Today one of my clients called me while I was waiting online for him. He informed he couldn't come online because there are some issues with WiFi connection. He was sitting at a Hotspot but his Laptop failed to get wireless signals and mot online. He knows I am a network engineer and asked me to help him to resolve the issue. It was not a big issue and I fixed that without taking much time. Then I realized, for a nontechnology person, even smaller issues can be big and ruin his day. So I would like to share some tips to troubleshoot your laptop if you are facing troubles with getting signals or Internet connectivity.
You do not need to go for assistance from expert or hardware vendor in case if your laptop stops receiving signal. You may just go through the guide below and I am sure in 99 percent cases you can fix it by yourself.
Some users may find issues with following step 2 because vendor provided wireless utilities might be running on their computers. For example, the Dell WiFi utility. Sometimes this tool acts strange and shows issues with receiving signals from access point and routers. In that case, you may disable or uninstall that tool and try the Microsoft Windows utility (WZC for Windows XP and WLAN AutoConfig for Vista, Windows 8 and 7).
No WiFi or Internet On Laptop
You do not need to go for assistance from expert or hardware vendor in case if your laptop stops receiving signal. You may just go through the guide below and I am sure in 99 percent cases you can fix it by yourself.
- Wireless Button should be turned on
Make sure the wireless button on your Laptop is turned on. If it is off, your laptop will not receive the signal from Access Point. The wireless button can be present on the top or side panel based on the models. For different vendors like Dell, Toshiba, Samsung etc. WiFi button might be placed in a different location. It can be distinguished with the WiFi symbol. For more details I recommend you to refer the user manual of the Laptop. - Make sure WZC is started
Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) is a service which is essential to receive wireless signals on your computer. To know how to check the status of WZC and how to turn on click on the link below.
How to start WZC on your Computer
WZC is on Windows XP but for higher versions, you must check for WLAN AutoConfig in services page. To get instructions to start this service, I recommend you to go through the link below.
How to Start WLAN AutoConfig - Clear All Previous Network Details
You may clear the previously saved network lists from your PC and refresh the network. Your computer may start receiving signals from Access Point. to learn more about it I recommend you to click the link below.
My computer is not detecting any WiFi signals - Part 1 - If the issue persists even after performing the steps provided in the above link, you need to disable the Firewall on your Laptop. After disabling the firewall check for the issue. Even if you are not able to detect any wireless signals I suggest you follow the steps provided in the given link.
I am not getting WiFi even after I disabled the Firewall
Some users may find issues with following step 2 because vendor provided wireless utilities might be running on their computers. For example, the Dell WiFi utility. Sometimes this tool acts strange and shows issues with receiving signals from access point and routers. In that case, you may disable or uninstall that tool and try the Microsoft Windows utility (WZC for Windows XP and WLAN AutoConfig for Vista, Windows 8 and 7).
