Nationwide DNS outage occurred yesterday, I managed to get internet working via ethernet from my router, but no wifi, please help!

Nationwide DNS Outage Disrupts Internet Access: Troubleshooting Wi-Fi Connectivity After Switch to Alternative DNS

In recent developments, many users across the country experienced significant outages with their internet service provider’s DNS servers. This event, which affected Quantum Fiber users profoundly, led to widespread connectivity issues, particularly with DNS resolution. For some, switching to alternative DNS services like Google DNS (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1) proved to be an effective workaround for wired connections. However, others encountered persistent problems with Wi-Fi connectivity even after these changes.

Understanding the Situation

DNS (Domain Name System) servers translate human-readable domain names into IP addresses required for internet communication. When these servers are unresponsive or malfunctioning, devices may be able to establish wired connections but fail to resolve website addresses over Wi-Fi, leading to apparent network issues despite physical connectivity.

In the recent outage, many users consciously switched their DNS settings in their router configurations, setting the primary DNS to 1.1.1.1 and secondary to 1.0.0.1, aiming to restore internet access via Ethernet. While this approach successfully re-established wired connectivity, Wi-Fi functionality remained elusive for some.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting and Observations

Here’s an overview of the troubleshooting steps undertaken by affected users, along with insights:

1. Changing DNS Settings:
2. Accessed the router’s admin panel.
3. Configured DNS to custom servers: Primary (1.1.1.1), Secondary (1.0.0.1).

4. Wired connection restored, confirming DNS resolution works over Ethernet.

5. Testing Wi-Fi Connectivity:

6. Attempted to connect via Wi-Fi but faced persistent disconnects or failure to acquire an IP address.

7. Renewing DHCP Lease:

8. Selected the “Renew Lease” option in the router admin.

9. No improvement observed in Wi-Fi stability.

10. Restarting Equipment:

11. Rebooted the router and Wi-Fi access points.

12. Issue persisted, indicating a deeper configuration or network problem.

13. Switching IP Configuration to Static:

14. Changed WAN settings from “Dynamic IP” to “Static IP.”
15. Reentered DNS settings.

16. Still no Wi-Fi connectivity.

17. Full Reset:

18. Reset router and access points to factory defaults.
19. Re-applied