WiFi Connected but No Internet Access – What to do?

Everyone has happened to sit in front of our computer screen, ready to get to work, but are suddenly and annoyingly interrupted by a tiny yellow icon next to the WiFi symbol.

This indicates that the WiFi is connected but without internet access.

There are several reasons for this problem: outdated drivers, weak signal strength, incorrect cable connection, and so on.

This article will help you solve the problem by showing you, step by step, various solutions to the different types of problems that may be hindering your internet connection.

But let’s start by understanding together what the message “WiFi connected but no internet access” means.

What does “WiFi connected but no internet access” mean

Those times when, after connecting to WiFi, you still can’t access the internet, a yellow triangle appears next to the WiFi icon and a message that tells you: “WiFi connected, no internet access”. This means that the device has successfully established communication with the router and therefore technically you could surf wirelessly. Despite this, however, no internet access is possible for some specific reason.

Understanding what the problem is is the key to being able to start navigating safely. The ideal would be to proceed with attempts, reviewing the various possible problems, and going to carry out various tests and checks to understand where and how to intervene. Here are some steps that we suggest you follow in order to start using the internet again.

1. Check if other devices are also failing to connect

The first thing we suggest you do is check if it is a problem related only to your device. To understand this, you can try connecting to WiFi with a tablet or mobile phone if you are currently using the computer. If the same problem is also found in the other devices, a signal will also appear there indicating that access to the internet is denied. This means that the main cause is to be found in the WiFi network.

If, on the other hand, the problem occurs only on your computer then it means that the problem is related to the configuration of this specific terminal. You can try to connect to the internet via Ethernet cable. If you can connect safely then the problem is the router malfunction.

2. Restart your computer

After verifying that your PC is actually the only device that cannot access the Internet, you can try restarting it or restarting the terminal used to connect. This is the most trivial solution but many times a simple restart can fix the problem and restore the connection.

3. Restart the modem or router

If after restarting your computer it is still connected without internet, try restarting your modem or router. Just unplug and wait a few minutes before plugging it back in. After turning it on again check the lights to see if it is working correctly: if the lights are green it means that the router is working, if they are red it means that you have found the problem.

If, on the other hand, the spies do not find any problems, it means that the situation is more complex and that you have to continue looking for the reason by continuing to read this article.

4. Start the Windows Troubleshooter

At this point, you understand that the problem is not related to the network or the router, but only to your device. We therefore recommend that you start the Windows troubleshooter, which, although it is not used to fix errors, helps you understand if something is wrong and where to look for the cause of the problem. To start it, just go to your computer settings, select “Network and Internet”, then “Status” and finally click on “Network troubleshooting”.

5. Check the IP address

To ensure a stable Internet connection, you must verify that you have a valid IP address. The IP address is a number assigned by the router automatically to the specific device to identify it. If it is not valid, you have problems connecting to the WiFi network, such as connecting without internet access.

Follow this procedure to check its validity:

1. Right-click on the network icon in the bar at the bottom right of the screen;
2. Open “Network and Sharing Center”;
3. Click on “Change adapter settings”;
4. Right click on the connection you are using;
5. Select “Properties”;
6. Double click on “Internet Protocol version 4”;
7. Verify that you have checked the boxes “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically”;
8. Click “OK” to get back online.

7. Try manual entry of some commands from the prompt

If your IP address is valid but you still can’t browse the Internet, you can try manually entering some specific network commands in the Windows prompt. It is not a difficult procedure, just copy some codes and paste them on the black window that will appear after opening the prompt.

To start the prompt you have to type cmd on the start menu and go to attempts:

1. To reset some Windows files that have internet access, use these commands:

• “Netsh winsock reset”
• “Netsh int ip reset”

2. If that doesn’t work, try changing the IP address by entering a new one with these two commands:

• “Ipconfing/release”
• “Ipconfing/renew”

3. Update your DNS settings with this command:

• “Ipconfing/flushdns”

Now you can restart your computer and check if it is still connected without internet at startup.

8. Reset your network

At this point, we recommend that you reset your network by following this procedure:

1. Go to “Settings”;
2. Click on “Network and Internet”;
3. Click on “Status”;
4. Click on “Network Reset” at the bottom;
5. Select “Restore Now”

This way all network cards will be removed and your network settings restored to their initial status. Once this is done you will have to re-associate the device to the network and re-enter the password.

9. Request assistance

If all this doesn’t work and you still can’t get rid of that annoying yellow triangle and the message “WiFi connected no internet access”, you just have to ask for assistance by contacting your landline operator.