Troubleshooting Home Wireless Network Connections

Owned by Dan Jakubiak
Last updated: Jul 25, 2024
6 min read

This guide is meant to help faculty, staff, and students troubleshoot their wireless network (Wi-Fi) connection.

This guide refers to wireless routers, Wi-Fi access points, and all other Wi-Fi emitting devices as “WAPs” (wireless access points).

Fostering a Reliable Wi-Fi connection

Before changing any settings on your devices, there are a few good practices to follow with wireless connections:

  • Your WAP can change location in your house! Place your WAP with intention.

    • Keep your WAP in the open and not hidden by plants or furniture. The fewer the obstructions, the better the signal.

    • Placing your WAP higher in your room where there are fewer obstructions may improve performance.

    • Your WAP does not need to be in the center of your house. Depending on your home's construction material, the WAP will have varying difficulty penetrating your walls.

    • While working from home, you may find benefit in moving your WAP closer to your working space and sacrificing some connection strength in other parts of your house.

    • While working closer to your wireless router will give you better performance and reliability, try to stay at least a few feet away.

  • WiFi networks

    • The 5Ghz network will give you better speeds (bandwidth) but cannot penetrate walls as well as the 2.4Ghz channel.

    • The 2.4Ghz network will have a better range and, therefore, better reliability than the 5Ghz channel but will have lower speeds (bandwidth). 

    • This difference in speed may be imperceptible in your use case.

Troubleshooting Device Wi-Fi settings

  1. Click on the Wi-Fi icon that sits at the right end of the Taskbar.

    wifi icon

  2. Find your network in the list and make sure you are connected. If you are connected, your network name will be displayed above the status of Connected.

    network name above the connected and secured status

    1. If you are unable to connect, right-click on the Wi-Fi icon and click Troubleshoot problems.

      1. If that does not fix your issue, try disabling your Wi-Fi adapter and re-enabling it. This is equivalent to restarting your computer.

      2. Right-click on the Wi-Fi icon and choose Open network & Internet settings.

      3. Under Advanced network settings, click on Change adapter options.

      4. Right-click on the appropriate network adapter; it will likely have "Wi-Fi" in its name.

      5. Try the Diagnose option before restarting the adapter.

      6. Choose Disable and wait for the computer to process the change.

      7. Right-click and choose Enable to turn the adapter back on. 

    2. You may also restart your device to have a similar result.

    3. If the above steps did not solve your issue, check that your device has been properly assigned a network address.

      1. In the same menu that was used in Step 4, right-click on the Wi-Fi adapter and choose Properties.

      2. In the pop-up window, double-click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) to open the properties.

      3. Make sure that both automatic options are chosen. This allows your network's router to assign your device an IP address in order to send/receive data.
        Note: The non-automatic choice is used to connect directly to specific devices over the network without the help of a router.

    4. Click Okay and then Okay again to close the pop-up windows. The network adapter will automatically restart in order to apply your settings.

If you are still having issues, please visit techsupport.uconn.edu to participate in a live chat or to open a ticket (email correspondence) and let them know that you have followed this guide to expedite your experience.

My WiFi Network Does Not Appear in the Wi-Fi Settings

Check that WiFi is turned on

  1. Open the Settings app. You can search for it by swiping downwards while on the home screen.

  2. Tap Wi-Fi to open the Wi-Fi settings.

  3. Verify that the slider next to Wi-Fi is green indicating it is turned on.

Toggle WiFi On/Off

Oftentimes, switching the Wi-Fi antenna off and back on will resolve Wi-Fi issues.

  1. Open the Settings app. You can search for it by swiping downwards while on the home screen.

  2. Tap Wi-Fi to open the Wi-Fi settings.

  3. Turn off the wireless antenna by tapping the slider next to the Wi-Fi heading.

  4. Wait a few seconds for the wireless antenna to turn off, and then tap the slider to turn Wi-Fi back on.

  5. Wait a few seconds for available Wi-Fi networks to appear.

If you still need assistance, please visit techsupport.uconn.edu to participate in a live chat or to open a ticket (email correspondence) and let them know that you have followed this guide to expedite your experience.

Forgetting a Wi-Fi Network

If you are unable to connect to a WiFi network that you were previously connected to or are connected to Wi-Fi but the internet is not working, try forgetting the WiFi network.

  1. Open the Settings app. You can search for it by swiping downwards while on the home screen.

  2. Tap Wi-Fi to open the Wi-Fi settings.

  3. If you are connected to a Wi-Fi network, you will see its name near the top of the screen with a checkmark next to it. Tap the 'i' icon next to its name.

  4. Tap Forget This Network.

  5. You will be brought back to the Wi-Fi settings page. Tap the name of the network you wish to join and enter your network credentials if prompted.

Check that Wi-Fi is Turned On

  1. Pull down the top menu to see your Settings shortcuts.

  2. Look for the Internet/Wi-Fi settings. Please note that depending on your phone, tapping on the button may toggle Wi-Fi on/off, while holding the button will bring you to the Settings.

  3. Check that Wi-Fi is turned on. 

  4. If you are still having issues, press on the cog icon to go to the Wi-Fi settings. You can also press and hold the Internet button to quickly find the Wi-Fi settings.

  5. You will now see the nearby Wi-Fi networks listed on your screen. Choose your desired network and enter your password if required.

  6. Click on Saved networks if you are still having issues. In this menu, you can choose to Forget your WiFi network. Doing so will reset all the settings associated with that network and can help you get reconnected.

  7. If your issues persist, please try rebooting your device. This is usually done by pressing and holding the lock button on the device. This is the same button that turns your screen on and off when pressed quickly.

If you are still having issues, please visit techsupport.uconn.edu to participate in a live chat or to open a ticket (email correspondence) and let them know that you have followed this guide to expedite your experience.

When is it Time to Replace/Upgrade Hardware?

While WAPs can degrade over time, you are more likely to be hindered by outdated technology/protocols than the aged internal components. Wi-Fi uses precise timing in order to send/receive signals to/from your devices, avoid collisions, and triangulate your device's location (with newer WiFi 6 protocols) for more efficient transmission. It is possible that the timing component, usually a crystal oscillator, can degrade over time due to an aging power supply or a very RF (radio frequency) noisy environment. Nevertheless, it is likely outdated technology/protocols that are slowing down your connection and not the physical health of your WAP.

You should consider replacing your WAP when the number of devices increases, your use increases and you are having trouble staying connected, or your speed is much slower than a wired connection. 

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