Why can't my laptop find any hotspots?
Asked by
CuriousCat42
I'm having trouble with my laptop that has an Intel Wireless-N 7260 Wi-Fi card. It just won't find any hotspots. I've tried connecting it to my phone, my wife's phone, and several friends' phones, but none of them show up. The laptop can connect to my regular Wi-Fi network without any issues, but it refuses to recognize any mobile hotspots from both Android and Apple devices. Interestingly, my phone can connect to my wife's hotspot, and she can connect to mine. For context, I'm broadcasting from my phone at both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
Answers
Have you tried setting your hotspot to only use the 2.4 GHz band? That could help your laptop with connectivity, especially since it increases compatibility, particularly with iPhones.
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It sounds like your Wi-Fi card might be having some trouble with newer Wi-Fi standards. That Intel Wireless-N 7260 can struggle to detect Wi-Fi 6 or 7 networks if it doesn’t have the latest driver. Unfortunately, Intel has stopped hosting those driver downloads, which complicates things a bit.
HelpfulHarry88: My phone is definitely set to broadcast at both 2.4 and 5 GHz.
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CuriousCat42: Yes, it’s set to 2.4 GHz.