PS4 Not Connecting to WiFi Network | Fixed by Experts
The internet is what makes the “glory” of PS4 and the number one factor that persuades people to buy that mighty game console. That means, in other words, you won’t enjoy your PS4 that much if it’s not connected to the Internet. It will be quite boring after a short time of use. For that reason, so many users get really annoyed when their PS4 fails to connect to the Internet. And since WiFi is the most common home network type, most PS4 users use it to connect their PS4 to the world of Internet.
Now imagine this scenario—You get home and try to connect your PS4 to your home Wi-Fi. It usually connects right away, but for some reason, the network won’t let you in, or the PS4 itself cannot connect to WiFi network at all. What’s going on?
There are many issues that might be the reason your PS4 not connecting to WiFi network. Many times, your fix is as easy as plugging a modem or router back in after a pet accidentally pulled it out. Sometimes, restarting your PS4 can get it connected to Wi-Fi again. Use this guide to potential internet network problems to figure out why your PS4 can’t connect to Wi-Fi at home and how you can fix it on your own.
Check these Wi-Fi network issues first
- Is your router unplugged or did power to it cut out? Your solution may be as simple as restarting your router or plugging it back in.
- Is your PS4 console trying to connect to a different Wi-Fi network? Although your device typically connects right to your home Wi-Fi network, it may be trying to connect to a different network. You might have to manually make it connect to your home network and forget the other one.
- Did your Wi-Fi password change recently? You may need to reenter the new password in your PS4 if it didn’t automatically save the changed passkey.
- Are other websites or internet browsers working? Sometimes, certain websites or servers go down. Check other sites to verify whether it’s your Wi-Fi or just a specific site.
- Can you connect if you move your PS4 closer to your router? If you normally have a strong signal in rooms far away from your router but suddenly can’t connect, take your PS4 closer to your router. If it can pick up a signal in a closer room, you may have a long-range signal issue, not a Wi-Fi connection problem.
Troubleshoot PS4 connectivity issues
Many times, your PS4 is actually the source of your connection issue. Connection problems range from software issues to network adapter glitches, so it’s a good idea to start with troubleshooting your PS4 console.
How to tell if you have device problems
If you’ve been able to connect your device to your home Wi-Fi network before, but suddenly can’t, or if you try other devices on the network, such as a laptop, tablet or a smartphone, yet they have no trouble connecting to WiFi, it’s most likely a device problem (i.e. your PS4), not the router or the connection itself.
How to fix different PS4 Connectivity Problems
- As your typical IT guy will tell you, your first step is to restart your PS4. This is a standard troubleshooting solution and could be the fix you need to get your PS4 connected to Wi-Fi again.
- Your next step is to check your network adapter. Sometimes connection issues arise because your PS4’s network adapter might not be enabled.
In order to enable the Internet connection on PS4, enter the “Rest Mode“, then go to (Settings) > [Power Save Settings] > [Set Features Available in Rest Mode], and then make sure the checkbox for [Stay Connected to the Internet] is checked not cleared.
- Another network adapter related issue for PS4 consoles could be that your PS4 system software is out of date. Essentially, a software update patch comes with fixes for hardware functionality bugs, so it’s important to stay up to date in order to make sure your PS4 hardware parts are working at their optimum performance.
- If that doesn’t work, investigate potential hardware or software problems. Hardware problems aren’t prevalent, but old PS4 network adapter could suddenly stop working if it overheats. To fix hardware issues, you can take your device to a repair store and see if they can assist in replacing any hardware. Depending on the age of your computer or other device, you may need to purchase a newer version of it.
Software issues might come up if you have system file conflict or corruption, which could disable or block your ability to connect to Wi-Fi. This can be caused by improper application installation/update, or a PS4 hard drive failure. You’ll want to rebuild the PS4 database first and see whether it works or not. If not, you have to full initialize the PS4 and reinstall the system software from scratch.
Troubleshoot Wi-Fi network issues
Wireless network issues range from a specific router channel being overcrowded to router settings that mess with your connection. If your PS4 console isn’t responsible for connectivity issues, try these tips for evaluating your home network.
How to tell if you have network problems
If you’ve tried troubleshooting potential PS4 problems, but they didn’t work, then you probably have a network issue. You can confirm it’s your network and not your device by trying to connect other smart devices to your Wi-Fi network.
- Just as your IT guy starts with a PS4 reboot, your internet service provider (ISP) will tell you to unplug your modem and then plug it back in. If that doesn’t work, unplug your router, give it a minute and then plug it back in. Sometimes, restarting your modem or router will reset your network and the issue magically disappears.
- Next, check your wireless network configuration. Many routers today use dual-band technology to extend the router’s range and Wi-Fi speeds. That means your router enables Wi-Fi communication via 2.4 GHz channels or 5 GHz channels.
However, settings on your router could have changed without you knowing and require your device to use a specific channel. Sometimes those channels appear like separate Wi-Fi networks on your device. Your phone or laptop may try to connect to a specific channel that seems available, but it’s not the network connection your router now requires. Check what channel your router’s using by logging into your router’s web interface.
Once you figure out if your router is set to a specific channel, you can also reset which channel your router uses. Resetting the channel can fix connection issues caused by an overcrowded Wi-Fi channel. Most 2.4 GHz routers come with a default channel of 6, but you can change the channel by logging into your router’s control panel using the router IP address.
- Check that your wireless network adapter’s SSID is available and what its status is. If your PS4 system reads “Not Connected,” click “Connect.” One of two things may happen. If you can’t connect to your network, you may need to debug your wireless network settings (an advanced, technical troubleshooting issue). Or, your status may say “Acquiring Network Address” or “Authenticating.” If that happens, you may need to click “Diagnose” to fix an IP address issue.
Internet service provider issues
Your PS4 couldn’t connect to the WiFi network because you might be blocked entirely from Wi-Fi. That happens due to several reasons that can only be resolved by your internet service provider (ISP). So, check whether you have any of the following problems:
- You haven’t paid your bill
- You were illegally transmitting/storing specific types of information
- There’s a weather- or disaster-related network issue
How to tell if you have internet service provider problems
If your PS4 can’t connect to WiFi network and you suspect your internet connection itself, the first thing you can do is go to your internet provider’s customer service site to check if local outages are affecting your connection.
If there aren’t local outages, call your internet provider. They may tell you about outages that haven’t been updated online yet. They can also let you know if you can’t get a connection because you have late payments or because they detected illegal data on your network.
There’s another Wi-Fi issue you might experience related to your provider is internet throttling. This will most probably cause the PS4 to not connect to WiFi network, or it will connect but at a very low speed rate.
You need to use your PC here and run a standard internet speed test and then a VPN speed test during different online activities and different times of the day. You can then compare the speeds and see if your internet provider is throttling your internet connection.
How to fix your provider problems
Some provider-related problems are out of your control. For instance, you may just have to wait out weather issues that have taken down cables.
However, if late payments have resulted in disconnection, talk to your provider about paying to restore your internet service.
If illegal content transmission resulted in no service, pay any related fines and talk to your provider about how you can get service restored.
If you notice that your provider seems to be throttling your internet unfairly, thus the PS4 won’t connect to WiFi network, let your internet service provider know. Call them, email them and visit a retail store with your speed test data in hand. Keep in mind that some internet plans have terms and conditions that allow for internet throttling, so you may not be able to resolve the slow connection issues from throttling.
Be Up to Date with the PS4 System Software
Sony keeps releasing new versions of PS4 system software intermittently in order to fix several issues within the former system software, or add new feature to PS4 system. For that reason you have always to stay up to date as PS4 might not connect to WiFi due to a system error that Sony released its fix in the new update pack.
Rebuild PS4 Database
It’s important to rebuild the PS4 database from time to time in order to maintain the peak performance of PS4. In fact, rebuilding the PS4 database can resolve lots of issues that the PS4 system undergoes, and perhaps your PS4 won’t connect to WiFi network because it requires database rebuilding. Try it, you won’t lose anything after all.
Initialize the PS4
When there’s an issue with your PS4 system functionality and you tried everything to resolve it, yet nothing works, it’s the time to consider initializing the PS4. Initialization is just a synonyms to factory reset. Once you initialize your PS4 all data will be deleted and the original factory settings will be restored, just exactly the same as you bought it in the first place.
Therefore, when your console fails to connect to WiFi without any visible reason, try to initialize PS4 and hopefully it will work.
Check the PS4 Internal Hard Drive
When the PS4 hard drive doesn’t function properly due to degradation/defectiveness issue, data stored on it might get corrupted. As a result, that will impact the functionality of some features of the PS4 system. To resolve this issue, you have to make sure always that the PS4 hard drive is healthy and running smoothly without any error.
The following posts may help you understand this topic deeply:
Conclusion
PS4 won’t connect to WiFi network due to several reasons, some are related to the PS4 system itself and some are just about a bad means of connection. Whatever the reason is that makes PS4 won’t connect to WiFi, we have tried our best to resolve this issue and get you back online.
