What to do When Your Internet Goes Down
What to do When Your Internet Goes Down
Losing your internet connection can be a frustrating experience, especially when you're in the middle of a video call! So here are some basic steps you can take to quickly restore your internet connection.
- Check the Power. Are there lights on on the Modem and your Firewall/Router? If not, make sure the power is working.
- Check the Connections. Do the connections into your devices seem snug? Try unplugging them and re-plugging them.
- Reboot Everything. Unplug the power, wait 10 seconds, and plug things back in. Reboot all your network equipment and the device you're trying to connect with.
- Call Your Internet Service Provider. If it's still not working, reach out to whoever supplies your internet. It's possible there's an outage in your area and they will work to restore it.
- Call Your IT Company. If all else fails and there are no problems with the above, reach out to your IT company as you may have network issues your internet company can't solve.
Basic Network Devices
To help with troubleshooting, here are some definitions and illustrations for identifying devices.
Modem
This device converts your internet service providers signal into the type of signal your computer and network can use.
Firewall
This device acts as your protection from the internet and blocks traffic into your network but allows your traffic to go out to the internet. This device also handles other local network tasks like giving your computer an IP address so it can talk to the internet and other devices.
Switch
This device provides additional ethernet plugs for your equipment. These devices can be highly specialized or super simple.
Wireless Access Point
This device converts your network signal into wireless radio waves and allows wireless devices to connect to it.
Multi-Function Devices
Oftentimes you will find devices that fulfill each of the four roles above: They are a modem, firewall, switch, and access point all in one! This is very handy as you only need one device, but may mean the device is limited in it's functionality of each part.
