If you are having problems connecting your smartphone to wireless internet, you could be chewing through more data than you need to on your phone plan.
Going over your phone’s data plan can prove expensive, so you are better off getting to the root of the problem right away. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to solve your problem, for good.
The basics
There are some relatively simple reasons things have gone awry when you try to connect to your wifi, and you may as well rule these out first before progressing to the more technical tips. First, make sure that you have entered the password correctly for your secure wifi network. The password for your wifi will be case sensitive and most likely contain special characters, so make sure it is entered 100 per cent correctly.
Next, make sure you are trying to connect to the right network. Depending on your neighbours you may not be the only one with a Telstra or Optus network and you should make sure that you are actually trying to connect to the right network.
Other checks are making sure that you don’t have your device in airplane mode, and that your wifi is switched on. It is a simple mistake to turn your wifi off and not think to check it. Go into the settings of your phone and flick the wifi status bar to ‘on’ to solve your issue.
More complex problems
If your device is not recognising the available wifi network, you obviously have a bigger problem. If other devices are connecting to your wifi network without any problems, the issue may be the number of devices using the network. Try disconnecting a few of the other devices from the network, and see if that fixes the problem. Some wireless routers can only support a limited number of devices.
If your other devices are having problems connecting to the network, it is most likely the router or modem that is the issue. In this case, start by giving the router a reboot and if that doesn’t work, try restarting the modem.
If you are able to connect to your wifi but have no internet access, your first step should also be to reboot your modem or router.
The harder stuff
If your wifi problem is that you are constantly getting an ‘obtaining IP address’ message, you may not be able to fix the problem without some assistance. Fortunately, there are apps available to work through exactly this problem and get your wifi working as it should. Search for ‘Wifi fix’ and there are quite a few free applications that will be able to solve your problem. Make sure to check the reviews before installing any app.
One of the most frustrating issues can be when your wifi connects, but constantly drops in and out. This can be caused by some power-saving or networking apps. Sometimes you might notice the problem only occurred after you downloaded a certain app. If so, you will need to uninstall the app, shut down your phone and start it again to resolve the problem, or turn off the particular power-saving feature that you have used.
If problems persist, your phone either has a software glitch, a bug or even a virus and you may need to think about the ‘nuclear’ option – resetting your device. The most important thing is to save everything you need before performing the reset (contacts, pictures, videos, etc). Once you have done your reset, make sure you go through the set-up correctly, log in to your wifi connection, enter your details again and that should fix the problem. Your phone will be back to factory settings and you can now start the process of setting it all up again. You should only ever consider the reset as a last resort to your wifi problems.
Have you had a wifi problem that we haven’t mentioned here? How did you fix it?
Related articles:
How to increase your wifi signal with tinfoil
Finding free wifi overseas
Find free wifi wherever you are
