Can’t Connect to Internet? How to Troubleshoot

An internet connection failure can be catastrophic for any professional business, exposing it to reduced productivity, lost revenue, and customer complaints. The cost of internet downtime can be extremely expensive, up to $5,600 per minute in some cases. A few minutes of wifi or internet connectivity issues can significantly impact your company’s bottom line.

Due to these potential consequences, you need to equip yourself with the right skills to troubleshoot and tackle the problem head-on.

Can’t connect to the internet? Follow these network troubleshooting tips to get your internet up and running if it’s not working.

Can’t Connect to Internet? Here’s 9 Ways to Troubleshoot

1. Check for Physical Connectivity Issues

Sometimes internet connection may fail due to simple things like a loose or unplugged network cable, modem, or router. If you’re on a wireless network, your computer’s wireless network interface card might be turned off. First, check your Wi-Fi settings by clicking Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi and then switch Wi-Fi to the “On” position. When browsing from your phone or tablet, check the settings that turn Wi-Fi on and off and make sure it’s turned on.

For wired connections, check the Ethernet cables that connect to your router. If you suspect that any cable is the culprit, try swapping it out with a new one or changing ports.

2. Restart the Router

Restarting the router can sometimes help fix internet connectivity issues. If your router has been off for quite some time, a quick restart could just get it back to working condition.

The hardware and software components of a router or modem are prone to causing issues from time to time due to a variety of reasons. The same way your computer needs to be restarted every now and then in order to refresh running processes and clear cache.

Rebooting your router can work wonders, but if it comes to a point where you are forced to do it every day or multiple times a week to address connectivity issues, you may just need a new modem or router. In such a case, a call to your local ISP might be needed.

3. Evaluate Software Problems

Strict firewall rules or security policies could be the source of your connectivity issues. For example, many new generation antivirus solutions like Norton and Malwarebytes actually include network intrusion protection that acts as a software firewall in filtering and blocking malicious traffic.

When you install two software firewalls on the same computer, such as Windows Firewall and a private, third-party firewall, the contention between the two can incorrectly block traffic. If you recently installed or upgraded a firewall on your computer, consider disabling it temporarily to determine if it’s the cause of the connection issue.

4. Check If You’re Outside the Wireless Signal Range

If you’re on a Wi-Fi network, you should know that the connection performance depends on the distance between your wireless access point and your device. The further away you move from the Wi-Fi router or a wireless access point, the more sluggish the internet connection will be, and any further drift will result in a total breakdown. Signal interference in your location can also limit the effective range of the Wi-Fi connection.