TP-Link Router is Connected but Can’t Access Internet? Here’s How to Fix it

Before assuming that your internet is down, visit several websites. Sometimes, the issue may be on the website’s end.

When your TP-Link router appears to be connected to the internet but it is not working on your phone or computer, it may be due outage at the ISP end, a glitch in the router, an outdated network adapter driver, or a virus.

The first thing to do is to check your ISP status. If there is a network outage at your ISP end, there is nothing to be done on your part than wait.

Your ISP could also have blocked your access if you had exceeded your bandwidth cap or failed to make a timely payment.

If everything is fine at the ISP’s end, begin troubleshooting by rebooting your TP-Link router. Here’s how to do that:

1. Turn off your router.
2. Unplug it from the power source for 1 minute.
3. After 1 minute, plug it back in and turn it On.

Rebooting Didn’t Work? Disable & Enable Network Connection

Another quick fix that has worked for many Windows users is to disable and then enable the network connection. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open Control Panel and click on Network & Internet.

2. Select Network and Sharing Center.

3. Click on Change adapter settings on the left side. See the screenshot below:

4. Right-click on your network and select Disable from the context menu.

5. To enable it back, select the Enable option from the context menu.

Having trouble connecting to the internet? Don’t worry yet, as there are few more steps you can try before contacting your ISP for support.

Change DNS on Router

It’s possible that your router doesn’t get the DNS address from the ISP, so manually configure the DNS server in router’s setting. This has been suggested by TP-Link support as well.

To change the DNS server on your TP-Link router, follow these steps:

1. Login to your TP-Link router web interface by visiting 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 in the web browser.
2. Enter the username and password.

You can find the default username/password are generally printer on the bottom of the router. Mostly, the default username and password is admin.

3. Click on Advanced tab, and then select Network -> Internet in the left side.
4. Select Use the following DNS Addresses option.
5. Next, change the value for Primary DNS to 8.8.8.1 and Secondary DNS to 1.1.1.1. Click on Save. See the screenshot below:

6. Now, reboot your router.

Update Drivers

If you haven’t updated your network drivers for quite a long, there is a good chance that simply updating the driver would fix the problem.

Here’s how to do that:

1. Open Device Manager. Expand the Network adapters section.
2. Select your network adapter from there and right click on it.
3. Select Update Driver.

4. Select Search automatically for the driver option.

5. When the drivers are updated, restart your PC.

Scan your computer for Malware

Did you recently install any new applications on your computer? If the internet was working fine before installing the software/app, that app is likely the culprit.

While it’s uncommon, malware or virus may disable your computer network settings. So, I’d recommend that you run a full virus scan on your computer. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 come with built-in Antivirus.

Here’s how to run a full PC scan:

1. Type Windows Security in the search menu and open it.

2. In the right pane, under Current threats, click on Scan options. See the screenshot below:

3. Choose Full Scan.
4. Click on Scan now button to begin scanning. See the screenshot below:

Depending upon the data on your computer, it might take Windows a few hours to complete the scan.

5. If any virus or malware during the scan, click on the Start actions button to remove it.

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OK, after following all the above steps, if your internet is still not working, you’ve my permission a worry a little bit!

Did you find this guide useful? Let me know in the comments section!