How to Troubleshoot Your Home Wireless Network

A lot of things can unfortunately go wrong with your home wireless network. One minute your connection is up and running and is as fast as can be. The next minute that file you’re trying to download suddenly stalls and your entire machine gets kicked off the Internet. Whenever something like this happens, it’s important to stay calm and realize that you probably don’t even have to call your Internet service provider to fix the problem. There are a few things you can try that will not only help you find the problem, but will immediately solve it and get you back online.

Step 1

Reboot your modem or router. Some cheaper pieces of network equipment may develop the occasional error that can be fixed simply by turning the device off and turning it back on again. Unplug the power cable for your modem or router and let the device sit idle for a few minutes. Plug the device back in and let the network reboot. Try to use your wireless network again.

Step 2

Verify that someone else in your home isn’t hogging all your bandwidth. One of the great things about a wireless network is that it allows many different people to all use the Internet at once, regardless of where they are in the home. If someone is downloading a game while you’re trying to use the Internet, however, the act of trying these two things at once will slow things down for both of you.

Step 3

Use the Windows “Repair” feature. Right-click the “Wireless” icon on your taskbar and select the button labeled “Troubleshoot Problems.” This will allow the Windows operating system to analyze the settings of your wireless network to check for issues. Any issues that are identified will either be automatically fixed or you will be provided with instructions on how to fix them manually.

Step 4

Reboot your computer. It’s easy to assume a slow connection or one that constantly cuts out is the fault of your modem or router, but in reality it may be the fault of your computer. This can be especially true if it’s been a few days or even weeks since you last rebooted your machine. Reboot your computer and allow it to boot up error free. Try using the Internet again as you normally would to see if that fixed the problem.

 Step 5

Contact your Internet service provider. If all else fails, the problem may not actually be the fault of yourself or anyone else inside your home. Call customer service and ask if there are any issues or outages that have been reported in your area. The issue could reside a few streets away in the form of a downed power line or some other obstruction. In this case, there isn’t really anything you can do. If the problem happens to be with a hardware defect with your modem or router, if it was provided to you by your Internet service provider they will have to come fix it. Customer service can also automatically fix certain issues over the phone, so it never hurts to call and check in.

If you need help with a Home Network in Buckinghamshire Call Nexus in Gerrards Cross on 01753 884700 or Beaconsfield 01494 730120.