Unable to detect my router's Wi-Fi network

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Unable to detect my router's Wi-Fi network

There are multiple reasons why your device cannot find the Wi-Fi network of your router: Your router's Wi-Fi may have been disabled, your router's Wi-Fi settings may have been synced with the uplink Wi-Fi network, your router's Wi-Fi name may be hidden, or your device may be in a place not covered by the Wi-Fi signal. Perform the following to troubleshoot.

1. Make sure Wi-Fi is enabled.

Connect your computer to the router's LAN port. In the address box of the browser, enter 192.168.3.1 to log in to the router's web-based management page. Access the My Wi-Fi page and make sure that your router's 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or 5 GHz Wi-Fi switch is turned on.

2. Check if your device can detect Wi-Fi 6/Wi-Fi 7 signals.

If the router supports Wi-Fi 6/Wi-Fi 7, but your device is a Wi-Fi 5 device with an earlier network adapter driver (such as certain laptops with Intel network adapters), the device may not be able to discover the Wi-Fi 6 network. Update the router to the latest version and enable Backup Wi-Fi 5, after which the device will detect a Wi-Fi network with the suffix "_Wi-Fi5". Connect to this Wi-Fi network to access the Internet.

Log in to the web-based management page on the computer and go to My Wi-Fi > Backup Wi-Fi 5.

The following figure takes the HUAWEI AX3 router as an example:

The following figure takes the HUAWEI WiFi Mesh 7 router as an example:

3. Check if the Wi-Fi parameters have been synced with its uplink Wi-Fi network.

  • Some Huawei routers support HarmonyOS Mesh+.

If the uplink router supports HarmonyOS Mesh+, HarmonyOS Mesh+ networking will be performed after the connection is set up, and the router will sync the Wi-Fi parameters of the uplink router. In this case, your device will detect only one Wi-Fi network, which is the Wi-Fi network of the uplink router.

  • If the router's Wi-Fi network is connected to the uplink device's Wi-Fi relay network, the router's Wi-Fi name will be synchronized with the uplink device after the networking is successful.

4. Make sure the Wi-Fi name is not hidden.

If the Wi-Fi name is hidden, your computer, mobile phone, or other wireless devices will not be able to find the router's Wi-Fi network. To connect to the Wi-Fi network, you must manually enter the correct Wi-Fi name.

You can log in to the web-based management page of the router. Go to More Functions > Wi-Fi Settings > Advanced Wi-Fi Settings. In the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or 5 GHz Wi-Fi section, keep the Invisible Wi-Fi switch disabled.

5. Make sure the device is in an area covered by the Wi-Fi signals.

Move the device close to the router and check whether the device can detect Wi-Fi signals. If the signals can be found, it indicates that your device was in an area not covered by the Wi-Fi signals. Place the router in an open space away from obstacles such as concrete or wooden walls between the router and network devices, as they may affect Wi-Fi signal transmission.

6. Check whether other devices can find the Wi-Fi network of the router.

Use another Wi-Fi device to search for the router's Wi-Fi. If that device can find the Wi-Fi signal, the original device may be faulty.

7. Make sure the Wi-Fi name of the router does not contain Chinese characters or special characters.

If the Wi-Fi name of the router contains Chinese characters or special characters, the Wi-Fi name may be displayed as garbled characters on some computers due to different character codes. In this case, it is advised that you change the Wi-Fi name of the router so that it contains only letters and digits.

If the issue persists, advise the user to restore the router to its factory settings and try again. If the issue persists, advise the user to take the router and proof of purchase to an authorized Huawei Customer Service Center for assistance.

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