Yesterday night I faced a strange issue related to wireless connectivity on my laptop. I could not find SSID from my router. First I thought it was my Laptop wireless adapter's issue as there are no other networks. My desktop does not have a wireless adapter so I have no other option to verify whether it is the router issue or my laptop issue. Today morning I went to one of my friend's house and checked whether my laptop is able to see WiFi from his Access Point. Yes, my laptop is seeing it from his Access Point. So it is clear that my laptop adapter is working fine and the culprit is my Wireless Router. The major steps I performed on my router to fix this issue are described below in a systematic order.
Step by step troubleshooting for a Router or Access Point when it is not broadcasting signal.
All the steps above mentioned are about how to troubleshoot the router when there is no broadcasting from your WiFi router. What if the real culprit is your laptop and not the router? In that case, you should troubleshoot the laptop instead of a router. You can follow the instructions provided in the link below in that case.
My Laptop is Not Getting WiFi Signal and Internet
The router is Not Broadcasting Signal
Step by step troubleshooting for a Router or Access Point when it is not broadcasting signal.
- Check WiFi light
Check the status of wireless light on the AP. If it is broadcasting WiFi, the light is ON. If it is off, you cannot see WiFi network from AP on your computer because there is no broadcast. In some rare cases, this light may be off even though it is a broadcasting signal due to LED issues. Here I assume LED light is fine. - Make sure the SSID broadcast is enabled
To check this, you need to log on to setup page and check the status of SSID broadcast. You can find this option under the wireless tab. If SSID broadcast is disabled, it will not broadcast WiFi. - Power cycle
It is advised to power cycle Access Point to fix broadcasting issues. To perform this you should power off the device for 30 seconds and after 30 seconds power on it again. When all the lights are steady, check for the issue. If you do not know how to perform it in a systematic way, follow the instructions provided in the link below.
How to Power Cycle an Access Point - Change SSID
It is advised to change the wireless network name (SSID) and check whether your laptop is receiving signal. You can change the current network name under wireless. - Change wireless channel
You can change the wireless channel to channel 1, 6 and 11 depend on the current channel. To learn more about it, visit the link below.
Change WiFi Channels on Linksys Access Point - Upgrade Firmware
If the firmware flashed on your Access Point is outdated you may start seeing issues with its working. Updating to latest firmware version can resolve every known issues and bug in the previous version. It is highly recommended to update the firmware of any networking device with the latest version to expect full functionality. - Reset and reconfigure
If none of the steps provided here are working, you may reset the device to factory default and reconfigure it.
All the steps above mentioned are about how to troubleshoot the router when there is no broadcasting from your WiFi router. What if the real culprit is your laptop and not the router? In that case, you should troubleshoot the laptop instead of a router. You can follow the instructions provided in the link below in that case.
My Laptop is Not Getting WiFi Signal and Internet
