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How to fix Samsung Galaxy J5 2017 that cannot connect to or access Wi-Fi internet (easy steps)

ByGrace November 7, 2019August 7, 2023 August 7, 2023

Is your Samsung Galaxy J5 2017 unable to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi? If so, then this post might be able to help you out. Read on to find out what causes your device to lose access to the Internet and how to fix it.

Many cases of wireless connectivity issues are tied to a software problem than faulty hardware. The problem can be attributed to many factors including your account and network status, incorrect settings, corrupted network, rogue apps, and likewise modem or router errors. This is why problems on wireless connectivity is deemed a complex issue that requires lengthy troubleshooting procedures.

For those who are looking for a solution to a different problem, make sure you drop by our Galaxy J5 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues with this phone. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and feel free to use our solutions. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance from us, you can always contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire and hitting submit.

Potential solutions and workarounds to deal with wireless connectivity issues

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After taking care of the above requisites and yet your Galaxy J5 is still unable to connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi, then you may now begin troubleshooting software problems on your device. You may refer to any of the following methods. Don’t forget to test your Wi-Fi internet once you’re done with every procedure to find out if the problem is fixed and that your device is already able to connect.

Before we begin our troubleshooting, here are some things you should check:

Check if all your devices have no internet access. If all your devices have no Internet access using the same Wi-Fi network, then it’s most likely a network error. In line with this, call your Internet service provider to check on your current network status. Another thing you shouldn’t miss checking with your carrier is on network outages — either scheduled or sudden technical problems that might have affected the network services in your place.
Verify and ensure airplane mode is off. When Airplane mode is enabled, all other connectivity features including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your Galaxy J5 are automatically disabled. To access and manage this feature, go to Settings-> Airplane Mode then tap the switch to turn it off, if necessary. You can also access the Airplane mode icon through the notification panel. Either way serves the same purpose.
Try switching to another browser app. Sometimes, you might think that your phone is to blame but actually it’s the browser app you are using. Browser apps for Android, stock or third-party app can crash at any time due to many factors like corrupted cached files and history data. When this happens, various types of errors can occur. And since the browser is glitching, it won’t be able to carry out its main task which is to browse the Internet. To make sure that it isn’t causing your trouble, try to switch or use a different browser app then navigate to any website. If the other browser is able to load the website or page, then it’s a browser issue.

Reboot or power cycle wireless router/modem.

The very first solution recommended by Internet support people when you reach them for help in dealing with network connectivity issues on your computer or mobile device is a modem/router reboot. The process is otherwise referred to as power cycle. It involves turning the network equipment off for a few seconds and then turn back on. You should give it a try especially if all your other devices cannot connect to Wi-Fi internet using the same network. Here’s how:

Press the Power button until your router powers off.
Unplug the A/C adapter or disconnect from the power source.
Keep it unplugged for at least 30 seconds.
After the elapsed time, plug it back in to power.
Press the Power button until all the light indicators get stable. Make sure no red lights on your router. Red lights usually denote a problem with the router that needs to be fixed so as to resume network connectivity on all devices using that network.

Power cycling the wireless router or modem can help fix firmware issues on the modem or router, causing it to crash and stop feeding wireless signal to all connected devices.

Reboot or soft reset your Galaxy J5 2017.

Just like other electronics devices, smartphones can also become exhausted or bugged. When this happens, the device is no longer able to carry out any assigned task. In order to make things right, a restart is often needed. A simple restart can fix different kinds of software problems in mobile devices.

To do so, just turn your phone off the usual way or by pressing the Power button until it powers down. After 30 seconds, press the Power button again for a few seconds until the Samsung logo appears.

Wait until your phone boots up completely then do some test browsing to see if you can now connect to the Internet. If the problem persists after the first reboot, give it another try and see if that would make a difference. As recommended, three reboot attempts is enough to gauge whether the problem is minor or complex. Complex problems usually require more advanced or tougher solutions to be rectified.

Turn Wi-Fi off and on again.

A simple trick that can help refresh your Wi-Fi connection is by toggling the Wi-Fi switch off and then back on. This should be able to fix the problem if it’s just occurring as a random symptom or Wi-Fi glitch.

To do so, head over to Settings-> Connections-> Wi-Fi menu, then tap the Wi-Fi switch to turn the feature off for a few seconds and then tap the switch again to re-enable Wi-Fi.

Restart your phone then try to connect to the Internet.

Forget your wireless networks then reconnect.

If you have saved multiple wireless networks on your device, it’s possible that any of these networks gets corrupted or caused conflict to the wireless network you are using. In this case, forgetting all saved wireless networks on your device will likely fix the problem.

Here’s how to forget a wireless network on your Galaxy J5:

Open up the notification panel.
Tap Settings.
Go to Network connections.
Tap Wi-Fi.
Tap to turn on Wi-Fi, if necessary.
Select the wireless network profile that you want to forget.
Tap Forget.
If prompted, enter your passcode.
The selected network will be deleted or forgotten. So it’s like you’re going to connect to the network for the first time.
Restart your phone then go back to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu then scan for wireless network and connect.

When you’ve successfully connected, try to browse the Internet and see if you can now connect.

Reset APN or network settings on your Galaxy J5

Resetting network settings will delete all connection data from your device including existing wireless and Bluetooth networks. This reset will also restore network selection mode, background data, and data restrictive settings to default values. Any error or glitches affecting your wireless network will likewise be wiped out in the process. And here’s how it’s done:

Open the Apps drawer.
Go to General Management.
Tap Reset.
Select Reset network settings.
If necessary, enter the correct password then tap Reset settings to confirm.

Test to see if that fixes your wireless Internet problem.

Perform a master reset or factory reset on your Galaxy J5

While a master reset can fix complex software issues, it also deletes all your critical data and personal information from the internal memory of your phone. That said, it should only be regarded as the last resort when troubleshooting software-related problems in mobile devices. If you really feel the need to carry out a full system reset so as to fix your wireless Internet, then you may do so. Just be sure to backup all your important data before you start.

Here’s how it’s done:

Open the Apps drawer.
Tap Settings.
Go to Cloud and accounts.
Tap Backup and restore.
You may also opt to turn Back up my data and Restore options off or on.
Go back to Settings.
Select General Management.
Tap Reset.
Select Factory data reset option.
Then tap Reset device to confirm.
If prompted, enter the correct PIN or password for your device, then tap Continue.
Tap Delete all to confirm full system reset.

Wait until the reset is finished then reboot your phone. After it boots up successfully, set up and connect to your wireless network then try to do some test browsing to see if you are now able to access the Internet.

What to do if your Galaxy J5 2017 is still unable to connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi?

If none of these works, you should call your Internet service provider or Samsung Support for further assistance. They will be able to walk you through a more advanced troubleshooting procedure using a dedicated software to fix network the error on their end and likewise restore your wireless connection. But if you suspect that the problem is somehow tied to a faulty hardware, then you can just take your device to a service center for hardware assessment and/or repair. Service must be considered an option especially if there were previous instances where your phone was dropped or got wet. The Wi-Fi antenna might have accumulated physical or liquid damage from any of these instances.

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