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Wi-Fi refuses to connect or detect

GR53
Explorer

Earlier in the month, we switched from Sky to EE broadband due to Sky's absurd prices and terrible customer service. And while we were originally able to set the TV and router up just fine, and got our phones connecting to the Wi-Fi, the router was not showing up on our laptop's network list at all.

Now, it is an older model, but it had no issues connecting with our previous ISP or things like mobile hotspots, and all of the neighbours' Wi-Fi routers can be picked up. So we contacted EE's tech support, and spent around an hour on the phone trying to troubleshoot it, but ultimately accomplished nothing. Reset the broadband, manual connection attempts, create a compatibility mode connection in WPA 2 without WPA 3 active, etc. Nothing worked.

Got told to contact windows support, but they don't support these older models anymore, so it'd be a bit of a pointless endeavour. So instead got a relative who runs a tech support shop to take a look at it, trying everything up to manually scripting a connection profile, but again got nowhere. However, while our broadband router does not show up in the laptop's network list, the generic "EE WiFi" does, and so we were able to circumvent the problem (albeit not in an ideal fashion) by simplying connecting to that and logging in with our EE account to access the free WiFi.

However, come today, we can't connect anymore. Or, more accurately, we can connect to it from the list, but it doesn't give us any internet, and it refuses to load the ee.co.uk/public/ee page, saying it can't find the DNS, so we are unable to even login to the WiFi hotspot anymore. The TV still works fine, but it is extremely frustrating that the WiFi we are paying for is just not doing what it is supposed to. I'm currently having to type this from a mobile hotspot, which drains my battery and costs us extra money in mobile data.

How can we rectify this?

5 REPLIES 5
Chris_B
EE Community Star
EE Community Star

@GR53  Have a read of THIS 

To contact EE Customer Services dial 150 From your EE mobile or 0800 956 6000 from any other phone.
XRaySpeX
EE Community Star
EE Community Star

@GR53 : Older or weaker devices may not be compatible with the default WiFi settings of EE Smart Hubs. Try setting up Compatible WiFi on the router under Advanced > Wireless Settings > Config > Compatible WiFi (it defaults to 2.4 GHz only & WPA2) & connect your problematic 2.4 GHz devices to that.

If you think I helped please feel free to hit the "Thumbs Up" button below.

To phone EE CS: Dial Freephone +44 800 079 8586 - Option 1 for Home Broadband & Home Phone or Option 2 for Mobile Phone & Mobile Broadband

ISPs: 1999: Freeserve 48K Dial-Up > 2005: Wanadoo 1 Meg BB > 2007: Orange 2 Meg BB > 2008: Orange 8 Meg LLU > 2010: Orange 16 Meg LLU > 2011: Orange 20 Meg WBC > 2014: EE 20 Meg WBC > 2020: EE 40 Meg FTTC > 2022:EE 80 Meg FTTC SoGEA > 2025 EE 150 Meg FTTP
JimM11
Community Hero
Community Hero

@GR53 Buy and older AP, connect that to the hub, and then your laptop may see that fine, some older devices will just not see the wireless wifi transmitted from the EE Hub's. With sky did you have the Black SR203 wifi 5 hub from them? What EE one are you using currently, see the link below for them!

https://ee.co.uk/help/broadband/getting-started/compare-our-range-of-broadband-hubs

 

Yes, the SR203 looks to be what we had. The 7 plus is the new EE hub we have.

Will have to look into the Access Point option, not overly familiar with them.

JimM11
Community Hero
Community Hero

@GR53 You do not say what you laptop is make model so without knowing and the wifi details off it, but here is a typical wifi 5 Access Point / RE that may work for it just going to assume you are no better than wifi 5 but it may also be as old as wifi 4.

If you decide to Ethernet connect then the second link will be faster in operation, get from the likes off Amazon and thats an easy return policy if you have any issues at all. If speed for you laptop is just not a major issue then there are a few more older slower version's that you will see from Tp-Link just look at Range Extenders from them!

RE300 | AC1200 Mesh Wi-Fi Range Extender | TP-Link United Kingdom

RE550 | AC1900 Wi-Fi Range Extender | TP-Link United Kingdom