I've been struggling for a couple of days with my computer not connecting to my home WiFi. It's super frustrating because all my other devices connect just fine. Here are the steps I've already tried: restarting the router, using and then deleting a VPN, doing a network reset, running various commands in CMD like ipconfig/release, ipconfig/renew, and more, uninstalling and reinstalling the WiFi driver, setting a manual DNS, checking if my PC was paused with my ISP, and changing the MAC address. I even verified everything at the router's IP address. The Windows troubleshooter keeps saying 'default gateway not available.' The strangest part is that my computer connects to the internet without issues when using a hotspot. I'm lost and really need some help!
1 Answer
It sounds like your WiFi and router are functioning well since all other devices connect properly. This issue seems related to how your PC is communicating with the router. The "No internet, secured" message typically points to a problem reaching the router. I'd suggest checking a couple of things:
1. Run `ipconfig /all` in CMD and check if you're receiving a proper IP address from the router. If the gateway info looks strange or is missing, that's likely the culprit.
2. You might want to set a static IP address manually on your PC (something like 192.168.0.50 with gateway as 192.168.0.1 and DNS 1.1.1.1). If that works, you may have a DHCP issue.
3. Disable IPv6 on your adapter settings as it can sometimes cause conflicts.
4. Also check your adapter settings: turn off random hardware addresses, set the band to 2.4 GHz for testing, and try downgrading the WiFi driver if possible.
After changing the MAC address, consider rebooting your router as it might be caching old data for that MAC. It’s likely either a gateway or DHCP issue or maybe a driver incompatibility with your router.
I went through all your suggestions and the only thing that finally worked for me was switching the band to 2.4 GHz. Any idea why that was the fix?