First Aid for Freifunk Routers

If your Freifunk router isn’t working as expected, there can be various causes. With this guide, you can troubleshoot and fix some common issues yourself. If it still doesn’t work, feel free to ask for help in our forum or contact us directly.

Freifunk Wi-Fi is visible, but there is no internet connection.

Registration of new routers

If your router is new, it may not yet be registered in our system. Until registration is complete, it cannot establish a VPN connection. Registration is done manually and may take a few hours. You will receive a confirmation email. If nothing arrives after 24 hours, feel free to follow up via email.

Is the network cable properly connected to the WAN port?

Check if the network cable is correctly plugged into the WAN port. On many routers, the WAN port is marked in blue.

Wait a little

The router may currently be installing an update. Give it a few minutes.

Restart the router

If your router is already registered and the issue persists, try restarting it. A reboot can resolve many minor issues. Simply unplug the power for a minute and then plug it back in.

Check gateway status

The issue may lie with the Freifunk gateways. Visit our status page to check the current state of the gateways. If there is a disruption, the problem may not be with your router.

Do other devices in your network have internet?

Check if other devices in your network can access the internet. The issue might be with your internet connection and not the Freifunk router.

Is the Freifunk router receiving an IP address via DHCP?

Check if your local router is assigning an IP address to the Freifunk router. On a Fritz!Box, you can find this under "Home Network" → "Network".

Is the Mesh VPN possibly disabled?

Put the router into config mode and check whether the Mesh VPN is enabled.

Freifunk Wi-Fi not visible

If the Freifunk Wi-Fi is not visible at all, please check the following:

Is the router connected to the power supply?

Check if the LEDs on the router are lit.

Automatic update?

If enabled, the routers occasionally receive updates. During this time, the router may be unreachable for several minutes. Wait a bit to allow any update to finish.

Wi-Fi enabled on the router?

Some router models have a physical button to turn the Wi-Fi on and off. This button is sometimes pressed accidentally.

Router in config mode?

If the router is in config mode, the Freifunk Wi-Fi is disabled. Config mode allows you to change settings on the router. To return to normal operation, simply reboot the router.

Just try restarting

Everything looks fine? Any update should be completed by now (approx. 15 minutes)? Then simply try a reboot. Unplug the power for a minute and plug it back in.

Client Wi-Fi disabled?

It’s possible that client Wi-Fi has been disabled in the settings. You can check this via config mode. For more information, see our guide on config mode.