Laptops have an advantage over personal computers in the form of a built-in Wi-Fi adapter, with which users can connect to wireless Wi-Fi networks. However, PC owners can easily purchase an external Wi-Fi adapter and enjoy the benefits of wireless technologies in the same way.
Nevertheless, some PC users notify that, at times, their external Wi-Fi adapters, for some reason, cannot connect to the network distributed by their router. The root of the problem can lie in many things: a faulty driver, problems with the router, operating system settings, and more.
In this article, we will tell you what you can do if your Wi-Fi adapter cannot connect to the shared network.
Wi-Fi adapter recovery guide
Checking the distributed Wi-Fi network
Let’s think about this first: have you ever thought that perhaps the problem with connecting to the network is not the Wi-Fi adapter, but the router, which simply does not distribute the wireless network? It’s quite simple to check this: take another device that is capable of connecting to a Wi-Fi network and try connecting with it to your router.
If there are no other devices, you need to go to your router’s settings and make sure that it is activated for sharing a wireless network. There are times when the settings in such devices, for some reason, go astray by themselves. All you need to do is enter the interface and activate the Wi-Fi sharing option.
Disable Airplane Mode
As we all know, Windows 10 has a pretty handy Airplane mode that lets you turn off all the wireless modules on your system. Of course, after activating this mode, your external Wi-Fi adapter is also deactivated.
Airplane mode is extremely useful on mobile devices and laptops, but on stationary computers it is absolutely unnecessary. However, you could accidentally turn it on, for example, digging through the settings or using a special combination. There is also an opinion that the “Airplane” mode can be enabled by third-party software.
Deactivating the “Airplane” mode is incredibly simple: click on the Notification Center icon and click on the button of the mode of the same name. That’s all that is required of you. If you did not find this option in the Notification Center, then you can refer to the System Settings and disable it there.
Restarting the Wi-Fi router
After realizing that the distribution of the wireless network is activated and your Wi-Fi adapter is not blocked by the system settings of the computer, try restarting your router. There is a possibility that it began to malfunction, as a result of which you cannot connect to the network using third-party devices with a Wi-Fi adapter. Restarting is extremely simple: unplug the router for about ten to fifteen seconds, and then plug it back in. It is worth saying that routers can often fail, which leads to a number of unpleasant problems: a decrease in the speed of a network connection, blocking of certain connections or all access to the Internet.
Applying the troubleshooter
A fairly straightforward way to fix your network connectivity problem is to use a network troubleshooter. You don’t have to go anywhere for it, download or search the web, as this tool is a system utility that is incredibly easy to access. To do this, you need to do the following:
- go to Options;
- go to the “Update and Security” section;
- go to the “Troubleshooting” tab;
- click on “Internet Connections”;
- click on the “Run the troubleshooter” button;
- follow the instructions on the screen.
It is worth saying that this system tool, unfortunately, almost never solves any problems that have arisen in any element of the system. However, sometimes the stars converge in the sky – and a miracle happens. Try this troubleshooter, and then check if you can connect the Wi-Fi adapter to the wireless network.
Updating Wi-Fi adapter drivers
You may not be able to use your Wi-Fi adapter properly simply because its drivers are out of date. By updating the drivers, you can get rid of the problems that have arisen with the device. You can run the drivers through the Device Manager:
- press Windows + X;
- select “Device Manager”;
- find and open the “Network adapters” section;
- right-click on the Wi-Fi adapter and select “Update driver …”;
- choose to automatically search for a driver on the Internet;
After updating the drivers for the Wi-Fi adapter, try reconnecting to the wireless network of your router. In most cases, users who have a similar problem solve it precisely by updating the driver for the device.
Roll back to the previous version of the driver
Nevertheless, even a new version of the driver can cause problems when using a Wi-Fi adapter, however, it all depends on the manufacturer of the device. The latest version of the Wi-Fi adapter driver may be extremely unstable or incompatible with your computer. In this case, you can try to roll back the installed driver to a previous version.
You can do this in the same way using the Device Manager:
- get to your Wi-Fi adapter in the list of network devices;
- double-click the left mouse button on the Wi-Fi adapter;
- go to the “Driver” tab;
- click on the “Rollback” button;
Having rolled back to the previous version of the driver for the Wi-Fi adapter, try using it and connecting to the Wi-Fi network of the router. If it really was a driver, then you will immediately understand it.
Temporarily disable the firewall
If none of the above helped you solve the problem, then your Windows Firewall might be preventing your wireless network connection, which, for some reason, is blocking your network connection. One way or another, you can check this in an elementary way: you just need to turn off the system firewall for a while.
This can be done as follows:
- press Windows + S;
- enter and select the query “Windows Defender Security Center”;
- go to the “Firewall and Network Security” tab;
- deactivate the firewall for the domain network, private network, and public network;
Try using a Wi-Fi adapter and connect to the wireless network distributed by your router. We hope you finally succeed and your adapter still works fine.