In this note we will talk about why WiFi constantly turns off on a Windows 10 laptop or with any other versions of this operating system (7,
and the Internet disappears. Let's consider cases when this concerns one network device and all of them at once. For Windows 10, there are only some additional options for troubleshooting the problem of turning off Wi-Fi, which I will mention, but otherwise the principle of search and resolution is identical.
Everything that I’m going to talk about now has been accumulated by me over the years of practice + I took some decisions from the comments of my readers. Thank you for that. Your comments describing how to solve a particular problem help other users too!
Disabling Power Saving Mode
I can't connect to this network - what should I do?
Sometimes, in order to save energy, the system may disable the wireless network adapter on the laptop. This happens when the battery charge is low. In this case, the laptop loses the network and it is not possible to re-establish it, since the module is disabled. To prevent the WiFi module from automatically turning off, you need to follow a few simple steps:
- Right-click on the Start menu to bring up the context menu. In it we find the item “Device Manager” and click on it.
- In the window that opens, look for the line “Network adapters”, expand it and find your WiFi module (as a rule, the word “Wireless” should appear in the name). Right-click on it to bring up properties.
- In the properties window, go to the “Power Management” tab and turn off the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save energy” option. Save the changed parameters and click on “OK”.
It is also recommended to activate the maximum performance mode. This is done as follows:
- Right-click on “Start” and select “Settings”.
- Click on the first icon – “System”.
- In the window that opens, go to the “Power and Sleep Mode” section. Next you need to expand the advanced options.
- Let's move on to setting up a balanced power supply scheme (or another activated scheme).
- Let's move on to advanced power options.
- In the window that opens, expand the “Wireless network adapter settings” item, and then “Power saving mode”. In both lines we set the maximum values.
This instruction is only suitable for laptops (for desktop computers, setting energy saving is pointless).
What causes Wi-Fi to turn off on a Windows 10 laptop?
Sometimes Wi-Fi disappears on a Windows 10 laptop due to common problems:
- Interference on the channel on which the Wi-Fi network operates.
- A weak wireless network signal occurs.
- Disabling the Wi-Fi adapter to save energy, Wi-Fi may disappear when you exit sleep mode.
- Unstable operation of the Wi-Fi adapter driver.
- Manifestations of problems in the operation of the router.
Wi-Fi adapter circuit
Router
At the router level, a malfunction may occur due to the following reasons:
- Problems in the power supply, since the power cable is poorly connected or damaged, the power supply may be defective or faulty.
- The Wi-Fi network may remain active, but Internet access will be lost. This occurs due to a poor connection or damage to the provider's network cable.
- Severe overheating, hardware failure of the Wi-Fi router.
- Problems with the router firmware. In this case, you can go into the device settings and check for the availability of new firmware. Often modern devices independently check the firmware and install it.
- In rare cases, insects may settle inside the router and create short circuits in the course of their activities.
Important! If the problem manifests itself on the part of the router or provider, the disconnection will occur not only on the laptop, but also on the phone and other gadgets.
On a phone, this problem may not be noticeable, since its mode automatically switches to the mobile network.
Indicator
In most cases, you can figure it out using a simple method that should be used if the Wi-Fi network is frequently disconnected. To determine this, you need to monitor the indicators of the Wi-Fi Internet network, local network and power on the router while working on the Internet. Using the following descriptions you can find out the cause of the problem:
- If all indicators go off, you should assume that the cause is power supply or hardware failure. Also, do not exclude the possibility of malfunctions caused by firmware with errors.
- If the indicators that are responsible for connecting the Internet or cable disappear, it is worth checking the operation of the wire, provider or firmware. The last option happens less often than those listed. This may also indicate a problem with the Internet connection settings on the router.
- If the Wi-Fi indicator goes out, there is most likely a hardware problem or a malfunction in the firmware. In this case, the network may crash and the laptop may turn off.
Indicator on a laptop
Distance of the connected device from the WiFi router
If the router is located far from the laptop, the signal may be unstable. Especially if the router is weak, and there are many obstacles between the devices in the form of walls and furniture. Metal barriers are especially harmful to signal strength: the signal does not pass through them well and is simply reflected. To achieve the most stable connection, you need to do the following:
- It is best to be as close to the router as possible. If the laptop is moved around an apartment, or even more so a private house, then moving the router would not be the best option. Especially if there are several laptops in the apartment. The best option would be to place the router in the center of the room at a height of 1-1.5 meters above the floor (mount it on the wall or place it on the table).
- Keep the router away from other sources of radiation, such as microwaves and cordless phones: they will interfere with the WiFi signal.
Uninstalling an antivirus
In some cases, the Internet does not work due to an antivirus, and very often Kaspersky Anti-Virus, namely Kaspersky Security Data Escort Adapter, interfered.
Therefore, you can remove this device; if it is not Kaspersky, then remove the antivirus completely to eliminate the possibility of it affecting the network connection. The best option would be to remove antivirus software through a special utility. Below we will provide links to utilities for removing the most popular antiviruses.
- Kaspersky - https://support.kaspersky.ru/1464
- Eset - https://www.esetnod32.ru/support/knowledge_base/solution/?ELEMENT_ID=852896
- Dr. Web - https://www.comss.ru/page.php?id=3613
- Avast – https://www.avast.ru/uninstall-utility
- AVG - https://www.comss.ru/page.php?id=3635
- Avira (no utility, but there are instructions) - https://www.avira.com/ru/support-for-home-knowledgebase-detail/kbid/902
Checking the connection
Try to check if the Internet is working, to do this, go to Network Connections (Win + R - ncpa.cpl). Make sure the adapter you are using to connect is not turned off.
If the network device is enabled, then click on the MCP for your connection and go to properties. Next, open the IP Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Component Properties and make sure that IP and DNS retrieval is set to automatic.
If your connection is made directly through the provider’s cable and to connect you need to set the IP address, Gateway and other network parameters set by the provider, this option will not help you.
In other cases, if your connection uses DHCP (dynamically obtaining an IP address and other network parameters), if the Internet does not work, this option may help.
Network reset
If the suggested options did not help restore the Internet, try doing a Network Reset. Go to Settings - Network and Internet - Status and at the very end of the page select Reset Network.
Reinstalling the WiFi adapter driver
Sometimes a new network adapter driver installed with a Windows update may not work correctly. In this case, it is recommended to reinstall the old driver, that is, rollback. Unfortunately, driver errors after updating are quite common in Windows 10.
Why doesn't my laptop see the WiFi network?
Instructions on how to update or roll back a driver using standard system tools:
- First of all, let's try to update the software. To do this, just download it from the manufacturer’s official website and install it. In this case, you need to select your system version (32 or 64 bit).
- If the problem is precisely the new driver itself, you need to roll it back. Open “Device Manager” through the “Start” context menu.
- In the window, find the item “Network adapters” and find the one whose name contains the word “Wireless”. Right-click on it and select “Properties” from the context menu.
- In the window that opens, select the “Driver” section at the top and click on the “Update” item.
- In the next window, select “Search on your computer.”
- Uncheck the “Only compatible devices” checkbox and select the previous version of the driver that was installed earlier.
- After reinstallation, you need to restart Windows and try to reconnect to the network. Check if the problem is still there.
Main conclusions
Thus, if WiFi constantly turns off on a Windows 10 laptop or with other versions of the OS, then the problem may not only be in a specific device, but also in the router itself or even the Internet provider. It's not always easy to figure this out on your own.
But if it is a specific device (smartphone or laptop, for example) that is to blame, which is very easy to check, then the solutions described above should help if everything is done exactly as stated in my instructions.
By the way, if the problem is not in the laptop, but in the phone, then there is little we can do here, because there is no such flexibility of settings as in desktop operating systems. The most important thing is to check that VPN and other applications related to connecting to the network are not installed.
In the comments below, please write to me which of the listed methods you managed to overcome the problem. If you found another option during your search, please also let me know. I will add the material to the note and thereby you will help other readers!
