WiFi / Wireless Network Problems

Overview

In this article, we will explain the process to fix the most common WiFi network issues experienced by Mobilogy devices. (I.E. Wi-Fi connection dropping constantly, you can't find Wireless networks, you try updating but the device cannot connect to the network or it connects but there is no internet access, or you receive the "Wi-Fi Does Not Have Valid IP Configuration" error).

Prerequisites

• Physical access to the Mobilogy device (To follow the basic troubleshooting)

Solution

Basic Troubleshooting

This section provides information related to WiFi troubleshooting techniques.  The basic troubleshoot if you have a Touch 2 device is the following:

• Check if the WiFi switch is turned to ON. To do so, you can refer to the following picture:
  
  
  
  
• If the previous steps did not solve the problem, check the following processes to troubleshoot deeply the issue.
  
  
  1. Wi-Fi is Connected but You Do Not Have Internet
  2. Windows 10 Does Not Connect to Wi-Fi
  3. Wi-Fi Does Not Have Valid IP Configuration
  4. Finding the Wi-Fi Password on Windows 10
  5. Windows 10 Wi-Fi Driver Issues
  6. No Wi-Fi Networks Found
  7. Forget Wi-Fi Network on Windows 10
  8. Windows 10 Keeps Dropping the Wi-Fi Connection
  9. Your Firewall Prevents Connecting to the Network
  10. Your Antivirus Prevents Connecting to the Network
  11. Devices Cannot Connect to an 802.1x Wireless Environment
  12. WiFi toggle does not turn on

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1. Wi-Fi is Connected but You Do Not Have Internet

Sometimes, Windows will claim you are connected to the internet and that the connection is secure, but you will not be able to access the web. Normally, the issue is caused by either a faulty TCP/IP stack, IP address, or DNS client resolver cache.

• Firstly, try running Windows’s native Network Troubleshooting tool. You can access it via Settings > Update and Security > Troubleshoot > Internet Connections.

  

• If that does not work, open Command Prompt and type the following commands. Press Enter after each command:

  • netsh winsock reset
  • ipconfig /release
  • netsh int ip reset
  • ipconfig /renew
  • ipconfig /flushdns

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2. Windows 10 Does Not Connect to Wi-Fi

If you see a message that reads Windows 10 can’t connect to this network while attempting to establish a network connection, your network adapter is probably to blame.

The best solution is to uninstall the network adapter’s driver and allow Windows to reinstall it automatically.

Follow the steps below to complete the process:

1. Press Windows key + X and click Device Manager.
2. Expand the list for Network adapters.
3. Right-click on the network adapter and choose Uninstall.
4. If prompted, click Delete the driver software for this device.

   

5. Restart your machine and Windows will automatically reinstall the driver

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3. Wi-Fi Does Not Have Valid IP Configuration

If you see the WiFi Doesn’t Have a Valid IP Configuration message, you should start by entering the four networking commands we listed earlier.

If the issue persists and your Wi-Fi is still not working on Windows 10, there are two further steps you can take.

• Change the Network Name and Password

  Some users have reported that simply changing their network’s name and password fixed the problem.

  The precise instructions vary between routers, but typically you need to connect to your router using an Ethernet cable, enter your router’s IP address in your browser, log into the device’s portal, and locate the correct fields. Make sure you use the right type of Wi-Fi security when you change this info.

• Set the Wi-Fi Network’s Channel Width

  Without getting too technical, routers can broadcast their networks on different channels. If too many routers in close proximity use the same channel, the airwaves can become cluttered.

  Log into your router’s portal and locate the channel setting. If possible, set it to Auto. If there is no Auto setting, try a few different channels and see if your problem goes away
  
  

• Release and renew the IP address
  
  Sometimes this problem is caused by an expired Lease in the IP configuration. To renew the IP address given by the DHCP, open a CMD window and type ipconfig /release and hit Enter. Then, type ipconfig /renew and hit Enter.

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4. Finding the Wi-Fi Password on Windows 10

If you have bought a new router (or been issued a new one by your ISP), you should always change the network’s default name and password. It is good practice from a security standpoint.

But what if you then forget the password you created? You could reset the router, but there is a less drastic solution. You can find saved Wi-Fi passwords from within Windows 10.

Just follow the steps below:

1. Right-click on the Network icon on the taskbar.
2. Select Open Network Internet Settings.
3. In the new window, click Change adapter options.
4. Right-click on your Wi-Fi connection and select Status.
5. Click Wireless Properties.
6. In the Security tab, mark the checkbox next to Show Characters.

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5. Windows 10 Wi-Fi Driver Issues

We have already explained how to delete and reinstall your Wi-Fi driver earlier in the article, but there are a couple of other steps you can also try if you are having Wi-Fi driver issues on Windows 10: you can try to either update the Windows 10 driver or roll it back to a previous version.

To update or roll back your Wi-Fi driver, follow the steps below:

1. Right-click on the Start Menu.
2. Click on Device Manager.
3. Expand the drop-down menu below Network adapters.
4. Right-click on your adapter and select Properties.
5. Select the Driver tab.
6. Choose either Update Driver or Roll Back Driver.

If Windows cannot find an updated driver automatically, you should be able to find it on the manufacturer’s website

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6. No Wi-Fi Networks Found

If your Windows machine cannot find your Wi-Fi network, make some basic troubleshooting checks before moving on. Is the router turned on? Are you within the range of the network?

If the answer to both those questions is yes, the next step is to try updating and/or reinstalling the network adapter’s driver. We have already shown you how to do it.

Lastly, you can try changing the region of your Wi-Fi adapter. It is easy to do, just use the guide below:

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. Type msc and press Enter.
3. Expand the Network Adapters.
4. Right-click on the name of your network adapter.
5. Choose Properties.
6. Click on the Advanced tab.
7. Select Country and Region from the Property.
8. Choose the entry according to your location.

Note: Not all network adapters have access to the Country and Region property

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7. Forget Wi-Fi Network on Windows 10

Sometimes, you need your machine to forget a Wi-Fi network. Perhaps you have a new router, or you are just having a clear-out of old networks that you once connected to but no longer use.

Forgetting a Wi-Fi network on Windows 10 is easy:

1. Open the Start Menu and click Settings.
2. Click Network and Internet.
3. Choose Wi-Fi from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.
4. Click Manage known networks.
5. Highlight the name of the network you want to forget.
6. Click on Forget

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8. Windows 10 Keeps Dropping the Wi-Fi Connection 

If you find that Windows 10 repeatedly drops the Wi-Fi connection without warning (and you are sure there are no issues with the router), the problem could be caused by your network adapter’s power management settings.

You need to revoke the permission which allows Windows to turn off the adapter to save power. To do so, follow the steps mentioned below:

Right-click on the Start Menu and choose Device Manager.
Expand the list below Network adapters.
Right-click on your network adapter.
Select Properties.
Click on the Power Management tab.
Unmark the checkbox next to Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

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9. Your Firewall Prevents Connecting to the Network

Windows comes with a built-in firewall app. It either permits or blocks incoming and outgoing traffic to help protect you against malicious content. However, sometimes, it can block web access for your entire computer.

Obviously, this is not the default behavior. Perhaps you accidentally changed a setting without realizing, or a rogue app overrode your existing rules.

Thankfully, whatever the cause, it is easy to fix. The solution below works for both the native firewall app as well as any third-party firewall apps that you are running:

1. Open the Start Menu and type Command Prompt.
2. Right-click on the top link and select Run as administrator.
3. Type netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off and press Enter.
4. Test whether internet access is now working.

Note: To turn your firewalls back on, return to the Command Prompt and type netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state on and press Enter.

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10. Your Antivirus Prevents Connecting to the Network

As with the firewall, your anti-virus can also cause connection issues.

You can see which anti-virus apps are installed on your machine by going to the Windows Defender Security Center. You can find it in the list of All Apps on the Start Menu.

When you have opened the app, expand the panel on the left-hand side and click Virus and Threat Protection. It will tell you which apps are active and provide you with a shortcut for the app interfaces.

Access the interface of any apps you are running and temporarily disable the service.

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11. Devices Cannot Connect to any 802.1x Wireless Environment

When the device cannot connect to a WPA-2 Enterprise network that is using certificates for server-side or mutual authentication (EAP TLS, PEAP, TTLS), you can check this approach to see if it is affecting the device:

1. Click Start, type Run, type Regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following subkey in the registry:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\RasMan\PPP\EAP\13
3. In the Edit menu, point to New, and then click the DWORD Value.
4. In the name of the DWORD value, type TlsVersion, and then press Enter.
5. Right-click TlsVersion, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, use c00 for TLS 1.2 and click OK to save your changes.

Please see the image below explaining all the above steps:

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12. WiFi toggle does not turn on

If you try to enable the WiFi option in Windows settings but it turns off immediately and stays disabled, it means the physical WiFi switch is Off. You need to toggle the physical WiFi switch so that the device can connect to a wireless network or hotspot.

• For more information, check the WiFi toggle does not turn on KB Article.

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Related Articles

• Downloading the Latest Version of Software for Manual Installation
• Downloading the Latest Version of Software for Automatic Installation 
• Updating Software to the Latest Version 

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