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Home WiFi Troubleshooting

WiFi not working even though it says connected

When Wi‑Fi says connected but pages and apps still won’t load, the issue is usually a missing internet path, not the radio link. Start by isolating one device versus the whole network, then check for captive portals, DNS problems, VPNs, proxies, or an upstream outage before changing router settings.

3 min read
A Wi‑Fi router sits on a desk in a home office.
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If Wi‑Fi says connected but pages, apps, or streaming still won’t load, the device usually has a link to the router but not a working path to the internet. Start by checking whether the problem affects one device or everything on the network, then look for a captive portal, VPN, proxy, private DNS, or airplane mode before you touch router settings. The safest first fix is a clean reconnect, not a factory reset.

When to check for an ISP outage or call support

If every device fails, the router restarts cleanly, and the modem or ONT still can’t get a working internet connection, the problem may be upstream. That is especially likely if the failure started suddenly and nothing in your home changed.

Signs that point to the ISP or a broader outage:

  • Every device on the network is affected.
  • The router shows Wi‑Fi is fine but the internet side stays down.
  • The modem or ONT never comes fully online after a normal restart.
  • Your provider’s current status page or outage notice shows an incident in your area.

At that point, check the current official status source for your ISP before you wait or call support. If you do contact support, be ready to say whether the problem affects one device or all devices, whether the router gets internet after a restart, and whether you already tested with a clean reconnect. That saves time and avoids repeating the same steps.

A Wi‑Fi router and modem sit together with status lights on a shelf.

Conclusion

If the clean reconnect doesn’t fix it, the next step is to keep narrowing the failure: one device, whole network, router, modem/ONT, or ISP. If you’ve already checked the captive portal, VPN, proxy, private DNS, and band difference, contact your provider or your network admin with those results in hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my phone say connected to Wi‑Fi but nothing loads?

Usually the phone is connected to the router’s Wi‑Fi radio, but it does not have a usable internet path. Common causes are a captive portal, VPN, proxy, private DNS, a bad DHCP lease, or a router or ISP problem.

What if only some websites work?

That often points to DNS rather than a full Wi‑Fi failure. If one site loads and another does not, test again after disabling VPN or private DNS and reconnecting cleanly.

Should I factory reset my router first?

No. Start with the device-versus-network check, then do a clean reconnect, then restart the modem/ONT and router in order if every device is affected. Factory resets should be a later step, not the first one.