We have already considered solutions to many problems that may arise when connecting a laptop to a Wi-Fi network, or during use. But, there is one popular problem that I have not yet written about. This is when the laptop does not see the Wi-Fi network. In principle, the problem applies not only to laptops, but also to stationary computers that are connected to Wi-Fi via an adapter (external or internal). The problem when the laptop does not see Wi-Fi can be encountered in Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, and even in Windows 10. If you have Windows 10 installed, and the computer does not see your router, then see a separate instruction: Windows 10 does not see the Wi-Fi network. Since the solutions there are practically the same, it does not matter which system your laptop is running on. Now we will try to figure out why the laptop does not see wireless networks, using the example of Windows 7.
Before moving on to any settings, let's try to figure out what problem you have. There are two options:
- When no Wi-Fi networks are displayed in the list of networks available for connection. That is, the computer does not find Wi-Fi at all. But, you are sure that there are wireless networks in the radius. Other devices see them.
- And when the laptop does not see only your Wi-Fi network, and sees others, neighboring networks.
I will divide this article into such two parts. You can immediately skip to the required section with the solution to your problem.
An important point! You need to check if your router is broadcasting a Wi-Fi network. You need to make sure that the laptop is within the range of the Wi-Fi network. If other devices near the computer see wireless networks, but the computer does not, then see this article further. If you suspect that the problem is in the router, then read this article: The router does not distribute the Internet over Wi-Fi. What to do?
Another important point. If you have an error on your computer "No connections available", and a red cross next to the Wi-Fi connection icon, then there is a separate instruction for Windows 7 to solve this error.
Why can't my laptop see wireless networks (none)?
Most popular reasons:
- There are no available networks in the radius (we have already excluded this)
- The wireless adapter driver is not installed, and therefore it cannot find wireless networks. Or the driver is installed but does not work correctly.
- Wi-Fi on the laptop is just off.
- It happens that the Wi-Fi receiver is simply faulty, or turned off (for example, when cleaning a laptop from dust).
But, most often, of course, the problem is in the turned off wireless adapter, or in the absence of the necessary driver. We will now consider this.
For starters, I would advise you to just try connecting your laptop to a wireless network using this instruction. And a separate instruction for connecting in Windows 10. Perhaps you will succeed, and you will not need to dig into the settings.
Checking the wireless adapter driver
If you see a connection icon in the form of a computer with a red cross on the notification bar, then the driver is most likely not installed.
To check, we need to go to the device manager. Open the menu Start, right click on Computer, and select Control... In the new window go to the tab device Manager... Open the section Network adaptersand see if there is an adapter that has the words "Wi-Fi" or "Wireless" in its name. It looks something like this:
If such an adapter is not there, as a rule, in this case, only one adapter (network card) is displayed there, then it must be installed. If it is there, then it should be without any icons, as I have in the screenshot above. If there is an icon near the Wi-Fi adapter, then right-click on it and select Engage... You will most likely need to install the required driver. We have a separate installation guide: https://help-wifi.com/raznye-sovety-dlya-windows/kak-ustanovit-drajvera-na-wi-fi-adapter-v-windows-7/.
If everything is in order with the driver, then let's check if Wi-Fi is enabled on your computer.
Right click on the network connection icon, and select Network and Sharing Center... Then, select Change adapter settings.
Then right-click on the adapter Wireless network connection (or Wireless), and select Enable.
After that, the computer should see the wireless networks, and you can connect to your Wi-Fi network without any problems.
You may have wireless networks turned off by a keyboard shortcut on your laptop. You need to check, in more detail I wrote about this in the article: How to turn on Wi-Fi on a laptop with Windows 7 ?. And if you have a dozen: how to turn on Wi-Fi in Windows 10.
After these steps, everything should work for you. The main thing is that the Wi-Fi network icon with a yellow star appears, this means that there are networks available for connection.
The laptop does not see my Wi-Fi, while others can see it. Solution.
If above we considered the situation when wireless networks are not displayed at all on a laptop, now we will figure out why the laptop does not see only one Wi-Fi network we need. And other networks, adjacent, are displayed in the list of available ones. This problem appears more often on mobile devices: smartphones and tablets. But computers are no exception.
In this case, the problem must already be looked for on the side of the Wi-Fi router. Almost always, the solution is the same: change the Wi-Fi network channel... If the router itself, or you manually set a static 13 channel in the settings, then the computer will most likely not see the network. Therefore, you need to check and change the channel in the router settings. How to change the channel on different routers, I wrote in the article: How to find a free Wi-Fi channel, and change the channel on a router?
For example, changing the channel to Tp-Link. You can change it in the settings, on the Wireless tab. Try setting a static channel (just don't put 12 and 13), or set Auto.
Remember to save your settings and restart your router. After that, your home network should appear in the list of available ones.
If it does not help, then you can still change the name of the Wi-Fi network. You can also do this in the settings, on the tab with the wireless network settings.
Another tip: try moving your laptop closer to the router, or vice versa. Perhaps this is the problem. There are often times when Wi-Fi catches in general near the router, but does not work at a short distance. This is certainly not normal, but I do not know any specific solution. Again, try experimenting with channels.
