methods / mobile-vs-wifi
Works on mobile data but not Wi-Fi - what to check
Short answer
Two networks, two sets of rules: your carrier and your ISP filter differently. See it on mobile data but not at home, the block is on the home or ISP side - change the resolver, enable encrypted DNS, or a tunnel, and check the shut-off devices too.
"You see it at home but my phone works on mobile data" is the single most common message we hear - and it usually means the block is not on the site at all. Your mobile data and your home Wi-Fi are two entirely separate paths: different carriers, different resolvers, often different rules. When one works and the other does not, the difference is your network, not the website [1].
This guide explains why that split happens, how to confirm which side is filtered, and what to do without breaking the rest of the household's internet.
Why the two networks disagree
Every connection makes this choice: your device asks the network's resolver where the site lives, then reaches it over that carrier's lines - either the base station you pay for (mobile data) or the router and physical line you subscribe to (home internet) [1]. The two rarely share filters [1][4]:
- Your ISP filters your home line. Home and small-office ISPs commonly run content or DNS filters; your mobile carrier, serving the same household, often does not - a traveler data plan especially.
- Your router adds its own rules. Parental controls, ad-blocking DNS, or a manually configured resolver on the Wi-Fi router apply to everything behind it but not to mobile data.
- The reverse is possible too. On some networks mobile data is the controlled one (corporate-sim phone, national mobile filtering) and your home line is open. The diagnosis is identical - the split is what matters, not the direction.
Confirm which side, and what layer
- Check which network you are actually on. Open the 1.1.1.1 help page [2]: it reports the ASN, service provider and country of your current connection. Compare it on Wi-Fi and on mobile data - you should see two different operators.
- Test the same site, fresh. In a private window (to skip browser cache), open the site on whatever works. If it loads on mobile but the identical URL fails on Wi-Fi, your home path is the blocker [1].
- Measure, don't guess. OONI Probe on the failing network tells you the layer - DNS tampering, TCP/IP blocking or HTTP filtering - with the Web Connectivity test's control comparison [1].
- Check the resolver first. Resolve the domain on dns.google [3]; if that works while your network's resolver refuses, it is a DNS-layer block and the quickest fix.
One way to confirm where the problem lives: temporarily disable the Wi-Fi and re-test on mobile data. Loading on mobile almost always means the site is up and your home path is the difference [1].
The fixes, matched to the network
- DNS-layer block on the home line - the cheapest win. Change your home network's resolver, or switch on encrypted DNS in the browser and OS on the devices you control [4]. If the block follows even with a public resolver, your ISP may be intercepting plain DNS - the encrypted-DNS route fixes that too.
- Connection-layer block (hangs on HTTPS) - your ISP or router is reading the handshake. The ECH setting or a free WARP tunnel on the devices you own beats it without touching the router.
- The router itself filters - find its admin page and disable any content filter or change its DNS upstream to a public resolver; then all devices benefit [4].
- Managed devices and shared networks - if the Wi-Fi belongs to school, work or a host, the router is not yours to change. Use a tool on your own device, or a zero-install route like the archive, and have the behavior logged accordingly [5].
When the split is a red herring
Sometimes the difference is not the network at all:
- Browser cache and DNS cache - a stale bad answer on the "failing" device. Restart the browser or flush the OS DNS cache, then re-test in a private window.
- App versus browser - the site may be filtered only into one app's domain; see the official app page for checking trusted downloads.
- Site-side rules - if the site refuses certain regions or account states, the split follows location, not network; pairing the right exit location is the fix.
FAQ
Which side is usually filtered - mobile data or Wi-Fi?
More often the home or work Wi-Fi path, because ISP home lines and router-level filters routinely carry restrictions that a separate data carrier does not. But it can be reversed - always confirm which network is actually failing before fixing.
Why does the same site appear on mobile but vanish on Wi-Fi seconds later?
Because the mobile and Wi-Fi paths are different carriers with different resolvers and rules. Nothing changed about the site; the two networks simply disagree about whether to let it through.
Will changing my DNS resolver break the rest of my household's internet?
A public resolver setup is reversible and at worst slows nothing - it only swaps who answers name lookups. Test on one device first, then, if you want the whole home covered, apply it at the router and disable any older router filter.
Can I fix a work or school Wi-Fi block myself?
You cannot change the administrator's router, and attempts may be logged. Use a tool on your own device, or a zero-install route such as the archive, and treat managed-device use per your local rules.
What if it works on Wi-Fi but not on mobile data?
The same logic reversed: the carrier's mobile path is the filtered one. Use the diagnosis steps on the mobile connection - check the carrier ASN on the 1.1.1.1 help page and run OONI on mobile data - then apply the matching fix to that network.