Fix Network Controller driver

A Network Controller entry with a yellow mark is usually a Wi-Fi card Windows has no driver for. Connect by cable or phone, check Windows Update, then install the Wi-Fi driver from your PC maker. Intel cards can use Intel's Wireless Wi-Fi package. The hardware ID shows the maker.

Download from intel.com

Checked October 30, 2026 against the manufacturer's own pages.

Driver downloads

DriverVersionReleasedSizeWindowsDownload
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi driver24.80.0October 20, 202672.3 MBWindows 10 and 11, 64-bitDownload from intel.com

Values copied from the manufacturer's page on October 30, 2026. The file always downloads from the manufacturer, never from this site.

Hardware IDs on this page

Hardware IDDevice name
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2725Wi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) AX210/AX1675* 2x2 [Typhoon Peak]
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2723Wi-Fi 6 AX200
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_51F1Raptor Lake PCH CNVi WiFi
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_272BWi-Fi 7(802.11be) AX1775*/AX1790*/BE20*/BE401/BE1750* 2x2
PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_C822RTL8822CE 802.11ac PCIe Wireless Network Adapter
PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8852RTL8852AE 802.11ax PCIe Wireless Network Adapter

Match the first line of Hardware Ids in Device Manager (Properties, Details) against this list. Names come from the public PCI ID Repository.

The short version

What to install and where it comes from. Every link goes to the manufacturer or Microsoft, never to a copy.

Shows up asNetwork Controller, under Other devices
PCI classNetwork controller (class 02)
Usual causeWi-Fi card with no driver after a clean install
Intel packageWireless Wi-Fi Drivers for Windows 10 and 11
Offline helpDownload on another PC or share a phone's data
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Drivers for Windows 10 and Windows 11intel.comRealtek downloadsrealtek.comMicrosoft: update drivers through Device Managersupport.microsoft.com

Official files only, nothing bundled

Step by step

  1. Get a temporary connection

    Plug in an Ethernet cable, or share your phone's data by USB cable. You can also download the driver on another PC and copy it over on a USB stick.

  2. Run Windows Update

    Open Settings, Windows Update, Check for updates, then Optional updates. Wi-Fi drivers often show up here once you are online.

  3. Read the hardware ID

    In Device Manager, open Network Controller, then Properties, Details, Hardware Ids. VEN_8086 is Intel, VEN_10EC is Realtek.

  4. Install from the PC maker

    Choose your model on the maker's support site and install the Wireless LAN driver. Restart when asked.

  5. Intel card: use Intel's package

    If the maker's copy is missing or old, install Intel's Wireless Wi-Fi package after checking your card is in its supported list.

  6. Check the adapter appears

    After restart, the entry should move to Network adapters under a name such as Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210.

What Windows is telling you

Windows found a chip in the network class but has no driver for it. In nearly every laptop the chip is the Wi-Fi card. It shows as Network Controller until a driver is installed, then takes a real name. This often happens after a clean install of Windows, because the basic Windows image does not carry every Wi-Fi driver.

Reading the card from its ID

The table lists IDs from the public PCI list. Intel cards use VEN_8086, and some newer laptops use CNVi, where part of the Wi-Fi function sits in the chipset and the card is small. Realtek cards use VEN_10EC. Once you know the maker, you know the right download page. Do not mix: an Intel driver does not install on a Realtek card.

Order of sources

Follow the usual order. Windows Update first, then the PC maker, then the chip maker. Makers sometimes add antenna or power tweaks, so their copy is the safest first try. Intel’s own package page lists Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit, and Intel notes that the adapter must be on its supported list. Realtek hosts Wi-Fi drivers on its download area too, but for a laptop Realtek itself suggests starting with the laptop maker.

If it will not install

If setup says no supported device is found, the card is not covered by that package. Compare the DEV code in your ID with the maker’s list. We cannot name a driver for IDs missing from the maker’s own list.

Questions

I have no internet, so how do I get the driver?

Use another device to download it, then copy it by USB stick. A phone sharing its mobile data through a USB cable also works for Windows Update.

Is the Network Controller always Wi-Fi?

Mostly, yes. The class also covers some other network parts, so check the ID. An Ethernet chip normally appears as Ethernet Controller instead.

Does the same driver cover Bluetooth?

No. Bluetooth is a separate driver, even when it is on the same card. Install it on its own.

Wi-Fi was working before a reset.

A reset or clean install can remove the maker's driver. Reinstall the one from your PC maker's page, and keep a copy on a USB stick.