Just a decade or two ago, many of us would have been fine going to a hotel, airport, or coffee shop that didn’t offer Wi-Fi. In fact many of us lived happily without having Wi-Fi as an option for years. Now having it is like breathing. We all expect it to be at our fingertips no matter whether we are attending a conference somewhere, visiting a business, or just hanging out with friends.
Most of the time we don’t really give our internet access a second thought until we no longer have it or if it is reacting slower than normal. There are numerous problems that can occur with a wireless connection, from dropped access, to slow access, to the inability to connect at all. Let’s take a closer look at some of the more common problems with internet access and how you can troubleshoot.
Slow Access in Certain Areas
Is there one room in your house or an area at your work that just doesn’t seem to access the internet like other areas do? Since internet routers broadcast like a radio wave out from a central location, you may need to move your router to a different spot. For example, if your router is placed in a corner of your office, then it is unnecessarily covering a great deal of the outside world and may not hit all the areas inside the building.
Another potential cause of slow access could be other wireless routers in the area interfering with yours. To solve both of these problems you may need to adjust the location and direction of the antennas. You also may want to consider purchasing a WiFi extender to gain access in all the nooks and crannies of your office building or home.
A Device Won’t Connect
This is a common problem that is usually momentary in duration. If it is really only one device such as a phone, tablet, or laptop that won’t connect try waiting a few minutes and try again. Try turning off the Wi-Fi on your device, then re-enabling it. If that doesn’t work, do the same with your router by unplugging it and then plugging it back in 30 seconds later.
Dropped Connections
Yet another problem with wireless access is when you are happily working along and suddenly you lose connection. Try to analyze if there is a pattern to when the dropped connections are occuring. Is it when the office microwave is in operation or possibly interference from something else? Digital Trends suggests, “Changing your router’s channel might help. You can use NetSpot on Mac and Windows and Wi-Fi Analyzer for Android to show you every wireless network nearby. If yours overlaps with nearby networks switching to a less congested channel in your router settings can help.”
Forgotten Wi-Fi Password
If you have not written the password down somewhere or saved it in a password manager, then you will need to reset the router. Use a paperclip to press the hidden switch in the pin hole in the back to reset to factory settings.
Does your business or home have Wi-Fi problems that you need solved in order to be productive? Try these solutions and then get in touch with your IT department or specialist to help you troubleshoot future issues. If you have questions, call M&H Consulting at 1-866-964-8324 or visit our website.
Categorised in: Computer Support, internet issues, IT Consulting Services, wifi