Basic Network Troubleshooting Tips
We all love Internet, am pretty sure that if joining the Illuminati came with a lifetime high speed connection, Y’all would be members. Back in uni, I used to go to church just so that I could catch that high-speed WIFI (at least I had the Bible open in one of the tabs :lol:. The Internet has become a vital part of our existence and we’re all familiar with the pain of no Internet access. Sometimes it is just because the ISP (Internet Service Provider) has decided ‘f$ck you!’ but in most cases, it’s usually something we could fix ourselves.
Before you crash your mug and curse at gay Leprechauns, here are a few things you can try:
Check cable connection
This is almost always the problem if you’re using wired connection. Check if your terminals are connected properly and whether the cables have been terminated properly. If you happen to have a cable tester in your house, please test your cable.
You also want to check if that Windows adapter icon shows up. It is usually at the bottom right of your screen.
Check the maximum number of users
If you’re sharing one router with many users, you might want to check the maximum numbers of users that particular router can support. This info is usually available on the manuals. If a router reaches its maximum number of clients, the rest won’t be able to access Internet.
Turning connection/router on and off
As cliche as it sounds, this is a very reliable solution. If you’re experiencing connection issues, you might want to try turning the router off and on again. You might also want to switch airplane mode in your computer on and off. Sometimes thse devices get confused and a good reboot does the trick.
Ping
Short for Packet Internet Groper, ping is a utility for checking connectivity between two node. It checks whether data packets can be sent to a particular address without any errors. The anatomy of a ping command looks like:
ping [argument] where the argument is a destination IP address. e.g. ping 192.168.1.0
In Windows, if a ping is successful you get four replys which normally look like:
If the ping is not successful, you’ll get an error. In our case we’re pinging 8.8.8.8 which is the IP address of Google’s DNS. If you can’t get a reply from Googles DNS, you won’t be able to access the Internet.
IP address check
One of the reasons that your ping might fail is due to not being in the same network as your router or not receiving an IP address from your router. An IP address is like a home address for your device. All devices in a network are identified by their IP address. To check your IP address, open command prompt by pressing Windows + X and choosing Command prompt (Admin). Once you’re in, type ipconfig.
If your IP starts with 169.xxx.xxx.xxx, you’re not receiving an IP from your router. This is usually a case of corrupt network drivers. To solve this problem, you need to go to your Device manager and upgrade your network drivers. This type of IP address is usually Operating system issued and you can’t access the Internet with it.
Try with another device
When a connection error happens, it migh be due to the network or just your computer. To be sure where the problem is, try connecting to the same network with another computer. If it works, then the problem is with your computer. If it doesn’t, it probably is the network.
These are just but a few things to try when you’re experiencing Internet issues. If the above don’t work, leave a comment and I’ll try to help. If you liked the article, don’t forget to subscribe!
Originally published at Decode.
