How to fix when windows doesn't recognize usb wifi adapter

The advantages that a USB WiFi adapter offers us are many. Therefore, the number of consumers who buy one has increased dramatically over time. They are devices that help us enjoy wireless connection even more in our home. In addition, there are many prices, so we can always find one that suits us.

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How to fix when Windows doesn't recognize USB WiFi adapter

Although they are not without problems either. Since users occasionally encounter a few flaws. One of the most common that the USB WiFi adapter cannot connect to the Internet is that Windows does not recognize it. Something that happens with certain models. It is an annoying situation, but it has multiple solutions.

Therefore, we have grouped together some of the most effective solutions to this problem. Thus, if your Windows 7 or 10 computer does not recognize the WiFi USB adapter, you can give it a solution and make it work normally.

Update the driver

The problem with the system not recognizing the adapter may be in the driver. It is something that happens with some frequency. Therefore, one of the first things we must do is see if everything is working normally in this regard. What we have to do is connect the WiFi USB adapter and update the driver by going to the device manager.

Next we look for the adapter driver in the list, going to network adapters. There we get a list where the driver we are looking for is found. We right-click on it and one of the options is to update. We select this option and we give it to update automatically. So we wait for Windows 10 to offer us the update.

If instead you have Windows 7 as the operating system, the system is somewhat different. In this case you have to follow these steps:

• Right- click on My Computer and open properties Select device manager on the left-hand side Go to network adapters Right-click on the USB WiFi Adapter Select update driver

Try an alternative USB port

The USB ports of the computer end up suffering with the continued use we give them. Therefore, it may happen that on some occasion they fail. So it is important that we test the adapter in all the USB ports that our computer has. Since it may be that the problem originates from something as simple as a port that is not working correctly.

If after trying another USB port it works, then perfect, we have already found the origin of the problem. In the event that it does not work, we at least know that the USB ports of the computer are not faulty. So we have to keep looking for solutions to this problem.

Check the power settings

A large part of the power consumption in your computer is dedicated to the USB ports and the devices connected through them. Therefore, in an attempt to reduce this consumption, Windows uses some energy saving options that cause that USB port to be out of use. So we have to check that this has not happened and the WiFi adapter is not recognized by the computer for this reason. What do we have to do?

Both in Windows 10 and 7 we have to go to the control panel. There we enter hardware and sound. Inside we get an energy option, which we have to click on. Once inside, various energy plans / modes come out. So we must select the one we want or the one that our computer uses at that time. Next we click on change the energy mode settings.

Inside we go to the advanced settings and there we get a new window. We have to go to the USB settings within the list of options that we get. You will see that there are two different options in it. We have to disable them both. They are generally activated by default. This means that the USB may stop working due to the power plan. But disabling them will not happen.

Install drivers

Generic drivers may fail. Therefore, you may be forced to install the drivers manually. Most of the current WiFi USB adapters bring a disk for the installation of the drivers, which is usually compatible with Windows 7 and / or 10. But, it is best to install these drivers manually, since it is usually the way that most likely to success offers us.

To do this we go to the device manager. We look for the network adapters in the list, as we have done previously, and we right-click again. So, we select properties. Within the properties we go to details, we go down and look for Hardware Ids. We copy the first line and paste it into the browser.

Then we can only download and install these drivers. But, it is important that we download them from a trusted page and if possible from the manufacturer's official website. Although this may not always be possible. When you have installed them, restart your computer and you will see that there are changes, or should.

Deactivate the option "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save battery life"

Finally, a possible solution that we can carry out is to check the USB power configuration. Since sometimes the computer disconnects some USB to preserve others. So we have to check that this is not the case and that everything works normally. For that, we go again to the device manager.

Although in this case we have to go down to the end and we go to the option of universal controllers. We have to pay attention to the last two. Therefore, we turn to the properties of both. Within them we look for the option of energy management. When we enter we look for the option to Allow the computer to turn off this device to save battery. And we deactivate it. Then we restart the computer.

With these solutions the problem that your USB WiFi adapter is not recognized by the computer should be fixed. We hope that they have been useful for your problem.