Even if you cringe at the thought of troubleshooting your wireless network, we want you to be able to solve them. Here are the twelve most common wireless questions I get from readers and corresponding down-and-dirty troubleshooting tricks.
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"My Internet is so slow." "I can't stream video from my laptop to my phone." "My tablet won't connect to my router." These are just a few of the many common problems users experience with their home networks and wireless connections. Why? Because even though your router is one of the most useful tech devices you own, it can also be one of the most troublesome. Setting up a home router—and keeping it running—is still more complicated and requires more tech knowledge than the average user could wish. Fortunately, we can help.
The first step is understanding what your router is and how it works. A router performs two primary functions. First, it routes data packets between networks. Second, it serves as a wireless access point, sharing the inbound Internet connection with all devices on a home network. A router is the central figure in a home network, connecting the vast Internet with our comparatively tiny (yet increasingly sophisticated) private networks. That's a complex set of responsibilities for a small, inexpensive device to perform. Most routers manage to do all these job reasonably well for the vast majority of the time. But, because all of these functions are critical to a router's network, when your router begins to act up, you're likely to forget the fact that it functioned flawless for weeks, or even months, at a time.
And your router will act up, from time to time. Unfortunately, the bridges between the Internet and a home user's local area network, or LAN, are the perfect breeding ground for a host of problems. Not being able to browse the Internet, intermittent connections drops, and dead spots in wireless coverage are just a small portion of the endless litany of migraine-inducing Wi-Fi weirdness that crop up when routers fail at their tasks.
You have the power to solve many of these problems, even if you cringe at the thought of troubleshooting your wireless network. I've covered many specific problems related to wireless networking: How to Boost Your Wireless Signal, How to Cast Out Intruders on a Wireless Network, and even How to Troubleshoot iPad Wi-Fi Connectivity Issues. However, some problems that crop up are common to all wireless routers, and we at PCMag want you to be able to solve them. Here are the twelve most common wireless questions I get from readers and corresponding down-and-dirty troubleshooting tricks you can try before you call technical support.
1. My New Router Won't Connect to the Internet
The Problem: You buy a new router. You disconnect the old router, connect the new one, and follow the manufacturer's instructions for setup. Even though you can see the new wireless network and can even connect your computer or device, you cannot browse the Internet.
Quick Fix: Unplug the network cable (or cables) and power from the broadband modem you received from your ISP including the coaxial or DSL connection, as well as all cables from the new router. Leave everything unplugged and disconnected for at least 30 seconds. Next, re-connect the coaxial cable, DSL, or FIOS connection to the broadband modem, making sure it's firmly in place and that the WAN/Internet light is on. Then, attach all cables back to your router (including the Ethernet cable from the broadband modem to the router's WAN port) and power the router back on. Make sure the Internet connection activity light is on. Doing these steps forces the broadband modem to flush any information it is holding onto from your previous router. Try browsing the Internet. If you still can't, go through the router setup instructions again, now that you have reset the broadband modem.
2. The Router Setup Software Won't Detect the Router
The Problem: The instructions to your new router say that the software on the CD that came with the router should automatically get your computer to detect the new router, wirelessly. You've tried a couple of times and keep getting a message that indicates the software cannot find the router.
Quick Fix: This is actually a common problem with newer routers on the market that have "automated setup." Sometimes the setup process just doesn't work. Here's how you can bypass the setup and go right into the router's management interface to setup your wireless network. Connect an Ethernet cable from your computer to one of the LAN ports of the router (you can also keep the router connected to the broadband modem). Go into your computer's network settings. In Windows 7, they are located in Control Panel|Network and Internet|Network Sharing Center|Change Adapter Settings.
Right-click and select Properties of Local Area Connection. Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP v4). In the TCP/IP v4 windows that opens, click the radio button, and select "Use the following IP address." Under "IP address" you type an address that matches the default IP address of your router, a string of numbers broken up by periods. You'll find this in the router's documentation. For instance, if the default IP of the router is "192.168.1.1" you should type in "192.168.1.2"—making the last number different prevent an IP address conflict with the router but places your computer and the router on the same network. Under "Subnet mask," type in "255.255.255.0"—this is the subnet mask for your typical home network, and for "Gateway" type in the default IP of the router—in this example it would be the "192.168.1.1" address.
You now have your computer on the same network as the router. You can now open a browser and enter the router's IP address. Just type the router number into your address bar, like this: http://192.168.1.1. You will be prompted to enter a username and password. This information is also available with your router's documentation. Once you are in the management interface, you can manually setup your wireless connection: the SSID, pass phrase, and security.
If you can't browse to the router's interface, you may have made a typo. Recheck your network settings under "TCP/IP v4" properties once more.
3. The Wireless Network's Name/SSID Disappeared
The Problem: All of a sudden, your SSID or Wi-Fi network name is no longer listed when you click to see available wireless networks. There are various reasons this might happen, and it's not an uncommon occurrence.
Quick Fix: Force your computer or device to connect to the router even if it's not broadcasting. From Windows, go into Control Panel|Network and Internet|Network and Sharing|Manage Wireless Networks.
If you see your wireless network listed, right-click on its icon and click Properties. Check the option "Connect even if the network is not broadcasting its name (SSID)."
If you don't see your wireless network listed, click "Add" then select "Manually connect to a wireless network" and put your wireless information in.
Mac users: You can also "force-join" an SSID that has stopped broadcasting through a Mac's Airport Utility. Select to join "Other" and type in the name of the network and password.
Of course, you still want to find out why your SSID stopped broadcasting. Check to make sure broadcasting was not inadvertently disabled in the router's software, reboot the router, and check for any software updates.
4. My Internet Connection Keeps Dropping
The Problem: You are happily surfing the Internet and every now and then the connection drops. Perhaps you see the light flicker down to nothing on your broadband cable modem and then suddenly all LEDs light up again.
Quick Fix: This is a common issue, particularly for those with cable Internet service or FIOS. You wouldn’t believe how often this problem is caused by a degraded signal coming into the cable modem. If you use splitters, try replacing them. If you have several splitters on an inbound cable connection, say one coming into your home and another to break out the cable signal in your home entertainment system, check to see if they are -7dB splitters (printed on the outside of the splitter). Try replacing a -7dB splitter that your broadband modem is connected to with a -3.5 dB splitter, which may decrease signal loss. Also, if you happen to have three splitter and you are not using the third connection, try replacing it with a two-way splitter.
Visit page two, to read tips 5 to 8....
Copyright © 2012 Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc
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