Raspberry Pi Wi-Fi Issues

Are you experiencing issues with the internal Wi-Fi on your Pi?

Wi-Fi can be tricky to diagnose, as there are many variables involved. To determine whether the Pi is the problem, you need to eliminate all the other variables in the chain.

A great place to start is this old forum topic from the Raspberry Pi Foundation:

https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=44044

PLEASE NOTE: If your Pi Zero 2 W lacks wireless capabilities (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth), ensure that you are running Raspberry Pi OS 32-bit version 2020-12-02 or later.

Check the following:

Ensure that the PI is up to date.
—To do this, use the command line and enter sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade.
—Alternatively, go to “Add/Remove Software” and select “Options”, then click “Refresh Package Lists” and “Check for Updates”.
Ensure the country is correctly set in raspi-config (command line interface) or Raspberry Pi Configuration (graphical user interface).
Check to see if an updated firmware is available for your wireless router or access point.
If applicable, confirm that the country is properly set in your Wi-Fi router or Wi-Fi access point.
Use the command sudo iwlist wlan0 scan to check whether your network appears.

Are the problems still present?

Use the recommended version of Raspberry Pi OS for your Pi. It is strongly advised to download the most recent OS image.

Raspberry Pi OS 32-bit for Raspberry Pi 3 B+ and previous models, including the Pi Zero family.
Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit for Raspberry Pi 4 and later

Re-verify the points listed above. Please note that our team only provides limited assistance for alternative operating systems.

You have two or more Pis from the same family, and one of them is not functioning well on Wi-Fi. You suspect it may be faulty

Before jumping to any conclusions, however, it’s important to verify whether the problem is present in the other Pis.

First, run the above verification on all the Pis you are comparing.

To eliminate all other variables, you must move only the bare Pi board, not the enclosure between locations!
Keep the micro-SD card at the location under test (don’t leave it in the Pi) so that the variables aren’t changed.

Be careful about:

It is essential that you troubleshoot Pi issues with the recommended Raspberry Pi OS listed above (the latest, freshly downloaded OS image is highly recommended). We can only offer limited assistance with other operating systems.
During the tests, please ensure that the Pis remain in the same position. Moving them by a few inches or centimetres can affect the Wi-Fi signal quality, so it’s important to keep them in the same place.
Only the Pi board itself must be swapped. The micro-SD card, the hats, the USB devices and the power supply MUST remain in place. If all Pis have the Official Raspberry Pi enclosure, you may leave it on, as it will not interfere. However, if you’re uncertain, go ahead and take the case off before conducting your tests.
The configuration can affect the results. Only modify the settings if asked. Be sure to mention that you made any changes.

If testing fails, exchange both Raspberry Pi boards, as indicated above, and try again.

Revised 2025-05-09