WiFi Connected But No Internet

Your phone shows the WiFi icon. Your laptop says "Connected." But open a browser and nothing loads. This is the most frustrating WiFi problem because it looks like everything is fine — your device successfully authenticated with the router and got an IP address — but somewhere between your router and the internet, something broke.

The fix depends on whether it's one device or everything. That's the first question to answer.

Step 1: Is It Just Your Device?

Check another device on the same WiFi. If your phone works but your laptop doesn't (or vice versa), the problem is with the specific device. If nothing works — phone, laptop, tablet all show "connected, no internet" — the problem is your router or ISP.

Step 2: Fix the Router (All Devices Affected)

Power cycle properly

This fixes the problem about 70% of the time. But you have to do it right:

1. Unplug the router AND modem (if you have separate devices). Not just the router — the modem too
2. Wait 30 seconds. This isn't arbitrary. The capacitors in the modem need time to discharge, which forces a clean reconnection with your ISP
3. Plug in the modem FIRST. Wait until its lights stabilize (1-2 minutes)
4. Then plug in the router. Wait another 2 minutes for it to fully boot
5. Try connecting again

If you have a gateway (modem + router combo from your ISP like Xfinity or AT&T), it's one device — just unplug that.

Check for ISP outage

If the power cycle didn't fix it, the problem might not be on your end:

• Check your ISP's status page on your phone (using cellular data)
• Search Twitter/X for "[your ISP] outage" — other customers usually report it fast
• Look at your modem/gateway lights: if the "Internet" or "Online" light is off or red, the ISP can't reach you
• downdetector.com tracks outages in real time

Check router admin panel

If you can reach your router's admin page, the router itself is working — the problem is between the router and the internet:

• 192.168.1.1 — NETGEAR, Linksys, ASUS, Spectrum, Verizon
• 192.168.0.1 — D-Link, TP-Link, Cox, CenturyLink
• 10.0.0.1 — Xfinity/Comcast
• Find your router IP if unsure

Look for a "WAN" or "Internet" status page in the admin panel. If it shows no IP address or "disconnected," the router can't reach the ISP.

Step 3: Fix a Single Device

If other devices work fine, the problem is isolated to your device. Work through these in order:

Windows

# Flush DNS cache
ipconfig /flushdns

# Release and renew IP address
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

# Reset the entire network stack (requires restart)
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

After the winsock reset, restart your computer. This is the nuclear option for Windows networking — it resets everything back to factory network settings.

Mac

# Flush DNS cache
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

# Renew DHCP lease
sudo ipconfig set en0 DHCP

Or go to System Settings → Network → WiFi → Details → TCP/IP → Renew DHCP Lease.

If that doesn't work, forget and rejoin: System Settings → Network → WiFi → click the (i) next to your network → Forget This Network. Then reconnect with the password.

iPhone / iPad

1. Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the (i) next to your network
2. Tap Forget This Network
3. Toggle WiFi off, wait 10 seconds, toggle back on
4. Reconnect with the password

Still broken? Try Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Reset Network Settings. This erases all saved WiFi passwords but fixes most network stack corruption.

Android

1. Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi → long-press your network → Forget
2. Toggle WiFi off, wait 10 seconds, toggle on
3. Reconnect with the password

Nuclear option: Settings → System → Reset options → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth.

Step 4: DNS Issues

Sometimes the internet connection works but DNS doesn't — meaning your device can't translate domain names (like google.com) into IP addresses. Quick test:

# Try pinging an IP address directly
ping 8.8.8.8

If ping 8.8.8.8 works but ping google.com fails, it's definitely DNS. The fix is to use a different DNS server:

You can set these either on individual devices (in your WiFi adapter settings) or on your router for the whole network — just log into your router admin panel and find the DNS settings under WAN or Internet configuration.

Step 5: IP Address Conflict

If your device got assigned an IP address that another device is already using, neither device gets proper internet. Signs: the connection works intermittently, cutting in and out.

Check your IP address:

• Windows: ipconfig — look for "IPv4 Address"
• Mac: System Settings → Network → WiFi → Details → TCP/IP

If you see an address starting with 169.254.x.x, your device couldn't get a proper IP from the router. This means DHCP failed — restart the router and try again.

Still Not Working?

• Try a different ethernet cable plugged directly into the router — if wired works but WiFi doesn't, the router's wireless radio might be failing
• Check for firmware updates on your router — log into the admin panel and look for a firmware/update section
• Factory reset the router as a last resort — hold the reset button for 10-15 seconds. You'll lose all custom settings (WiFi name, password, port forwarding) and need to set everything up again. See default credentials for your brand
• Call your ISP — if multiple restarts and resets haven't fixed it, and no outage is reported, there may be a line issue or account problem on their end