How to Reset Wi-Fi in Ubuntu: All Working Methods and Troubleshooting

Wireless network problems are one of the most common problems faced by users. Ubuntu, especially after updating the kernel or drivers. Even if the indicator shows a connection, the speed may drop to zero, and pages won't load. In 80% of cases, a simple reboot of the Wi-Fi adapter helps, but few people know how to do this correctly without restarting the entire system.

In this article we will look at 5 Proven Ways to Restart Wi-Fi V Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 20.04 LTS and other versions - from basic commands in the terminal to fine-tuning NetworkManagerYou will also learn how to diagnose common errors (for example, Device not ready) and what to do if the network connection drops after sleep or hibernation. All methods have been tested on laptops with chips. Intel AX200, Broadcom BCM4360 And Realtek RTL8821CE.

1. Quick Wi-Fi reboot via terminal (2 commands)

The most universal way is to use utilities nmcli (For NetworkManager) or ip/ifconfig for manual interface control. These commands work even if the graphical interface is frozen.

First, determine the name of your Wi-Fi adapter:

ip a

Look for a line with a name that starts with wlp (For example, wlp3s0) or wlan0. Remember it - you will need it later.

Now run the two commands in turn:

sudo ip link set [interface_name] down
sudo ip link set [interface_name] up

Replace [interface_name] to yours (for example, wlp3s0). If the network is not restored after this, try an alternative method via NetworkManager:

sudo nmcli radio wifi off
sudo nmcli radio wifi on

Why doesn't this method always work? The thing is that some drivers (especially for chips) Realtek) don't handle soft resets correctly. In this case, a full kernel module reset will help—more on that in the next section.

2. Reboot the Wi-Fi kernel module (if the adapter does not see the network)

If after the commands from the first section the network still does not appear, or the adapter shows an error Device not ready, the problem lies at the driver level. The solution is to restart the kernel module responsible for your Wi-Fi.

First, find the name of the module:

lspci -k | grep -A 3 -i network

Look for the line in the output Kernel driver in useFor example, for chips Intel it will be iwlwifi, For Broadcom — brcmfmac or wl, For Realtek — rtl8821ce.

Now unload and reload the module:

sudo modprobe -r [module_name]
sudo modprobe [module_name]

After that, check the list of available networks:

nmcli dev wifi list

⚠️ Note: On some laptops (especially those with hybrid graphics) NVIDIA Optimus) module reboot iwlwifi may cause the system to freeze. If the screen goes blank after executing the command, press Ctrl+Alt+F2, enter the console and restart your PC.

3. Restart the NetworkManager service (if the network is "connected but not accessible")

The situation when the indicator shows a Wi-Fi connection, but the pages do not open, and ping 8.8.8.8 gives out 100% packet loss, often associated with a malfunction NetworkManagerRestarting the service solves the problem in 90% of cases.

Run the command:

sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

If the network still doesn't work after this, check the service status:

sudo systemctl status NetworkManager

Look for lines with errors (highlighted in red). Common problems:

• 🔴 Failed to activate connection - incorrect password or hidden network.
• 🔴 Device not managed — the adapter is disabled in the settings.
• 🔴 IP configuration could not be reserved - IP conflict with another device.

If there is an error in the status DNS configuration failed, try manually entering Google's DNS:

sudo nmcli dev wifi connect "[network_name]" password "[password]" ifname [interface] ipv4.dns "8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4"

4. Restarting Wi-Fi via the GUI (for beginners)

If you don't like the terminal, most actions can be performed through the standard settings. UbuntuThis method is suitable for versions with GNOME (20.04, 22.04) and KDE Plasma.

Open the network menu in the upper right corner of the screen (Wi-Fi icon) and select:

1. «Turn off Wi-Fi» (wait until the indicator goes out).
2. After 10-15 seconds, press "Turn on Wi-Fi».
3. Please reconnect to your network.

If the network does not appear in the list, check:

• 🔄 Airplane mode - it could have turned on accidentally (it can be turned off there, in the network menu).
• 🔌 Hardware Wi-Fi switch - on some laptops (Lenovo ThinkPad, Dell Latitude) there is a physical button or combination Fn+F2.
• 📡 Router settings — it may have a MAC address filter enabled.

5. Automatically restart Wi-Fi when waking up from sleep

Many users experience Wi-Fi not being restored after waking from sleep or hibernation. This is due to the adapter not initializing correctly. The solution is to create a rule for systemd, which will reboot the network automatically.

Create a new service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/wifi-resume.service

Insert the following text (replace wlp3s0 to your interface):

[Unit]
Description=Restart Wi-Fi after resume
After=suspend.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/sbin/ip link set dev wlp3s0 down
ExecStart=/sbin/ip link set dev wlp3s0 up

[Install]
WantedBy=suspend.target

Save the file and activate the service:

sudo systemctl enable wifi-resume.service

Important: This method does not work on some laptops with Realtek RTL8723DE — instead, you need to disable the adapter's power saving manually (see section 2).

6. Troubleshooting: Why won't Wi-Fi reboot?

If none of these methods help, the problem may be deeper. Here's a table of common errors and their causes:

If your problem is not listed in the table, check the system logs:

journalctl -u NetworkManager --no-pager | grep -i error

Look for lines with failed, timeout or unavailableThey often contain hints, such as a mention of a specific driver or configuration file.

⚠️ Note: On some versions Ubuntu Server (no GUI) service NetworkManager can be disabled in favor of netplanIn this case, the Wi-Fi reboot is performed through sudo netplan apply.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about resetting Wi-Fi in Ubuntu

username ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /sbin/ip, /usr/bin/nmcli

sudo ip link set [interface] down && sudo ip link set [interface] up

sudo netplan apply

crontab -e

0 /6    /sbin/ip link set wlp3s0 down && /sbin/ip link set wlp3s0 up