The laptop does not see its wifi network. How to fix the missing Wireless Network Connection icon in Windows. Changing the Wi-Fi broadcast channel

Many users sooner or later encounter this problem. There may be various reasons why Wi-Fi on a laptop does not work. Perhaps you recently installed a new operating system, purchased new router or reflashed the old one and others.

In general, if you also find yourself in this situation, and you are unable to connect your laptop to a Wi-Fi network, then in this article we will look at several methods that should help you connect your laptop to Wi-Fi.

Let's start with the simplest - reboot the router. To do this, you need to unplug the power supply, wait 10 seconds and plug it back in. Then restart your operating system.

Network diagnostics

Do network diagnostics. Although many are quite skeptical about this advice, but sometimes it can help too. Right click on the icon wireless network in the tray and select "Diagnosing problems". Windows will scan and if it finds a problem, it will suggest ways to solve it.

If after diagnostics the message appears: then in a separate article you can read about ways to solve this error.

If after this, the laptop still does not see Wi-Fi, check Is the Wi-Fi adapter turned on on the laptop?.

Find the wireless network icon on one of the F1-F12 buttons, for me it’s F2. Also, on the button itself, near the power button or touchpad, there should be a light indicator that indicates that Wi-Fi is on. Specifically in my case, if Wi-Fi is turned off, the indicator light is on. To turn it on, press the combination Fn+F2.

You also need to check that it is turned on LAN card. To do this, right-click on the wireless network icon in the tray and select "Network Control Center and shared access» .

In the next window click "Change adapter settings".

If you have "Wireless network connection» highlighted in grey, right-click on it and select “Enable”.

After this, the icon should become colored. This indicates that the network adapter is enabled and the laptop can connect to the Wi-Fi network.

Checking drivers

Check drivers network adapter . Click “Start” and write in the search bar "Device Manager" and follow the found link.

Expanding the list "Network adapters". Required adapter will be called something like: model name and “ Wireless Network Adapter" (may be written Wi-Fi).

First you need to make sure it is turned on. Therefore, right-click on it, and if there is an item in the menu "Engage", click on it.

Now make sure that there is no yellow exclamation mark or red cross near the adapter. If you have it as in the figure below, then everything is fine with the installed drivers. If you have one of the mentioned signs (in the picture I indicated with an arrow what it might look like), you need to install or update the drivers.

If your laptop came with a disk with drivers for installed devices, use it and reinstall the driver. If this does not help and the laptop still cannot connect to Wi-Fi, go to the official website of your laptop manufacturer, download the drivers for the network adapter from there and install them.

You can read about installing drivers in the article:.

Also, to update or install missing drivers, you can use.

Checking the WLAN AutoConfig Service

This service is responsible for wireless network adapters, and if it is not running, the adapters will be unavailable, and accordingly, the laptop will not be able to connect to Wi-Fi.

Go to the Start menu and write “Services” in the search bar. Let's move on to the relevant point.

Then we look in the list "WLAN AutoConfig Service", right-click on it and, if it is disabled, click “Run”.

Checking router settings

Router settings can go wrong, and not always through the user’s fault. Perhaps the network access password was simply changed.

If your wireless network icon is muted and has a yellow star next to it, click on it with the mouse, select the network and try to connect to it, after finding out if the access password has changed. This may be the reason.

Also pay attention to the network information section (LAN). You may need to change the settings here according to your provider.

For those who get an error when trying to connect: the article at the link can help.

I hope that at least one of the tips helped you solve the question: why the laptop does not connect to Wi-Fi, and now your device is successfully connected to the network.

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Webmaster. Higher education with a degree in Information Security. Author of most articles and computer literacy lessons

Discussion: 13 comments

I tried everything to connect to the network after the children stumbled on something on the computer... And this article...... It wasn’t even an article, but a picture that helped solve the problem for a teapot like me.. All I had to do was press two buttons to connect to the F5/Fn router and everything worked….

Answer

Hello, a user’s comment helped me, attach it to the article because I’m probably not the only one, this is what he writes
SALEX 12/03/2017 at 00:00 I tried everything: I have firewood and wi fi is on and in the device manager everything is fine, but the network is gone. Finally I found a way out: “You go into the control panel, find hardware and sound, it has the name “Configure default mobility settings”, go there, a window appears” Windows Mobility Center “, in the Wireless network column you need to activate the “Connect a wireless network” button and a connection with the router will immediately appear. After connecting, enter the password and enjoy. Good luck.”

Today it is difficult to imagine using a laptop or any other portable device without internet access. Most often, connection to world wide web carried out wirelessly - with using Wi-Fi router network. However, the user often encounters various kinds of problems when trying to get to the coveted Internet. One of them may be that the laptop does not see the Wi-Fi network. Let's consider the probable causes of such malfunctions. At the same time, let’s leave out very similar cases when a laptop finds Wi-Fi, but cannot connect to it, or connects, but the Internet still does not work.

Most of the situations in which the problem we have raised can be divided into two categories:

The laptop doesn't see any Wi-Fi network, although they definitely exist and are detected by other devices;
The laptop does not find your specific wireless network, but it sees surrounding Wi-Fi networks.

Based on this gradation, we will identify the cause of the problem.

Why doesn't my laptop see any Wi-Fi networks?

This malfunction is almost 100% related to the client device itself and its settings. Let's try step-by-step to check a few main points that can affect the visibility of wireless networks.

Is Wi-Fi enabled on your laptop?

Any laptop computer is equipped wireless adapter, providing the ability to search for Wi-Fi networks and establish connections with them. Typically, such a module has “On” and “Off” modes. This means that you need to make sure that the Wi-Fi module is currently active on your laptop computer. This will be indicated by a corresponding light indicator, the location of which depends on the laptop model.

If the module is disabled, it must be activated. Typically, a special key combination is used for this Fn and one of the range function buttons F1-F12. About which of the system keys is responsible for turning on the module wireless communication, can be recognized by the corresponding icon applied to it.

On laptops from some manufacturers, the Wi-Fi module is turned on/off using a two-position toggle switch or a separate button.

If when turned on Wi-Fi adapter The laptop still does not detect wireless networks, move on to the next step.

What is the condition wireless connection on Windows

At this stage, you need to check the connection status in the operating system itself. To do this we go to Control Panel - Network and Sharing Center - Change adapter settings.

We find the wireless connection here and check its activity. If the icon is highlighted, then the connection is enabled, otherwise it needs to be enabled.

Right-click on the icon and select “Enable” from the menu that appears.

After this, the icon in the system tray (notification area) should change.

Are drivers installed for Wi-Fi module laptop

To check the presence and correct installation of network adapter drivers, go sequentially along the path Control Panel – System – Device Manager. In the list we find the item “Network adapters” and expand it.

If there are no exclamation marks next to the device, then most likely the drivers are installed correctly. Let’s make sure of this by right-clicking on the name of the adapter and selecting the “Properties” line. On the General tab, the Device Status field should say “Device is working normally.”

The “Driver” tab allows you to perform various manipulations with drivers - update, roll back or delete. If you do not have the necessary software, you can find it on the Internet.

In theory, if there are no questions about all of the above points, then the laptop should be able to see nearby Wi-Fi networks without any problems. If this does not happen, then there may be problems with the laptop adapter itself.

The laptop does not detect my router's network, but sees others

The most common reason for this metamorphosis is that your laptop is located too far from the desired source Wi-Fi signal. Despite the fact that modern routers have a fairly wide coverage area, in some corners of your house or apartment the reception may be unstable. In such a situation, it is necessary to correctly place the router so that all consumers are within reach. You can find out about this on the pages of our website.

And yet, in most cases, problems with detecting the wireless network of one particular router are associated with its incorrect configuration. Let's try to figure out which Wi-Fi settings can significantly affect the signal quality. Let's take . Let's go to its administrative panel and select the section Wireless Mode - Wireless Settings.

Let’s immediately make sure that the checkboxes next to the items “Enable wireless broadcasting” and “Enable SSID broadcasting” are checked (the operating status of the Wi-Fi network will be indicated by the indicator on the router itself).

Now let's turn our attention to the most main parameter– Wi-Fi network channel. In Russia, 13 channels are used, but only a few of them may be optimal (least loaded) for you. It all depends on what channels nearby routers use. Try setting it to a static value (except 12 and 13) or Auto mode.

Reboot your router and check if the laptop can now see the target Wi-Fi network.

If it doesn’t help, try experimenting with Wi-Fi settings again - change channels, network name, adjust the filter by MAC addresses. As a last resort, you can reset the router settings to factory settings.

A wireless Internet connection has many advantages, but there is often a situation when the laptop does not see the Wi-Fi network. To begin troubleshooting the problem, you first need to understand what exactly is going on. Sometimes the laptop “refuses” to see a specific connection point, in other cases the device cannot connect to any wireless network at all.

Why doesn't my laptop see the network?

The most common situation is when the laptop does not find any Wi-Fi access point at all. In this case, the following conditions are met:

The home Wi-Fi router is working fine and connection to the access point is allowed
have you tested the laptop in other places where there is wireless Internet, for example, in a cafe
phone, tablet or other devices connect to Wi-Fi normally

To understand why this is happening and to deal with the problem, you must first try to manually turn on the network adapter. Depending on the operating system, this is done in the following ways.

For Windows 7 the sequence looks like this:

You need to go to the Control Panel and select Network and Sharing Center, and in it - Change adapter settings.
If the wireless network icon is inactive, you need to right-click on it and turn it on.

If you have windows computer 8, then the activity check is done through the PC Settings section, which is located in the Control Panel. In it you need to select the Wireless connection item and move the slider to the “Enabled” position.

In Windows XP, the adapter usually does not need to be enabled manually. If this is still necessary, then this is done in the same way as in Windows 7 or through the icon on the taskbar.

The same can be done through Device Manager - Network Adapters.

Whatever the operating system, if next to the adapter icon there is a yellow triangle with exclamation point, this means that either the adapter is not active, or the driver of the wrong version is installed for it. If the device does not show a connection due to the driver, then you should download the required version, suitable for your laptop.

The network is disabled by hardware

Network access can be disabled on the laptop itself using a keyboard shortcut or a special switch on the case. How to make the device connect to the Internet? You must press the same combination again.

For different models On laptops, this action is performed using various key combinations: “FN+F2”, “FN+F12”, “FN+F3”, “FN+F9”. These combinations help you turn off the network, for example, before a flight - this option is called “On the plane” and is available on all modern mobile devices.

No network after cleaning

Also, sometimes you may find that the laptop has stopped seeing the Internet after cleaning the dust from inside. If this happens, then you probably accidentally turned off the wireless module or disconnected the wires somewhere during the cleaning process. In this case, the laptop does not even search for the network. To fix the problem, you will need to reconnect the adapter, and if this does not help, replace it with a new one.

All devices except the laptop see Wi-Fi

Now let’s consider another case, namely, when there is one wifi access point that can be seen by the phone, netbook and other devices, but the laptop does not catch it. In such a situation, the sequence of actions looks like this:

First try changing the encryption method by going to your wifi security settings
Try installing different meanings in the “Channel” item, perhaps after this the computer will connect to the network
You can also give the network a new name, avoiding overly complex symbol combinations.

Another common reason that a device ignores a certain network or does not see access points at all, including on Windows 10, may be the presence of virus software in the system. In this case, you need to scan your PC for viruses and remove them.

Problems with the router

The “culprit” for the fact that the PC does not find the network may be the wifi router itself. What to do in this case?

First, you should find out if your router has the latest firmware installed. If it's already out a new version, then, accordingly, it needs to be installed on the device.
A more radical option is to reset your home Wi-Fi router to factory settings and configure the device again
Sometimes you have to act more cunningly. More than one is installed first old version firmware, then all network parameters are configured, after which the firmware is updated.

Whatever problem causes the laptop to not see the wireless network, it can be solved using any of the methods listed above. First, in any case, it is worth installing the latest drivers and checking whether the wifi module is functioning normally.

Video - what to do in such a situation?

To prevent such problems from returning in the future, it is worth periodically installing the latest versions of software on your laptop or netbook. This can be done either manually or using special programs.

Android users often complain about not being able to connect to a public or home Wi-Fi network. Therefore, for all those who have encountered a similar problem, we have prepared material containing the causes and troubleshooting methods.

Why doesn't my phone see the wifi network?

Problems affecting the display of access points are conditionally related to problems:

On the mobile device side.
On the router side.

To resolve problems with displaying Wi-Fi networks, you need to correctly diagnose the problem. To identify the cause, the best way will serve to connect another mobile device. If the second smartphone also does not see the wireless network, then the problems are related to the router or incorrect settings. To clarify the latter, it is better to connect to another access point.

Possible problems and solutions

Problem 1: My phone's Wi-Fi is turned on, but the hotspots aren't showing up

Reason: failure of the Wi-Fi module on the phone

Sometimes your phone may experience problems that prevent you from displaying a list of available access points. This problem is most often observed in custom firmware, where the Wi-Fi/mobile network is not debugged.

Solution:

If problems started after changing the firmware/communication module, flash the system back to the factory.

Problem 2: the phone does not see Wi-Fi at home

Reason 1: incorrect router settings

If the phone does not see only home network, but shows other access points in the house/apartment or in other places, the router is probably not configured correctly to work with your phone. Then you need to log into the router management console and double-check the settings.

Solution:

Make sure the sharing function is activated mobile internet. To do this, open the “Wireless Network Settings” section; the name of the item differs from one manufacturer to another. It is important to check the boxes next to “Enable router wireless broadcasting” and “Enable SSID Broadcasting”.
Change your network mode to a less modern standard, such as 11b or 11g. Since some phones are equipped with outdated standards and do not always see the Wi-Fi network with new standards.
Also change the region, channel and channel width if the above recommendations are unsuccessful.

If the router broadcasts a signal at a frequency of 5 GHz, but the phone only supports a frequency of 2.4 GHz, the network will not be displayed on the phone.

Reason 2: the frequency range is not set correctly

If your smartphone has a dual-frequency Wi-Fi module installed, the default mode is set to auto. Thus, the phone detects access points operating at 2.4 and 5 GHz. If the settings are set to work only on one frequency, routers broadcasting a signal on another frequency will not appear in the phone menu.

Solution:

Check the module’s operating mode in the phone settings: phone settings – Wi-Fi – advanced settings in the drop-down list – Wi-Fi frequency range – automatic mode.

Problem 3: The network periodically appears and disappears

Reason 1: weak antenna signal, interference

If an access point appears on your phone at different intervals and then disappears, it’s likely that the router’s antenna is set to low transmitter power. It is worth paying attention to the number of icon divisions in the line with the name of the access point. One or two bars indicate a weak signal.

Signal strength is also affected by interference. For 2.4 GHz routers, critical great location near access points, with the same operating frequency. And also working equipment: microwave oven, joysticks, mice, etc. For models broadcasting a signal at a frequency of 5 GHz, even a sheet of paper is considered interference.

Solution:

Increase the transmitter power to the maximum level. To do this, open the router configuration console and select the “Advanced wireless network settings” section. Set the value to "High" and then save the settings.

Remove objects that interrupt the antenna and interfere with the free propagation of the signal. Move the router away from equipment that creates interference - microwave oven, wireless mice and keyboards, etc.

Reason 2: The option to hide access points with low signal is active

IN Wi-Fi settings There is a function that allows you to hide the display of access points where the signal level is low or frequently interrupted. Deactivating this option will expand the number of available access points nearby.

Solution:

Open your phone settings – Wi-Fi – advanced settings in the drop-down list – uncheck the “do not use weak connection” option.

Problem 4: the phone does not receive Wi-Fi at home, but works stably with other access points

Reason: router malfunction or firmware damaged

If no device connects to your home access point, but is reliably connected to neighboring routers, and changing the router settings did not produce results, it is likely home router broken Sometimes the firmware crashes.

Solution:

Perform a factory reset and/or update the firmware. If performance is not restored, replace the router or take it to service center.

Reason: failure of the Wi-Fi module in the phone

Wi-Fi failure is a rare occurrence. Usually other modules also fail at the same time - Bluetooth and/or GPS. To identify a breakdown, you should carefully check the settings on your phone and router. Connect with other equipment at a frequency of 2.4 and 5 GHz. If changing the firmware/communication module is unsuccessful, you should contact a service center. If a module failure is confirmed, it is changed more often to restore it. motherboard, taken from another device.

Conclusion

Finding the problem is not difficult if you determine on which side the problem occurred. If no action has been taken to change the settings/firmware, and the network does not see a specific phone, then the problem lies in mobile device. If the access point is not visible to other smartphones, then the problem is related to the router. It is also impossible to exclude interference due to other access points and equipment operating at the 2.4 GHz frequency.

This article will talk about what to do if Window 7 does not connect to the WiFi network and. The point is that at least this operating system and more stable than its predecessors, it may still encounter various errors that must be corrected manually.

Before moving on to connection problems and their solutions, you need to understand what WiFi is and how the technology works. This will allow you to fix some problems faster.

The fact is that to connect to such a network you need an access point. Its functions are usually performed by wireless router. And therefore, first of all, if there are no available connections to the WiFi network in Windows 7, you should pay attention to the router.

As a rule, this is the reason. But of course, there are other problems. So, let's take it in order.

Checking the router

Everything is very simple here. If the laptop does not see available connections, then you should go to the settings menu WiFi router and check if the wireless network is turned on. To do this, you need to connect to the router using a regular Internet cable. After that, open a browser (any) and enter 192.168.0.1 in the address bar. Press "Enter". Next, a window will appear asking you to enter your password and login. As a rule, the default key and login are admin, admin, respectively.

How to easily find out the IP address of a WiFi router: Video

If you changed this data, then enter your values. Next we get to the settings menu. We are interested in NetworkWireless settings. In the wireless network settings, you need to check the box next to “Enable Wireless Router Radio”. That's it, setting up the router is complete. And if your Windows 7 laptop still has problems with WiFi, then you should move on to setting up the operating system.

Why doesn't my computer see available wireless networks?

There can be many reasons for this, as well as solutions. Fortunately, Windows 7 is user-friendly and has many options for diagnosing and fixing problems. But we will consider only the most common ones.

The first thing you should check is the status of your WiFi wireless connection. To do this, you need to open the Network Control Center. To do this, click on the network icon in the tray and select “Network and Sharing Center” in the window that appears.

A menu will open in which all network-related settings are made. Here we are interested in the “Change adapter settings” item. In the window that opens, you need to find a shortcut called “Wireless Network Connection”. If this connection is gray in color, this indicates that it is turned off. To enable it, you need to right-click on it and select “Enable”.

Windows 7 won't connect to Wi-Fi: Video

The wireless network icon does not appear in the tray

Users often ask what to do if the tray is not displayed WiFi icon in Windows 7? This can only mean one thing - the wireless module is turned off or not working. Activation of Wi-Fi occurs, as a rule, using the key combination Fn + adapter power button. On different laptops, this button may be located in different places.

For example, on Asus laptops– this is the combination Fn+F2, on Lenovo – Fn+F5. The WiFi power key itself is indicated by a corresponding image. In addition, on some models there is a separate button to activate the wireless connection module. In this case, just press it.

So, after turning on the wireless adapter, Windows 7 should automatically start searching for available networks. If this does not happen and the tray icon does not appear, then you should check that the drivers are working correctly.

What to do if a laptop with Windows 7 does not see Wi-Fi: Video

Checking drivers

You can check the software in Windows 7 in the task manager.

You can launch it by clicking on the “My Computer” shortcut, which can be found on the desktop, in the start menu or in Windows Explorer, right mouse button. In the window that appears, click “Properties”. Next, a menu will open in which you need to open “Device Manager”.

In the window that appears, we are interested in network adapters. If you do not find this, then there are no drivers for the device and you need to install the driver for this module. If there is such an item, then open it. Typically, the wireless adapter is called Wireless Network Adapter. The device may also be indicated by an exclamation mark. This indicates that the driver is not working properly and needs to be updated or reinstalled.

It's very easy to do. As a rule, the laptop comes with a special disk that contains all necessary programs and drivers. If there is no such disk, do not rush to get upset. The necessary software can always be downloaded from the Internet, since manufacturers have taken care of supporting their customers.

To do this, find the official website of your laptop manufacturer and write the exact name of the laptop in the search ( exact model). Next, you can download drivers for Wi-Fi and install them. It is worth noting that it is not recommended to install software downloaded from third-party sources, as such drivers may be unstable and sometimes even pose a threat to the integrity of the system.

How to reinstall the WiFi driver: Video

It is also important to know that sometimes, even when installed driver, the adapter cannot be turned on because it uses additional functions keyboards. This means that together with software For the network adapter, you should download the driver for the keyboard, as well as the recommended utility for managing the wireless module.