Wi-Fi trouble is one of the more maddening laptop issues, mostly because it's not always clear whether the laptop, the router, or something in between is to blame. A methodical check usually narrows it down quickly.
Worth trying first
- Check whether other devices have the same trouble. If your phone or another laptop connects fine on the same network, the issue likely sits with this particular machine.
- Restart both the laptop and the router. It sounds simple because it genuinely resolves a surprising number of connection hiccups.
- Move closer to the router. Walls, distance and interference all affect signal strength more than people expect.
- Update your network drivers. An outdated driver is one of the most common, and most overlooked, causes of patchy Wi-Fi.
Signs it's a hardware issue
- The connection drops consistently in the same spots, regardless of the network
- Wi-Fi performance is noticeably worse than it was a few months ago
- The laptop struggles to detect networks that other devices pick up easily
- The issue followed a knock, drop, or spill
If it's still playing up
Bring it in and we'll check the antenna, the wireless card, and the connections between them — then explain plainly what we find, free of charge, before any work begins.