Consoles used to be the hub of offline gaming. Though they still are for many, a lot of games require you to connect to their online servers to function properly. You won’t be able to see the trophies you earn while gaming until your PS5 has an internet connection, but getting your PS5 online may not always be easy as it sounds.
It’s technically one of the most straightforward things you can do on your PS5. Some unknown errors may make it significantly more challenging, however, and you may need to try a couple of different troubleshooting methods to unlock the online features of your PS5.
Here’s everything you can do to get online with a PS5 that doesn’t seem to connect to Wi-Fi.
Make sure that it’s only your PS5 that can’t connect to Wi-Fi
All routers come with various lights on them to indicate that they’re functioning correctly. Sometimes the lights will lose their meaning if you can’t seem to connect to your router, though.
If your PS5 is struggling to establish a connection, you’ll want to make sure that there aren’t any other devices suffering from the same issue. Pick up your phone or a laptop, and try connecting to Wi-Fi from the same room as your PS5.
If you’re struggling to connect with other devices as well, then the following troubleshooting methods may help you fix the problem.
Restart your router
It may sound elementary, but resetting your router will be one of the most effective fixes against connection errors. Performing a reset will allow you to establish a new connection with your internet service provider (ISP) and fix any bugs that may prevent you from connecting to Wi-Fi.
We also recommend restarting affected devices during this process just to make sure you get a fresh start the next time you try connecting your PS5 to Wi-Fi.
Move your PS5 and router closer together
If you’re trying to connect Wi-Fi in a room too far away from your router, then moving them closer can help you fix the issue. Even if your other devices successfully connect to Wi-Fi from the same room, remember that they’ll have different Wi-Fi chips.
As you move them closer, your PS5 should receive stronger signals, which will ensure a better connection overall.
If moving them closer isn’t possible in your household, then you can make up for the signal power difference by investing in a more robust router. A more powerful router can dish out stronger signals and will have a broader range around your house, allowing your PS5 to pick up stronger signals.
Alongside or instead of a router, you can also get yourself a Wi-Fi extender, which is great for increasing your signal quality. Your overall internet may speed may suffer if you connect to Wi-Fi via extenders, but the signal strength will be more than good enough to make it worth it.
Delete the login details of your router from your PS5 to reconnect from scratch
Connecting to your home network automatically is a blessing in disguise. Nothing beats the convenience that it provides, but it may also cause you to get locked out of your Wi-Fi on rare occasions.
This usually happens after you change passwords, and your console may still fail to connect to Wi-Fi even if you enter the correct details. To make sure you get a start from scratch, you’ll need to delete your router/Wi-Fi from the list of available connections.
Once you make your console forget about your connection details, you’ll want to connect to your Wi-Fi like it’s the first time you’re doing it.
- Open Settings and Choose Network.
You’ll be able to make your device forget about your home network and reconnect through the Network interface.
Change your DNS settings
The default DNS server that’s configured by your ISP may not always be the best one. While it’ll be hard to tell the difference unless you’re a power user, some faulty DNS servers may cause connectivity issues.
To change your DNS on PS5, you’ll need to:
- Head over to Settings.
- Select Network and choose Set Up Internet Connection.
- Once inside, select your preferred connection method and choose Advanced Settings.
- Change your DNS Settings to manual and adjust your Primary and Secondary DNS servers according to your liking.
- Two of the most preferred DNS servers belong to CloudFlare and Google. For CloudFlare, you’ll need to enter “1.1.1.1” without the quotation marks for your primary DNS and “1.0.0.1” for your secondary DNS address.
- You can try out Google DNS by entering “8.8.8.8” for your Primary setting and “8.8.4.4” for the secondary DNS.
- Note that you can also find out the best performing DNS for your internet connection by running a DNS Benchmark test on your computer. A DNS Bench test will allow you to compare all commercially available DNS addresses with your connection, and you can decide on which one to use to maximize your performance.
Try connecting your PS5 and router with an Ethernet cable
It may sound less than ideal, but if none of the fixes work out for you, connecting your console and router with an Ethernet cable will be your last resort. This method will guarantee that your console will have access to the internet, but it won’t be through Wi-Fi.
Depending on how far your console and router are, you may need to get a rather long Ethernet cable. Though you’ll need to do some cable management to prevent your house from looking cluttered, the level of connection quality you’ll get will be unmatched.
Give a call to your ISP
Alternatively, you can also call your ISP to ask for their guidance. They’ll have access to data you won’t be able to see on your connection and may help you pinpoint what’s been going wrong.
Most of the time, they’ll be able to perform a reset on their side to give your connection a fresh start, or they can also send in a professional if nothing else seems to work.
If you’ve had no connection problems in the past and are just experiencing them out of the blue, check out PSN servers’ status. A server maintenance or an outage may prevent you from connecting to PSN Network, meaning trying to fix your Wi-Fi won’t be necessary since you’ll need to wait for PSN servers to come back online.
Published: Nov 18, 2020 06:23 pm