Wi-Fi is connected, but the internet doesn’t work on Xiaomi: a complete guide to fixing the problem

You saw the familiar Wi-Fi icon with an exclamation mark on Xiaomi's screen, and the browser persistently produces a "No Internet access" error? A situation where the network is connected but traffic is not going, occurs more often on Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones than it seems. The reasons are both the phone settings and problems on the router or provider side. In this article, 7 proven ways to return access to the network, including hidden MIUI chips that are not written in the standard instructions.

It is important to understand that if other devices (laptop, tablet) Internet through the same Wi-Fi works, the problem is exactly in the settings of Xiaomi. If the network is “lacked” everywhere – the fault of the router or provider. We will analyze both scenarios, and also tell you how to bypass the Internet blocking via VPN directly in the MIUI settings without third-party applications (relevant for users in hotels, airports or corporate networks).

Basic checks: what to do first

Before you dig deep into the settings, make sure that the problem is not solved by simple actions. Start with these steps — they take less than a minute, but eliminate 60% of cases of “connected but broken” Wi-Fi.

• 🔄 Reboot the router. Pull the power cord for 30 seconds and turn it back on. On the Xiaomi Router, you can do this through the Reset button (hold 5 seconds).
• 📱 Reboot your smartphone. Hold the power button 10 seconds before the menu appears, then select Reboot.
• 🌐 Check the Internet on another device, connect a laptop or a second phone to this Wi-Fi, and if it doesn't have a network, the ISP has a problem.
• 🔗 Make sure you don't turn on Airplane mode. Swipe down to open the notification panel and check the airplane icon.

If after restarting the router the Internet worked - the problem was in the hanging DHCP-This is a common error of budget routers (for example, Xiaomi Mi Router). 4A or TP-Link TL-WR840N). If not, we're moving on.

Wi-Fi settings on Xiaomi: what to change in MIUI

Operating envelope MIUI It has hidden network settings that can block traffic, such as the Smart Switch feature sometimes forgets to return to Wi-Fi after using mobile data, and the setup is a good way to do it. IP-The default address may conflict with the router. Here's what to check:

1. Turn off Smart Switch: Go to Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → Smart Switch and Deactivate the Slider.This feature automatically switches the phone to mobile Internet if Wi-Fi is weak, but sometimes it works wrongly.
2. Reset network settings: In Settings menu → Connections and Sharing → Network Reset, select Reset Wi-Fi, mobile network and Bluetooth settings. Attention: after that, you will have to re-enter passwords from all saved networks.
3. Change the settings. IP: Click on the name of your Wi-Fi network → Change the network → Additionally. → Settings IP. Try changing. DHCP Static and manually write: IP-address: 192.168.1.100 Gateway: 192.168.1.1 Network mask: 255.255.255.0 DNS 1: 8.8.8.8 DNS 2: 1.1.1.1

After the shift IP Internet started working – the problem was in the conflict of addresses (for example, the router distributed the same IP If not, check the other device. DNS-servers: sometimes providers block access through standard DNS.

3.DNS problems: how to bypass blockages

If after connecting to Wi-Fi sites do not open, but messengers (for example, Telegram or WhatsApp) work – to blame DNS-The provider or network administrator (at a hotel, university) could block access to certain resources. DNS manually.

To change the DNS to Xiaomi:

1. Press the name of your Wi-Fi network in the list of connections.
2. Select Change Network → Additional → DNS settings.
3. Instead, manually enter the address (e.g. 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8).
4. Save and reconnect to the network.

⚠️ Attention: If after the shift DNS The Internet never worked, but the connection status was marked “Connected, protected” (previously it was “Without access to the Internet”) – the problem is the blocking. MAC-This is often the case on public networks (e.g. McDonald's or Starbucks). Solution - see section 5.

4.Conflicts with the mobile Internet: why the phone “forgets” Wi-Fi

One of Xiaomi's unique problems is the conflict between Wi-Fi and mobile data, and even if you've turned off data transmission in the settings, the system can continue to use it in the background, ignoring Wi-Fi. Here's how to fix it:

• 📵 Turn off the mobile internet completely. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Transfer data and deactivate the slider. Then reconnect to Wi-Fi.
• 🔧 Reset the settings. APN. In the same menu, select Access Points (APN) → Menu (three dots) → Reset to default values.
• 🚫 Disable background data transfer. → Annexes → Traffic Management Disable background traffic for all applications except instant messengers.

If Wi-Fi is working after the mobile data is turned off, the problem is the dual connection settings (concurrent use of Wi-Fi and 4G), which is a feature that is available on Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3 Pro and later, to turn it off:

1. Go to Settings → Wi-Fi → More
2. Find the Dual Connection (or Wi-Fi+) option and deactivate it.
3. Reboot the phone.

💡

If you frequently switch between Wi-Fi and mobile internet, add the Data Transfer widget to the home screen. To do this, pinch the blank space on the screen → Widgets → find the Data Transfer and drag it to a convenient location.

5. Blocking by MAC-Address: How to circumvent network restrictions

Corporate, educational or hotel networks often use filtering by MAC-address, the unique identifier of your phone, unless the network administrator has added your MAC In the whitelist, you'll be blocked from accessing the Internet even if you have Wi-Fi on. Here's how to check and get around it:

Step 1. Find out your own. MAC-address:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → All the characteristics.
2. Scroll down to a point. MAC-Wi-Fi address (for example, 00:11:22:33:44:55).

Step 2. Check if it's locked:

• Connect to this network from another device (laptop).
• Open the command prompt (Win + R → cmd) and type: ping 8.8.8.8 If ping is coming and not from the phone, your MAC is locked.

Step 3: Bypassing the lock:

• 🔄 Change. MAC-Address (requires root or unlocked bootloader permissions) and requires applications like Change My. MAC (available on Google Play).
• 🌍 Use it. VPN. V MIUI built-in VPN: Settings → Additionally. → VPN. Choose a free server (such as Cloudflare) WARP).
• 📡 Connect through the hotspot. Distribute Wi-Fi from your laptop (where the internet works) and connect your phone to it.

⚠️ Attention: Change MAC-Addresses may disrupt some features (such as Mi Share or Quick Apps).Reboot your phone after the change and check the connection to other networks.

6. Problems with firmware and MIUI updates

Sometimes the lack of Wi-Fi internet is due to firmware bugs, especially after the MIUI update. For example, MIUI 12.5 and MIUI 13 versions had a bug with the Wi-Fi driver on Qualcomm Snapdragon 7xx processors (found in Redmi Note 9 Pro, POCO F3).

• 🔍 Check the version. MIUI. Go to Settings. → The phone. → Version. MIUI. If the version is older than 6 months, update.
• 📥 Update your firmware manually. Download the latest version from Xiaomi's official website, then to Settings. → The phone. → Update system press three points → Select a firmware file.
• ⚙️ Reset your network settings after the update.This is a must-do step, as new versions are available. MIUI They may conflict with older configurations.

If the problem appears immediately after the update, try to roll back to the previous version.

1. Download the archive with the right firmware (for example, with 4PDA or Xiaomi Firmware Updater).
2. Rename the file to update.zip and place it in the root folder of the phone.
3. Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update, click on three dots → Select a firmware file.
4. Confirm the rollback. Attention, this will reset all settings to factory!

💡

If after the MIUI update, only 5GHz Wi-Fi Internet disappeared, and 2.4GHz is working, the problem is in the module driver. Solution: turn off 5GHz in the router settings or update the phone firmware.

7. Hardware malfunctions: when to carry in the service

If none of these things worked, the problem could be the hardware of the phone, and here are the signs that it's time to call the service center:

• 📡 Wi-Fi does not connect to any network, although other devices connect without problems.
• 🔥 The phone warms strongly in the upper part (where the Wi-Fi module is located).
• 🔌 After falling or getting moisture stopped working and Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
• 🔄 In the connection status, Receiving constantly flashes IP-addresses or authentication.

The most frequent hardware breakdowns:

Before you go to the service, try to test the Wi-Fi module:

1. Enter the code ##4636##.
2. Select Wi-Fi Information.
3. Look up the status of the Wi-Fi connection. If it's Disconnected or it's an error, the module is faulty.

⚠️ Note: If the phone is warranty, do not open it yourself - this will void warranty obligations).

FAQ: Frequent questions about Wi-Fi on Xiaomi