Cannot connect to Wifi Network - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 06:32:49 pm
content: Hi All, I hope this is the right place for this.I am unable to connect my desktop to my home wifi connection. This is a recent issue, all other devices are connected fine and are getting full speed. I have tried resetting drivers, resetting ip setting at command level, resetting wifi settings in all of the places i can find and have just replaced the wifi PCIe card for a brand new TP-Link AX3000 and I still have the same problem. It sees the network, but will not connect. I can however connect to my phones hotspot perfectly fine (and the phone is connected to the home Wifi network about 1ft from the PC on my desk!).Help please!!Thanks in advanceAlex

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 06:37:12 pm
content: Have you added anything else to your network recently?You may just have a bad WiFi card in the PC, I've had a few of those crap out over the years. I had to replace the one in my laptop about a year ago, it would just randomly stop communicating for 30 seconds or so then come back up, eventually replaced the card and all was well again.

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 06:43:27 pm
content: No network changes for months, and I now have a brand new (delivered today) adapter. My previous adapter was an Archer T8E

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 06:46:25 pm
content: Oh I missed that part, sorry about that.What operating system are you running? When I changed my router I had a problem with one of my Windows laptops connecting, eventually I went into the list of saved networks and deleted all of them completely then was able to connect without issues.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 06:47:45 pm
content: If your PC can connect to other networks like your phone hotspot, but not to your wifi, then have you tried checking the settings on your wifi base station/access point/router?For instance, does it permit/enable the network frequencies or security protocols expected by your PC? It sounds like the wifi router is rejecting the connection, which may put the problem at the wifi end rather then the PC end.

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 06:48:51 pm
content: Win 10 (not sure what version exactly, a fairly recent one). I've cleared all network settings and deleted all network adapter drivers before installing the new card.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 06:52:15 pm
content: Can you elaborate on the history?When did it last work, and when did it stop working? How did it stop working? Did you just wake one morning and suddenly it didn't work?Why did you buy a new network card? Is it because the old one stopped working and you thought it was faulty?

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 07:01:08 pm
content: It was working fine and started failing to connect a few days ago. I bought a new card because I had exhausted all avenues that I could think of with no success so the last option was to replace the unit.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 07:11:27 pm
content: Could be something environmental? Signal swamped by neighbours on the same channel?

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 07:13:48 pm
content: Did your ISP download an update into your wifi router that changed its settings? Do you know how to log into the control panel of the base station and check the configuration?

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 07:14:32 pm
content: Do you have any other computers like a laptop to check with?

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 07:17:24 pm
content: Channels are set outside "normal" ranges so the few neighbours I can see don't interfere and to the best of my knowledge no settings have changed on the router. All of my MAC filtering and other settings are the way I set them months ago. IP cameras, phones and other devices still connect to the networks fine.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 07:19:13 pm
content: Quote from: Majorbob on August 15, 2020, 07:01:08 pmSay, Tuesday/Wednesday? You might want to see if you can roll back any Windows updates..Quote from: Majorbob on August 15, 2020, 07:17:24 pmMAC filtering is pointless, and your MAC just changed when you bought a new adapter.

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 07:23:34 pm
content: MAC filtering just provides me with a bit more control over the devices that are able to connect to the main networks. I know the MAC changed but I have a "guest" network that doesn't have filtering on it so I have been trying to connect to that network.It may have been around that time, I shall check the update history and see what has come down this week. I'm not aware of any networking issues with recent updates though?

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 07:27:50 pm
content: Quote from: Majorbob on August 15, 2020, 07:23:34 pmThe passphrase is that degree of control. If it is known,anydevice can connect, just use an allowed MAC. If you don't tell a device that the passphrase associates with a network, it's not going to connect.QuoteNobody is aware until they have an issue.

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 08:43:37 pm
content: Ok, but the MAC filtering is not an issue here. The update history shows nothing since the beginning of July!

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 08:47:31 pm
content: Simplify.If you have another router, setup it up and use no encryption and see if your new wifi card can connect and get an IP address.If you don't have another router and your guest network has no encryption, see if Windows 10 is getting an IP address.Look at the log file on your router and see what error messages you get.PS. I'm not a Windows 10 user so I can't help you or suggest what settings to look at.

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 09:05:07 pm
content: I don't have another router to use, there is multiple other devices that are connected to this router with no issues.I output 3 Wifi networks1X 5G (filtered)1X 2.4G (filtered)1X Guest (any device with the passcode can access)I am unable to connect to ANY of these networks with either card.BOTH MAC addresses have been added to the filter list.The new card will connect to my phones mobile Hotspot without issue.All drivers are up to date.All drivers have been uninstalled and re-installed with PC restarts in between (full power-loss by removing the power cable after the PC has shut down).All WiFi settings have been reset on the PC multiple times.The old card was tried in 2 different PCIe slots.The new card has been tried in 3 different PCIe slots.

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 09:15:10 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on August 15, 2020, 06:47:45 pmSorry Ian, I have just seen this post. The Wifi settings have not changed on the router (to my knowledge). The issue happened very suddenly with the old card and is continuing with the new one.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 09:37:19 pm
content: You may not have the option, but when I can do so I try to connect my computers with a physical network cable. This would work around wifi issues as well as providing a more secure connection.Another thing you could try is to manually create a network connection on the Windows 10 end, rather than letting the OS figure it out automatically. That way you might troubleshoot each aspect of how the connection is set up.

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2020, 09:45:07 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on August 15, 2020, 09:37:19 pmUnfortunately the location of the PC and Router means that a cable is not feasible (I would much prefer this too, saves a world of pain)Thanks for the suggestion, I have just tried that and unfortunately it didn't work.

author: DrG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2020, 01:18:01 am
content: It is a puzzle. I just spent the last 8-9 waking hours "recovering" WiFi on a Win 7 machine. I wish I had something to add of substance, but I don't know that I do. In my case, the WiFi card (and old PCI Tenda) died and died slowly (over one day), causing me a good deal of pain. To make matters worse, my keyboard batteries went mid-way through trying to isolate the problem. Ordinarily, that would have been easy to spot, but the card was causing locks up.I managed to settle down and get objective. Removed every connection from the machine that I could. Removed an old WiFi card from an XP (downloading the drivers from my tablet and transferring them to the PC) and that worked. Still things were unusually screwed up (booting taking a *very* long time - all that crap). Convinced that it was an update (to some office files) that MS pushed a few days ago, I used a recovery point and ran off to get a new card (Archer T6E). Installed find. Cleaned up the registry...all is well (and the card is noticeably faster).That you can connect to your phone hot spot with the new card certainly points to the router, BUT....I read that your new card does not work with WIN10 32bit seehttps://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Bluetooth-Ultra-Low-Archer-TX3000E/dp/B07ZV2CJL2(I thought all of them were 64, but I guess not). So, as unlikely as it seems, you could check if you have 32 or 64. Maybe it would not matter for the hot spot - I don't know, just babbling.Does the OLD card still work with the hot spot?Do you have anything in the router limiting the number of connections? Does your ISP?Device manager is happy and does  have any unknown devices?An Ethernet cable would certainly help, as has been noted.Like I said, not much help - good luck and let us know what it was because it will work eventually.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2020, 03:57:02 am
content: Quote from: Majorbob on August 15, 2020, 09:05:07 pmIf the new card can connect to your phone mobile hotspot, then the problem might be your router setup.Possibilities.1) your router needs a reboot to flush and reload the mac filters?2) the MAC address of your card is not matching the filter list3) there's a bug in the mac filtering which requires a reboot?Again simplify. I suggest you temporarily (in this order)1) disable mac filtering - reboot router2) remove any passcode to your guest network - reboot router3) have your guest network with no encryption - reboot routerRetest your new PC wifi card with each step. Looking at the logs in your router will help greatly. On most routers you can enable logging and then look for errors in the log file.

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2020, 12:01:21 pm
content: Ok, so I have removed the MAC filtering and the PC would connect to the 5G and 2.4G networks but not the guest, rebooted the router and it will connect to all 3.As this originally happened on the old card I'm guessing it's safe to say that it was a bug in the MAC filtering causing my PC to be disallowed on all 3 networks?I don't have time to swap back to the old card today but I will do so during the week and test it still works OK. And I'll leave the MAC filtering off I think.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2020, 03:22:14 am
content: Quote from: Majorbob on August 16, 2020, 12:01:21 pmIn another thread here, I was learning more about how unsecure WPS is and how potentially easy it is to break.Using some of the tools available to any linux distro, I could easily scan all the wifi stations + mac addresses.Yes, mac filtering is a layer of defense, but it is easily detected.You are better off having a long strong WPA2/AES passphrase that is 20 characters + special long or upgrade to WPA3.Seehttps://www.routersecurity.org/wps.phphttps://www.routersecurity.org/checklist.phpIf you are really worried about wireless attacks, update your router firmware if the manufacturer still supports it. If not, see dd-wrt or openwrt. They will likely have mitigations against the latest attacks like KRACK, KR00K since they get updated software.If your router isn't capable of running dd-wrt, openwrt, then when you upgrade your existing router, research for one that does.https://openwrt.org/

author: Majorbob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2020, 09:41:50 am
content: I refuse to use the WPS function as it just seems inherently insecure. My router is Virgin media Hub 3 so it's very limited in its functions and I don't have the space where it is to add a secondary router. I have a long passcode on it so I'll looks at the links you've sent and see what will work.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 17, 2020, 11:17:26 pm
content: Quote from: Majorbob on August 17, 2020, 09:41:50 amWPS is inherently secure and vulnerable to brute force and in some implementations, the PIN can be discovered without brute forcing.It was designed for consumer products as an easy way to authenticate to a wireless network, however with convience generally comes insecurity.

author: gorge441
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2020, 12:21:04 pm
content: You may try this method,Open a command prompt window, type ipconfig /release, then Enter. Type in ipconfig /renew, then Enter. Restart the computer.Hope this will help you.