There are few things more frustrating than starting up your Laptop to discover that  you cannot connect to the internet or even send an email.

There are a variety of things that can cause internet connection problems with WiFi,  to try to save you time and effort we will start with the simplest first.

In this post we are looking at connectivity problems with Laptops and Wifi, but many of the issues mentioned will be common for other Computers and types of connection.

The first thing to do is to work through a checklist and rule out the simplest and most obvious problems.

What do you need for a Wifi connection to work properly on your Laptop?

1. Broadband/ Internet connection
2. Wireless Router
3. Wireless-enabled laptop

1. Broadband/ Internet connection

Check that your broadband/ Internet connection is working – unpaid bills are a common cause of WiFi connection problems!

2. Wireless router

A WiFi connection needs a wireless router – check that this is working by ensuring that all relevant lights are on, switch off and on again in case this is the problem.

3. Wireless-enabled laptop

You need a wireless-enabled laptop (or PC) – if you have suddenly lost the ability to connect for no apparent reason, most likely the cause is that the Wireless switch has been turned off (this often happens accidentally). On some laptops this is a small slider switch on the front of your laptop and on others it is on a function key (check for the wireless ‘tower’ image).

If you are still having WiFi connection problems on your laptop, having checked all the above, then you should ensure that your Wireless Drivers are up-to-date. Driver update tools