Reconnecting a Device That Dropped Off Your Wi-Fi

How to reconnect phones, tablets, laptops, and smart home devices that have dropped off your Wi-Fi network.

Network & Wi-Fi

Why Devices Disconnect

Devices can drop from Wi-Fi for several reasons: the network password was changed, the device moved out of range, or there is a conflict with band steering between 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.

Steps to Reconnect

  1. Open Wi-Fi settings on the device that lost connection
  2. Forget the network — Find your network name, tap or click "Forget" or "Remove"
  3. Reconnect — Select your network from the list and enter your Wi-Fi password
  4. If you see two networks (one with "5G" in the name), try the standard one first — it has better range

If the Device Still Won't Connect

  • Restart the device — A full power cycle can clear temporary network issues
  • Restart the nearest access point — Unplug it for 30 seconds and plug it back in
  • Check if other devices can connect — If nothing can connect, the issue may be with the access point or router

Smart Home Devices (Sonos, Control4, etc.)

Smart home devices sometimes lose their network connection after a power outage or router reboot. Most will reconnect automatically within a few minutes. If they do not, power cycle the device and check that your network is online.