How to Fix: Problem With Wireless Adapter?

Gone are the days of dial-up modem and LAN connection: the wireless network connection is the norm these days.

The use of wireless adapters in windows-based computer systems and laptops has made it easier than ever to access the internet.

However, sometimes you could experience problems with the wireless adapter on windows based systems.

Now you may be wondering, how can I diagnose and fix this problem with a wireless adapter or access point in a windows-based computer system?

The answer is, there are a couple of things you can do to fix your internet connection on Windows 10.

This article will show you how to diagnose and fix the “problem with wireless adapter or access point” error in Windows 10.

What Does Problem With Wireless Adapter Mean?

The “Problem with wireless adapter or access point” is an error you might encounter in Windows 10 under the Network Diagnostics window.

If you encounter this message, it means that your windows computer or device failed to connect to the internet because of a wireless adapter problem.

How Do I Fix My Wireless Adapter Problem?

The exact steps you need to fix your wireless adapter problem depend on which operating system or device you use.

This article will specifically deal with Windows devices. If you’re using a computer or device with a different operating system, you need to search specifically with your operating system’s name to fix the problem.

How Do I Fix The Wireless Adapter On Windows 10?

The first thing you should try and do is run the network troubleshooter software on your windows system. In most cases, 

There are several steps that you can take to fix the wireless adapter on windows 10. Here we will share some of the most common solutions for fixing your wireless adapter:

Solution 1: Delete The Windows Wireless Profile

The first solution to fix the “Problem with wireless adapter or access point” error is to delete your windows wireless profile.

Over time as your computer performs many data read and write operations, the Windows wireless profile can get corrupted. In that case, you’ll come across the “Problem with wireless adapter or access point” error.

To fix this, delete the windows wireless profile and reset it. This should work for all users on Windows. The following steps outline how you can delete the windows wireless profile:

Step # 1

Right-click the command prompt and select “Run as administrator.” You may be prompted for the system password.

If you’re not sure how to open the command prompt, press Windows + S at the same time to open the search bar, type “Cmd,” and press enter.

Step # 2

Once the command prompt is open, copy and paste the following command and press enter:

netsh wlan delete profile name=”WirelessProfileName”

Instead of “WirelessProfileName,” you should enter the actual name of your wireless network in the command above.

Step # 3

Now, restart your computer and enter your password to log in (or login directly if you don’t have a password).

That’s it; you’re done! When you power on your computer or Windows device again, you should access the internet.

If you can still access the internet or connect to a wireless network access point, try another one of the solutions on our list.

Solution 2: Enable Wireless Adapter

The next thing you can do to fix the “Problem with wireless adapter or access point” is to check if the network adapter is enabled or not.

Even if you did not disable the wireless adapter yourself, it is possible that the wireless adapter got disabled after installing a third-party app.

So be wary of this before you install a third-party app. There’s no need to worry, though; you can easily enable the network adapter using Device Manager. Here’s how:

Step # 1

Open Device Manager. For the keyboard shortcut, press the Windows key + X at the same time.

Step # 2

Next, look for the Network Adapters option and expand it. 

Step # 3

Locate your wireless adapters; right-click and select properties, or double-click to open the properties window.

Now go to the Driver tab and search for the Enable button option. If you don’t see it, it’s because your wireless adapter has already been enabled.

Solution 3: Update Driver Software

To connect to a Wi-Fi access point, you need the latest wireless network adapter driver for Windows.

If you connect to a network but don’t have the latest network drivers, the network adapters will fail to communicate with the wireless router. Update the drivers to fix this.

Many user guides online will prompt you to install third-party software on your system to update drivers. While you can update drivers using such software, we find it unnecessary.

In most cases, you can update your drivers directly without having to install third-party driver software. However, you will also get an additional service with the driver that you may not need in most cases. In most cases, this service is bloatware, which you may have to uninstall anyway.

So if you don’t wish to install an antivirus to uninstall the additional bloatware, we recommend you skip this step entirely and manually install the drivers you need.

Not sure what drivers you need to select, update and install? You can find them on your device’s manufacturer’s website. Look to specifically update the network adapter driver under the drivers’ download.

Solution 4: Restart Your Wireless Router

If your wifi issues persist, you could try and restart the internet router.

By resetting the router, the wireless network will bet a chance to refresh all its network settings. This will let new wifi devices connect to the router once more, free of any problems.

To restart your wifi router, look for the restart button. Again, this is model-specific to your wifi router.

If your device does not have a restart button, you can power it off and wait 30 seconds to disable it entirely.

Once you restart the modem, your network profile should start anew, allowing a new address to connect again.

Solution 5: Reset TCP/IP

If you’ve done everything you could and still see the “problem with wireless adapter or access point,” there is a last resort: flush DNS and reset TCP/IP to restore your wireless network connection.

Note that this is a final solution and should only be done if users have tried everything else first.

Here are the steps you need to flush DNS on your Windows computer:

Step # 1

Please navigate to the command prompt and run it as an admin. You can optionally press Windows + X on your keyboard and select the system shell with admin privileges.

Step # 2

One by one in the command prompt, copy and paste the following commands and press enter:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew

Step # 3

Once again, enter the following commands into the prompt shell:

ipconfig /flushdns
nbtstat –r
netsh int ip reset
netsh winsock reset

Step # 4

Restart your computer to save these settings. Once you do, the network, IP address, and other Wi-fi network properties should have reset.

Final Thoughts

There are several fixes that you could use to solve network errors on your Windows computer.

Whatever the case may be, you do not need to add or uninstall any software to resolve these network errors. Just the fixes we highlighted in our article should be enough to help you resolve these network errors.