Why android does not see the wifi network. Why the phone does not see the Wi-Fi router: reasons and simple solutions

Hi all! As I said, I work as a sys. admin in an Internet cafe, and naturally I understand with computer equipment and local networks.

So, recently my Aunt called me and asked me to come set up a D-link wi-fi router, which she had just bought in a store. I arrive, set up, everything is in order Aunt is happy Surfing the Internet on a netbook via Wi-Fi

But it was not there! The next day he calls and says the phone does not see wi fi and the laptop does not see wi fi! It finds only some neighboring access points and that’s it, well, I’m coming, I think let me check the router at home, I take it and go home, I connect Everything is ok, everything works! I’m shocked =) I come back to Aunt, I connect again, it doesn’t work ... So I went to a friend, it also worked for him ... Then I started rummaging through the router settings, but I couldn’t find anything.

Then my Uncle comes into the room and says we have a security company from below, maybe their equipment is blocking? I think exactly! the problem is in it, you can’t see Aunt Wi-Fi And I’m leaving ...

But a few days later I got a call from 1 more person with an anthological problem! And I struggled for a long time to find a solution to this problem! In this article, I will now explain everything step by step how to solve such a problem!

Nowadays, a Wi-fi router has appeared in almost every apartment, and when you turn on the router in a neighboring apartment, you may lose Wi-fi Internet (everything will work fine through the cord in the computer).

Solution

I will show an example of a wi fi router router D-link DIR 300

The problem was that when configuring the router, the Wireles channel (Channel) is automatically selected by default (auto), shown in the screenshot:

We need to go to the router (web interface) if you did not change the local IP address when setting up the router, then you have it by default 192.168.0.1 , write this IP in the browser and go to the Web interface of the router.

We go to the item as in the screenshot and change the channel, set the number different from the one set automatically (I always got it the first time and everything started working).

If you came to this page, then most likely your phone has stopped seeing the Wi-Fi network, or networks. It can be a home network, somewhere away, a public wireless network, etc. The problem is that the network we need does not appear in the list of available ones on the phone. He simply does not find it, does not see it, and, accordingly, it is impossible to connect to such a network. It is not uncommon for a mobile device to not find a specific Wi-Fi network. Which, for example, a laptop sees and connects without problems. Or it may be that the phone does not find any network, but other devices see them and work fine with them.

In this article, I will try to collect all the most popular causes and solutions that can help you solve this problem. As usual, first it is desirable to find out what the problem is: in a mobile phone, or a Wi-Fi router. If the problem is with the Wi-Fi network at home, then we have a better chance of fixing everything, since we have access to the router itself. If this is someone else's network, then it is unlikely that something will be done.

In fact, it doesn't make much difference on which device you have a problem. It is clear that this is most likely an Android or iOS phone. Well, maybe Windows Mobile. Since this problem can hardly be solved in the settings of the mobile device itself, it doesn’t matter what device you have. It's the same with a router.

I have already written separate articles on Android and iOS devices:

The phone does not see the Wi-Fi router: possible reasons

1 Disable / enable Wi-Fi, restart your phone and router. To get started, just go to your phone settings and turn off Wi-Fi. I think everyone knows how to do it.

Then turn it back on.

Reboot the phone:

• On Android, just press and hold the power button, then select Restart. Depending on the manufacturer and version of Android, the steps may be slightly different.
• On iPhone, press and hold the Home button and the Power button. The phone will reboot.

We reboot the router. If you have access to it. It is enough to turn off the power for a minute and turn on the router again. You can perform multiple reboots in a row. More details can be read.

2 We determine what is the reason.

Check all three items:

• If your phone does not see any Wi-Fi networks, but they exist and other devices find them, then it is clear that the problem is specifically in your smartphone. All I can advise is to reboot it, and remove the cover from it. If he is. If this does not help, then you can try performing a hard reset. If this does not help, then you will have to carry the device to a service center.
• When a device does not find one network, the first step is to check if other devices can see it. If they do not see, then most likely the problem is on the side of the router. Let's reboot it first. If this does not help, then see the article:.
• If other devices find a Wi-Fi network, but your phone does not, but it sees other networks, then the problem is most likely in the router settings. As a rule, changing the wireless network channel and region helps. Below I will talk about this in more detail.

3 Change the router settings.

You need to go to the settings of your router, go to the section with Wi-Fi settings, and try to set a static wireless network channel and another region. You can also set the channel width to 20 MHz. It's better to take turns.

On TP-Link routers, it looks like this:

More details in the article:. You can experiment with the channel and region. For example, put the region USA. If you have a static channel set in your settings, then set it to "Auto".

Other problems with discovering Wi-Fi networks

I also noticed that people often write that the phone does not see the Wi-Fi of the laptop. I understand that the problem occurs when distributing the Internet from a laptop or PC. In this case, I advise you to first make sure that the laptop is distributing a wireless network. For example, view from other devices. You may have started the hotspot incorrectly. This is where the article comes in handy. Bring your phone closer to your computer.

The next case when problems with Wi-Fi appear after phone repair. For example, after replacing the battery, screen, glass, housing, etc. In such cases, I advise you to immediately take the phone to the workshop where it was repaired. Since the master most likely did not connect the antenna, or the Wi-Fi module itself.

Well, you don't need to rule out a hardware failure. Everything breaks, and the module that is responsible for connecting to Wi-Fi is no exception.

As usual, you can leave your question in the comments, or share useful information on this topic. Always glad to answer your questions and grateful for the additions to the article.

Often, Android users complain about not being able to connect to a public or home Wi-Fi network. Therefore, for all those who are faced with a similar problem, we have prepared a material that contains the causes and troubleshooting steps.

Why the phone does not see the wifi network

Problems affecting the display of access points are conditionally related to problems:

1. On the side of the mobile device.
2. On the side of the router.

To troubleshoot problems with displaying Wi-Fi networks, you need to correctly diagnose the problem. To identify the cause, the best way is to connect another mobile device. If the second smartphone also does not see the wireless network, then the problems are related to the router or incorrect settings. To clarify the latter, it is better to connect to another access point.

Possible problems and solutions

Problem 1: Wi-Fi is on on my phone, but no hotspots appear

Reason: failure of the Wi-Fi module on the phone

Sometimes your phone experiences problems that prevent it from displaying the list of available access points. More often, this problem is observed in custom firmware, where Wi-Fi / mobile network is not debugged.

Solution:

1. If the problems started after changing the firmware / communication module, flash back the factory system.

Problem 2: the phone does not see Wi-Fi at home

Reason 1: Wrong router settings

If the phone does not see only the home network, but shows other access points in the house / apartment or in other places, the router is probably not configured correctly to work with your phone. Then you need to enter the router management console and double-check the set parameters.

Solution:

1. Make sure that the mobile Internet sharing function is activated. To do this, open the "Wireless Network Settings" section, the name of the item varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. It is important to check the boxes next to the items "Enable router wireless broadcast" and "Enable SSID Broadcast".
2. Change the network mode to a less modern standard such as 11b or 11g. Since some phones are equipped with outdated standards and do not always see the Wi-Fi network with new standards.
3. Also change the region, channel and channel width if the above recommendations are ineffective.

1. If the router broadcasts a signal at a frequency of 5 GHz, and the phone supports only 2.4 GHz, the network will not be displayed on the phone.

Reason 2: the frequency range is not set correctly

If a dual-frequency Wi-Fi module is installed in the smartphone, the default mode is set to auto. Thus, the phone detects access points operating at a frequency of 2.4 and 5 GHz. If the settings are set to work only on one frequency, routers broadcasting a signal on a different frequency will not be displayed in the phone menu.

Solution:

Check the module operation mode in the phone settings: phone settings - Wi-Fi - advanced settings in the drop-down list - Wi-Fi frequency range - automatic mode.

Problem 3: The network intermittently appears and disappears

Reason 1: Weak antenna signal, interference

If the access point appears on the phone at different intervals and then disappears, it is likely that the router's antenna has a low transmitter power. It is worth paying attention to the number of divisions of the icon in the line with the name of the access point. One or two divisions indicate a weak signal.

Signal strength is also affected by noise. For 2.4 GHz routers, a large location near access points with the same operating frequency is critical. And also working equipment: a microwave oven, joysticks, mice, etc. For models broadcasting a signal at a frequency of 5 GHz, even a sheet of paper is considered interference.

Solution:

Raise the transmitter power to the maximum level. To do this, open the router settings console and select the "Advanced wireless network settings" section. Set the value to "High", and then save the settings.

Remove objects that interrupt the antenna and prevent the free propagation of the signal. Move the router away from interfering equipment such as a microwave oven, wireless mice and keyboards, etc.

Reason 2: The option to hide access points with a low signal is active

There is a function in the Wi-Fi settings that allows you to hide the display of access points where the signal strength is low or often interrupted. Deactivating this option will expand the number of available access points nearby.

Solution:

Open the phone settings - Wi-Fi - advanced settings in the drop-down list - uncheck the box "do not use a weak connection".

Problem 4: The phone does not catch wifi at home, but works stably with other access points

Reason: router malfunction or firmware corrupted

If no device connects to your home hotspot, but connects stably to neighboring routers, and changing the router settings does not work, your home router is probably broken. Sometimes the firmware crashes.

Solution:

Perform a factory reset and/or update the firmware. If performance is not restored, replace the router or take it to a service center.

Reason: failure of the Wi-Fi module in the phone

Wi-Fi outages are rare. Usually, other modules fail along the way - Bluetooth and / or GPS. To identify a breakdown, you should carefully check the settings on your phone and router. Make a connection with other equipment, at a frequency of 2.4 and 5 GHz. If changing the firmware / communication module is unsuccessful, you should contact the service center. When a module failure is confirmed, the motherboard removed from another device is often changed for recovery.

Conclusion

Finding the problem is not difficult if you determine on which side the problem occurred. If there were no actions to change the settings / firmware, and the network does not see a specific phone, then the problem lies in the mobile device. If other smartphones do not see the access point, then the problems are related to the router. It is also impossible to exclude interference due to other access points and equipment operating at a frequency of 2.4 GHz.

In this article, we will analyze why your Android device does not see WiFi ctmn in the list of available networks, although you are sure that it should be there.

This article is suitable for phones and tablets of all manufacturers of Android devices: Samsung, LG, Sony, Huawei, Xiaomi, HTC, ZTE, Fly, Alcatel and others. We are not responsible for your actions.

In this article, we will consider a solution to the problem in which an Android tablet or smartphone suddenly stopped detecting Wi-Fi networks or one specific network. For example, let's take a smartphone that runs Android. Here he is perfectly connected to the home network, but at one point he simply stops seeing this Wi-Fi network.

This network is not in the list of categories available for connection. Other devices see and connect to this network without problems. There may also be situations where no products can see the wireless network at all. In such situations, you should check the router, then reboot it and see if the Wi-Fi indicator on it is blinking.

Similarly, there are cases when in public places (shop, cafe, restaurant) other devices see and join some particular (often open) network, but your tablet or smartphone simply does not find it.

Increase

It does not matter here whether you are using a smartphone, tablet or even a TV set-top box. Consider the situation specifically for devices on the Android system. There is a possibility that if your gadget has stopped seeing the Wi-Fi network that it previously connected to without problems, then there may be a problem in the router (access point). If this is not your network (there is no access to the router), then something is unlikely to be done.

In order not to be confused, you should first find out the following:

• When the gadget does not see any Wi-Fi networks at all, but there are wireless networks within a given radius and other devices see them, then the problem lies only in the device itself. In this situation, you can do the following: disable and re-enable Wi-Fi, reboot the gadget, remove the case. In an extreme situation, you can reset the gadget to factory settings or flash it. If, even after resetting the settings, the device does not see any available wireless network, then most likely the problem is related to the hardware. It is necessary to carry the device to the service center.
• The second case is more popular, which we will consider in detail. We are talking about a situation where Android does not see a specific one Wi-Fi network, and other devices can find and connect it without problems.

Troubleshooting

First, let's look at the simplest solutions that should be done first:

On the device, there are very few options for solving. Restarting, resetting, turning off, turning on the Wi-Fi network is the maximum that can be performed directly on the Android device. There is another option - changing the wireless network settings on the router.

Change settings on your Wi-Fi router

You can experiment with changing the Wi-Fi network channel, check the network operation mode, change the channel width. Of course, these settings may vary depending on the router you have. Often they are located on the same page in the router's control panel menu: "Wireless", "Wireless Mode", "Wi-Fi".

In the settings, you can, for example, set the 6th static channel or specify "Auto" if a static channel has already been set before. Then we save the settings and reboot the router. We take the gadget and check the visibility of the Wi-Fi network.

In the settings, you can immediately check that the “11bgn mixed” mode is indicated. You can change the Channel Width. You should also check if the region is specified correctly, if there is such a setting in the router. The screenshot below shows an example on a TP-Link router.

Increase

If after the first change of settings the gadget does not see the wireless network, then you can do it again. We set other settings. For example, another mode of operation (only n), channel. If there are no results, it is better to return to the factory settings that were set before changing the parameters. You also need to return all the settings back when there are problems when connecting on other devices.

Setting up a virtual hotspot on a laptop to detect a network

There are also questions why Android does not detect the Wi-Fi network that is created on the laptop. This is because creating a virtual hotspot is not enough. After that, you need to enable discovery and open access to it.

This is done simply. First, you should be required to go to the network control center. To open this center, you need to find the network icon in the tray (bottom right corner of the desktop). We right-click on it, then a window will open, and in the menu that appears, the required item is indicated.

Increase

A menu will open where you need to enter the "Change advanced settings for sharing" section. There you just need to enable network discovery and give permission to share. At the bottom of the menu, disable network access with password protection. You can also use the Virtual Router Plus software to create a wireless network on a laptop.

Increase

If you have an Android tablet, then most likely it will have a built-in Wi-Fi module. I have never seen a tablet without Wi-Fi, even the cheapest Chinese models are equipped with this type of wireless connection.

The instruction will be presented in two parts, first the modem / router is configured, then the tablet is connected to a Wi-Fi access point. If you have been using this technology for a long time, but you just don’t know how to set up Wi-Fi on your tablet, you can skip the first part and proceed immediately to the second.

Part 1: Turn on Wi-Fi on your modem or router

I assume that you generally have no idea what this “Wi-Fi” is, how to turn it on and how to use it. If I am right, then you did the right thing by starting to read the article from here, from the first part. I repeat, if you have everything set up for a long time, you use Wi-Fi on a laptop, then read part 2.

Before you can use home Wi-Fi on your tablet, you need to turn it on on your modem. I hope your modem can create Wi-Fi networks. To make sure of this, read the instructions for the modem or look at its characteristics on the website. Look for words like "802.11" or "Wi-Fi" there. The easiest way to find out is to find a light bulb on the modem that says "WLAN". If it is, then there is Wi-Fi.

If you do not know what to write here, try to find out this data from the one who set up the Internet for you or from the one who sold this modem to you. Alternatively, you can contact your ISP.

The next steps depend on your modem model. You need to find a menu item with a name like "WLAN" or "Wireless Lan". Look on the left side of the menu. Check the box next to "Active Wireless LAN" or "Enable". Set the network security type to "WPA2-PSK". Set the name of your Wi-Fi network in the "SSID" field and enter the password of your desired network in the "Pre-Shared Key" field. Click the "Apply" or "Submit" button to save the settings.

But that's not all. We go into the DHCP settings (this thing somehow distributes IP addresses to everyone who connects to the network). Depending on the modem model, these settings can be in a variety of places. The screenshot shows a possible location of such settings. Although in my modem from Zyxel they are hidden along the path Network -> LAN -> DHCP Setup. Enable DHCP, if disabled, by switching the checkbox to Enable. If DHCP is enabled, read the next paragraph. If there are no checkboxes, but there is a list, select the Server item opposite the DHCP item. After turning it on, restart the modem (this can be done both in the modem settings interface, in which you are actually now, or simply by pressing the button on the modem.

Part 2. Connect your tablet via Wi-Fi

It remains only to connect the tablet to the newly created network. The steps will depend on the version of Android on your tablet. If you have version 4 and higher, the first Wi-Fi item is right in the settings. Turn on. If you have Android version 3, you also need to go to the wireless settings item. And there already turn on Wi-Fi.

After the device thinks, it will show you a list with found networks. Choose the network that you created in the 1st part (this network will be called as you called it in the “SSID” field), or which you already have and to which you have been connecting your laptop for a long time. Next, you will be asked to enter a password for it. Again, enter the password that you set in the “Pre-Shared Key” field. After all the steps, the tablet should connect to the network, which you will find out by the antenna icon that appears next to the clock.

Part 3. Infinitely getting an IP address ...

The most common problem that users have when connecting a tablet via Wi-Fi is the constant “Obtaining an IP address” message. Further, its connection does not go. There are several solutions to this problem:

- Rename Wi-Fi network to English. As suggested in the comments, sometimes tablets do not connect to networks whose names contain Russian letters.

— Enable DHCP server. How to enable it, read above, in the 1st part of this article at the very end.

- Change the encryption type of the Wi-Fi network. You can change the type of protection in the Wi-Fi security settings (this is where you set the password and network name). Try to set some other value in the selected items. Don't be afraid, you won't screw up the modem with your experiments. Reboot the modem for the changes to take effect.

- Manually register IP addresses and DNS servers in the connection settings on the tablet. When connecting to a Wi-Fi network, in the window where you are asked to enter a password, open the advanced settings menu. And there select IP Settings -> Custom. In the IP address field, enter your address, it looks like 192.168.1.*** (for example, 192.168.1.128). In the Gateway field, enter 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 (check with your rights provider). And it remains to enter the DNS, which is different for everyone, but which can also be obtained from your Internet provider.