Is My Internet Working? Most Common Internet Problems and Solutions

In today’s day and age, nobody can deny the importance of the internet. No business can function without a stable internet connection. Our technology devices heavily rely on it for connectivity. Gartner predicts that the enterprise and automotive Internet of Things (IoT) market will have a whopping 5.8 billion endpoints in 2020. This is a 21% increase from 2019. This forecast shows how chaotic the world would be without the internet.

Enterprises today cannot function without connected devices. These devices aid in data transferring and information handling. Because of the ongoing pandemic, individuals are working from home and need reliable internet. Corporate organizations are relying heavily on their employees. To ensure that you have a stable connection, read on about the five most common internet problems and their solutions. The following are life-saving options if you are working from home.

Slow Internet

Nobody wants their pages to load slowly. However, this may happen sometimes. You may face connectivity issues if a large number of people are using the service. Furthermore, the internet may be slow due to outdated hardware. Try rebooting your router and modem. Turning it off for a few seconds and then turning it back on may do the trick. At least that worked for my Spectrum Internet connection.

It is good to restart your device once in a while. If that doesn’t work, you may have to replace your hardware. 

Access Point Distance

It is possible that your device may be too far from your router. In such a case, the signal strength is weak. The farther away you are, the weaker your internet connection will be.

I always try sitting close to the router. If this is not possible for you, try repositioning your router. This will usually fix the weak signal issue.

Insecure Networks

Your internet speed may be slow due to insecure networks. It may be that an unauthorized user has access to your connection. In such a case your internet speed may suffer. This may also lead to data compromise and more.

It is important to have secure networks and a strong Wi-Fi access key. Increase your internet security and limit the number of users who can access your network. Within an office setup, it is highly recommended to create a separate network for guest users.

Bad Wi-Fi

You may have reconnecting/disconnecting issues from time to time. Bad Wi-Fi is real and may disrupt your work significantly. You can fix network dropouts, network unavailability, and unstable connection issues easily by considering the solutions below.

Fine-tune Your Hardware

Make sure to clean your hardware. Also, check if the wires require any repair work.

Update Your Firmware

Check if a firmware update is available. If yes, update it to the latest version.

Switch to a Newer Modem

You may have to switch to a newer modem if none of the fixes work. Before you do so, check in with your ISP’s customer service.

Router Issues

It may be that you encounter router issues every now and then. There can be multiple reasons for this including outdated hardware or obsolete firmware. For all of these, you don’t have to worry.

You can change the hardware or fix the firmware. Moreover, you can reset your router as well. Just turn it off for a few seconds and then restart it. Hopefully, this should fix the problem. However, in some cases, you may need to hard reset your router. To do so, simply press the reset button for 30 seconds. The hard reset will reset your device to factory settings. This method may be slightly different in different devices.

Conclusion

While you can fix some of the internet issues at your home, you may not be able to fix the other ones. In such a case it is wise to contact your service provider for professional assistance. Let an expert handle the situation with care.

It is important to have a good internet connection especially if you’re working from home during the current pandemic and the resulting lockdowns. Also, you need to stay sane during the WFH regimen, so get a service plan that gives you plenty of entertainment options too when you are done with work! Since I too had to work from home, I took a bundle offer and got Spectrum TV as well. This also gave me access to the provider’s TV app for live TV streaming. So go for a modern ISP to browse without breaking a sweat! Happy surfing!