Wi-Fi says connected, but there’s no internet

1. Find out how wide the problem is

• Try another device (a phone or tablet) on the same Wi-Fi. If it works there, the problem is one device. Skip to step 4.
• Try your phone with Wi-Fi turned off, using mobile data. If that works, your phone is fine and your home internet is the issue.
• If nothing on your Wi-Fi works, keep going.

2. Restart the modem and router, in order

1. Unplug the power from the modem (the box your internet comes into) and from the router if it’s a separate box. Many homes have one combined box.
2. Wait a full 30 seconds. This matters; a quick off-and-on often doesn’t clear anything.
3. Plug the modem back in first. Wait 2 to 3 minutes until its lights settle.
4. Then plug the router back in and wait another 2 minutes.
5. Try a page on your device again.

3. Check for an outage

Use your phone’s mobile data to look up your provider’s outage page, or call their support line. If there’s an outage in your area, there’s nothing to fix except wait.

4. If only one device is affected

• Turn Wi-Fi off and on again, or turn Airplane mode on for 10 seconds and off again.
• Restart the device.
• Make the device “forget” your Wi-Fi network and join it again. You’ll need the Wi-Fi password, which is usually printed on a sticker on the router. On a phone this is under Settings, Wi-Fi, then your network’s name; on Windows, Settings, Network & internet, Wi-Fi, Manage known networks; on a Mac, System Settings, Wi-Fi, then the details next to your network.

Good to know: If you can plug a cable from the router into your computer and it works, the router’s Wi-Fi is the problem. If it still doesn’t work with a cable, the problem is the modem or your provider.

Careful: Avoid the “network reset” option on a computer unless you’re comfortable re-entering saved Wi-Fi passwords. It forgets all of them.