Cannot see own wireless network but can see others around me

Anonymous
2021-06-27T02:56:35+00:00

Hi all,

Seemingly after last Windows update (though I'm not sure) I cannot see my own wireless network on my home laptop. I can see all the networks of my neighbors, but not my own.

I can see it and connect to my wireless network with my Work laptop. My partner can see it and connect to it with her two laptops and her smartphone.

I checked the wireless network adapter (Realtek RTL8723AE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC) and when I click Properties and then Configure, the General tab says "This device is working properly." However, when I look at the icon in the Control Panel under Network Connections there is a big red X next to the Wi-Fi icon and it says "Not Connected".

When I click the Diagnose button the result is "You have not chosen to connect to any of the available networks" (and I can't since I don't know the security keys for those networks). Then skipping to the next step, the next window says "None of the networks you have previously connected to are in range"

Any advice?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Internet and connectivity

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  1. franco d'esaro 25,086 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2021-07-01T18:37:54+00:00

    Hi,

    It is indifferent, proceed with the latest suggestions I have given you and then let me know.

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-07-01T19:22:07+00:00

    Hi Franco,

    I turned off 5ghz band and disabled Bluetooth. Checked connections and no sign of SSID

    So tried your second suggestion, configured a hotspot on my partner's phone, turned off router. I was able to see the hotspot and able to connect to it, and access a couple of web pages (Amazon, etc.)

    Turned the router back on, and went to router set-up (I was unable to access it until I connected by Ethernet) and went to Wi-Fi settings, see below. The main page is where you see the Channel and Channel width. Both are on auto. I did click on the Advanced settings tab and have posted that image below this one.

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  3. franco d'esaro 25,086 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2021-07-02T09:03:32+00:00

    Hi PeterY61 ,

    there is some incompatibility between your wi-fi adapter and the router. Your wi-fi adapter works fine with other wi-fi networks but not with your router.

    We can still do some testing but if it doesn't work, the simplest solution is to buy a wi-fi usb dongle.

    Go to the Wi-Fi Settings> 2.4 Ghz Band> Channel width page, expand the drop-down menu and post the screenshot.

    Then click on the Advanced tab, set Node Steering and Client Steering to OFF.

    I noticed that Channel is set to AUTO, did you reset it to AUTO or did the router rempost it?

    Did you buy the router or did your Privider provide it to you? What is the make and model?

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-07-03T18:18:19+00:00

    Hi Franco,

    There are only two options in the drop-down men: Auto or 20mhz, see screenshot showing 20mhz. I changed it back to auto after taking the screenshot.

    Then I set Node Steering and Client Steering to OFF. That didn't change anything. I restarted the laptop. I did not shut off and restart router or modem (if that would make a difference?) The channel has been set to Auto since the start, except when I tried changing to channels to 1 or 6 or 11 previously. But when none of those worked, I set it back to auto.

    Yes, I bought the router recently to replace a previous 10-year old LinkSYS router (WRT54GL) which had been working but whenever I or my partner connected wirelessly to my SSID we kept getting a pop-up message that the security protocol (I can't remember exact wording) was out of date. But the last time I connected wirelessly was in April, I think. I usually use the ethernet connection in my office otherwise. I contacted LinkSYS about 3 weeks ago and tried to figure out the problem but no luck and could not connect wirelessly. So bought the new router. It's a MR7350. My modem is a Aztech DSL605EU if that info is of any use.

    One other thought I just had. Could there also be an issue with the type of internet connection (ie. between Automatic Configuration - DHCP or possibly I should be configured using PPPoe, etc. Would I check with my ISP?

    Thanks again,

    Peter

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  5. franco d'esaro 25,086 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2021-07-04T08:23:08+00:00

    Hi PeterY61 ,

    reset Node Steering and Client Steering to ON.

    -Go to Settings> Network and Internet> Wi-Fi, click on the side on Manage known networks, select all the network profiles present and then choose Cancel storage. Try again.

    -Go to the router> Wi-Fi Settings> 2.4 GHz band> Security mode, temporarily disable the security key, then check if with the network open you can detect the SSID of your router.

    -Go to Device Manager> network adapters, select your wi-fi adapter, click on the Advanced tab, post a complete screenshot of the list of all available properties of the adapter. PeterY61 , your new router, Linksys MR7350, adopts the latest Wi-Fi 6 802.11 AX standard while your wi-fi adapter adopts an outdated Wi-Fi 4 802.11N standard, so there may not be perfect compatibility between the 2 standards wi-fi even if the router specifications show backward compatibility with lower wi-fi standards.

    This feature of backward compatibility with lower-class wi-fi devices is not always satisfied by new routers. If it's such a problem, you need to change your laptop's wi-fi hardware by replacing the Realtek RTL8723AE wi-fi adapter with another Dual-band wi-fi adapter that supports at least the 802.11ac / ax standard.

    The type of internet connection, PPPoE, dhcp autoconfiguration or your ISP do not matter.

    Otherwise, the simplest solution is to purchase a Dual-band 802.11 ac / ax wi-fi usb dongle.

    Post the models of the wi-fi adapters of the 2 laptops of your partner.

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