Hi, sorry if this is a dumb question, I’m really not good with networking.
My Wi-Fi worked fine for a while, but now it connects and shows the Wi-Fi symbol, yet nothing loads. Discord, browser, Steam — all dead.
I also tried Ethernet, but it’s through an old Apple Wi-Fi extender thing with an Ethernet port, not a direct cable to the router. Same result: connected, no internet.
My phone is also struggling with the Wi-Fi now, so I’ve been using mobile hotspot.
Could this be the extender, my PC, or the ISP? What should I check first?
Since your phone is also struggling, I wouldn’t start by blaming the PC. Stand next to the main router, turn mobile data off completely, connect to Wi-Fi, and see if anything loads. If it still shows connected but no internet, then it’s probably router/modem/ISP, not your PC. Also check the lights on the modem/router. If the internet/WAN light is red or blinking weirdly, call the ISP before buying anything.
Sounds like your Apple extender is an ancient AirPort Express. If it’s one of those early-gen relics, it’s single-band, so it’s definitely a prime candidate for the trash bin or a serious upgrade.You can check your signal levels using the native AirPort utility, or just grab NetSpot Wi-Fi analyzer — it’s basically the go-to alternative to that Android app. Try this: unplug the extender first and check how many bars or what kind of signal strength you’re getting straight from the main router. If it looks solid, fire the extender back up and see what changes. Heads up though, Apple extenders usually only play nice over the air if your main router is also an Apple base station. If you’re rocking a third-party router, you’ll probably have to hardwire that AirPort via Ethernet. Might want to double-check what your main router actually is.
@Training-Today9031 Good call on the app — it actually helped me figure something out: my Wi-Fi doesn’t work even when I’m standing right next to the router.
@Training-Today9031 That’s exactly how we always kicked off a troubleshooting ticket — just a quick site survey to see what the client is actually running. There’s always a root cause for the glitch, but it’s rarely a no-brainer.