PC (specifically) unable to connect to Home WiFi suddenly

TeethOfMidas

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Hi all,

I encountered this weird issue since yesterday -

My Desktop PC is unable to connect to the home WiFi
- All other internet devices are still connected with no issues, so it's likely not the router
- PC is able to connect to my HP's hotspot, so the wireless adapter still works
- I don't have a LAN cable, neither am I near the router so I can't try cable connection

What I've tried:
1) Restarting the router
2) Restarting the PC multiple times
3) ipconfig /flushdns
4) Disabling IPv6 (not even sure why, just following online advice)
5) Removing, then manually adding 'Known Network' under 'WPA2-Personal AES'
6) Using the Windows Troubleshooter (it's of zero help, really)
7) Disabled Microsoft Defender Firewall, didn't work so I've turned it back on

It just happened out of the blue since yesterday, and there were no setting changes to the router.

Seeking advice and suggestions from you guys here, any help is much appreciated!
 

TeethOfMidas

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WiFi adaptor is an ASUS PCI-e 802.11ac,
Router is Linksys WHW03

Error I'm getting is
"Can't connect to this network", but only for the home WiFi as I can connect to my HP hotspot.

I've tried the reset steps, but only the final line (/flushdns) worked as the earlier steps require an active internet connection.
 

keenklee

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IMHO.
If the desktop is far away from the router, bring it nearer for testing.
 

BradenHeat

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just thinking out loud,

if its only recent ,

- firmware updated on either PC or the Router

- more powerful devices knocked the signal out

- other interference

Might literally one of the above, if all things considered and nothing was changed [ drivers, new devices etc ]
 

Apparatus

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Ask your ISP to reset their end

Is that optical fibre to your modem still ok? Change another one and test

Your modem and router still working ok?

Make sure all cables are plugged in to the modem and router solidly
 
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TeethOfMidas

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IMHO.
If the desktop is far away from the router, bring it nearer for testing.
It's just about 1 room away, and it's been fine the past 2 years, oddly.
I did try placing the 'receptors' a bit (like 30cm is the max) nearer to the direction of the router, but still the same.
 

TeethOfMidas

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1. download the latest driver for the wifi adapter, uninstall current driver, reboot, then re-install latest driver. Could be due to windows 10 auto update in the background causing problem. Best is to off the auto update and also p2p.

2. use old router like dlink 850l, 865l, 868l, linksys ea7500/8100, asus ac55u,ac56s,ac56u,ac66u,ac68u etc and use the bridge mode (connect lan cable to your desktop)
1)
Just dl'ed the 'latest' driver, turned out to be a 2017 one but I went ahead to give it a shot.

I managed to properly uninstall it after several attempts (it kept auto-appearing after rebooting), and now it seems I can't re-install the driver.

Device Manager is not detecting the "new hardware change", no prompts to install. Hmmm.

2)
I don't have an old router to try with, but all my other devices connect to the WiFi fine, oddly.
 

TeethOfMidas

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just thinking out loud,

if its only recent ,

- firmware updated on either PC or the Router

- more powerful devices knocked the signal out

- other interference

Might literally one of the above, if all things considered and nothing was changed [ drivers, new devices etc ]
Thanks, am trying to reinstall the drivers.

Problem I'm facing now is Device Manager is not detecting the Adapter and/or Adapter Driver.
 

TeethOfMidas

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Ask your ISP to reset their end

Is that optical fibre to your modem still ok? Change another one and test

Your modem and router still working ok?

Make sure all cables are plugged in to the modem and router solidly
Yeah modem and router are working fine, as we have about 10 other devices connecting well with it still.
 

keenklee

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It's just about 1 room away, and it's been fine the past 2 years, oddly.
I did try placing the 'receptors' a bit (like 30cm is the max) nearer to the direction of the router, but still the same.

IMHO.

The fact is that now it is not working ?
If you find it a challenge to move the PC, just disconnect the router and bring it right next to the PC.
Power the router up without the ISP connection.
You do not need the ISP connection to test WiFi.
The status will show Connected. No Internet. ( or something similar ).

Usually if other devices can connect, it is the PC side issue.

On the PC, just go to the device manager and delete the device.
The right click the PC and scan for hardware changes.
If cannot detect, could be the device problem or some other PC problem.

And, do a malware/virus scan.
 

firesong

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The other thing is to check wireless channel settings on the router, and make sure it's in the correct area zone and not broadcasting on channels not authorised for use in Singapore. Making sure all your hardware is set to the right "region" is for regulatory purposes as some channels could be reserved for other uses. These reservations differ from country to country, so what works in country X may not work in Singapore because their wireless landscape is different. This is why we should avoid importing equipment on our own from other countries (including China), as approved wireless channels differs from place to place. If possible, ensure that they have user-selectable profiles to prevent access to disallowed bands when using it in Singapore, for compliance reasons anda also because you generally don't want to be caught interfering channels being used by other licensees who might be paying for use of particular channels, if any.

For full details, refer to IMDA's Regulation Licensing and Consultations Telecommunication Standards document (dtd Aug 2021). It even specifies the maximum transmit power allowed (as low as 100mW in some cases).

I would always plan to connect a PC via ethernet because it's not a device that's not expected to move about, unlike a laptop.

It also reduces unnecessary wireless congestion. In fact, all non-mobile devices should ideally be connected via ethernet for this reason.
 

TeethOfMidas

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Have you ask your ISP to reset their end?
Not yet, hesitant to try that now as I'm worried it'll affect the entire household. Trying to resolve with as little interference to the others for now.
Also, the new issue I'm facing now is that the WiFi adapter is not detected after I uninstalled it entirely.

Will keep this in mind and try as a last resort though, appreciate your suggestion!
 

TeethOfMidas

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IMHO.

The fact is that now it is not working ?
- Indeed, and only specifically not working for the Home WiFi, while everybody else is connecting to it fine :s11:
If you find it a challenge to move the PC, just disconnect the router and bring it right next to the PC.
Power the router up without the ISP connection.
You do not need the ISP connection to test WiFi.
The status will show Connected. No Internet. ( or something similar ).
- I see! I'll give that a try, once I'm able to install a WiFi/Network Adapter on my PC.

Usually if other devices can connect, it is the PC side issue.

On the PC, just go to the device manager and delete the device.
The right click the PC and scan for hardware changes.
If cannot detect, could be the device problem or some other PC problem.
Yes that's the new problem I'm facing now, the option for Wireless is entirely gone and it's falling back to either Ethernet or Bluetooth for connection.
(Have tried the "Scan for new hardware" option in Device Manager and it's not detecting my adapter somehow, and I've also tried replugging the adapter)

And, do a malware/virus scan.
I scanned with Windows Defender, all seemed clear.
 

TeethOfMidas

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The other thing is to check wireless channel settings on the router, and make sure it's in the correct area zone and not broadcasting on channels not authorised for use in Singapore. Making sure all your hardware is set to the right "region" is for regulatory purposes as some channels could be reserved for other uses. These reservations differ from country to country, so what works in country X may not work in Singapore because their wireless landscape is different. This is why we should avoid importing equipment on our own from other countries (including China), as approved wireless channels differs from place to place. If possible, ensure that they have user-selectable profiles to prevent access to disallowed bands when using it in Singapore, for compliance reasons anda also because you generally don't want to be caught interfering channels being used by other licensees who might be paying for use of particular channels, if any.

For full details, refer to IMDA's Regulation Licensing and Consultations Telecommunication Standards document (dtd Aug 2021). It even specifies the maximum transmit power allowed (as low as 100mW in some cases).
Wow, that's very new to me. Great info, thank you!
The router is not a new nor imported one though, had been and is still working fine with all other devices in the household currently. Which is baffling me as it is only my PC that suddenly cannot connect to it entirely. Maybe it's just my adapter failing due to age..?

I would always plan to connect a PC via ethernet because it's not a device that's not expected to move about, unlike a laptop.

It also reduces unnecessary wireless congestion. In fact, all non-mobile devices should ideally be connected via ethernet for this reason.
Agreed and thanks for bringing up that point, I'm currently waiting for my flat and do intend to be on Ethernet connection for my PC once it comes (currently sharing with multiple members within household)
 

bert64

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Wow, that's very new to me. Great info, thank you!
The router is not a new nor imported one though, had been and is still working fine with all other devices in the household currently. Which is baffling me as it is only my PC that suddenly cannot connect to it entirely. Maybe it's just my adapter failing due to age..?


Agreed and thanks for bringing up that point, I'm currently waiting for my flat and do intend to be on Ethernet connection for my PC once it comes (currently sharing with multiple members within household)
Antenna connections (the device will have an internal antenna even if one isn't externally visible) can be very fragile, its possible it has become damaged resulting in the range being decreased. If it works using mobile hotspot, how far away can you move the phone before it disconnects?
 

TeethOfMidas

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after asus driver uninstall, reboot, and then when you bootup windows 10, win 10 will auto install default driver for your asus pce wifi card. you have 2 options from here :

1. continue to use the default windows 10 driver, it does not have any fancy UI or tweak settings, but it is very stable, so you can test whether you can connect to your router.
or
2. install the asus 2017 driver (it will overwrite the default windows driver)
It seems like there wasn't a default driver installed by Win10 as I've rebooted multiple times and it still only shows either Ethernet or Bluetooth (there's no trace of any wireless function currently)

Is there a way to manually install the default Win10 driver?
Similarly, is it possible to do manual installation for the ASUS driver without going through Device Manager?

The 2017 driver I downloaded and unzipped was a bunch of folders covering Win7/8/10/81/XP, and within the Win10 driver folder the files are of the formats .dll / .sys.

The 'types' of files are "Security Catalog", "Application Extension", "System File", "Setup Information"
There is no need to delete/uninstall the windows 10 driver after reboot.

If the device manager is not detecting your asus pce wifi card, that means you now have 2 options :
A. use system restore and restore it to a date earlier than when you first encountered the problem (12 oct ?)
B. power off, open up casing, remove the asus pce wifi card and insert it into another pci-e x4 or x1 slot. bootup and see whether it appears in device manager. If appears, then option 1 or 2 above.
My apologies, I'm unfamiliar with this, does the System Restore from (A) affect the data of offline files?
During the period my PC could not connect to the internet, I did some offline work on some files (editing pics, casual excel etc.)

I'll search on how to perform a System Restore in the meantime.

Will also try out (B).

if your motherboard only have one pci-e x1 slot (itx or Matx), power off, then you remove the asus pce wifi card, power on and bootup windows, then power off, re-insert the asus pce wifi card into the same slot, then check it in device manager and -> option 1 or 2
Not sure how many slots my motherboard has, I'll open it up and see.

Thanks for your suggestions and points so far!
 

TeethOfMidas

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Antenna connections (the device will have an internal antenna even if one isn't externally visible) can be very fragile, its possible it has become damaged resulting in the range being decreased. If it works using mobile hotspot, how far away can you move the phone before it disconnects?
I see! Hmm I can't try the hotspot connection now as my PC is now unable to detect the WiFi adapter after I've uninstalled it completely.

Trying to reinstall the wireless adapter before I can further test it out.
 
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