I've been using Debian on my HP notebook for about two years without any wifi issues, but recently I've started experiencing problems connecting to my network. Sometimes I get connected with no internet access, and other times I can't connect at all. It's definitely an issue with my laptop since everything works fine on Windows. I also noticed that my local IP changed about a month ago, and I've already tried reinstalling the drivers to no avail. Any suggestions on what could be causing this?
4 Answers
Honestly, it sounds like your network card might be on its last legs. I had something similar happen, and switching to a USB adapter fixed my issue. Just to be safe, try that and see if it makes a difference!
It might be a sign that your network card is failing. To narrow it down, try using a USB wireless adapter to see if the problem persists. If it works fine with that, then you know it’s likely a hardware issue with your internal card.
I already booted up Windows to check, and everything works perfectly there, so I doubt it's a hardware issue.
Consider checking if the fast boot feature in Windows is enabled. It can sometimes cause issues with networking on Linux because it keeps some drivers loaded even when you switch back to Linux.
Really? How can I check that?
First, check your system logs in Linux using dmesg to see if there are any error messages. You should also look at your router logs as they might provide some clues. Make sure you’re using DHCP, and verify that your MAC address stays the same in both Windows and Linux. If your IP has changed, it could hint at a configuration issue rather than a hardware fault.
That's what I'm worried about too, but since it works fine in Windows, I think it's more of a Linux-specific issue.