Are you struggling to turn on your Dell Laptop’s Wi-Fi button and would fancy a little help? We are here for you. Navigating your new laptop may be challenging, and some additional help may come in handy. We will walk you through the steps to help you get your laptop’s Wi-Fi function working in a few minutes.
Note that this process may differ depending on your laptop’s model and version. All in all, it is still advisable to know what to do if you find yourself in such a situation. Let’s get right into it.
Step-To-Step Guide To Turning On Your Dell Laptop’s Wi-Fi Button
This section will cover how to connect your laptop to Wi-Fi if you have a Windows 10 Dell computer. Feel free to refer to any of these steps if you get stuck along the way:
- Navigate to the Windows Action Center in the lower right corner of your laptop’s screen. Alternatively, visit the Windows task tray and click on the Network icon. Remember, your connection status will determine how this icon looks. If the Network icon is not visible, click the show hidden icon arrow to reveal several options, which in this case, includes the Network icon.
- Once you are in the Windows Action Center, select network.
- Click on Wi-Fi and give your laptop a few seconds to respond to the command. It will indicate once the Wi-Fi button is enabled. Note that you can also make your laptop’s Wi-Fi automatically turn on at given points in the day.
- Choose the Wi-Fi network you want to connect to and key in the password if it requires one. Wait until it indicates ‘connected’ under the specific network’s name.
- Enjoy the internet
Note that this process may not be the same for Windows 8 and 7 laptops. For the former, go to the search screen and key in turn wireless devices on or off. Proceed to turn on Wi-Fi and remember to turn off your laptop’s Airplane mode.
For Windows 7, navigate to the control panel, select Network, and Internet, and then proceed to the networking and sharing center. Next, change your adapter settings, right-click on the wireless network connection, and choose Enable.
How To Troubleshoot Connection Issues On Different Windows Versions
What happens when you can’t connect your laptop to Wi-Fi? Don’t give up just yet. Here are some of the ways you can fix Wi-Fi connection issues on different operating systems:
Step-By-Step Guide To Fix Connection Issues On Windows 10 And 11
Windows 10 and 11 are the most recent Windows versions. If you have a Dell laptop running on the latest Windows version and struggling to establish a strong Wi-Fi connection, here is what you should do:
- Check if your Wi-Fi is turned on. If not, look at the right side of your taskbar and select ‘no internet connection to turn your Wi-Fi on. While at it, ensure that your laptop’s Airplane mode is off.
- Navigate to your laptop’s Wi-Fi settings and click on ‘manage Wi-Fi connections’ to reveal the connection you would like to connect and select it. Try to connect to the network, and if it says ‘connected,’ disconnect and wait for some time to connect again.
If it doesn’t work, connect, try a network with a different frequency, and you will be good to go. Note that most routers have different network frequencies, i.e., 2.4 and 5 GHz. If you have both in your list of networks, then try connecting to the other.
Also, remember to check if the physical switch of your laptop works if it has one. Check the indicator light to see if it works. Another option is to run the network troubleshooter to diagnose and fix your connection problems.
To run the network troubleshooter, navigate to the start button, then settings, and finally, network and settings. Next, go to change your network settings and click on network troubleshooter. Follow the different steps and see if they can solve your connection issues.
However, running the network troubleshooter will temporarily disconnect everyone connected to your Wi-Fi.
How To Start Your Modem/ Router To Fix Your Laptop Wi-Fi Connection Issues
There are different ways to reset routers and modems depending on their version. If you are using a cable modem/ router combination, here are the steps to follow:
- Unplug your router’s power cable from the power source
- Unplug your modem’s power cable from the power source. However, note that some modems have a backup battery which you may have to remove even after unplugging the power source.
- Don’t do anything for at least 30 seconds. This is where you put back the battery if you removed it from the modem
- Connect your modem’s power cable back to the power source. You will see the lights blinking. Wait until the blinking lights stop.
- Plug your router’s power cable back into the electric source. Give your modem/router combo some time so that they can fully power on. Just look at the two devices’ status lights to know if they are ready.
- Try to connect to the network again on your PC.
Steps To Forgetting A Network
It may be necessary to forget a network at times. Here are the steps to follow if you need to:
- Go to the right side of the taskbar and click on the Wi-Fi network icon, then choose network and internet settings
- Click on Wi-Fi and then manage known networks
- Pick the network you would like to forget and then click on forget
This may also come in handy if you have connection issues.
How Do I Run The Network Troubleshooter On A Windows Laptop?
As a Windows user, you must know how to run the network troubleshooter, which will help you fix your connection issues. Here are the steps to follow:
- Navigate to the Windows button
- Click settings, then network and internet, and finally, status
- Once you find you have changed your networks settings, click on network troubleshooter
- Follow all the steps, and you will fix your network’s issue.
You can also restart your modem or wireless router to create a new connection to the internet service provider.
Note that connection issues are usually caused by different reasons such as website, modem, internet service provider, and Wi-Fi router problems. Here are some of the things to do to know what’s causing you connection issues:
- If you can’t access a given website even with the ‘Wi-Fi connected icon on, try a different one and see if it works. This is because some networks can be hard to connect to.
- Use another laptop or phone to connect to the same network to know if your device has an issue. You can then follow the troubleshooting steps we covered in our article.
- Check your Wi-Fi router to see if it has a problem. You can use the ping test, which requires that you type the command prompt on the taskbar and select run as administrator. You should then type ipconfig at the command prompt, followed by enter. Your Wi-Fi network’s name should be within the results. Get the IP address normally found next to the Default gateway and write it down. Type ping <DefaultGateway> and then enter.
FAQ’S
1. How Can I Determine The Strength Of My Dell Laptop’s Wi-Fi Connection?
You don’t have to sweat to find out the strength of your laptop’s Wi-Fi connection. Just visit the Windows and Sharing Centre and select the Wi-Fi your laptop is connected to. Click signal quality which will reveal different bars. Your connection is stronger if you have many bars.
2. How Can I Disable Wi-Fi On A Dell Laptop
It’s only right that we find out how to disable the Wi-Fi button, given that we have covered how to turn it on. It’s pretty simple since all you have to do is navigate to network settings and click on Wi-Fi to disable it. You will know that your Wi-Fi has been disabled when the icon grays out.
Note that an X symbol will appear on the Network icon when the Wi-Fi button is turned off.
3. Which Keys Can I Use To Turn On My Dell Laptop’s Wi-Fi Button?
You can use a few shortcuts to perform several operations with your machine. Some Dell laptops allow you to toggle Wi-Fi on and off by pressing the function key (Fn) and F2. The wireless icon is normally located on the F2 key for laptops that support this function.
4. Is There A Dell Laptop With A Physical Wi-Fi Switch?
Yes. There are several Dell laptops with a physical Wi-Fi switch on the side. All you have to do is turn the switch to the on position, and you will be good to go.
5. Why Isn’t My Laptop Connecting To Wi-Fi?
Are you having trouble connecting your Dell laptop to your Wi-Fi? Worry not, because most of the causes can be fixed easily. For a laptop whose operating system was recently updated, you may have to use your wireless adapter’s drivers. To do this, navigate to the device manager and, under the network adapter, se; to the network connection, you wish to update its drivers.
If this doesn’t work, you may have to troubleshoot your laptop, which we will look at in a different article.
