My Lenovo ThinkPad L380 Yoga running Windows can see nearby Wi‑Fi networks and appears to connect to them, but every connection shows "No Internet" and nothing loads. This happens with multiple home routers, phone hotspots, and USB tethering, so it doesn't seem limited to one network. I also reinstalled Windows while keeping my files and applications, but the problem remained. What should I check to determine whether this is a driver, network configuration, security software, or hardware issue?
4 Answers
Start with the basics in Command Prompt by running `ipconfig`. Check whether the Wi‑Fi adapter received an IPv4 address, a default gateway, and DNS servers. If the IP address or gateway is missing, the adapter isn’t getting a proper network configuration. If those are present, try pinging the gateway and then a public IP such as 8.8.8.8 to narrow down whether the problem is the connection or DNS.
Temporarily check security software, especially third-party antivirus or firewall programs. Some of them block every new network until it’s scanned or marked as trusted. Make sure the network is set as trusted and that automatic connection is enabled, or briefly disable the third-party firewall for testing.
Try connecting through Ethernet with a USB-to-RJ45 adapter or the appropriate dongle. If wired internet works, use Lenovo Vantage to install the latest Wi‑Fi, chipset, and network drivers. You can also remove the Wi‑Fi adapter in Device Manager and let Windows reinstall it after restarting.
Booting from a Linux live USB is a useful test. If Wi‑Fi works normally in Linux, the hardware is probably fine and the issue is within Windows, its drivers, or network settings. If it fails there too, the wireless card or antenna may be the problem.
The networks appear in the list, but the laptop still can’t actually get online after connecting. I’ll use the Linux test to see whether Windows is the cause.