I have for some 20 months now been using a TP-Link range extender, model TL-WA860 RE, to boost my wifi signal to enable me to connect to things like BBCi-player on my downstairs TV (desktop PC and router are upstairs). This has worked satisfactorily until a few weeks ago when the extender began to fail to connect to the router.
I have a Wifi Analyzer programme on my tablet and this today is showing a wifi signal strength of -37 dBm a metre in front of the router, which is supposedly good, so I am prepared to believe that a fault has developed with the extender, which I am pursuing with TP-Link.
However, when I go into the desktop Control Panel - Network & Sharing centre - Change adapter settings, alongside the ethernet display is the Wifi display which says ‘Not Connected’ with a red cross beside the 802.11n Wireless PCI Express Card LAN Adapter, which is a Lite-On model. Also, when I right click this display and choose ‘diagnose’, it tells me I have not chosen to connect to any of the available wireless networks. If I click on ‘show me a list of available networks’, there are none.
Can anyone explain to me why this should be? My system is Windows 10, which I installed a few months ago.