The Ultimate Guide to Troubleshooting a Smartwatch That Won t Connect to Wi Fi After Software Update
Ultimate Windows 10 WiFi Troubleshooting Guide
If you recently installed or updated Windows 10, you might experience some WiFi issues. Were here to help! Wireless networking problems are particularly annoying because there are so many things that can cause them. Maybe youre missing a driver or your computers power options arent properly set. Did you check the wireless switch (if you have one)? So many things can go wrong.
In this article, were going to troubleshoot Windows 10 WiFi by exploring the most common issues. Lets get started.
Limited Connectivity
Many Windows 10 users get a limited connectivity message and its challenging to figure out whats causing it. It can be triggered by outdated drivers, a faulty Ethernet cable, your network adapter, or even the antivirus software you use. The only thing you can do is troubleshoot WiFi one step at a time and hope for the best.
Were going to try the most common solutions, but make sure to try other fixes mentioned in this article if those dont work.
Run the Networking Troubleshooter
The first thing you should try is the built-in Windows 10 networking troubleshooter. In a lot of cases, WiFi problems can be solved automatically.
The easiest way to access this resource is to type troubleshoot in the search box and select the Find and fix network problems option.
This opens the Internet Connections panel.
Let Windows diagnose the networking issues and apply any suggested fixes. If this doesnt help, you should also troubleshoot the network adapter. Type troubleshoot network adapter in the search box and follow the same steps.
Reset TCP
If the troubleshooter found an error that says WiFi doesnt have a valid IP configuration, you should reset the TCP/IP. This is the most common solution to this problem, although outdated drivers can also cause it.
To reset the TCP, type command prompt in the Windows search box. Before you launch the prompt, make sure to right-click and select the Run as administrator option otherwise some commands might not work.
Next, type the following commands separately by pressing the Enter key after each one:
netsh winsock reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /flushdns
Restart your computer and check if your wireless connection works now. If it doesnt, continue to troubleshoot wifi using our tips below.
Check Your Antivirus
Having antivirus software is important, but it can sometimes cause a conflict that leads to a limited internet connection message. Take note that Windows Defender, the antivirus that comes with Windows 10, shouldnt cause any problems with your wireless connection.
Most users report that third-party antivirus software can block WiFi. So if youve been struggling with trying to figure this out, try disabling your antivirus. If BitDefender, Avast, AVG, or a similar antivirus is indeed the culprit, uninstall it.
Missing WiFi Icon
In some cases, wireless is disabled. You cant find the WiFi icon and if you dig deeper into your network settings you wont find a wireless section.
A lot of users report this problem, especially after a clean Windows 10 install. This is usually due to missing or outdated WiFi drivers. The WiFi module might also be the culprit if you purchased one so make sure its properly connected.
That said, there are several solutions you can try.
Check for Updates
Start looking at your drivers, especially if you just installed Windows 10. A lot of users install the operating system without connecting their machine to the Internet. As a result, Windows cant install any drivers automatically during the installation process, so some of them will be missing.
1. Navigate to the Settings panel and select Updates & Security.
2. Next, you need to check for driver updates by clicking on View optional updates.
3. Click on Driver updates to see if you have anything to download.
In your case, you should have other drivers than the ones seen in this image. Hopefully, one of them is the WiFi driver. Make sure youre connected to the Internet through a network cable or your smartphones connection and download the drivers.
Reinstall the WiFi Driver
In some cases, the WiFi driver is corrupted, and updating it wont do anything. What you need to do is reinstall it. To do that, you need first uninstall the driver and then either check for updates using the previous solution or download it from the manufacturers website.
To remove the existing driver, head over to the Device Manager and look for your WiFi driver under Network adapters.
Select your wireless driver, double-click to launch the Properties panel, and navigate to Driver. There youll find the Driver Details button, which will tell you everything you need to know about the driver.
You need this information if you want to download and install the driver from the WiFi card manufacturers website.
Now, go back to the driver inside the device manager, right-click on it, and select the Uninstall device option. This will remove the driver from your computer so that you can properly install it.
Once the driver has been removed, you can either go back to the Check for Updates panel we talked about above or to the manufacturers website. Either way, install the driver and restart your computer.
WiFi Disconnected After Sleep Mode
Your wireless connection works just fine until your computer enters Sleep/Hibernate mode? Chances are youre dealing with an annoying power-saving option that keeps your computer from returning your WiFi connection after it wakes up. To fix this, type Power Plan in the Windows search bar and select Edit Power Plan. This opens your computers current power plan settings. Then click on the Change advanced power settings option.
Scroll to Wireless Adapter Settings, expand it, and change the Power Saving Mode to Maximum Performance.
Other WiFi Troubleshooting Tips
There are a few other things you can try at this point if none of the previous tips fixed your WiFi connection.
Configure Your Network Adapter
Are you sure your network adapter is properly configured? Go to Network and Sharing Center and click on Change adapter settings to open the Network Connections page. Right-click on your WiFi adapter and select Properties.
You need to find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Select it and click on the Properties button.
Are the Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically options selected? If they arent, enable them.
Reset Your Router
Router configurations can sometimes interfere or conflict with your computers WiFi settings. This issue can pop over time or if you played with the routers settings. Either way, you should try resetting it to its default settings.
There are a few ways of resetting your router. Generally, you can either press the tiny, hidden reset button or go to the routers configuration page and do it from there.
For more details on how to reset a router, check out our dedicated article.
Check the WiFi Switch
Some laptops still come with a switch that enables or disables WiFi. If thats the case with yours, make sure to check that its set to ON.
Device Interference
Certain devices can interfere with the WiFi signal. Check the frequency specifications of your microwave oven, phone, speakers, and other electronic devices. If they match the same frequency used by your router, you should try turning them off.
If your problem is caused by a household device, the solution is to move the router away from it.
Last Resort Update or Reset BIOS
If you tried every single troubleshoot wifi step above, you should try this solution.
Updating BIOS used to be something most people avoided at all costs, but nowadays with modern motherboards, its quite easy to do. Just make sure you read the instructions that came with your motherboard and backup your data.
Alternatively, you can also try resetting BIOS to its default settings.
As mentioned at the start of the article, a lot of things can make your WiFi go haywire. Hopefully, one of our solutions has worked for you. If not, then you probably have a hardware problem and you should inspect the wireless module. Let us know in the comments how you fixed your WiFi!
What to Do When Your iPad Wont Connect to WiFi? 11 Easy Fixes
Is your iPad not connecting to Wi-Fi? Many reasonssuch as a buggy Wi-Fi module, incorrect network settings, and router-side issuesoften cause that. The good news is that you can fix the problem quite easily most of the time.
So work through the list of pointers that follow, and you should be able to make your iPad connect to Wi-Fi as usual again.
Related: Check out what you must do if your iPad connects to Wi-Fi but not the internet.
1. Disable and Enable Wi-Fi
Turning off and reactivating the Wi-Fi module on your iPad is the quickest way to eliminate temporary glitches that stop it from functioning correctly.
1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tapthe option labeled Wi-Fi.
3. Turn off the switch next to Wi-Fi.
4. Wait for at least 10 seconds.
5. Turn on the Wi-Fi switch and pick the hotspot you want to connect to under the My Networks or Networks section.
2. Turn Airplane Mode On/Off
Toggling Airplane Mode on and then off helps reboot all network-related radios and is another quick way to resolve an iPad not connecting to the Wi-Fi error.
1. Bring up the iPads Control Center by swiping down from the top-right of the screen.
2. Tap the Airplane Mode icon to deactivate Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Bluetooth.
3. Wait for up to 10 seconds and tap the Airplane Mode icon again.
3. Forget and Reconnect to Network
If your iPad stops connecting to a previously saved Wi-Fi hotspot, deleting and reconnecting to the network might help.
1. Open the iPads Settings app and tap Wi-Fi.
2. Locate the network under the My Networks section and tap the Info icon next to it.
3. Tap Forget This Network.
4. Select the Wi-Fi network under the Networks section.
5. Enter the networks password and tap Join.
4. Restart iPad
Restarting an iPad from a powered-off state also resolves issues with Wi-Fi connectivity. If you havent already, try doing that now.
1. Open the iPads Settings app and go to General > Shut Down.
2. Swipe the Power icon and wait until the iPad shuts down completely.
3. Hold down the Top button to reboot the device.
5. Get Close to the Router
This ones obvious, but moving closer to the router is another fix that can push your iPad into re-establishing Wi-Fi connectivity. If possible, try placing the iPadOS device right next to the router and check if that makes a difference.
If that did the trick, you might want to set up a spare router as a Wi-Fi extender to mitigate the issue going forward.
6. Restart Your Router
If the issue is restricted to a specific Wi-Fi network only, restarting the router (provided that you can access it) can also help fix when your iPad wont connect to Wi-Fi.
To do that, simply turn off the routers power switch and wait for 30 seconds. Then, turn it back on again.
7. Update iPadOS
Wi-Fi-related issues can also occur due to a buggy version of the iPads system softwareiPadOS. The only way to fix that is to update it. You can do that by heading over to Settings > General > System Software.
If you dont have any other Wi-Fi hotspots that you can connect to (or if you cant connect to any network at all), you must use a Mac or PC with an active internet connection.
1. Open the Finder app on your Mac. If you use a PC, you must open iTunes.
Note: You can install iTunes on your PC via the Microsoft Store or Apple website.
2. Connect your iPad to your computer via USB. If this is the first time, unlock your iPadOS device and tap Trust.
3. Select your iPad in Finder or iTunes.
4. Select the Check for Updates button.
5. Select Update to apply any pending updates.
8. Change Security Mode on Router
The security mode on your router might also impact the iPads ability to connect to a network.
If you have access to a desktop browser, try switching to a different encryption level (such as from WPA2 to WPA or vice-versa) via your routers control panel and check if that helps.
9. Reset Network Settings
We recommend resetting the iPads network settings if you still keep experiencing connectivity issues with one or more Wi-Fi hotspots. That usually resolves severe underlying problems with network connectivity, but the reset procedure also erases all saved Wi-Fi hotspots.
1. Open the Settings app and go to General > Reset.
2. Tap Reset Network Settings.
3. Enter the device passcode and tap Reset to confirm.
Once your iPad finishes reverting the network settings to their defaults, try reconnecting to Wi-Fi by heading over to Settings > Wi-Fi.
10. Reset Router
If resetting the iPads network settings didnt help, you must reset your router to its defaults instead. There are two ways to do that.
The first method involves pressing the physical Reset switch on your router. The second method consists in restoring the default settings via the routers control panel. Check our router reset guide for the specifics.
11. Resetting All Settings
The final fix involves resetting all settings on your iPad. Not only does that restore any complex network configurations to their defaults, but the procedure also reverts harmful changes from the myriad other settings in iPadOS.
1. Open the iPhones Settings app and tap General > Reset.
2. Tap Reset All Settings.
3. Enter both the device passcode and Screen Time passcode. Then, tap Reset to confirm.
Your iPad will reboot automatically after completing the settings reset. Once it finishes doing that, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and check if you can connect the device to a Wi-Fi network again.
Take It to Apple
If none of the fixes above helped and you still cant connect your iPad to any Wi-Fi network, youre probably looking at a defective Wi-Fi module on your iPad. You can try factory resetting your iPad or reinstalling the firmware in DFU Mode, but that can end up making your device unusable if it keeps on failing to connect to Wi-Fi.
Your best option next is to take it to the nearest Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider for repairs or a replacement.
