13 Fixes For Limited Internet Connection

Have you ever encountered a situation where you connect your device to the internet, but it doesn’t work? It happens in the case of a limited internet connection. A limited internet connection is pretty much self-explanatory. 

It usually takes place because of a poor connection. In this case, you can’t use the internet to browse anything. There are many reasons behind it. The signals might be weak, or your system might have a bug from a recent update. 

Whatever the cause of the said problem, it’s inconvenient for people who need the constant net. Upon tracing the problems, we came across several quick fixes that could solve them. 

So, if you are looking for a quick fix for a similar situation, dive right into the solutions ahead. 

Solutions To Fix Limited Internet Access

  1. Restart Your Internet Connection Devices
  2. Reset The Router To Default
  3. Forget The Saved Network
  4. Switch The Public Network To Private
  5. Reset TCP/IP Configurations
  6. Reset TCP With CMD
  7. Change The Default IP Address To A Manual Address
  8. Disable Your Wi-Fi Adapter’s Power Saving Mode Settings
  9. Reset The Wi-Fi Adapter’s Drivers
  10. Factory Reset BIOS
  11. Disable File Or Printer Sharing
  12. Change Buffers Transmission Settings
  13. Run Troubleshoot  For Windows Network

1. Restart Your Internet Connection Devices

When you experience low connectivity, you should restart your devices first. Restart your PC and also the Wi-Fi adapter. Doing so will cancel out any sort of technical glitch. 

So, to restart your modem or WiFi adapter, follow these instructions:

  • Press the Windows and X keys together.
Pressing Windows + X Key on a keyboard
  • A list of your system functions or programs will appear. Select Device Manager from it.
Select Device Manager
  • Next, go to the Network Adapter option. Expand it and right-click on the Networking Device. It should be the one that you’re currently using. 
finding network adapter and active networking device
  • Choose the Disable option from the context menu.
disabling the network device
  • Enable your networking device again after disabling it.

Your modem or Wi-Fi adapter should restart and connect with high connectivity. If it doesn’t, then you should try other methods mentioned below.

2. Reset The Router To Default

Resetting Router

Sometimes your router’s configuration becomes incompatible with your PC. The reason for it could be a recent update or a technical glitch. Due to this reason, you can come across the Limited Internet connection message. 

To overcome it, try resetting your router to default. To reset your router, follow the instructions in your router’s manual. Or you can:

  • Press and hold the hidden reset button on your router.  
  • Wait for around 15 seconds till your router turns off and then on.

Try connecting to the internet again. This time, you should no longer face the low connectivity issue.

3. Forget The Saved Network

Sometimes removing and then adding the saved network again does the trick. So, you can try resolving the issue by forgetting the saved Wi-Fi network by following these steps:

  • Select the Wifi icon from the taskbar. Left-click on it once. This will open a system tray.
checking the connected network to Wifi
  • Right-click the active (or connected) wireless network. Select Forget from the option. 
forget the network connection
  • At the bottom of the Wifi system tray, tap on the Wi-Fi button. It is the one glowing in blue. You could also select the Airplane next to it. 
disabling the Wi-Fi of your system
  • Re-enable it by tapping on it again. This will refresh the Wifi. You will once again see the forgotten network in your list of connections.
  • Go ahead and select it. And tap on Connect. 
selecting connect on the network
  • Once you do that, it will ask for the passcode again. So, provide it. 
password prompt to connect to the wifi connection

After you provide the password, your PC will reconnect with the network. Windows will save this network. This method worked for Windows users. It should solve your connectivity issue.

4. Switch The Public Network To Private

Your home network is usually marked as Public. By changing it to Private, you may fix the low connectivity issue. To do that, follow these instructions:

  • Select the Wi-Fi connection icon from the System tray.
  • Click on the Wi-Fi network to which you connect your device. A sub-menu will appear. Select the Properties option from it.
selecting properties from the wifi system tray
  • Toggle on the slider of the option that says “Make this PC discoverable.” If that’s not available, you will see a Network Profile option.
  • There will be Public and Private options. Select the other one. Like, such as selecting the Public or vice-versa.
changing network profile for your Wi-Fi connection
  • If you’re using older windows, then type Homegroup in the search bar of Windows.
Finding Homegroup option in Windows
  • Select the HomeGroup option and then choose the Change Network Location option.
change network location
  • Select the yes option to change the network to a private network.
clicking Yes to change network profile
  • Now go to the System tray and right-click on the Wi-Fi icon.
  • From the available options, select “Open Network and Sharing Center.”

Ensure that the listed network is switched to Private Network. If yes, then close the window and check whether the internet works.

5. Reset TCP/IP Configurations

TCP/IP protocol helps establish communication among the devices using the internet. It is the most common protocol to access the internet for devices. 

Resetting TCP/IP works if the limited connectivity results from an IP address problem. You can reset the network configurations by following these steps:

using Start Menu Search Bar
  • In the search bar, type Command Prompt and hit the enter key.
  • Right-click on the result “Command Prompt.” Select the “Run as administrator” option from the context menu.
running command prompt as admin

Administrator: Command Prompt window will open. Type the following commands in the typing field and hit the enter key after each of them:

netsh winsock reset catalog

netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log

Once you hit the enter key, the TCP/IP stack and WINSOCK entries will reset with default values. 

After you have executed the above-given steps, save the changes by restarting your PC. Connect to the internet to see if the issue still exists.

6. Reset TCP With Different CMD Commands 

using windows power shell

Since TCP establishes communication among the devices, resetting it might work. Follow these instructions to reset the TCP connection:

  • Right-click Command Prompt by searching for it in the Start Menu’s search bar.
  • Select the “Run as administrator” option.
  • To reset the settings, you will need to disable some functions. Enter the following commands in the Command Prompt window:
netsh int tcp set heuristics disabled
netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled
netsh int tcp set global rss=enabled
  • To ensure that you have disabled the functions enter this command:
  • netsh int tcp show global
  • You can also use Windows Powershell for this one. 

Exit the Command Prompt window and restart your PC. After it is on, connects to the internet again and see if the problem persists.

7. Change The Default IP Address To A Manual Address

You can set the IP address to a manual one to resolve the issue. But, keep in mind that the numbers of the default address given below might not work for you. 

You must determine your manual IP address according to your Default gateway.

To know your default gateway:

  • Open the Start menu and search for Command Prompt in the search bar.
  • Click on Command Prompt. Enter ipconfig in the field and press the enter key.
ipconfig in the command prompt
  • You will find your default IP address mentioned as “Default Gateway.”
default gateway in command prompt ip address

Now to change the IP address:

  • From the Taskbar, select the network icon. From the menu, select your network and choose “Change adapter options.”
change adapter option
  • Find your network connection. Right-click on it, and a context menu will appear. Select Properties from it.
selecting properties of the network adapter connection
  • Now choose the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and select Properties.
TCP/IPv4 properties
  • Click on “Use the following IP address” and reset the following as:
selecting use the following IP Address

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

IP Address: 192.168.1.25

Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1

To save the changes, select the OK button and exit the window.

8. Disable Your Wi-Fi Adapter’s Power Saving Mode Settings

Advanced technology devices come with power saving mode. Windows 10 also has a feature that turns off the devices when not in use to conserve battery life. 

So if you are facing connectivity issues, there is a high chance your Wi-Fi adapter is off. To turn it back on, you can disable the power-saving mode. You can follow these steps to disable it:

  • Open the run application by pressing Windows and R keys.
Press Windows Key and R key together
  • In the empty field of Run, type “ncpa.cpl” and hit the enter key.
ncpa.cpl in run
  • All the adapters that your computer has will display on the screen. Find the Wi-Fi adapter from the list and right-click on it.
  • A small context menu will open. Select Properties from the options.
  • Find and click on the Configure button from the Properties window.
network connections and configure
  • Properties of Wi-Fi hardware will appear. From its window, click on the Power Management tab.
power management tab in network adapter
  • Locate the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” option. Uncheck the box beside this option to disable it.
Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power
  • Click on the Ok button and then the Exit button to save the settings before exiting.

Make sure to reboot your PC and then connect to the internet to check if this method worked.

9. Reset The Wi-Fi Adapter’s Drivers

Anything related to Wi-Fi should be on point to resolve the connectivity issue. So, you can start by updating or resetting the drivers of your Wi-Fi adapter:

  • Launch the run application by pressing Windows and R keys. Type “devmgmt.msc” in the run field and hit the enter key. Device Manager will open.
devmgmt.msc
  • Find the Network Adapters option and open it.
  • Now right-click on the wireless hardware of your Wi-Fi and click on the Update Driver option.
clicking on update driver
  • A dialog box will appear asking about the method you want to proceed with. Choose the first option that allows automatic search for updated driver software. You can also update the drivers from the official website of your manufacturer.
search automatically for drivers
  • Once you have updated the driver, restart your system. After it turns on, connect to the internet to check the connectivity.
  • If the above steps do not work, go to the Device Manager and right-click on your wireless hardware.
  • Choose the Uninstall Device option from the context menu. 
Uninstall device from device manager
  • Restart your computer again after uninstalling it.

When your computer turns on, it will install the needed drivers. Wait till the process gets completed. Connect to the internet to check the connectivity.

10. Factory Reset BIOS

You can configure the built-in network adapter using BIOS. Some users have claimed they fixed the low connectivity issue by resetting BIOS. To reset it, follow these steps:

  • Go to the Start Menu and search for Recovery. 
recovery in start menu
  • Select Restart Now from the option. 
Restart Now in recovery option
  • Wait while the system is restarting. Once it restarts, select the Troubleshoot option.
choosing troubleshoot option
  • Go to the Advanced option.
Advanced options in troubleshoot
  • Select UEFI Firmware settings.
  • Click on the Restart button.
  • Press and hold the F10 key till you enter the BIOS setup utility.
BIOS Setup
  • To load factory default settings, press the F9 key.
  • Highlight the OK button and then hit the enter key to confirm the changes.
  • Press the F10 key to save the changes that you have made and exit the BIOS setup.

Your PC will switch on, connect it to the internet and check if the issue persists.

11. Disable File Or Printer Sharing

file and printer sharing option

File or printer sharing uses data for wireless connection. This can interrupt the connectivity of the internet. As a result, you can experience limited connectivity. 

To dodge this issue, you can disable these settings:

  • Open the Run application by pressing the Windows and R keys.
  • In the empty field of the dialog box, type “ncpa.cpl” and hit the enter key.
  • A window with all the network connection adapters will appear. Locate the Wi-Fi adapter and right-click on it.
  • Select the Properties option from the drop-down menu.
  • From the Properties window, untick the boxes of the following options:

QoS Packet Scheduler

File and Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks

  • To save the changes, press the Ok button and click on Exit.

Restart your computer and connect to the internet again. Check if these steps helped resolve the issue or not.

12. Change Buffers Transmission Settings

change advanced settings

For some users, changing the buffers transmission value to greatest has worked. So, you can try doing it, and if it doesn’t work, you can roll back the settings anytime. To change these settings, follow these steps:

  • Open the run application on your computer by pressing Windows and R keys.
  • In the empty field of the run window, type “devmgmt.msc.” Press the enter key.
  • Select Network Adapters and open Properties by right-clicking on your Wireless hardware.
  • Open Advanced Tab from Properties and find the Receive Buffers option.
  • Once you find the Receive Buffers option increase its value to the highest point. You can do this using the option on the screen’s right side.
  • Do the same with the “Transmit Buffers” option.
  • To save the changes, select Ok and then click on Exit.

Connect your device to the internet to check if the issue still exists.

13. Run Troubleshoot  For Windows Network

There is a network troubleshooter for common connectivity issues. You can follow these steps to troubleshoot the error:

  • Go to the Search bar in the Start Menu and search for Troubleshoot.
selecting the troubleshoot settings
  • Select the Troubleshoot Settings option that appears as a result. Next, go to the additional troubleshooter. 
additional troubleshooter
  • Now choose the Network Adapter option and select “Run the troubleshooter.”
Network Adapter troubleshooter
  • Follow through the instructions that come on the screen.

After troubleshooting the error, connect to the internet again. Check if it worked or not.

Conclusion 

This article covered almost all the possible fixes for limited internet connection. If you have tried them all and still can’t figure out the issue, it’s time to seek professional aid. 

There’s a possibility that your internet service provider (ISP) could be the reason for the issue. It could also be some ethernet cable connectivity. So, make sure to check your network cable and network resources. The issue isn’t related to the firewall, so there is no need to check that. 

But, before that, try and figure out which device is causing the issue. Connect it to another device to figure out whether it’s your router. If it works fine, then your PC or mobile is at fault here. 

You can also borrow a hotspot from others and connect it to your PC or mobile. If it fails to connect or shows low connectivity, you should take your device to a service center.