8 Easy-to-Do Ways to Troubleshoot Network Connection

A faulty Wi-Fi
connection doesn’t have to ruin your day. There are plenty of ways you can
restore a lost internet connection. Follow these network troubleshooting tips
and you’ll be up and running in no time.

1. Check Your Settings

First, check your
Wi-Fi settings. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi. Switch Wi-Fi to the On
position.

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Phones and
tablets also have settings that turn Wi-Fi on and off. Make sure that it is
turned on so you can connect to the network.

You also want to
check if Airplane Mode is turned on.

2. Check Your Access Points

Check your WAN
(wide area network) and LAN (local area network) connections. In layman’s
terms, these are the Ethernet cables that go to and from your router.

If you suspect
that the cables are the culprit, try swapping them out with new ones.

3. Go Around Obstacles

Walls, furniture,
and other obstructions can be the reason why you’re unable to go online. Moving
closer to the router can re-establish the connection. If moving closer to the
router does not solve the issue, then at least we can remove it from the list
of suspects.

4. Restart the Router

Sometimes
restarting the router can help fix connectivity issues. This is even truer in
cases where the router has not been turned off in a while. A quick restart can
jolt the router back into working like it used to.

If that doesn’t
work, you might also consider resetting the router. But only do so if you’re
okay with it being restored to its factory settings. You will have to
reconfigure everything including the SSID and password.

5. Check the Wi-Fi Name and Password

Check the network
name (otherwise known as SSID) and password of the network connection. If
you’re used to connecting automatically when in range of a router but are no
longer able to, changes may have been made to the network while you’re away.

It could be as
simple as administrators updating the password or the SSID could have been
changed to a different one.

6. Check DHCP Settings

Routers are
usually set up as DHCP servers. This setting lets computers join a network
automatically. With DHCP turned on, users will no longer have to mess with IP
Address and DNS Server settings manually.

To edit your DHCP
settings, go to Windows Settings
> Network & Internet > Wi-Fi. Under Wi-Fi, click Manage Known
Networks. Select a network and click Properties.

Under IP Settings, click Edit. From the drop-down menu, select Automatic (DHCP).

Note: Selecting Manual will let
you set your DNS Server Address and IP Address settings manually.

7.
Update Windows

Your network
problems could be caused by your system. If that is the case, Windows could
have possibly released a fix. Try updating your Windows machine to the latest
release.

Go to Windows Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. Click Check for Updates. If there are updates
available, Windows will download and install them.

8.
Open Windows Network Diagnostics

Windows has a
tool called Windows Network Diagnostics that lets users troubleshoot connection
issues.

Go to Windows Settings > Network & Internet > Status. Under Change Your Network Settings, click Network Troubleshooter.

Windows Network
Diagnostics will run a couple of tests to see what’s possibly causing your
Wi-Fi issues.

Windows will let
you know if it does not find any issue. Otherwise, you will be given a list of
possible actions to take to resolve the problem.

This tool, or a
version of it, should be available in Windows 7 to Windows 10.