YOU’RE now working remotely. Its Monday morning and you have an important meeting that you have been preparing for over the weekend. You log on and within seconds your worst nightmare has been realised – your “super-fast” WiFi connection has failed you and you have six other people waiting on the other side.
Justin Mather, WiFi product manager at Vox said, whether you have slow speeds, dropped connections or dead zones, diagnosing your home network’s problems is one of the greatest tech frustrations. Therefore it is important to have a basic understanding of how to fix it.
Problem 1: No connection
Make sure the device is not the problem
Check to see whether the issue may be with your specific device or whether the issue is from your service provider’s side. The simplest way to check this is to try to check your Internet connection from a different device, such as your phone. If the second device connects, then your problem is with the original device and not the service in which case you can follow some easy troubleshooting steps as follows:
. Check that the WiFi is turned on
. Ensure that the device is not in “airplane mode”
. Restart the device to establish whether it resets
. Check that no passwords prevent you from connecting
If none of these solve the problem, then the problem may be on your internet connection.
Reset your modem and router
To check whether the connection issue is coming from the router, plug your device, such as your laptop, into the router using an Ethernet cable. If you are able to connect, then the WiFi issue is related to your router. Troubleshoot by unplugging the router, wait 30-60 seconds and plug back in again. The router has now reset and you should have overcome your connection issues.
If that does not work, try plugging your device directly into the router using an Ethernet cable and again follow the afore-mentioned steps by unplugging, waiting and plugging back in again. If all this fails, your Internet may be down altogether in which case you will need to contact your ISP.
Problem 2: Slow speeds
Check your device
Do you have multiple tabs open? Perhaps you have other programmes running in the background? And maybe you’re also trying to stream while you’re working? These will all contribute towards slowing down your connection. First bet is to run a speed test, which will tell you what your upload and download speeds are. After doing this exercise, compare it with what you are getting on other devices such as your phone. If these are not the same, then the issue could be with your device and it might be time to consider upgrading to a newer model.
Move around – get closer to your router
WiFi signals get weaker the further away you are from the router and can also be deteriorated by barriers such as thick walls. Try moving closer to the router to get a better connection. If possible, the best option is to move your router to a more centralised location – the closer your router is to the centre of your coverage area, the better your reception will be throughout the house. Alternatively, a range extender or booster is an option.
If your home or work area is substantially large and requires consistent network speeds, then it might be a better option to consider getting a mesh WiFi system which unlike a WiFi extender is designed to create larger coverage with more bandwidth.
Problem 3: Connection drops at random times
Perhaps your connection drops when you use the microwave or other household devices such as baby monitors and Bluetooth speakers.
It could be that someone else such as a neighbour is WiFi heavy at a particular time of the day, thus causing you to slow down. Consider changing your router’s channels by logging into the Routers Management console and editing the WiFi settings.
Prevention is better than cure:
Stay on top of security – change default passwords on your home WiFi router to prevent hackers from accessing your network, and practise regularly changing your router password if it has previously been shared with others.
Update your router’s firmware – like any other device’s operating system, this is software that should be updated regularly to ensure that you are equipped with the latest versions and features as well as security updates.
Update technology – perhaps your router is several years old and it’s time to upgrade. Understand your router – most have similar icons which include three primary status gages:
. Globe: normally green and solid when the modem is connected
. WiFi: solid when WiFi is being broadcast without issues
. Ethernet: solid when Ethernet cables are connected and functioning properly
When everything is working properly, icons are solid or have blinking blue or green lights. When there is a connection issue, icons are red or orange.
Separate guests and children on to different networks – with kids being home and continuously online over lockdown, you may want to put them on a separate network and create special rules and settings thereby blocking inappropriate sites and content and also easing the burden on your bandwidth. Some WiFi routers offer advanced features allowing you to create a “Guest Network” for visitors, ensuring that your shared files and content remain private.
