It’s hard to imagine that just two decades ago, only about one percent of the world’s population was online. Today, more than 4.3 billion people actively use the Internet, which is more than half of the world’s population. That’s how important an internet connection is.
However, some things can be very frustrating because of the lack of internet access. On the one hand, you can connect to a wireless router, but on the other hand, you will see an eerie yellow “No Internet access” triangle above the Internet connection icon.
While it’s not easy to immediately determine if the problem is with your router, computer, or your Internet Service Provider (ISP), you can fix this error and reconnect to the Internet. In this guide, we’ll show you how to do it.
We also quickly filmed a YouTube video of some of the steps below, so check it out first, and if that doesn’t solve your problem, come back here for other solutions:
- Eliminate false positives.
- Check your router LEDs.
- Restart your modem and router.
- Run the Windows Network Troubleshooter.
- Check IP address.
- Check the network card.
- Check MAC address filtering.
- Reset TCP / IP.
- Flush DNS.
- Disable your security software.
- Update your wireless drivers and network adapter driver.
- Update the router’s firmware.
- Restart your router.
- Reset network settings.
How to Fix No Internet Connection Errors
- Eliminate false alarms.
- Check your router lights.
- Restart your modem and router.
- Run the Windows Network Troubleshooter.
- Check the IP address.
- Check the network card.
- Check MAC address filtering.
- Reset TCP / IP.
- Flush DNS.
- Disable security software.
- Update the wireless drivers and the network adapter driver.
- Upgrading the router’s firmware.
- Reset the router.
- Network reset.
Reasons for not connecting to the Internet
The main culprits for any network problem are your device (computer, tablet, or smartphone) and your wireless router.
Problems on the router side can range from outdated hardware to faulty firmware or old infrastructure, damaged cables, an unstable signal, and too many people connected to the network at the same time. While this rarely happens, it is also a good idea to check for malware on your router.
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If there is a problem with any of these devices, you will see errors such as “connected but no internet” or “no internet connection”.
Below are some steps to take if you encounter this common problem. We’ll go over simpler troubleshooting steps first and move on to more advanced solutions.
Exclude false alarms
Before attempting to repair your router or hardware, eliminate any false positives by doing the following:
- Make sure your network hardware is turned on and connected.
- Visit multiple websites, as sometimes the one you are visiting may be temporarily disconnected, so you can assume that your connection is faulty.
- Make sure your other devices can connect properly. If it’s just your computer or mobile device, it might not be configured correctly on that specific device. If there is no internet connection on all devices, the problem might be your network equipment.
- Switch to a wired connection, if available, or try another connection. If you can access the Internet using any of these settings, chances are your router is faulty, or there is a problem with the connection between your ISP and your home or office, or with your ISP’s connection.
- Restart your computer to clear temporary software glitches and try connecting again.
- Check if your device has Wi-Fi enabled. Most laptops have a Wi-Fi button or switch that, if turned off, can disable internet access.
- Disable airplane mode if enabled. This can be done using the airplane mode button on a laptop or from Action Center on a Windows PC.
- Make sure you are using the correct SSID (Router Name) and Security Key. Re-enter the wireless password and try connecting again. You may have changed it and are using the old password.
- Reposition your router or computer. This helps maintain a strong signal between the two devices and prevents connection problems. You can also purchase a range extender to get reliable signals every time.
- Contact your ISP if your account is locked. This can happen if you violate the Terms of Service, exceed your bandwidth limits, or fail to renew / pay your subscription fee.
Check your router lights
The front of the router displays different status indicators with different labels depending on the model. These include the Wireless LED, Ethernet LED (for wired networks), Send / Receive LEDs (blinking rapidly), and Ready / Service / Connect LEDs.
Verify that the Ready / Service / Connect LEDs are solid, indicating a good connection. If it is off or flashing, there is a connection problem. But if it still works and there is no internet connection, check with your ISP if there is a glitch.
Restart your modem and router
To do this, remove the power plug from the modem and router and leave them disconnected for about two minutes.
Then plug in your modem, let it boot, and then plug in your router. Wait a few minutes for both devices to start up again and make sure they are working correctly. This helps to clear any background issues and clear up router memory.
If none of them have indicators, it’s most likely a hardware problem. If after restarting your modem and router, you still do not have an Internet connection, try the next step.
Run the Windows Network Troubleshooter
If the connection issue affects multiple devices, this step is not necessary. However, if this is just your Windows computer, there might be a problem with your network settings.
- Open Settings> Network & Internet.
- Click Status.
- Select a network troubleshooter and follow the instructions to diagnose and fix the problem. This may not be all, but it will solve most network problems.
Verify the IP Address
You can connect to a wireless router, but there is no internet connection.
This happens when there is a problem connecting the router to your ISP, so it will work on the network, but will not have a valid public IP address as it will not be able to connect to the Internet. Therefore, you cannot send or request data over the Internet.
- Log into your router and go to Settings> Status (or Network Status) to check if the IP address is valid. If the status says “Off” Or “Disabled†and there are no numbers for the IP address, which means the router is not getting an IP address from your ISP.
- You can request a new IP address using the Renew parameter (or similar). If that doesn’t work, contact your ISP for further instructions as the problem may be on their side.
Another way to change your IP address is to get it automatically. This helps when your device is configured to use a static IP address, but the router does not allow it to be used on the network, or the address is on the wrong network.
- If you are using Windows, go to Control Panel> Network and Internet. If you are in icon view, just click on Network and Sharing Center.
- Click Network and Sharing Center> Change Adapter Settings and double-click the connection. Depending on how you connect to the Internet, you will choose Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
- Select Properties and double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 or IPv4.
- At this point, you can change the IP address (but it will remain static), or select “Obtain an IP address automatically†for the router to automatically assign it to the computer.
Check your network card
Your network card can also cause internet connection problems, so you can troubleshoot it to rule out any issues.
- Right-click Start> Device Manager.
- Expand the Network Adapters category and check for a yellow exclamation mark next to your network adapter. If not, the network card is working correctly, but if you see an exclamation mark, right-click it and select Disable Device.
- Wait about two minutes and then right click on Network Adapter> Enable Device. Make sure the mark is gone and try to connect to the Internet again.
If the mark is still in place, there may be a problem with the network card. In this case, restart your computer or contact a professional computer technician for repair or replacement.
Check MAC Address Filter
If your router has MAC address filtering configured, you may not have access to the Internet. This setting blocks devices from connecting to the router if they do not have a specific MAC address.
The easiest way to fix this problem is to add your MAC address to the approved list.
Reset TCP / IP
TCP / IP is a set of protocols that connect network devices over the Internet and determine how data is exchanged. To reset TCP / IP, you need to enter several commands at the command line.
- Enter cmd in the search bar and select “Command Prompt> Run as administrator”.
- Type netsh int ip reset and press Enter. Let it finish and then exit the command line. Then restart your computer.
Flush DNS
This method also includes using the command line.
- Enter CMD in the search bar and right-click Command Prompt> Run as administrator.
- Enter ipconfig / flushdns to refresh and reset your computer. DNS settings and restart your computer to check if the internet connection is restored.
Disable security software
Your computer’s firewall and antivirus can prevent you from accessing the Internet.
Firewalls prevent unwanted network traffic from interfering with the normal functions of your computer, but they can also crash and block real traffic. Likewise, if you have two firewalls on the same computer, they can conflict and block internet traffic.
To fix this problem, disable third-party antiviruses or temporarily disable your computer’s firewall and see if the connection is restored. You can also run a malware scan to rule out any malware that might have disrupted your internet connection.
Update wireless drivers and network adapter driver
Device drivers provide information about how your operating system and other software interacts with specific hardware on your computer. If you still don’t have an Internet connection, check for driver updates on your computer.
- Right-click Start> Device Manager, then right-click the wireless driver and select Update Driver.
- Select Search automatically for updated driver software , or search for the driver software on your computer and click the Browse button.
You can also uninstall the driver and reinstall the correct drivers from the device manufacturer’s website. After that, restart your computer and check your internet connection to make sure it works.
Router Firmware Upgrade
Upgrading your router firmware is router specific, but you need to take some similar steps. However, it is recommended that you check the device manufacturer’s user manual that came with your router, or go online and check the specific instructions for the brand and model of your router.
- Download the correct firmware from the manufacturer’s website. Go to the download page of the router hardware version and select the required file.
- Most new routers have a page in the admin interface that checks for firmware updates and allows you to update directly as shown below. If not, download the firmware file and proceed.
- Log into the admin console on the router and look for the firmware section in the settings section – usually “Management” or “Advanced”. Make sure the firmware version of the router you downloaded is the latest version compared to the current version you are using.
- Move the firmware file to the router. You can find instructions for this in the user manual or instructions on the website. Let the installation continue without interruption.
- When the process is complete, reboot the router.
Reset your router
You can reboot the router by pressing the physical reset button (usually a small recessed hole) on the router for about 15 seconds. At this point, the lights on the router will blink and the router will restart.
If your router does not have this button, log in and perform a factory reset in the settings panel.
Reset your network
If you still don’t have an Internet connection, reset your network settings.
- Go to Settings> Network & Internet> Status.
- Click Reset Network> Reset now to remove all network adapters and restore the default network settings. This means you will have to configure it again, but it can help restore your Internet connection.
If nothing helps after restarting your router and network, then you probably have faulty hardware. If this is your router, you can try using a USB network adapter, contact your ISP, or replace it entirely.
Your Wi-Fi adapter or related hardware may be defective, or your computer needs service. Likewise, your computer’s operating system could be damaged, in which case you might have to erase everything and reinstall, but this should be done as a last resort.
We hope the steps outlined here will help you resolve your connection issue. Hopefully you don’t have to go to factory settings, as most of the previous steps tend to fix this problem.
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