How to Fix A Faulty Wi-Fi Connection

Few things are more frustrating than seeing that your Wi-Fi says it’s connected to the internet but still not being fully connected. Your website pages don’t load, emails won’t send, and you definitely can’t keep going with your game. Besides the first obvious step to restart your computer and see if that fixes it, if that doesn’t work, there are 10 simple steps you can do to reconnect to the internet.

Let’s break down where to start and how you can get back online.

When it comes to connecting to the internet, there are three main components:

1. Your router
2. The device that’s trying to connect
3. The program you’re trying to use (internet sites being down, a certain program freezing or glitching, and so on)

1. Try another device

The first thing you want to do is get another device and connect to the internet. You’ll quickly know if it works or not, and if it still doesn’t work, then you know the issue is coming from your router. For the most part, if you simply restart your router or modem, the problem will correct itself. If that doesn’t work, be sure to check your cords. Sometimes they can get worn down or fall out of their connectors.

2. See what each device says

When you try to connect to the internet through your device, what is the error message that pops up? Also, check your router’s lights and see what it says as well with its lights.

One of these should give you a better look into what the problem is, or at least where it’s stemming from.

3. Reset your router

Most modems have a physical reset button on the router themselves. Similar to restarting your devices, this will bring everything back to the beginning and might solve the problem.

4. Use your automatic troubleshooting

Every device out there comes with built-in assistance to figure out why you’re not connecting to the internet. On a PC you can right-click where your screen shows the network button and tell it to begin the troubleshooting problem. On Mac, it’s under System Preferences and then under Network.

5. Switch your wireless mode

On every modem, there are different possible ways to switch your WiFi standard. Although it might change a few things in your computer, you can access your Wireless Mode in your router dashboard. Inside there, you should see the option to change your wireless mode to a different option. Just be sure that if that doesn’t fix it to switch it back to the original setting before going on to the next step.

6. Check your DNS and IP address and Flush DNS

If you’re hitting this point and the other ones haven’t solved it yet, your DNS or IP address could be the issue. You’re able to switch to a static IP address or switch up your DNS server which might solve the issue. It can be a lengthy process, and there are quite a few tutorials out there on how to do it, but that’s the next thing you’ll want to try.   You can also Flush DNS to remove any dns entries that may have been cached that are broken or not working properly.  Here is how to Flush DNS for Windows 10 as example.

1. Right Click on the Start Icon.
2. Click on Command Prompt.
3. The Windows Command Prompt Window will appear. Type in: ipconfig /flushdns. and press ENTER.
4. You should receive the following message: Windows IP Configuration. Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.

7. Reset your network

Keep in mind this is the last thing you want to try because it’s going to forget all of your login and wireless settings (which is tough if you have a VPN you’ll have to set up all over again). You should even call your internet service provider before you get to this step. However, it is the last resort that will usually fix the problem.