Why Can’t I Find CenturyLink Wi-Fi On My Laptop?

CenturyLink offers internet and Wi-Fi services to individuals, in homes and offices and wireless internet services through routers, modems, cables etc. Their Wi-Fi is reliable, but from time to time some users report an inability to find their CenturyLink Wi-Fi and connect on their laptops, and often wonder what the simple solutions to resolving this issue may be. Let us know more detail about ‘Why Can’t I Find CenturyLink Wi-Fi On My Laptop?’.

Why Cant I Find CenturyLink Wi-Fi On My Laptop Plus Simple Solutions?

Why Can’t I Find CenturyLink Wi-Fi On My Laptop?

If you can’t find your CenturyLink Wi-Fi on your laptop or if your laptop’s Wi-Fi recently stopped working without any impact, then it means CenturyLink Wi-Fi simply cannot be activated or / the device is not recognized. Some simple solutions would be that you can try reinstalling the wireless network driver, booting with a Linux CD, restarting your device, resetting network settings, checking your CenturyLink Wi-Fi card, etc.

Reasons Why You Can’t Find CenturyLink Wi-Fi on Your Laptop Plus Simple Solutions

Are you unable to find CenturyLink Wi-Fi on your laptop and are wondering how to solve it? Does your laptop Wi-Fi only work when you troubleshoot the internet connection every few minutes? Does it say “Default gateway is not available”? Then try the following simple solutions:

  • Get a new Wi-Fi USB Adapter/doggle/plug and turn off/disable your laptop’s internal Wi-Fi device.
  • If it still does not work, assuming you have a good antivirus, try scanning for malware/viruses and resolve those issues.
  • If it still does not work, repair your Windows’s Corruption. Look more at SFC /scan now and DISM.
  • If it does not work, is it only one of your laptop devices or other devices facing the problem? You require to identify if it is device-related or network related. Try accessing the router and checking its configurations. If there are issues, resolve them. Some CenturyLink Wi-Fi may have router logs.
  • If it does not work, then maybe someone within your network is creating trouble with you. Look at your router’s log. Have you checked whether your router is compromised? (You can ask the professionals or CenturyLink Wi-Fi support personnel. They know more and have experience with those issues.)
  • If it happens not only on your laptop but on other devices as well, then you can try changing the ethernet network cables. Switch to another wall power source socket and plug in whether is electrical issues. 
  • If it does not work, either your modem or router is the problem. If you are going to get a new one, you can ask for configurations steps as well as make sure your modem and router are compatible with your ISP Internet Service Provider (CenturyLink Wi-Fi)
  • Check your laptop hardware. If you don’t feel comfortable opening the laptop case or need to pay someone else to do it remember that you can always use an external USB-based Wi-Fi adapter. 
  • Make sure your existing Wi-Fi is not hardware disabled by accident. Some laptops have a physical switch for that and some may have a key combination for it. 
  • Also make sure the CenturyLink Wi-Fi wireless card is compatible with your laptop. Ideally, try to get the same make and model if available.

Simple Solutions When The Laptop Is Connected to CenturyLink Wi-Fi but You Cannot Access the Internet

If Your laptop is connecting to CenturyLink Wi-Fi but you cannot access the Internet then you can follow the below steps to resolve your problem

  • Check whether your Wi-Fi button is turned on or not. There, if you are connected to a network you can see under the active networks tab, the wireless network connection
  • Click on wireless network connection then a dialogue box appears, click on properties, and then another dialogue box appears with a list
  • Download and run this file, it will update the drivers for your laptop.
  • This is because of Windows 10 upgrade. Go ahead and update your network drivers and it will fix it.
  • Open Device Manager -> Network Adapters-> Right click on network connections and choose Properties ->Driver->Update Driver.

Procedure To Diagnose and Solve If CenturyLink Wi-Fi Won’t Work on Your Laptop 

  1. Uninstall the Wi-Fi adapter (don’t worry it won’t be removed forever)
  2. The Wi-Fi adapter will be re-installed
  3. Connect the Wi-Fi again, and fill in your password if it asks

Alternative Ways to Use CenturyLink Wi-Fi in The Laptop 

What are the alternative ways to use CenturyLink Wi-Fi on your laptop if you still cannot find and connect to the Wi-Fi through the conventional methods? There are certain ways depending on the OS.

It depends on your usage and the money you spend.

  1. Wi-Fi connection through a local isp near you like CenturyLink Wi-Fi, connect broadband, etc. for fast browsing, and online gaming. > medium cost
  2. Through your phone Hotspot. For normal usage and browsing > based on your data pack
  3. Optical fibre connection like CenturyLink Wi-Fi for really fast and uninterrupted connection and lots of data download & upload, with a LAN cable plugged into the system. > relatively high cost
  4. Through a Wi-Fi dongle CenturyLink Wi-Fi hotspot which has a mobile sim inserted in it with a data pack you need. > cost of the dongle + sim + data pack cost
  5. You can even connect to any Wi-Fi e.g., CenturyLink Wi-Fi with your phone and use USB tethering in case your internal Wi-Fi is not working. > something extra

For Windows 7:

  1. Go to Network and Sharing centre from the Start or Taskbar.
  2. Click on Change adapter settings on the Task panel.
  3. Right Click on Wireless Network Connection.
  4. Click Enable.
  5. Click on Change adapter settings on the Task pane.
  6. Right Click on Wi-Fi.
  7. Select Enable.

How To Fix If Your Laptop Connects to Other Wi-Fi and The CenturyLink Wi-Fi Works for Everyone Else, But It Won’t Work for Your Laptop?

If your laptop can connect to other Wi-Fi, but cannot find and connect to CenturyLink Wi-Fi even when other devices can, it may be that a small percentage of devices (including your computer) have compatibility issues with certain Wi-Fi networks. Symptoms vary:

  • The device does not even detect that the network is there.
  • The device detects the network but refuses to connect.
  • The device connects but may randomly disconnect and reconnect.
  • The device connects but the connection is very slow.

Solutions include:

  • Switching to Ethernet.
  • Adding a wireless access point to the router to provide a separate Wi-Fi network (with a different network name) for the affected computer.
  • Using a Wi-Fi Range Extender to provide a different Wi-Fi source for the computer.
  • Occasionally, changing the router’s wireless channel may help.
  • If you can find a different driver for the computer’s Wi-Fi adapter this might solve the problem.

How to Fix CenturyLink Wi-Fi Connection Issues on a Windows 10 Laptop?

If you are unable to find and connect to your CenturyLink Wi-Fi networks on your Windows 10 laptop, more often than not you will notice the wireless feature is suddenly disabled.

This issue can happen due to a recent Windows 10 update. Make sure the WLAN autoconfig service on your Windows 10 device is active.

A disabled WLAN auto-config service means the wireless feature on that device is disabled. That device will not detect any wireless connections.

Fixing Wi-Fi Problems on Windows 10

  • Type services. MSC on Windows search.
  • Locate WLAN autoconfig service.
  • Right-click and press the restart option.

It will fix Wi-Fi problems on your Windows 10 laptop.

Conclusion

You might want to try an external wireless USB plug, toggle or adapter if you are unable to find your CenturyLink Wi-Fi on your laptop. Look over the ones offered on Amazon. Some are larger than others, and others are quite small, about the size of a wireless plug used with wireless mice. If you are the only one in your household who is having trouble, then it is likely your computer. If others are having problems, then you might need to replace your CenturyLink Wi-Fi wireless modem or router. CenturyLink Wi-Fi modems do wear out with age, as do routers for that matter.

Frequently asked questions

  • Question1: CenturyLink Wi-Fi is only not working on 2 separate laptops, but is working on every other device in the house, why could this be?

If the laptops are very old, it’s possible that your access point is not using a frequency they can receive or an authentication protocol they understand. For example, an old laptop won’t do 5ghz or WPA2/PSK.

  • Question 2: The CenturyLink Wi-Fi on my laptop keeps getting disconnected again and again after several seconds or minutes or keeps disappearing or failing to connect. Also, my laptop is getting heated up very quickly. What do I do?

Wi-Fi Issue – You can reset your Wi-Fi settings and adapter settings, then restart your laptop and if the Wi-Fi issue persists, then run some diagnostics around the Wi-Fi adapter. As for the heating Issue -If it had been more than 18 months – then it is suggested you take it for servicing. Most of the heating issues are from the dust that has collected on the fan and other parts of the motherboard.

Why Can’t I Find CenturyLink Wi-Fi On My Laptop?

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