There are many people working from home for the first time during this national crisis. With every member of the family accessing the internet at the same time – and parents likely using more data than they are used to – families may find themselves having wi-fi issues. Our internet connection is something we take for granted these days, so when it goes down, it can be really disruptive, especially when there are work presentations and school assignments to finish. For those of you who are not used to this environment, here is our list of 4 common internet problems, and what you can do to fix them.
- No Internet in Certain Rooms: With everyone trying to get their work done, you may be spread out all over the home. But you might notice that some areas have a very weak connection – or none at all. This is why.Your router is broadcasting radio waves (wi-fi) from its location and out in all directions. The signal is stronger the closer to the router you are. So if your router is at one corner of the home, you are only covering the nearest rooms, and likely some of your backyard. The closer you can position the router to the center of your home, the more likely everyone will get the coverage they need. Hint: Some routers have external antennas, and you can try to position those differently for better results. If nothing helps, you may be overloading the router. Look into an additional router, or a wireless repeater to extend range.
- Slow Internet Across the Board: If you can’t get the internet connection flying even when you are sitting two feet from the router, plug it in directly to the router and run a speed test. If the speed doesn’t improve, the problem is likely with your internet service, and you should make a service call. However, if the speed is fine when you are hardwired into the router, your router is struggling. You can start by resetting the router to see if that fixes the problem. If not, your router may have picked a terrible time to die, and you may need a new one. Use the opportunity to buy a high speed, high volume capable router.
- Only One Device Won’t Connect: Sometimes our devices can get a bit ornery and decide to act up. If everyone’s laptop and phone are working just fine, but Mom’s computer won’t connect, try resetting the router and rebooting the computer. Sometimes everyone just needs a fresh start. If that doesn’t work, go into the “Networks” section of your settings and select “Troubleshooting”. The wizard will take the computer through a set of diagnostics which should be able to pinpoint the issue and help reestablish a connection.
- Your Wi-Fi Network Disappears Entirely: It doesn’t seem like it should happen, but sometimes your connection drops – and when you go back in to reconnect to the network, your network no longer exists! Try refreshing the page, but if your network disappeared one of two things has happened. First, your internet connection via the provider may have gone done. Secondly, your router may have reset itself. When a router resets, it may take 5 or 10 minutes for the network to be fully operational again. You may need to identify the unnamed network on your list of networks and determine if it is yours. If so, you can hardwire a laptop into the router and reestablish your settings.If all else fails, call your internet service provider. They can walk you through some steps to figure out why your router is not functioning properly.
If you are a business owner looking to solve common internet problems and security issues of your staff working from home – call Alliance IT. We are here to help.
