PC with Wifi Adapter will not connect to a particular network

GregH · 19 Aug 2022

Hello,

I have a desktop PC running Windows 10 Home with a new USB Wi-Fi adapter. This adapter can see all the surrounding Wi-Fi networks and hotspots and can connect to all of them except one. The one it refuses to connect to is the one I need it to connect to.

It shows a good reception signal (dot and 2/3 bars) to the Wi-Fi Router but after selecting this network and entering the passcode, it comes up with a message 'Can't connect to this network'. The Wi-Fi passcode is definitely entered correctly.

Done the usual things like rebooting Router and PC, letting Windows run a network fault diagnosis. I am able to ping the Router IP address from this PC.

So I know the Router is working and connected to the internet and we know the USB Wi-Fi Adapter is working as it can connect through hotspots and it can see all the local Wi-Fi connections including the one it refuses to connect to. So I am presuming this is a local PC issue.

Prior to this the only thing that happened was a USB printer was connected to a different USB port. That printer / driver has since been removed but the problem remains. That may just be a coincidence though. This is a work PC so it is running Eset AV. I have not tried disabling that.

Any ideas appreciated. Tx!

Berton · 19 Aug 2022

I carry an Ethernet cable in my toolkit and a Notebook when making house calls just for the purpose of verifying the ability to gain Internet access, helps to narrow down whether the problem is with the OS or hardware. One issue, especially with older devices, is whether the Wireless is 2G or 5G, newer Routers have both but the computer's adapter has to have the capability of one or the other, usually has both but depends upon the age of the device. Same goes for the USB dongles.

Samuria · 19 Aug 2022

What encryption does it use and how old is the adapter often if its modern encryption some old adapters cant understand. I quick test would remove encryption from the router and see if it connects

Try3 · 19 Aug 2022

Greg,

If your WiFi adapter can see the network concerned then it has the 2.4GHz/5.0GHz/5.8GHz capability required. And do note that this does not mean the same as "2G", "5G", terms which refer to mobile data capabilities.
Whatever your problem is, it lies elsewhere.

I suggest temporarily disabling your antimalware application as an experiment.
I once had BitDefender refusing to use one specific WiFi adapter without bothering to tell me so I just thought I had connection/password problems at first.

I agree that considering the security type is worthwhile & that temporarily turning encryption off would be a useful experiment.
This is one of the parameters reported by NirSoft WiFiInfoView but you should be able to check everything in your router specs anyway.

PC with Wifi Adapter will not connect to a particular network-wifiinfoview-window.png

Denis