Internet Connection Unavailable

The hotspot user might be able to connect to the hotspot but might not be able to get to the Internet.

What the User Should Do

Users can do several things to help remedy their connection problem:

Check the IP address To access the Internet, your radio card must have a valid IP address assigned from the hotspot network. When you have a poor connection to the hotspot or when the network does not assign an IP address to your radio card, it usually gives itself an automatic private address, which is not valid.

Move closer to the hotspot to ensure that you have a high-quality connection, and try reconnecting to receive a valid IP address so that you successfully access the Internet.
Restart the radio card Sometimes your radio card gets jammed and does not work properly. To fix a jam, disable and then re-enable your card. If you need help doing this, refer to Chapter 13.
Restart your PC Just like with any other computer problems, restarting the operating system clears up many problems.

What You Should Do

You have several options as the hotspot owner or administrator to repair connectivity:

Check the Internet modem Users might not be able to access the Internet because the modem became unplugged. Therefore, ensure that the Internet modem is plugged in and that the correct status lights are lit.
Restart the Internet modem and infrastructure device Sometimes your Internet modem and infrastructure device hang up and do not work properly. Simply unplug them for several seconds to give them a fresh start. It is typically recommended, and in some cases it might be necessary, to allow the modem to boot up before powering on your infrastructure device.
Restore the infrastructure device If you still cannot see or connect to your Wi-Fi hotspot, you can try giving it a "hard reset" by restoring the infrastructure device to its factory defaults. This usually cures any problems that are associated with the infrastructure device.

Most wireless routers, gateways, and other infrastructure devices have a small button (or tiny hole) on the back of the device for restoring. Although you should refer to your manual, typically all you have to do is hold in the button with a pen point or paperclip for up to 10 seconds.

Caution

You lose all the settings you have specified on the infrastructure device when you restore it to factory defaults.
Check with your ISP If your equipment is in working order and you still cannot access the Internet, your connection might be temporarily unavailable. You can usually call your Internet service provider (ISP) to see why your service is down and get a time frame for when service will return.