Wi-Fi Stuck on Identifying: 8 Simple Ways to Fix

If you have a decent WiFi connection, then you can enjoy a lot of connectivity and convenience. this is because you have instant access to all the information you want. Therefore, if there are any glitches in this convenience, you may feel very frustrated. These glitches can occur due to a number of reasons, and present themselves in different ways. Sometimes, your internet may slow down, while at other times, it simply refuses to connect.

One of the common errors people face when connecting a device to the internet is that it gets stuck on the identifying stage. This could mean that there’s a problem with either the device or the network. Thus, it can be a little tricky to find out exactly what went wrong and then fix it. However, there are a few common solutions you can troubleshoot through. You should go through the following solutions before recruiting professional assistance.  

Reconnect Your Device

Often, your device may just be acting up and does not really have a serious connectivity problem. In such cases, simply disconnect the network connection, and then reconnect it. This works most of the time, as there may simply be some minor glitch with signal transmission or the network adaptor.

Simply navigate to the WiFi icon on your taskbar, and you’ll see your accessible networks in front of you. If your network is stuck on the identifying stage, just disconnect it. Then, it will reconnect and work as normal. Even better, you should restart your device once you disconnect your network.

Forget & Reconnect the Network

At times, your Wi-Fi signal strength may not be enough to automatically connect your device to the network. You need to give it a bit of a refresher to make it work properly. Therefore, you should forget the network and then enter its credentials again. This will help you reconnect your device to the network with a fresh start.

To do this, you just have to go into the advanced settings of your networks, and then forget your chosen connection. Then, you have to select it again from the list of surrounding networks and enter the relevant credentials.

Restart Your Router

If the internet is having identification problems across all your devices, then your connection is probably the culprit. The first step you should take in this case is to restart your router. In many cases, this will help you get things back to normal, and you can access the internet to your heart’s content.

Whether you’re using a proper WiFi router from your provider or a MiFi router, you’ll probably find a power button at the back. Just press it to restart the device, and your network should be refreshed and back to normal.

Run a Power Cycle

If simply restarting your router does not work, then you may have to reboot the whole network. This is called running a power cycle, and it is much less complicated than you’d think. It involves restarting your modem and router so that your network acts brand-new when it powers up again.

Here’s how you can run a power cycle on your network.

1. Unplug your modem and router
2. Leave them unplugged for 15 minutes
3. Plug everything back again correctly
4. Switch your network on again

This should help refresh your network completely, and let you enjoy your smooth and steady internet connectivity.

Check Network Drivers

You should also check your network drivers when you’re facing internet identification issues. Sometimes, your device’s network drivers might be outdated, and you’ll have to install them again. First, try simply disconnecting and reconnecting them. If that doesn’t work, you may have to uninstall your drivers, and then reinstall the latest versions.

Look up what network drivers are compatible with your devices, and whether yours have been updated in a while. Check and update these drivers, so that you can reduce any network issues you face.

Plug in a Network Cable

If you feel like the problem may be with your wireless adaptor, then you should try attaching your device to a network cable. Plug a network cable into the device, and then check whether the internet is connecting properly. If it is, then your device’s network drivers or wireless adaptors may have issues. With such issues, you can’t enjoy the speeds connections like Cox’s panoramic Wi-Fi offer.  

Once you’ve identified this problem, then you can either update your drivers or have a professional take a look at your wireless adaptor. You’ll also get to experience the best speeds possible with a wired connection, so you should try it when you’re gaming or doing some other intensive activity.

Uninstall & Reinstall Your Network Device

If you uninstall and reinstall your network device, then you can refresh your connection. This will help it behave like brand new and also clear any caches or data gathered. Therefore, you should try out this solution if your wireless connection is taking too long to get through the identification stage.

Just go to the network device in your device manager, and then uninstall it. Once you do, you should restart your computer. This will automatically reinstall the network device again after detecting it and let you access the internet the way you want to get Optimum WiFi connectivity.

Update Your Equipment

If you have an older modem and router, then your connection may not be able to run as well as it should. Its outdated firmware may not let your more up-to-date devices identify your networks. Therefore, you should confirm whether your equipment is updated, or whether you need to replace it with something newer.

You can either get new equipment from your provider or can buy your own third-party equipment instead. Whatever the case, make sure it is compatible with your network.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if your WiFi is stuck on identifying network connections, then you should run through a few solutions. These should help you fix the problem without too much technical knowledge involved. Otherwise, you should call your provider or a professional, depending on whether the problem is with your device or your network.