Android connects to Wi-Fi network but has no internet

Does your Android smartphone connect to your Wi-Fi network but for some reason it cannot browse or use the internet? Here are some things that you can do to try and fix it.

Smartphone vs. Network

Since this issue can be caused by quite a few things this guide is going to include advice for troubleshooting both your Android smartphone and your Wi-Fi network and will begin with the more commonly successful solutions for resolving this problem and will proceed from there.

Make sure to follow all of the advice suggested in this guide. Different causes may require different methods of troubleshooting in order to get to the root of problem and prevent this from happening further.

The most likely reasons why this is happening

This is most often the result of a problem on or with the Wi-Fi network itself and NOT an issue with the phone. If other devices are able to connect to the Wi-Fi network and seem to be working properly this can (and often is) still the result of a network related problem.

To find out for sure then you can try using your smartphone on another network. If your cell phone can connect to and access the internet with other Wi-Fi networks without any issues then you might be able to hold off on troubleshooting your phone for Wi-Fi issues for the time being and concentrate on troubleshooting the Wi-Fi network that seems to be having problems as it is likely the reason for not having an internet connection.

But we’ll get to all that a little later. Chances are good that the advice listed below will work and with any luck it should solve this internet issue with your Androids Wi-Fi connection quickly and with minimal fuss.

Soft reset the network

Performing a soft reset on your Wi-Fi network should be the first thing that you try when troubleshooting this issue, especially if this just suddenly happened for no logical reason and your phone was working fine and then just suddenly lost its internet connection.

A soft reset of your network is a common solution and can often help fix the internet on your Android phone and luckily there is no loss of data whatsoever.

Simply unplug the power cable from your router/modem wait 30 seconds to a minute and then plug the power cord back into the router/modem. It may take a few minutes for the network to start up again so give it 2-5 minutes to make sure everything was able to boot up as it’s supposed to and then check your cell phone to see if the internet is working or not.

If it is then enjoy your working internet and don’t forget to share or like this article at the bottom of this guide… if this didn’t help and your smartphone is still having trouble accessing the internet then continue with the troubleshooting suggestions listed below.

Soft reset your cell phone

If rebooting your network didn’t help then try rebooting your phone. Simply select the restart option or choose to turn it off entirely and then boot it up normally. After it reboots then test to see if the internet has started working properly or not.

If not then try performing a soft reset on the device by removing the battery while the unit is powered on, then wait for a minute, re-insert the battery, and start up the phone. Now not every Android smartphone has a removable battery so if your battery is built into your phone and it is non-removable then you can skip the physical battery pull as maybe your device allows a simulated battery pull instead. Just don’t forget to power cycle your device one way or the other. Turn it off and then turn it on.

Check your browser and home page

Make sure that you verify that your internet is in fact malfunctioning as opposed to an issue with your web browser or even worse a problematic home page.

Open your web browser and in the address bar (where it shows what web page you are on) type in the URL of a website that you KNOW is working. I suggest typing in https://www.google.com/ or simply google.com (don’t forget to press the Enter or Search key after you have finished typing the URL in order to load the page).

If the webpage ends up loading successfully and you can perform a search through the Google search engine then that is a great sign as it indicates that there is not a problem with your phone or its internet but it’s an issue with the web page your phone is trying to load by default. Changing your phones default home page should fix this little hiccup and it will no longer appear like the internet is malfunctioning on your cell phone.

Check and consider your applications

Try to remember when this issue started happening. When did your smartphone begin to have trouble connecting to the internet? Around that time had you downloaded or updated any application(s)? If so then make sure to check that app to make sure that no new updates are available for it and if necessary try uninstalling it to see if it resolves the issue. If removing the app from the phone fixes the problem then the problem is the result of the app and you will need to proceed accordingly.

Security applications

If you have an application on your phone that acts as a security application such as an antivirus, a virus scanner, firewall etc. then you should definitely check that application to see if it needs to be reconfigured as it might be blocking your phone from accessing the internet properly.

If you can’t seem to locate the proper setting to adjust or the proper configuration for your device and network then try, if only temporarily, to uninstall that application from your phone to see if it is the cause of the problem.

If you uninstall it and your phones internet starts working properly again then you may need to contact the app developer to see if they could recommend or guide you through configuring their apps settings in order for everything to work as it should. It might be as simple as checking or un-checking one of the available security options or features for your device.

Check the Wi-Fi timer

Make sure that the Wi-Fi timer under your Advanced Wi-Fi Settings on your phone is switched “OFF”.

To access this feature open your phones Settings > tap Wi-Fi > tap the Menu key > select Advanced > and under Wi-Fi timer make sure the switch is OFF.

Forget the network

Disclaimer

Before trying this next suggestion, make sure that you know or have access to your networks login information (such as the network password) as you will need to log onto the network again.

If you are not sure what your networks password is or what you would need to use to log back into your network then you can skip this portion of troubleshooting for the moment and then once you have that information available you can proceed with this step in troubleshooting. Don’t just skip this step entirely though as it could help to fix the internet on your phone.

How to forget your phones network

Access the Settings on your Android smartphone and look for the Wi-Fi option (its often located under the “Connections” tab within the phones Settings). Tap Wi-Fi to open some additional settings and then look for the name of the Wi-Fi network that you are having trouble with. You can simply Tap (or Tap and hold in some cases) on that network which should give you an option to Forget or Forget network.  Go ahead and tap on that selection in order to instruct your phone to forget that network and all of its current settings.

Before you log back into your network I suggest that you reboot both your phone and your networks router/modem first. Once everything is back up and running access the Wi-Fi option on your phone again, find the network again, and then try connecting to it once again.

Once your cell phone is connected to the Wi-Fi network try to access the internet to see if it’s working properly.

Check the time and date

This is a strange little bug that may be causing problems but make sure that the time and date on your smartphone, your modem and wireless router all match the date and time of your ISP (Internet Service Provider).

If you are unsure how to do this then you may need to contact your ISP just to verify that everything on your network is configured correctly.

Use a Static IP as opposed to the DHCP

This process may be a little different depending on what version of Android your phone is running on but typically you can open your phones Settings > tap Wi-Fi > press the Menu key > tap and hold your finger down on the desired network which you want to setup a static IP address on (aka the network your having problems with) until some additional option pops up > tap on Modify network config > make sure that the Show advanced options setting is selected > under IP settings make sure that Static and not DHCP is selected > complete the fields that pop up using your networks current configuration > then click Save.

If you would like to view a step by step example with pictures on how to do this then you might find How to setup a static IP on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone helpful and informative.

Download a Wi-Fi App

I don’t often suggest downloading applications in order to resolve problems on a smartphone as downloading these types of applications can often cause more problems than they solve but for this specific problem downloading an app designed to help solve Wi-Fi related problems can help streamline the troubleshooting process and hopefully save you from an unnecessary headache.

You can locate one of these applications by visiting the Google Play Store and performing a search for “WiFi fix”. You should be able to locate quite a few free applications that can help configure your phone for you. The application WiFix by mHotspot is an application that can help solve this issue and has some pretty positive reviews.

Troubleshoot your Wi-Fi network (Advanced Troubleshooting)

If you have tried all of the suggestions listed above and your Android smartphone still refuses to connect to the internet properly then you will likely need to look into adjusting and configuring some of the settings on your wireless network.

This might include the network password, MAC address filtering, changing the Channel, adjusting your networks security settings and protocols (more specifically using WEP vs. WPA), network Mode(s), etc. For an in-depth guide on these topics I recommend reviewing How to troubleshoot a Wi-Fi network for an Android smartphone.

Troubleshooting the Wi-Fi on your cell phone

If your phone continues to have issues with the internet after following all of the advice listed above and after troubleshooting the network itself (unlikely) then you should move on to troubleshooting the phone itself.

Check out How to fix the Wi-Fi on an Android smartphone for more detailed instructions regarding how to troubleshoot an Android smartphone for Wi-Fi related issues.

Recap and conclusion

So if your Android is able to connect to a Wi-Fi network but isn’t able to establish an internet connection you should:

  • Soft reset the network – unplug the power cord from your router/modem for a minute or two and then plug it back in. Then wait for the network to fully reboot.
  • Soft reset the smartphone – power your phone off and on and if possible try to pull the battery.
  • Check the home page – make sure to verify that your internet is in fact malfunctioning by attempting to visit another website through your web browser.
  • Check your applications – if you recently downloaded, updated or changed an app on your android then check to make sure that app is not causing mischief.
  • Review any Security applications – verify that any security applications are not causing any problems as well.
  • Check the Wi-Fi timer – make sure that the Wi-Fi timer on your Android is switched off.
  • Forget the network – try to forget the Wi-Fi network and then log into it again as if logging into it for the first time.
  • Check the time and date – make sure that the time and date of your phone, network devices and ISP (Internet Service Provider) all match.
  • Use a Static IP instead of DHCP – setup a static IP as opposed to using the default DHCP configuration.
  • Download a Wi-Fi App – Since the Wi-Fi internet on your phone is not functioning properly you will need to use your phones mobile data or you will need to do this through a PC but consider installing an app intended to help fix Wi-Fi issues such as this one.
  • Troubleshoot your Wi-Fi network – if the advice above proves ineffective then look into accessing your networks settings to make sure that everything is configured properly.
  • Troubleshooting the cell phone itself – even though this particular Wi-Fi issue is usually the result of a problem on the Wi-Fi network as opposed to an issue with the phone if all other troubleshooting had been unsuccessful then you may need to look into troubleshooting the phone itself.

Thanks for reading

I hope that you found the advice listed in this guide instructive and hope that you were able to use the advice listed above in order to get your Android to connect to both the Wi-Fi network as well as the internet.

If you enjoyed the article or at least found the advice listed on this site helpful or informative then don’t forget to share it with others by pressing the Facebook Like or Google + buttons and don’t hesitate to also leave a friendly remark in the comment section below.

Thanks again and I hope you have a fantastic day.

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6 thoughts on “Android connects to Wi-Fi network but has no internet”

  1. Thank you!!
    I was losing my mind trying to figure out how to fix this. I gave up, search on my PC and found this. Soft reset and everything is great again. Thank you so very, very much!!!!!

  2. Worked Well
    I did a soft reset of the network and then the internet started working. Then I had to reset the time and date on the android device and then I could use the app store. Thanks for the article!

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