Question:

How to troubleshoot the connection issue with unsecure public Wi-Fi on a Windows 11 laptop?

I have an ASUS ROG Strix Model G5130 laptop running Windows 11. I can connect to my home Wi-Fi and my phone hotspot without any problem, but I cannot connect to any unsecure public Wi-Fi network. This happens in different hotels and countries. When I try to connect, I get a message saying “Can’t connect to this network” and I cannot access the login page of the network. I have tried the following steps to fix the issue, but none of them worked:

• Restarting the network adapter
• Resetting the network settings to default
• Updating the network drivers
• Updating Windows
• Disabling the power saving mode for the network adapter by adding a regedit DWORD (PlatformAoAcOverride, Value 0)
• Forgetting the access points

I

would appreciate any advice or guidance on how to solve this issue. Thank you.

Answer:

If you have a Windows 11 laptop and you can connect to your home Wi-Fi and your phone hotspot, but not to any unsecure public Wi-Fi network, you might encounter a message saying “Can’t connect to this network” and be unable to access the login page of the network. This can happen in different hotels and countries, and it can be very frustrating if you need to use the internet for work or leisure. Fortunately, there are some possible solutions that you can try to fix this issue.

Before you start, make sure that the physical Wi-Fi switch on your laptop is turned on and that the airplane mode is turned off. Also, check if the Wi-Fi network you are trying to connect to is available and has a good signal strength. If you are not sure, you can ask the staff of the hotel or the place where you are staying for assistance.

If the problem persists, you can try the following steps:

1. Run the network troubleshooter. This is a built-in tool that can diagnose and fix common network problems. To run the network troubleshooter, right-click the network icon on the right side of the taskbar and select Diagnose network problems. Follow the instructions on the screen and see if the issue is resolved.

2. Reset the network settings. This will restore the default network configurations and clear any cached data that might interfere with the connection. To reset the network settings, open Settings, click on Network & Internet, click on Status, and under the Change your network settings section, click the Network reset option. Click the Reset now button and confirm your choice. Your laptop will restart and you will need to reconnect to your Wi-Fi networks.

3. Update the network drivers. This will ensure that your laptop has the latest and compatible drivers for your network adapter. To update the network drivers, open Device Manager, expand the Network Adapters section, right-click your wireless driver and select Update driver. Choose Search automatically for updated driver software and wait for the process to complete. If a new driver is found, install it and restart your laptop.

4. Forget the network and reconnect. This will remove any saved settings or credentials that might be incorrect or outdated. To forget the network, open Settings, click on Network & Internet, click on Wi-Fi, and select Manage known networks. Click the network you want to forget and select Forget. Then, go back to the list of available networks and try to connect again.

5. Use a different frequency band. Some Wi-Fi routers broadcast at two different frequency bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. These will appear as separate networks in the list of available Wi-Fi networks. If your laptop supports both bands, you can try switching to the other one and see if the connection improves. To learn more about the differences between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, check out [Wi-Fi problems and your home layout].

If none of the above steps work, you might have a hardware issue with your laptop or a compatibility issue with the Wi-Fi network. In that case, you can contact the manufacturer of your laptop or the provider of the Wi-Fi network for further assistance.

We hope this article was helpful and that you were able to troubleshoot the connection issue with unsecure public Wi-Fi on your Windows 11 laptop. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading.