Get Connected: What to Do If Your Tablet Won’t Connect to Wifi

You excitedly log on to your tablet to surf the net. Or, maybe you’re feeling extra productive and are using your tablet to crank out some work.

But, once you log on, you immediately notice that your tablet is taking forever to connect to the internet. Or worse, it’s not even attempting to make an internet connection.

You need the internet to get some important work done, (or check out some important cat videos, whichever) so now you’re starting to get annoyed and maybe even a little bit panicked.

But, not to worry, there are plenty of troubleshooting options for when your tablet won’t connect to WiFi.

Check out this guide to learn more.

1. Your WiFi is Turned Off

Your connectivity problem could be as simple as your WiFi being turned off without you noticing.

So, first things first, make sure your WiFi is turned on. To do this you should:

• Access your quick settings by swiping down from the top of the screen
• Depending on the version of your tablet, things may be set up a bit differently, but typically the WiFi icon is bright green when it’s enabled
• Simply tap the icon if it’s green and you’ll be good to go

Another way to connect if your WiFi is turned on is to go to your Settings. Once you’re in your Settings, click on the WiFi. If it’s enabled, you should see the blue Wifi symbol. It also will typically say “Connected” below.

If you don’t see the word connected, this typically means that your WiFi is turned on but you’re not connected to a network.

To connect to a network, just tap the one of your choice and then hit connect. If it’s a secured network, you’ll also need to enter a password.

Pro Tip: In order to protect your data and your personal privacy, we recommend only connecting to secured networks.

2. WiFi is On But You Don’t Have a Network Connection

Of course, there’s also the possibility that your WiFi is on but you haven’t established a network connection.

Keep in mind, your tablet will only automatically connect to a WiFi network if it’s previously been connected to it.

So, if your tablet doesn’t remember the network or has never been connected to it here’s what you need to do:

• Go to Settings and then click “WiFi”
• Tap on the network you wish to connect to
• If the network is secured, enter the password (remember these are always case sensitive and that you can be locked out for too many attempts, so make sure you actually know it)
• If you’ve done everything correctly, the network status will change to “Connected” within a matter of seconds

3. You’ve Entered the Wrong Password

Sometimes, our tablets don’t connect to WiFi because they don’t remember the right password.

So, if you want to connect to a network but you don’t get the password right and you think your tablet still has it stored in its memory, what do you do?

Here’s what you need to do in this situation”

• Begin by taking a look at the type of error your tablet says it’s experiencing
• To do this, you should turn your WiFi on and see what happens when you try to connect to a network
• If your tablet doesn’t remember the correct credentials, then you’ll see the message “Authentification failed”
• If this happens, click on your desired network and then hit “Forget”
• Now, tap on the network again and re-enter the correct password
• If entered correctly, the status should now change to “Connected”
• You should also see the WiFi icon at the top of your screen

4. You’re Not Within Range of a WiFi Network

If your tablet won’t connect to WiFi, there’s also a chance that you’re not within range of a network.

If the network is not available within your range, your tablet will just keep scanning and scanning (that is, if the WiFi is turned on).

So, how do you check to make sure you’re within range of a network?

Here’s what you need to do:

• Go to “Settings” and then “WiFi” (Seeing a pattern here?) and look at the list of networks that are available
• If your WiFi network isn’t in range, then it won’t appear on this list
• Being out of range typically means that you’re not close enough to the router or that your router is switched off
• Check your router or move closer to it to see if that fixes the problem

Typically, if you’re more than 150 feet away from the router, you won’t get a connection.

5. The WiFi Network Has a Problem

It can be extremely frustrating when everything appears to be ok, yet you’re still somehow not able to get on the internet.

Typically, this means that there’s a problem with the network that you’re trying to connect to. In this case, you’ll need to get ahold of your internet service provider to see what’s going on.

6. Your Tablet Has a Software Problem

If you’ve tried everything above and you’re still experiencing issues, then there’s a good chance that your tablet has a software problem.

If you suspect a software problem, you can try to solve it by restarting your tablet. To do this, simply hold down the power button for a few seconds. Then, tap
“Restart”.

If this doesn’t work, you’ll want to check if your tablet’s software is up to date. Sometimes, bugs can prevent your tablet from properly connecting to the internet.

To check for software updates, go to “Settings”, click “About”, and then click “Software update”. Then tap on the “Update” button. Your tablet will then automatically check for updates. If it has some updates available, install them.

If none of this works, you can also try restoring your factory settings. Keep in mind, however, that this will erase all the data on your tablet, so make sure any information you need is backed up.

To restore your tablet to factory settings, you should click “Settings” and then “Backup”. Then, choose “Factory data reset”. Your tablet will then warn you about your data. To confirm your decision, click “Reset device”.

Tablet Won’t Connect to WiFi: Are You Ready to Get Your Internet Back?

As you can see, there are many reasons as to why your tablet won’t connect to WiFi.

So before freaking out, make sure you try this full list of troubleshooting options.

However, if your tablet still isn’t working after all of this, get in contact with us.