If your Netgear wireless adapter won’t connect to internet, we have the best solution for you!
Since we found many users complaining about this frustrating issue, today we are going to bring upon the best fixes we’ve managed to find throughout the internet!
To fix your adapter, first, ensure you have a reliable flowing internet connection and proceed with rebooting/power cycling your router. Then use a different USB slot for your adapter, ensure you have installed the correct drivers, and then reboot your device.
You would be more successful at troubleshooting if you first get to know the causes for this malfunction a little better.
So, let’s take a look!
Why is Netgear Wireless Adapter Not Connecting To Internet?
It’s good to note that wireless adapters are not the most reliable option for providing your PC with internet, since they cause a lot of outages.
If you’ve used your Netgear adapter for a long time, it is possible that it has developed issues by default, and you will be unable to do anything about it.
But nonetheless, here are all possible causes that might have impacted your Netgear wireless adapter’s functionality.
1. Faulty USB Slot
If the USB slot you have the adapter plugged into has a malfunction, the adapter won’t work either.
2. No Internet Connection
If you don’t have an internet connection or network, the adapter won’t be able to scan and connect.
3. Problem with Router
Potential router issues might also cause interferences with your Netgear wireless adapter, making it unresponsive.
4. Bad Drivers
Outdated drivers will stop your wireless adapter from working until further notice.
5. Problem with Adapter
Lastly, hardware issues with the adapter itself, will also prevent it from connecting to your network.
Now that you know the causes a little better, let’s proceed to the troubleshooting part of this post and get rid of your issue as soon as possible.
How To Fix Netgear Wireless Adapter Won’t Connect To Internet Issue?
Before we proceed any further, try rebooting your router to see if that will help. Sometimes whenever your internet connection is compromised, the adapter will disconnect, deceiving that there is something wrong with the device.
Once you’re ready with the restart and the issue is still there, you can proceed with our first fix suggestion.
Fix #1 Use A Different USB Slot
First, you should plug your Netgear wireless adapter into a different USB slot. Over time, USB slots may develop issues, making the device that is plugged into them frequently go through outages.
Simply choose another USB slot on the back of your PC and plug it there to see if that will help. You will also have to go through the recognition process again and re-establish the adapter.
Note: Use a USB slot that is in the back of your PC and not the front. Many users suggested that the front USB slots might malfunction twice as quickly compared to the ones on the back.
Fix #2 Troubleshoot Internet Connection
Another reason for your adapter to go unresponsive is the missing internet connection. If there is no network your adapter can pair to, it will automatically disconnect and you will be left wondering what happened to your internet.
Tip: To figure out whether you have an internet connection or not, check through any other device in your household that is connected to your network.
Once you’ve checked for your internet connection, you can generally try two things to fix your internet.
Power Cycle Your Router
To power cycle your router, follow the steps below:
- Power off your router and unplug the power adapter.
- Wait for at least 5 minutes.
- Plug the power adapter and turn on your router.
Reset Your Router (Data-Loss)
On the back of your Netgear router, there is a pin-hole in which is located the small reset button. If you reach inside and hold that button, it will revert ALL router settings by their default and erase any personal configurations.
Pro Tip: Take images of your WiFi settings so you can recover them easily after the reset is done.
Here is how to perform a reset on your Netgear router:
- Reach inside the pin-hole using a sharp object (needle, paperclip, or pen).
- Hold the reset button until the lights go out.
- Release the reset button and wait.
Be patient as the reset might take about 10 minutes. Once ready, set up your network using the backup images that you’ve created before you start, and you’ll be ready to test.
Fix #3 Inspect Netgear Adapter’s Drivers
Whenever a Netgear wireless adapter won’t connect to internet there could be a corrupted, wrong, or outdated driver.
If you’ve updated your Windows lately, it is possible that your current drivers don’t work on that version of Windows, and you must update them.
To exclude this possibility, you’ll need to update the driver manually:
- Go to the official Netgear website.
- Insert your specific Netgear router model.
- Download & Install the most recent driver that appears.
- Restart your machine.
- Test.
If your Netgear wireless adapter is still unable to connect you can confidently proceed to our next solution.
Fix #4 Run Windows Network Wizard
You can try running the network troubleshooter to see if that will manage to get your adapter connected back to your router.
To run the network troubleshooter, you can follow the steps down below.
- Enter the Control panel from the start menu.
- Select the Network And Internet tab.
- Then, head to Network and sharing.
- Then click on Identify and repair network problems.
There are only two outcomes here. The troubleshooting wizard will either tell you that there is nothing wrong or locate the exact cause and try to resolve it. If this does not help, let’s move to our third fix method.
Note: In case the troubleshooter says that there is no input for your adapter, then that means your device has gone faulty. On any other occasion, you will be reviewing your network.
Fix #5 Set Up New Wireless Connection
If nothing has worked for you so far, then maybe deleting and setting up a brand-new wireless connection might work.
Note: If you set up a new wireless connection, this will delete all configurations you have made on the device so far. Make sure to save anything you want to keep from being erased before making the new connection.
To set up a brand-new wireless connection, go to the device manager and erase your current wireless connection with the adapter.
Then, Windows should automatically scan for your device and run you through the establishing process once again.
Fix #6 Flush DNS
This method will completely reset your Internet connection and hopefully get your adapter connected. This method is usually applied whenever there is an IP conflict troubling the whole workflow.
Here is how to flush your Windows PC DNS:
- Right-click the Start Menu.
- Type “CMD” in the search field.
- When the Command Prompt appears, right-click on it and Run as Administrator.
- Once the CMD opens type “ipconfig flushdns” and hit Enter.
- Then type “ipconfig /registerdns” and press Enter.
- Next type “ipconfig /release” and press Enter.
- Then, type “ipconfig /renew” and confirm with Enter.
- Lastly, type “netsh winsock reset” and press Enter.
- Restart your PC.
Once ready, test if your wireless adapter will finally connect and if not, go ahead and reach out to your service provider for additional assistance.
To fix a Netgear adapter that cannot pair with your connection, you can first try power cycling both your device and router, check for new drivers, and run the network troubleshooter. Then you can try to set up a new connection, and if it does not work flush your DNS.
Read Next: Fix Netgear Router Not Recognizing Ethernet Cable
Bottom Line:
Now that you know how to fix your Netgear wireless adapter won’t connect to internet, you should be able to easily do it while advising with our guide.
If you had difficulties executing any of our methods, you can try again, as there is nothing you can go wrong with!
Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites.