What to Do When Your Wi-Fi Is Connected but No Internet Access

You would choose to get a Wi-Fi connection for your home or office with basically two objectives.

One is an always ON, with speedy internet connectivity and the ability to connect multiple devices at the same time.

The second objective takes care of the cost, since having individual devices connected to the internet will prove to be very expensive.

But if your Wi-Fi service fails, you will find it quite irksome and it is not every time that you can use your mobile phone’s tethering feature to connect your PC.

One of the situations people face is when their Wi-Fi is connected but there is no internet access for their device.

Here are the step-by-step solutions to resolve this issue.

Understand the Issue First

Experience has taught the experts to arrive at two main reasons for this response you get when you try to connect your device through the Wi-Fi connection at your end.

One could be that the Wi-Fi router is able to detect the incoming signals but cannot execute its functioning due to an error.

The other possible reason is there is some flaw in your device’s settings and that is why though there is internet connectivity, you won’t be able to go ahead and browse the internet.

The suggestion often given to you, if you were to call up your Wi-Fi service provider, is to turn the router off and switch it on again and check if the functioning is restored.

This may work on certain occasions and may not on others.

All possible scenarios are being dealt with in this step-by-step guide.

To start with, you would want to be sure which one is giving the trouble; if you have a few devices connected and it is only your PC or laptop that is showing this connectivity issue, then the problem could be with the device.

But if all devices are not working, then follow these steps:

1. There is no harm in trying out switching the Wi-Fi router OFF and then turning it back ON one more time.

But do wait until the router establishes the connection and all the lights that usually glow are steadily glowing. You must allow a short recess after switching off the power before pressing the power button again on the router. You can try and “Restart” your computer as well, to ensure you are not leaving any chances.

2. Check if the lights on the Wi-Fi router are all glowing.

There may be some occasional flickering but it must be reasonably steady. If you are not sure which lights should be on, check with the router’s manual (if you have one), or call the customer support line of the service provider who would have fixed the router. For all you know, there might be a genuine technical issue with the telecom company that runs the service. They may be able to confirm that the issue has to do with their network and they’re working on a way to fix it. The lighting arrangement can vary with the make and model of the router, as well.

Now that you are sure of the router end and you are still struck with the issue, go on with finding other solutions.

3. If there is some issue with the device you are trying to connect with and yours is a Windows device, you have to reach the network troubleshooter. You may be familiar with the icon that indicates the connection status on the taskbar; right click on it.
4. Of the two options there, click on “Troubleshoot problems.”
5. The next window will have an automatically run program to find the problem and fix it. In case it’s unable to fix it, there may be other suggestions for you to follow. If it requires external help from Microsoft support or other forums, you can seek and obtain the assistance and get out of the situation and continue browsing on your Wi-Fi connection.
6. There is a possibility that some files in your system’s DNS cache are blocking the internet connection. To get rid of the files in cache, type “cmd” on the search window at the bottom of the screen.

7. 

   The command center being run as administrator will open up on the command prompt. Type this: ipconfig /flushdns and then hit “Enter.”

8. This will make sure the DNS cache in your computer gets erased and if you go back to try and connect, you may succeed in reaching the pages which were denied to you earlier.

These are simple solutions where every device and the software being run on them are all functioning perfectly.

In odd cases though, some modifications in the settings on the existing router might itself be sufficient to overcome the connection issue being discussed here.

This relates to the mode the router is set to. Here is the process of correcting it:

1. Open the dashboard of the Wi-Fi router connected to your system.
2. You can use the login ID and password you use for your internet access.
3. If you find a legend Wireless mode, click on it.
4. There would be a dropdown menu next to it and out of the options, choose 802.11 b and “save changes.”
5. You may have to do a trial and error here by switching the router off and re-powering it until you get the correct mode from the three settings you find on it.
6. There is every possibility, you will arrive at the right wireless mode and will be out of the problem you started with.

Despite these actions, if the issue persists, you will have to file a complaint with the Wi-Fi service provider to depute their service engineer to help sort the issue out directly. On the other hand, if you found that the Wi-Fi router needs to be replaced, you will have to do that.