Being without an Internet connection while you are working or relaxing by watching a streaming video, checking your social profiles or chatting with friends can be really annoying. Sometimes it is a problem with the Wi-Fi, but other times the wireless network in the home or office is working perfectly and it is the router that, for one reason or another, is not receiving any data from the Internet. Recognizing the latter case is simple: the "notches" of the Wi-Fi signal are there, but the connection is not. So here's what to do if there is no Internet connection even if the Wi-Fi is working properly.
Restart the router
The first thing to do if the Wi-Fi works but there is no Internet connection is to restart the router. In fact, it is possible that the router has some momentary problems communicating with your ISP (Internet Service Provider, i.e. the manager with whom you subscribed to the Internet). In this case, the router must be restarted in order to initialize itself again and try a new connection to the ISP.
If that's not enough, then we recommend that you unplug the router's power for at least 10-15 seconds and then plug it back in and try to boot the router. This maneuver is sometimes necessary because only by removing the current to the motherboard of the router for a few seconds do all the electronic components really turn off. Many routers, in fact, to work more stably have capacitors inside them that store enough energy to overcome a temporary blackout. Turning the power off for a few seconds longer is discharging the capacitors.
Check that you are connected to the right network
Nowadays, every home and office has at least one Wi-Fi network through which it connects to the Internet. For this reason, especially if you live in an apartment building, it is sometimes possible that your PC, laptop or mobile device is trying to connect to the neighbor's network (on the same floor or even on a different floor of the building). But not having set the correct password, it will never succeed and you will be left without Internet. That's why it's always good to check that the device's Wi-Fi is trying to connect to your network and not someone else's.
A special case is that of the so-called Wi-Fi extenders, i.e. devices that act as a bridge between your wireless router and your PC. They are useful for increasing Wi-Fi coverage in very large homes, or for improving reception if the house has very thick walls. They usually create a second network with a very similar name to the main network they are "extending". But every now and then, Wi-Fi extenders momentarily go haywire and you're left with no connection. Then try connecting to the main network or unplugging and restarting the extender only, in order to understand if the problem lies there or lies in the router.
Make sure you have an assigned IP address
Sometimes the problem that causes the Internet to fail is in the communication between your router and the ISP. In fact, it may happen that the ISP has not assigned an IP address to your router. To check if this has happened you will have to enter the router configuration panel: usually it is enough to open a browser and type the address "http://192.168.1.1" (but it could be different, in this case check the indications in this guide to find the IP address).
From the control panel you will need to access the area called "Status" or "Network Status" or "Connection" or something similar (each router model calls it differently). Here you will find the IP address assigned to your router: if instead of the address you find "Disabled", "Off", "None" or something similar, it means that there is a problem. You'll find a button labeled "Refresh", "Obtain IP Address" or similar - click that button and the router will try again to get the IP from your ISP. If it doesn't, then the problem is with the ISP and you need to call support.
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Another particular and specific case in which you may have a Wi-Fi connection without any Internet connection is that of the hotspot. If you are in a hotel, in a public place with a free connection such as a station or an airport, or even on a train, it is very likely that this connection passes through a hotspot and that you need to authenticate to use it.
To do this you need to open a browser: you will automatically be directed to a log in page where you can enter the credentials provided to use the public connection. Without this step, you will be unable to access the Internet because the hotspot will block your every attempt.
Try to change DNS servers
Even if you have an Internet connection, it may be impossible to browse if the Domain Name System (DNS) server you are using is not responding or has problems. DNS is in fact the standard used on the Internet to translate website addresses that we normally write in letters (for example: www.fastweb.it) into an address made up of numbers and dots (IPv4 or, more recently, IPv6) which uniquely identifies the real location of that site on a server located somewhere in the world.
The translation is done precisely by the DNS servers. If that server doesn't work, try changing it. On Windows 10, for example, you can click on the connections icon in the Start menu bar (bottom right) and then right-click on the network you are trying to get working. From the drop-down menu you will have to choose "Properties" and then from the "IP Settings" choose "Edit" and then "Manual". By clicking on the "IPv4" and "IPv6" switches you can manually change all the connection parameters, including the default address of the DNS server and the alternative DNS server (which is queried if the first one doesn't work).
Re-enter your Wi-Fi password
It may seem strange, but sometimes you can't connect to the Internet just because you're not actually connected to the router's Wi-Fi. This can happen if you entered the wrong password and the operating system does not warn you about the error. The typical case is, again, that of connecting to a public hotspot: maybe you have an old password that is no longer valid, used a few months ago, the last time you connected to that hotspot. By entering the correct password you should be able to navigate again.
Check MAC Filters
MAC Filters (Media Access Control) are one of the methods to block access to the router to a device with a specific "MAC address". A MAC address is a string of twelve alphanumeric characters divided into six pairs and is used to uniquely identify a device equipped with connectivity. Inside the router configuration panel (which you can access as we explained before) there is a special section for setting the MAC filters, thus preventing a specific device (uniquely identified by its MAC address) from connecting to the router or, vice versa, it is possible to indicate the MAC addresses of the devices enabled to connect, thus effectively blocking all the others. If you have no connection, therefore, it is useful to check if by chance the router has an active filter for your device. In this case it will be sufficient to deactivate the MAC filter to have an Internet connection again.