Wireless network troubleshooter

Perform an initial connection check

In this step you will check some basic information about your wireless network connection. This is to make sure that your networking problem isn’t caused by a relatively simple issue, like the wireless connection being turned off, and to prepare for the next few troubleshooting steps.

  1. Make sure that your laptop is not connected to a wired internet connection.

  2. If you have an external wireless adapter (such as a USB adapter, or a PCMCIA card that plugs into your laptop), make sure that it is firmly inserted into the proper slot on your computer.

  3. If your wireless card is inside your computer, make sure that the wireless switch is turned on (if it has one). Laptops often have wireless switches that you can toggle by pressing a combination of keyboard keys.

  4. Open the system menu from the right side of the top bar and select the Wi-Fi network, then select Wi-Fi Settings. Make sure that the Wi-Fi switch is set to on. You should also check that Airplane Mode is not switched on.

  5. Open the Terminal, type nmcli device and press Enter.

    This will display information about your network interfaces and connection status. Look down the list of information and see if there is an item related to the wireless network adapter. If the state is connected, it means that the adapter is working and connected to your wireless router.

If you are connected to your wireless router, but you still cannot access the internet, your router may not be set up correctly, or your Internet Service Provider (ISP) maybe experiencing some technical problems. Review your router and ISP setup guides to make sure the settings are correct, or contact your ISP for support.

If the information from nmcli device did not indicate that you were connected to the network, click Next to proceed to the next portion of the troubleshooting guide.