If we connect to our router via WiFi or cable, it is possible that the Windows operating system will indicate “connected without Internet”. This means that it has successfully connected to the local home network, but that it is not possible to connect to the Internet to start browsing. This error can be due to several factors, so below we are going to explain in detail what you can do to diagnose what is happening, and also how to solve it.
Why does the message Connected without Internet appear?
The “Connected without Internet” message appears when the Windows operating system is not able to connect to the Internet, this error is very common when we have a network level failure and our router is not able to obtain an IP address on the WAN from Internet. However, it also happens when the DNS servers are not configured, are not responding or there is some kind of problem with them.
Internet connection problem
One of the reasons why this error appears is because we have a problem with the Internet connection. To know if this is the case, you should review the following points:
- Check that there is no red LED light on the router.
- Enter the router through the IP address of the default gateway, it is usually http://192.168.1.1, although it is not always this IP. In the web menu of the router you can see if there is a problem with the Internet connection, generally an error will appear and in the “Internet” section it will tell us that it is not connected.
If you have already verified this, our recommendation is that you try to ping an Internet IP address, for example, Google’s DNS which is 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. Therefore, if we open a command prompt (cmd) and type: “ping 8.8.8.8” we can see if there is communication or not. If there is communication, it means that you do have an Internet connection and the problem is another, if you do not have communication, then it means that you have a problem with your Internet connection because we cannot communicate.
Problem with DNS servers
Another reason why this error usually appears, even if you have an Internet connection, is because Windows tries to resolve an internal Microsoft domain and is not able to do so. To correctly diagnose this fault, you can do the following:
- We ping the IP address 8.8.8.8 as we have indicated before. If there is communication and everything works fine, it means that there is Internet.
- We ping the address www.google.es (ping www.google.es) and try to see if it works. If there is communication, it means that everything works fine, and that “Connected without Internet” message should not appear, so you do not have to worry. If there is no communication, it means that you have a problem with the DNS servers.
Now that we know that there is a problem with the DNS servers, our recommendation is that you learn how to change the DNS servers in Windows, so that you can make sure that this is the problem. By setting DNS servers manually, we rule out any problem with the DNS servers provided by the router, since it is possible that precisely these are not working. You can visit our tutorial on which are the fastest DNS servers.
Checking these two aspects, both the Internet connection and the DNS servers, will surely solve the “Connected without Internet” problem in the Windows operating system. If you have this message, but you do have an Internet connection and you are browsing correctly, ignore what it tells you, because everything is working correctly.
