The Galaxy S26 Ultra's Wi-Fi fault has a clear pattern in Samsung's forum: it runs well on Wi-Fi 6E, but with Wi-Fi 7 on it works for a few minutes and then drops, or stays connected with no internet. Several owners need to disconnect and reconnect about once an hour. The workarounds that worked for people were Phone MAC instead of Randomized MAC, turning off Smart Connect on the router, setting DNS to 8.8.8.8, and, as a last resort, turning Wi-Fi 7 off. Try Phone MAC first; it costs nothing.
Differential
Likely causes of “Samsung Galaxy S26 family will not connect to Wi-Fi or keeps disconnecting”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Wi-Fi 7 negotiation
What separates it It is fine on Wi-Fi 6E and drops within minutes on Wi-Fi 7
How to confirm Owners found turning Wi-Fi 7 off in the router or the phone steadies it, though that gives up speed
- 2
Randomized MAC address
What separates it The router blocks the phone or hands it a bad lease
How to confirm Switch the network's MAC address type to Phone MAC in the network's settings
- 3
Smart Connect moving the phone between bands
What separates it It drops when the router steers it between 2.4 and 5 GHz
How to confirm Turn Smart Connect off, or give each band its own name
- 4
A DNS fault
What separates it It says connected with no internet while pages fail
How to confirm Setting DNS to 8.8.8.8 fixed the no-internet message for some owners
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether it drops on Wi-Fi 6E as well as Wi-Fi 7
- Whether it stays connected with no internet or actually disconnects
- The router's model and whether Smart Connect is on
- The MAC address type set for the network
Try in this order
0 of 5 completedSwitch to Phone MAC
ReversibleOpen the network's settings, MAC address type, Phone MAC.
Turn Smart Connect off
ReversibleIn the router's settings, give 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz separate names and join one.
Change DNS
ReversibleIn the network's advanced settings set DNS to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
Test without Wi-Fi 7
ReversibleTurn off Wi-Fi 7 on the router to see whether the drops stop.
Reset network settings
ReversibleOpen Settings, General management, Reset, Reset network settings.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Wi-Fi
- The S26 Ultra supports Wi-Fi 7 alongside 6E and 6.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If it drops on every router with Phone MAC and Wi-Fi 7 off, contact Samsung support with the router details
- !If only one router is affected, update its firmware
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Restart, update, forget the network, Safe mode, reset and router checks.
A long owner thread on drops and no-internet connections with Wi-Fi 7.
The same pattern on another forum.
Exact questions
Common questions
Does the S26 Ultra have a Wi-Fi 7 bug?+
Owners in Samsung's US forum report the phone runs acceptably on Wi-Fi 6E but disconnects within minutes on Wi-Fi 7; Samsung had not published a fix in those threads.
Why does it say connected with no internet?+
The phone stays joined but loses internet access. Phone MAC and DNS 8.8.8.8 were the two changes owners reported working.
Does the Galaxy S26 Ultra support the newest Wi-Fi standard?+
Check Samsung's specifications for the exact Wi-Fi version; if the router is set to a mixed Wi-Fi 7 mode and the phone struggles, try a mixed or Wi-Fi 6 mode as a test.
Why does the S26 Ultra switch to mobile data on weak Wi-Fi?+
The Switch to mobile data option moves the phone when Wi-Fi is poor. Turn it off in the advanced Wi-Fi menu if you prefer to stay on Wi-Fi.
How do I reset only the S26 Ultra's network settings?+
Open Settings, General management, Reset and choose Reset network settings. It keeps your files and apps.
Can a case or screen protector affect S26 Ultra Wi-Fi?+
A thick or metal case can weaken the signal a little. Test without the case before suspecting the phone.