Why Wi-Fi is Shutting Down on Xiaomi and How to Fix It Once and For All

You're sitting in your favorite chair, watching a video on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12, and suddenly the connection is cut off. And not because of the router: other devices are stable, and your smartphone persistently loses Wi-Fi every 5-10 minutes. A familiar situation? This problem haunts Xiaomi owners of all lines, from budget POCO to flagship Mi. The reason for this can be both software bugs MIUI and hardware limitations of the chipset.

In this article, we will discuss 7 proven ways to eliminate a spontaneous Wi-Fi shutdown, from basic settings to hidden developer parameters. You will learn why the smartphone “forgets” the network when you lock the screen, how to turn off energy saving for the Wi-Fi module and what to do if a problem appeared after the MIUI update.

Important: Some methods require developer rights or network resets, and we've marked them with special warnings so you can assess the risks in advance.

1. Check the basic Wi-Fi settings

Before you dig deeper, make sure the problem isn't in the obvious.

• 🔄 Reboot the router and your smartphone. Sometimes a Wi-Fi module or router fails with a simple reboot. Turn off the router's power for 30 seconds, then turn it back on. On your smartphone, hold the power button and select "Reboot».
• 📶 Check coverage. If the signal is weak (1-2 divisions on the Wi-Fi icon), the smartphone can automatically switch to mobile data. Bring the device closer to the router or check on another device the signal level at this point.
• 🔒 Make sure there are no restrictions on MAC-Some routers block new devices from connecting. Go to the router control panel (usually at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) and check the list of allowed devices.

If you still have Wi-Fi shut down after this manipulation, go to the next section, and if you're not sure how to go to your router's settings, use the instructions below:

Also note the router mode. If the settings are 802.11n/ac/ax (5GHz) and your Xiaomi only supports 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz), the connection will be unstable. Try manually selecting 2.4GHz mode in the router settings.

2. Turn off power saving for Wi-Fi

One of the most common reasons Xiaomi has to shut down Wi-Fi is because of aggressive power optimization, and MIUI automatically shuts down the Wi-Fi module when the screen is locked or when the charge level is low to save battery power, to fix this:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Mode.
2. Select Performance (if available) or Balanced mode, but not Energy Saving.
3. Return to the main settings menu and open Settings → Connections and Sharing → Wi-Fi.
4. Tap on the current network, then select “Additional Settings” (or “Advanced”).
5. Activate the option “Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep” (or “Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep”).

If you don't have that option, it's hidden in the developer menu, so you can turn it on.

Activate the developer mode (7 times tap on "Version") MIUI" on the telephone")

Return to “Settings → Additional → For Developers”

Find the item "Maintain Wi-Fi in your sleep" and select "Always"

Reboot your smartphone-->

On Xiaomi models with Qualcomm chipsets (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro), this option may be missing due to the features of the firmware, in which case only manual optimisation disabling for applications using Wi-Fi (more about this in the next section).

Also check if Adaptive Battery is enabled in the battery settings, which may limit background Wi-Fi activity, and turn it off if the problem persists.

3.Tune the developer settings for stable Wi-Fi

Xiaomi’s Developer Menu hides key settings that affect Wi-Fi. If the basic methods didn’t work, try these options:

• 📡 Turn off automatic switching to mobile data: Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Switching to mobile data → turn off the option.
• 🔄 Change your Wi-Fi scanning strategy: In the developer menu (Settings) → Additionally. → For developers, find the option “Wi-Fi Scan Strategy” and select Always (instead of Balanced or Charge Saving).
• 🚫 Disable background traffic restriction: In the same menu, find “Background Process Limitation” and set No Limits (or maximum value).

Another useful option is Wi-Fi Mode. If your smartphone supports 5 GHz but the connection is unstable, try manually switching to 2.4 GHz:

1. Open the developer menu.
2. Find the option “Wi-Fi Mode” (or “Wi-Fi frequency band”).
3. Select 2.4 GHz only (if available).

Some models (such as Xiaomi 12T or POCO F4) may not have these settings, and resetting the network settings (see section 5 for more).

Every 5-10 minutes.

Only when the screen is locked

After the MIUI update

Rarely, but accurately.

Never shuts down.-->

4. Reset network settings (without data loss)

If Wi-Fi is disabled after updating MIUI or changing the router, the reason may be a conflict of saved configurations, resetting network settings will delete all stored networks and connection parameters, but will not affect personal data (photos, applications, etc.).

How to do this:

1. Go to Settings → System and device → Additional → Resetting.
2. Select “Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile Network and Bluetooth settings”.
3. Confirm the action (a password or pattern lock may be required).
4. After restarting, connect to Wi-Fi again and check the connection stability.

This method helps in 60 percent of cases where a software failure is causing a problem, and if you still shut down your Wi-Fi after a reset, go to hardware checks.

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Before resetting your network settings, write down passwords from all the stored Wi-Fi networks, and after resetting, you have to re-enter them.

5. Check hardware causes of unstable Wi-Fi

If the software methods did not help, the problem may lie in the "hardware":

• 📱 Wi-Fi antenna damage. Common after falling or repairing a smartphone.Signs: weak signal even near the router, frequent breaks when moving the device.
• 🔋 If the battery is discharged too quickly (less than 4-5 hours of operation), the system can force the system to turn off energy-intensive modules, including Wi-Fi.
• 🌡️ Overheating of the chipset. When you have a high load (games, video editing), the Wi-Fi module can turn off for cooling. Check the temperature of the smartphone using the app AIDA64.

How to diagnose a hardware problem:

If you suspect a hardware malfunction but are not sure, use the test:

Xiaomi models with metal body (such as Mi 9 or Mi 10) are characterized by problems with antennas due to the “Faraday cage effect”, in which case only the replacement of the antenna module will help.

6. Update or roll back the MIUI firmware

Often, Wi-Fi issues arise after a MIUI update. For example, MIUI 13.0.4–13.0.6 for the Redmi Note 11 had a bug that spontaneously shut down Wi-Fi when the screen is locked, in which case a rollback to a stable version or manual patch installation helps.

How to update/roll back the firmware:

1. Check out the current version of MIUI: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.
2. Install the latest update: Settings → About Phone → System Update → “Check Updates”.
3. If the problem has occurred after the update: Download the stable firmware version for your model from en.miui.com. Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update, tap three dots in the upper right corner and select "Select firmware file." Set the downloaded file and restart the smartphone.

For power users: if the official rollback doesn’t help, you can try custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience or LineageOS).

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Before rolling back the firmware, back up your data through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset. Reset will reset all settings to factory.

If you are not sure which version of MIUI to choose, use the compatibility table:

7. Alternative solutions (if nothing has worked)

If all of the above methods fail, try these non-standard approaches:

• 🔧 Use static. IP-Address: In the Wi-Fi network settings, select “More» → «Settings IP» → «Static. Enter IP-manual address (e.g. 192.168.1.100 if the router has 192.168.1.1 address).
• 📵 Turn off the Smart Switch function: In some firmware MIUI There's an option to automatically switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data. → SIM-Maps and mobile networks and disconnect.
• 🛠️ Reset your smartphone to factory settings: Last resort if the problem is software-specific. Backup first! Pathway: Settings → System and device → Resetting settings → Resetting all settings.
• 📲 Use the Wi-Fi fix app: Utility like WiFi Fixer or NetGuard can force you to connect. Install them from Google Play and set up autorun.

For owners of Xiaomi root-rights there is another way – edit the file build.prop. Add a line to it:

wifi.supplicant_scan_interval=150

This will increase the interval of network scanning and can stabilize the connection, but this method requires root access and is not recommended for beginners.

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If you often experience Wi-Fi issues on Xiaomi, try using a Mesh system instead of a regular router. Devices like the Xiaomi Mi Mesh Router automatically switch your smartphone between access points, keeping cliffs to a minimum.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions

If your question is not covered in the FAQ - describe the problem in the comments, specifying the model of the smartphone and the version of MIUI. We will try to quickly supplement the article with relevant solutions!