Can’t connect to Wi-Fi: Router Fixes for iPhone Users

Can't connect to Wi-Fi: Router Fixes for iPhone UsersWhen you are unable to connect to your Wi-Fi, it’s not always the iPhone that is the culprit. If you can’t connect to a Wi-Fi network with your phone, it might just well be the router. But that doesn’t mean that you will have to go out and buy a new one, most of the common router issues can be fixed through very simple steps. Check out our guide below if you think that your Wi-Fi isn’t working properly.

Solving Wi-Fi problems on your iPhone

First of all, make sure that the problem isn’t just with your iPhone, simply by trying to access the internet through another device on your Wi-Fi network. This is by far the simplest test you can perform to check whether it’s your iPhone or the router. Then check out our top troubleshooting steps for Wi-Fi issues on the iPhone itself.

Solving Wi-Fi problems caused by your router

The following troubleshooting steps will fix most internet connection problems that are caused by a router hiccup and misconfiguration or interference.

Reboot your router

Most of the time, a router simply needs a good old-fashioned hard reset. This can be done by unplugging the power cable, waiting for a couple of seconds and then plugging the cable back in. The router will boot back up within a few minutes and hopefully allow your device to connect. This method is particularly effective when you can connect to the Wi-Fi network but the router doesn’t seem to have an internet connection for some reason.

  • Either unplug the router for a couple of seconds
  • Or check for a Power Button, which ultimately accomplishes the same goal

Switch up your encryption & security

Open up the web interface of your router, which allows you to configure the settings of the unit. Most often, this will be reachable on the following address in your network: http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1 and will prompt you to enter a username and password, which you hopefully have handy. Otherwise, refer to the user manual or look up the default credentials on the web by searching for the router’s model number and “default password” in Google.

Look for a section in the web interface that enables you to set the encryption standard. Try setting it from WPA2 to WPA or WEP.

But beware: WEP is not considered safe by today’s standards and will get your router hacked at some point. Thus we only recommend this for troubleshooting purposes.

Change the channel

Having a lot of routers around is the bane of anyone living in an apartment complex but unfortunately unavoidable these days. It might just well be that your neighbors are interfering with the Wi-Fi signal because their devices are set to the same channel.

Some modern routers automatically pick the least populated channel for their Wi-Fi signal, but many don’t. You can try setting a different channel in the aforementioned web interface and check whether that improves your connection on the iPhone. Switching the channel will take a little while and might involve a reboot of your router, patience is key.

Reset your router

If all of the above tricks didn’t work, you may have to fully restore your router to factory settings, because of the possibility of corrupted firmware, conflicting settings and other issues. Sometimes it is best to start anew, which you can accomplish by looking for a factory reset or reset settings button in the web interface.

Some routers can be reset by pressing and holding a reset button for a set amount of time, please check your service manual for more details on that, as this varies by model and type of router.