Why doesn't the laptop see the Wi-Fi network? The laptop does not see the Wi-Fi network - why is this happening? There is a WiFi connection, but only ICQ and Skype work. Pages won't open

A fairly common problem, especially common after any changes: reinstallation operating system, replacing a router, updating firmware, etc. Sometimes, finding the reason is quite difficult, even for an experienced technician.

In this short article I would like to dwell on a couple of cases due to which, most often, a laptop does not connect via Wi-Fi. I recommend that you familiarize yourself with them and try to restore the network on your own before turning to outside help. By the way, if it says “without access to the Internet” (and the yellow sign is on), then you better look.

1. Reason No. 1 - incorrect/missing drivers

A very common reason why a laptop does not connect via Wi-Fi. Most often, you will see the following picture (if you look in the lower right corner):

No connections available. The network is crossed out with a red cross.

After all, as it happens: the user downloaded a new Windows OS, burned it to disk, copied all his important data, reinstalled the OS, and installed the drivers that were installed before...

The fact is that drivers that worked in Windows XP may not work in Windows 7, those that worked in Windows 7 may refuse to work in Windows 8.

Therefore, if you are updating the OS, and in general, if Wi-Fi does not work, first of all check whether you have the correct drivers and whether they were downloaded from the official website. And in general, I recommend reinstalling them and watching the laptop’s reaction.

How can I check if the driver is in the system?

Very simple. Go to "my computer" then click anywhere in the window right click and select “properties” in the pop-up window. Next, on the left, there will be a “device manager” link. By the way, you can open it from the control panel, through the built-in search.

Here we are most interested in the network adapters tab. Look carefully to see if you have a wireless network adapter, as in the picture below (naturally, you will have your own adapter model).

It is also worth paying attention to the fact that there should not be any exclamation marks or red crosses - which indicates problems with the driver, that it may not work correctly. If everything is good, it should be displayed as in the picture above.

Where is the best place to get a driver?

It is best to download it from the manufacturer’s official website. Also, usually the laptop comes with native drivers instead, you can use them too.

Even if you have native drivers installed, but the Wi-Fi network does not work, I recommend trying to reinstall them by downloading them from the official website of the laptop manufacturer.

Important notes when choosing a driver for a laptop

1) Their name, most likely (99.8%), should contain the word “ wireless«.
2) Correctly determine the type of network adapter, there are several of them: Broadcom, Intel, Atheros. Usually, on the manufacturer’s website, even in specific model laptop, there may be several versions of drivers. To know exactly which one you need, use the utility.

The utility perfectly determined what hardware was installed in the laptop. You don’t need to install any settings, you just need to run it.

Several websites of popular manufacturers:

Acer: http://www.acer.ru/ac/ru/RU/content/home

HP: http://www8.hp.com/ru/ru/home.html

Asus: http://www.asus.com/ru/

One more thing! The driver can be found and installed automatically. This is described in the article. I recommend checking it out.

2. Reason #2 - is Wi-Fi turned on?

Very often you have to watch how the user tries to look for the causes of breakdowns where there are none...

Most laptop models have an LED indicator on the case that signals Wi-Fi work. So, it should burn. To turn it on, there are special functional buttons, the purpose of which is indicated in the product passport.

For example, on Acer laptops, Wi-Fi is turned on using the “Fn+F3” button combination.

You can do it differently.

Go to "control Panel" your Windows OS, then the “network and internet” tab, then “ network control center and shared access ", and finally - " Change adapter settings«.

Here we are interested in the wireless connection icon. It should not be gray and colorless, as in the picture below. If the wireless network icon is colorless, then right-click on it and click “enable“.

You will immediately notice that even if it does not connect to the Internet, it will become colored (see below). This indicates that the laptop adapter is working and it can connect via Wi-Fi.

3. Reason No. 3 - incorrect settings

It often happens that a laptop cannot connect to the network due to a changed password or router settings. This can happen through no fault of the user. For example, the router settings may be lost if the power is turned off during intensive operation.

1) Checking settings in Windows

First, pay attention to the tray icon. If there is no red cross on it, it means there are available connections and you can try to join them.

We click on the icon and a window should appear in front of us with all the Wi-Fi networks that the laptop has found. Select your network and click “connect”. We will be asked to enter a password, if it is correct, then the laptop should connect via Wi-Fi.

2) Checking the router settings

If you cannot connect to a Wi-Fi network and Windows reports an incorrect password, go to the router settings and change the default settings.

To enter the router settings, go to " http://192.168.1.1/"(Without quotes). Typically, this address is used by default. The default password and login are most often “ admin"(in small letters without quotation marks).

Next, change the settings in accordance with your provider settings and router model (if they are lost). In this part it is difficult to give any advice; a more extensive article on creating local network Wi-Fi at home.

Important! It happens that the router does not connect to the Internet automatically. Go into its settings and check if it is trying to connect, and if not, try connecting to the network manually. This error often happens on TrendNet brand routers (at least it used to be on some models, which I personally encountered).

4. If all else fails...

If you've tried everything and nothing helps...

I will give two pieces of advice that help me personally.

1) From time to time, for reasons unknown to me, the Wi-Fi network disconnects. The symptoms are different each time: sometimes it says no connection, sometimes the icon lights up in the tray as expected, but there is still no network...

A 2-step recipe helps to quickly restore a Wi-Fi network:

1. Disconnect the router’s power supply from the network for 10-15 seconds. Then I turn it on again.

2. I reboot the computer.

After this, oddly enough, the Wi-Fi network, and with it the Internet, work as expected. I don’t know why and why this happens, I don’t want to dig into it either, because... This happens quite rarely. If you can guess why, share it in the comments.

2) There was one time when it was generally not clear how to turn on Wi-Fi - a laptop on function keys does not respond (Fn+F3) - the LED is not lit, and the tray icon says that “there are no available connections” (and it doesn’t find even one). What to do?

I tried a bunch of methods, I wanted to reinstall the system with all the drivers. But I tried to diagnose wireless adapter. And guess what - he diagnosed the problem and recommended fixing it by “resetting settings and turning on the network,” which I agreed with. After a few seconds the network started working... I recommend trying it.

We will tell you why the laptop does not see Wi-Fi and how to solve the problem we will explain in the article, since no one is immune from malfunctions wireless connection with the Internet. The WiFi connection may not be functional for a number of reasons. And it is not necessary that these reasons will be somehow related to each other.


Content:

Check why the laptop does not see Wi-Fi networks, you can simply. To do this, we first check the access point or router, as well as the laptop itself, for functionality. It is important to know which device is causing the problem.

Let's start with the router. A fairly common cause of malfunction is the banal “freezing” of the equipment. The first sign of this is an atypical indication, that is, the LEDs on the router blink in an unusual mode. To correct the situation, restart the device or unplug it, wait a couple of minutes, and then turn it on again. If it's a minor internal glitch, restarting solves the problem. The laptop, in turn, will quickly pick up the signal.

Voltage fluctuations can cause parameters to be reset. The router stops transmitting the signal. In some cases, the Internet connection also gets lost. If this happens, the settings must be re-entered using the device’s web interface. Addresses to enter: 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. The choice will depend on the router model. You can access the interface from any browser. If after this the connection works, then everything is fine with the device.


Helpful advice: The cause of router inoperability is often an involuntary reset of the router to initial settings. To set up the configuration again, it is better to use the services of specialists from the provider company.

If each method of checking the router does not bring results, you need to check why the laptop does not see Wi-Fi. First of all, we check the activity of the network equipment. Most modern laptop models have LEDs on their bodies. We will be interested in the one marked with an antenna icon or directly with the inscription “Wi-Fi”. If the diode is lit, then the built-in adapter is functioning. Otherwise, the adapter must be started. Press the “Fn” key and another one where there is an antenna icon.

The cause of temporary inoperability may be a malfunction software operating system. The connection activity will be checked through the Windows Control Panel. If it does not work, then start using context menu.

The network element may be completely absent from the list of available connections. Check the section " Network adapters", and more specifically - wireless devices "Wireless". We enable the adapter using the context menu. Then we restart the computer.

Why doesn't my laptop see wifi? Typical reasons

There are several simple reasons, for which the laptop does not see Wi-Fi. For example:

  1. The router is not turned on - turn on the router;
  2. There is no Wi-Fi coverage – we come closer to the source;
  3. Your router is “buggy” - reboot it;
  4. The Wi-Fi receiver is not turned on - turn it on.

However, there are also more serious disruptions to the connection. These include:

Wi-Fi is slow, why?

In addition to the fact that the computer does not see Wi-Fi, the problem of a slow connection is also relevant. There are several reasons:


1. Reboot the router and check that the cables are connected correctly

When using a cable for connection, check which ports the network connectors are connected to. The Internet cable provided by your provider must be included in a separate slot. It is usually located some distance from the other ports or is indicated in a different color (often blue).

After this, reboot your router. This action should be performed regardless of how you connect to the router - using a wire or a wireless network (WiFi). To reboot the device, use the “Power” or “On/Off” button on the device itself. Press the button to turn off the router, and after 10-15 seconds press again to turn it on. If there is no separate reset button on the rear panel, disconnect the device from electrical network by unplugging the power supply from the outlet. After 30-40 seconds, turn on the device again, and after it boots up, check if the computer can see the router.

2. Perform connection diagnostics

Launch the panel Windows management on the computer where you are having connection difficulties. In the Network and Control Center, select the menu item marked in the screenshot.

Find the required network adapter, right-click on it and run diagnostics. Windows will try to identify a problem that is occurring with the connection. If problems are successfully detected and corrected, the system will notify you that the problems have been resolved. Then reconnect and the computer will see the router.

Important! Network diagnostics may take several minutes. It is recommended that you do not interrupt the troubleshooting process.

3. Use a different connection type

If the previous steps did not help, try connecting to home network another way. If you are using a cable connection, connect via WiFi, and vice versa. This method allows you to localize the error and for its further correction. Among the disadvantages, it can be noted that desktop PCs are rarely equipped with a WiFi adapter, so you can often use this method only on a laptop. You can use a second computer for diagnostics. This will help determine where the error occurs - on the computer or router.

4. When using WiFi, check that the network name is open

The computer may not find your home WiFi if the network is configured as hidden. Such networks do not send messages to others wireless devices your name (SSID). Connect to hidden network possible after entering her name and authorization (if encryption is available). Check current WiFi settings can be done in the router web interface. Connect to the router with a cable and make sure that the connection is established (the computer sees it). Turn the router over and on its bottom side look at the address for logging into the admin panel, as well as your username and password. Go to the specified address in the browser, enter the data account and find your wireless network settings.

Among the settings there will be a checkbox responsible for the visibility of the wireless network name. In routers various manufacturers it is called by different names, such as “Make network hidden”, “Hide SSID”, “Hide network name”. On TP-Link routers, the required item is called “Enable SSID Broadcasting”, and you can find it in the “ Wireless mode-> Wireless settings". Change this setting, reboot the router and try connecting again.

5. Make sure the Ethernet port on your computer is working

Connect the Internet cable directly to the computer, without using a router. If Internet access appears, the computer does not see the router due to problems with the router itself. Otherwise, if Internet access does not appear, the error may occur due to problems with the computer's network card. It is recommended to reinstall the driver network card or replace it.

6. Replace the network cable

A network cable failure is one of the common reasons why a computer does not see the router. Cable failure is usually due to physical damage, which is not always easy to notice. The cord can be damaged by children or pets, it can be crushed by a door or pinched by a baseboard. Try using a different Ethernet cable to connect your computer to the router.

7. Insert the network cable into another port of the router

The cause of the problem may be a failure of one of the device’s LAN ports. Modern routers are equipped with several Ethernet ports, usually four. Disconnect network cable, with which the router connects to the computer, from the input being used and connect to the adjacent one. If the computer still does not see the router, try plugging the cord into a different port. If the connection is successful, the corresponding LAN indicator on the router body will light up.

We all sooner or later encounter a problem when our device (computer, tablet, laptop, smartphone) for some reason does not see the wifi network. It seems like we connected correctly and configured everything, but there are no available connections. Let's take a look possible options correction of this situation.

Why doesn't my laptop/computer see the WiFi network?

Let me note that there may be several reasons, and we will start with the primary one: the operation of the router itself. It is he who performs the main functions of the access point and provides us with good signal connection supply. If there is a problem with your router, try rebooting it. If it is turned on and functioning normally, check its distance from the computer/laptop. Maybe it's because of the range that your device isn't working.

Check if Wi-Fi is turned on on your laptop. On the work panel at the bottom, next to switching languages, there is a corresponding icon (if the networks are not displayed when you click on it, then Wi-Fi is still turned off).
If this is not the reason, we will have to check the operation of some systems of our laptop ⁄ computer (suitable for Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10).

Let's sort it out possible reasons no network:

  1. your device simply does not see any of the Wi-Fi networks (they are not displayed as available) - let's call it error 1;
  2. your device sees neighboring Wi-Fi networks, but it doesn’t find yours - error 2.
  • A hardware error pops up (i.e. error network card). In this case, your device does not see the wireless WiFi adapter because it is either broken or there is a problem with its drivers.
  • The network hardware driver is not installed (check the driver in the Device Manager tab, in the “Properties” folder). If necessary, install the driver or reinstall the software (from the disk or from the manufacturer’s website).
  • The wireless connection is turned off (check in the Network Control Center in the Wireless network tab or the Wireless network connection tab).
  • The Wi-Fi module does not work (in case of a malfunction, the module must be replaced).
  • Software failure or other problems (this may require the help of a specialist).

If you find out that your error 2, to fix it, use changing the Wi-Fi network channel.
This can be done quite simply through the Settings item on the Wireless tab. You can select the channel number 1-9, or you can select the Auto checkbox. After saving the settings, you will need to reboot the router.

System diagnostics

If you have tried all possible and impossible options, and nothing helps you, you can use such a feature as system diagnostics. Go to the Network and Control Center, select “Change adapter settings”. Find the wireless connection shortcut, right-click on it, select the “Diagnostics” line. After this, your laptop (computer) itself will try to find malfunctions and tell you how to fix them.

Why doesn't my Android smartphone see the WiFi network?

Both in the case of a laptop and in the case of a smartphone on Android based, there may be several reasons for the lack of visible Wi-Fi networks:
  • You are out of range of the router (sometimes you just need to move around the room to find the network).
  • An incorrect access password has been entered, network authentication (the problem can be solved by entering the correct password, taking into account the case, or by rebooting the smartphone).
  • The router freezes (the problem can be solved by rebooting the router).
  • Lack of support for router standards by the smartphone (see the instructions for the router).
  • A large number of connected devices (in the router settings you need to find the number of devices with which it can work and remove unnecessary ones).
  • Installing new applications (this situation is typical for some Android devices, try deleting the last saved programs).
  • Incorrect router settings (exact settings are entered in the router menu).
  • Broken router or smartphone.

Regular connection failures may indicate that the problem lies in the phone settings themselves. The solution could be full reset settings to factory settings. Typically, this will require you to go to Settings and open the Security tab. After rebooting the phone, try to find a new Wi-Fi network.

As you can see, there can be quite a few reasons for the lack of a Wi-Fi network, but the ones mentioned above are the most common and, in principle, should help.

The problem of incorrect display or complete absence available wifi networks occurs quite often and affects not only laptops, but also desktop computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.

There are many possible reasons why the Internet on a laptop via wif does not work well. In order to choose the right solution to this problem, you need to evaluate which “scenario” your situation belongs to: the laptop has stopped seeing altogether wifi networks(i.e. complete “ignore” wireless connections) or the laptop does not see wifi from any one access point, easily identifying other sources of the wi-fi signal.

Why doesn't wifi work on my laptop?

First, it’s worth looking at the most common scenario - the computer completely “ignoring” all wireless networks. Those. Are you sure that:

  • - the router sends out a signal normally and the access point is “open” for connection;
  • - there are others nearby available networks wifi;
  • - other devices (for example, cellular telephone) easily identify active wireless signal sources.

But at the same time, your laptop does not find any wifi network and does not connect to the Internet - i.e. Wi-Fi on the laptop stopped working altogether.

  1. 1. To solve this problem, first of all, you should check whether the “wireless network adapter” is turned on at all. For this:
  • - open “Device Manager”, in the “device tree” select “Network adapters”;
  • - the list that opens should contain your wireless network adapter (the name of which depends on the device model and you can find out more about this parameter in the documentation for the laptop);
  • - next to the name of the adapter there should not be a triangular yellow icon with exclamation point- it means that the wireless network adapter is disabled, or installed and used by the laptop network driver it works incorrectly;
  • - to right-click on it and click “Enable/Connect”;
  • - if the driver does not work correctly, download and install the current version of the program for your laptop. Or remove the device through the “Device Manager” (download the required driver first - to be on the safe side) and restart the PC - the adapter should appear automatically.

In addition, you can check the adapter through the “Control Panel” - “Network and Sharing Center”: if the adapter is enabled, then there should be a section either “Wireless network adapter” or “Wireless adapter”.

  1. 2. Perhaps the laptop does not see Wi-Fi due to the fact that the network is disabled by a key combination or a special switch on the case: this reason is most relevant for laptop owners.

It is worth paying attention to the key combination “FN+F2”/ “FN+F3”/ “FN+F9”/ “FN+F12” (depending on the laptop model) - this combination enables/disables the network and is intended mainly for those who often travels by air (accordingly, this mode is called “On a plane” - most people have a similar function modern smartphones and tablets).

  1. 3. If the laptop stopped seeing wifi after the device was disassembled (to clean the upgrade from dust), then perhaps the wireless module was physically disconnected during disassembly or the integrity of the connection wires was damaged. In this case, the solution to the problem will be to connect the adapter (and in the case physical malfunction– replacing it with a working module).

Why doesn't the laptop see wifi, but other devices see the router?

Now let’s consider a situation where the laptop selectively does not see the “wifi” network. It is worth noting that most problems with wireless networks can be solved by updating network drivers.

So, there is a certain network that works and is displayed on other devices, but the laptop with great stubbornness does not want to see it. You can do the following:

This applies directly to the computer, but the culprit that the laptop does not see the Wi-Fi router may be the source of the wireless signal itself.

  • - check relevance installed firmware on the router: if the firmware is outdated, then update it to the most recent version;
  • - reset the router configuration to its default value (factory settings) and reconfigure the router;
  • - in some cases, installing more helps old version firmware, with setting up the network configuration and subsequent firmware update.

Thus, the most relevant and effective solution to the problem “the laptop does not look for Wi-Fi” is to check the functionality of the wifi module and install the latest drivers.

To avoid similar problem costs regularly (manually or using special programs).