NW-102307-3 puts "A DNS server can't be used" on screen, and that message is the real clue: the PS5 got onto your network fine but couldn't resolve PlayStation's server addresses. (Curiously, Sony's own error page describes it more vaguely as a "communication error" and gives no DNS path — the DNS framing comes from the on-screen text and a very consistent pattern of fixes.) Despite the "Wi-Fi" in the name, it hits wired consoles too, because the fault is name resolution, not the radio.
The tell that points straight at it
Every other device on the network works, but only the PS5 throws it. That's the signature, and it means your router is handing the console a DNS server it can't actually use. Overriding DNS on the PS5 sidesteps the router's resolver entirely — which is why the step below fixes it more often than anything else.
Fix it
- Set a public DNS manually. Settings → Network → Settings → Set Up Internet Connection → pick your network → Custom. Then: IP Address Automatic, DHCP Host Name Do Not Specify, DNS Settings Manual, and enter one pair:
- Google — Primary
8.8.8.8, Secondary8.8.4.4, or - Cloudflare — Primary
1.1.1.1, Secondary1.0.0.1. Leave MTU Automatic and Proxy Do Not Use, finish, and run the connection test. This is the highest-yield fix by a wide margin.
- Google — Primary
- Check PSN status first if it appeared out of nowhere. A PlayStation Network outage surfaces as this exact code. If PSN is down, no setting on your end matters — wait it out.
- Fully shut the PS5 down — not Rest Mode. Rest Mode keeps the stale network state alive. Power all the way off, wait, then boot. Sony specifically recommends a full restart over Rest Mode here.
- Power-cycle the router and modem. Off for 5 minutes, then back on. That clears the upstream DNS cache that's usually the real culprit when several devices start to wobble.
- Assign a static IP if it still nags: same Custom menu, set IP to Manual with an address outside your router's DHCP range.
If the DNS change itself fails
Entering a manual DNS wrong can trigger sibling codes like NW-102308-4 or NW-31253-4. If the connection test fails right after you set it, set DNS back to Automatic and retest before assuming it's hardware — you may have just fat-fingered an octet. Some ISP gateways (a few Xfinity XB7 units are repeat offenders) misbehave only for the PS5 while every other device is fine; public DNS is exactly what gets around them.
How it differs from nearby codes
NW-102308-4 also reads "DNS server can't be used" and shares this whole fix list — treat them as two flavors of the same resolution failure. NW-102636-8 and the connection-timeout codes are a different animal: there the console can't reach the network at all, rather than reaching it and failing only at DNS.
FAQ
What does NW-102307-3 actually mean? The PS5 connected to your router but couldn't resolve PlayStation's server names through DNS. Network yes, name lookup no.
Why does it happen on Ethernet too? Because it's a DNS problem, not a Wi-Fi-signal problem. A wired console fails the same way if the resolver it's handed doesn't work.
Is 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1 better? Either works. Google (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) are both reliable public resolvers — pick one pair and stick with it.