WiFi connection issues

Hey there.

I'm running into a bit of a headache with my Wi-Fi signal. I can't seem to get online at all, and honestly, I haven't a clue why. I have the password—my boss handed it over personally—but even when I’m standing right next to the router with my phone, it just won't connect. It’s like it simply refuses to acknowledge me... I also tried using a TP-Link extender at my place, but that's giving me the same grief. Even though the extender shows the network clearly with a solid 4 out of 5 bars, it still won't let me through.

The weird thing is, everyone else at the office is surfing the web without a single hiccup.
I've cycled through a bunch of different devices now, but nothing works. Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this mess?

It’s probably buried in your router's security settings. Most routers either have a physical button you need to hit to allow new devices to join, or you have to toggle a setting in the dashboard to start looking for new clients. It's basically a registration mode. They don't leave it on all the time because this isn't a public Starbucks Wi-Fi; if it were always open, anyone could jump on your connection.

Plus, some routers have an option to hide their SSID entirely. If that's turned on, the network stays "invisible," so new devices won't even see it exists until you go into the settings and broadcast it.

Wait, what do you mean by the network isn't public? That’s not even the issue here... the SSID is totally visible, showing up perfectly on every single device I test, but the router just acts like I’m constantly feeding it the wrong password

What about the first part of my post?

Your router either has a physical button you need to hit to allow new devices to register, or you have to go into the settings and tell it to look for new clients and permit them to join.

If it’s a public network, you could just hop on without any credentials. My home network shows up as visible, but no new device can actually log in unless I manually tell the router to scan for new hardware. Once it finds something, it asks me whether I want to authorize the connection or not. Only after that does it even bother asking for a username and password....

It’ll probably just be a mismatch between WEP and WPA2/PSK, or maybe just a typo in the password. Even if you have WPS turned off, anyone who happens to snag your SSID and password can still hop on.

ps: - I actually disabled WPS on my own router because some neighbor was clearly trying to brute-force their way in through that specific hole. 😁
- I'm not sure how it works for you, darkowl72, but do you even get an alert when someone tries to ping your router? Does it give you the choice to block them or let them in?

darkowl72 said:What about the first part of my post?

Either the router has a physical button you have to press to allow new devices to register, or you have to go into the settings and tell it to look for new clients and let them in.

I can't really know for sure at this point... and even if it were an issue there, I don't even have access to the router settings. 😢

wearymason4 said:It’s more likely a WEP vs WPA2/PSK incompatibility or just a typo in the password rather than a WPS issue on the router. Even if WPS is disabled, anyone who knows the SSID and the password can still connect.

ps: - I actually disabled WPS on my own router because someone nearby was trying to brute-force their way in through it.
- I don't see how you'd get a notification that someone is trying to hit your router, darkowl72... how would you even decide whether to let them in?

The password is definitely right, typed in correctly too. The thing is, I haven't even changed the password. I’ve been on this same network for years, until a few days ago when they changed the network name and apparently some other settings, though the password stayed the same.

Could I potentially fix this by cloning someone else's MAC address? I'm pretty sure this specific net extender doesn't let you spoof the MAC address, but would a standard router allow it?

If that actually worked and got me onto the network, how would I even go about sniffing out the MAC address of one of the devices already connected?

just go ahead and ask for some help from your boss, specifically the one who messed with the settings in the first place 🙂

wearymason4 said:- I don't know how you, darkowl72, get notified if someone tries to hit your router so you can decide whether to let them in?

It doesn't. I wasn't being clear. It's just that when I turn on pairing mode, the router scans for wireless devices—maybe for five minutes or so—lists everything it finds, and then asks if I want to authorize the connection.

When pairing mode isn't active, I have no idea if anyone is even trying to connect.

Maybe try giving your router a quick reboot? Just pull the plug from the wall, wait a second, and pop it back in.

Try heading into the network settings on your devices and selecting the option to forget the connection, then give everything a quick reboot before attempting to sign back in