Basic Internet Network Connection Help

I recently saw an article discussing what to do if you happen to lose your connection to the Internet. I wanted to make my own article related to the same topic, and provide more tips on what to do when the inevitable happens.

There can be many reasons why your Internet goes out: weather, equipment gets old, power surges, or maybe you unplugged something and forgot to plug it back in. Whatever the case, there are solutions.

Obviously, the very first thing you want to do is check to make sure everything is plugged in. If you are running an Ethernet cable to your router or cable modem, check both ends. If you have a wireless USB adapter, make sure it is connected to your PC. Since I am taking my first networking class in college, I know from experience that this is the very first thing you do to troubleshoot.

More times than you think you plugged in something incorrectly. But what if all the cables seem fine?

Check that you have power to your router and cable modem. If you do, reset them. There are a couple ways to do this. Most of the times I simply unplug the router for about 30 seconds and plug it back in. If that doesn't work, I unplug the cable modem and router for about 2 minutes. There should also be some sort of small button that resets it as well, only that is the preferred method.

How would you know that it's the router? Open up a command line (start, all programs, accessories, command prompt) and type "ipconfig /all" without the quotations. You'll see a lot of lines, and something that says Default Gateway. This is usually your router. This is where all packets (data) are sent to exit out of your network. You should also see an address next to it, something like 192.168.1.1. Next, type "ping 192.168.1.1" without quotations. If you see output saying it was 100% successful, you (the computer) are "in touch" with your default gateway. If it times out, go and reset the router. Being "in touch" with the router is what you want. Although if it times out and you go and reset the router it doesn't guarantee that it will function. It could be a number of other things.

It could also be the computer you are using. While still in the command prompt, type "ping 127.0.0.1" without the quotations. This is called the loopback address. It simply tests your NIC (network interface card, where the cable plugs in), or your wireless adapter. If it is successful, your equipment is fine, if not you might have faulty hardware.

Now, more times than not it will be the first two scenarios (cables plugged in wrong or router and cable modem need resetting). The other two are very simply ideas that many people wouldn't have a clue about. There are more problems that can occur, too.

Around my area, we seem to have a good deal of power surges, not necessarily power outages. The lights flicker and I hear the surge suppressor where the router and cable modem are plugged into reset. One day not too long ago this happened several times throughout the course of one day. We had to access our router and download the latest firmware (software that controls hardware).

To access your router (if you are using one of course), open Firefox or Internet Explorer and type 192.168.1.1. This is where you will find all the options available to configure your router. You should also be able to download the latest firmware from here as well.

Obviously if you have tried all of these things, it could very well be your ISP's fault. We have Comcast High Speed Internet, and they seem to have many connection issues especially if the weather is bad. Firewalls can block access to the Internet as well (even though they are made to protect you).

Once in a blue moon you'll try everything, even calling your ISP to find out if everything is fine only to your surprise they say everything is working. Your router or cable modem could be bad, which has happened to us. Like I stated earlier though, most of the times it is something very simple. These are only a few things to try when you lose your connection, but can be huge time savers.