which is located on the desktop or in the "Start" menu. Next, in the window that opens, select the "Device Manager" command from the menu on the left.
In the new window that opens with a list of connected devices, you need to find the name of the laptop's wireless network adapter. Usually its name is “Wireless Network Adapter” or “Wireless Network Adapter”, along with which the manufacturer of the device should be indicated: Realtek, Atheros, Qualcomm, or something else.
Having found the desired item and clicking on it with the right mouse button, "Properties" is selected from the context menu. In the window that opens in this case, the item "The device is working properly" should be present. But even if there is a mark about the normal operation of the device, this is far from a guarantee that the correct driver version is installed and Wi-Fi is turned on correctly. To check it, in the window with the properties of the wireless device, go to the "Driver" tab and pay attention to the items "Date of development" and "Vendor".
In the event that the supplier is Microsoft or the date of development of the program is several years behind the current one, go to the official website of the laptop manufacturer and download the latest official version of the driver.
The same should be done if there is no wireless adapter in the list of installed devices.
If the wireless module is present in the list of devices, but marked with a yellow exclamation point, this means that the device is disabled, as a result of which the network has stopped working. In this case, having opened the device properties window, you need to click the "Enable" button.
Another reason why Wi-Fi stopped working on a laptop may be that the power saving mode is enabled, which prevents the wireless connection from working. To disable it, you need to do the following:
1. Open Control Panel;
2. Select the "Power" icon;
3. In the window that opens, select the "High performance" or "Balanced" mode.
External signal obstructions
It's also worth noting that a broken wireless network can also be the result of more than just laptop problems. The wireless connection signal depends on some external factors that can weaken it. Ceilings, walls, floors, and similar obstacles significantly degrade the signal quality of the access point and laptop.
As you know, the signal quality on a personal computer is displayed in the form of several marks - the more there are, the better the signal is. If the wireless connection level is displayed as 1 or 2 marks, then you can not try to use WiFi - in this case, it will not work properly.
In this case, you need to move the router closer to your workplace, move your workplace closer to the Wi-Fi router, or buy a new, more powerful router.
Other causes of Wi-Fi problems
The causes of problems with the functioning of the wireless network adapter described above are the most common and you can fix them on your own.
It is worth noting that all these are software methods for solving the problem, which will be solved by installing, reinstalling or updating the device driver, as well as performing some operations with the OS.
But often the problem with the operation of the wireless connection module lies in hardware errors. What are these errors? These are problems that are directly related to the board itself, most often - its physical damage.
To fix such problems, you will need to disassemble the laptop. It is worth noting that such actions can only be performed if you have certain skills in this area. If such skills are not available, it is better to entrust the work to professionals.
One of the most common physical damage is an unconnected antenna wire to the proximity module. This problem occurs with laptops that were under repair or if their owner cleaned the cooling system from dust on their own. In such cases, the antenna is sometimes simply forgotten, as a result of which the adapter will not be able to establish a connection even near the signal source itself. To fix this problem, you just need to connect its antenna to the Wi-Fi module.
Sometimes the reason that Wi-Fi stops working is the usual overheating of the network card. This is most often the result of the laptop being placed on some kind of soft surface. The thing is that at the bottom of the device there are holes through which cold air enters, cooling all the computer boards. By blocking these openings, the system will overheat, which can lead to the failure of certain components.
Another common cause of device overheating is dust, which can prevent cold air from entering the cooling system.
That is why, in order not to encounter such problems, it is recommended to clean the laptop from dust at least once every year: in this case, it will be possible to avoid repairing the laptop as a result of overheating of its components.
In the most advanced cases, the wireless adapter may even burn out. In this case, only replacing it with a new one will help. You can determine such a problem using the device manager, in which the module will simply cease to be displayed. When you try to install a driver for a wireless network, a message appears stating that the corresponding device is not installed in the system.
If nothing helped
If none of the tips above helped, you can use a simple, but at the same time often effective solution: restart both the computer and the wireless router. Please note that after a reboot, the router turns on for up to 5-10 minutes before it starts distributing the network. Be patient. Also, despite the opinion of many skeptics, sometimes the troubleshooting function that is in the Windows operating system helps to solve problems with a wireless network.
Thus, most of the existing solutions to the problems associated with the fact that Wi-Fi stopped working on a laptop were listed above. Almost all of these methods and recommendations can be used by anyone who has encountered a similar problem, since this does not require any special skills.
If nothing helps, and the wireless network does not start working, there is only one way out - to go to a quality service center for help, where they can solve any problems with a laptop.
If the article did not help solve your problem and Wi-Fi still does not work, write in the comments, I will try to help.