Top 5 Ways to Troubleshoot Your Broadband Internet Connection

Top 5 Ways to Troubleshoot Your Broadband Internet Connection

There are few things in life as frustrating as an "Address
Not Found" message in your Web browser. Timed-out
connections, a little red X in your network connection icon,
or an "Internet Explorer cannot display the Web page" error
screen all add up to the same dismal problem -- something's
wrong with your Internet connection.

Finding and fixing the problem is never easy, mainly because
there are so many places where something can go wrong. We're
going to walk you through five relatively easy steps that
will solve the majority of broadband Internet connection
problems, no matter what kind of Internet service you use.
We'll have you up and running, reading celebrity gossip and
updating your Facebook status in no time.

1. Check the Wires

It may seem obvious, but one of the easiest troubleshooting
steps you can take yourself is to check all the cables and
connections involved in your Internet connection. This is
true no matter what kind of connection you have. Even if
you're sure nothing has changed, it only takes a minute to
make sure.

Start where your Internet service enters your house. This
might be your cable company's line drop, a satellite dish
antenna or a phone line. Make sure the cable is connected
securely, and any cabling that runs outside the house hasn't
been damaged by weather or chewed on by birds, bugs or
squirrels. Just be careful if there are any electrical lines
around -- and if you see damaged lines of any kind, don't
touch them, just call the cable or phone company.

Next, follow the cables through your house, checking
connections at every appropriate point. If you use a router,
check those connections, too, and make sure the correct cable
is going to the correct place. If your router feeds several
different computers or gaming systems, it can get confusing
to keep track of which cable goes where.

If the cabling and connections seem OK, the next step is to
power cycle your modem.

2. Power Cycling

Power cycling might sound exciting, but it just means turning
your modem off, waiting a few seconds, then turning it on
again. This works regardless of your connection type, whether
you get your Internet via cable, DSL or satellite. The
easiest way to turn it off is to disconnect the power cord
where it plugs into the modem itself (they don't always have
on/off switches, but if yours does, that should work, too).
Wait about 30 seconds, and then plug it in again. Sometimes,
that's all it takes. Once the modem has cycled through its
usual boot-up sequence, you may find your connection works
again.

If this doesn't do the trick, a more elaborate power cycling
sequence might. You'll have to turn off every device on your
network, then power them on again in a particular order.

First, shut off your computer, then unplug the power cords
from your modem, router, access point and hub.When you turn
things on again, follow the signal from the modem toward the
computer. In other words, power up the modem first, then
power up your router or hub, then turn on your computer last.
As you turn on each device, wait for it go through its
boot-up sequence before powering up the next device in line.
You can determine the status by watching the lights on the
device itself.

Still no connection? If you use a satellite Internet service,
we'll troubleshoot your unique problems in the next.

3. Weathering Storms with Satellite Internet Connections

If you access the Internet with a satellite service, you have
your own set of issues to deal with. The first potential
issue is line of sight. Satellite Internet connections use
a special two-way dish, and the dish has to be pointed
directly at the satellite at a very particular angle. The
problems start when anything gets between your antenna and
the satellite.

Overgrown greenery, snow and ice or leaves and other debris
could be blocking your dish, so you'll have to get to the
dish to clear it off. This can be especially difficult if
it's mounted on the roof.

Odd as it may seem, weather hundreds of miles away can also
affect your satellite connection. Because the satellite is
over the equator, your dish points south (that is, if you're
in the Northern Hemisphere). The farther you are from the
equator, the less direct the line of sight is. Your dish has
to send and receive signals through a long stretch of
atmosphere to the south, so southerly storms many miles away
can still cause interference.

If there's nothing in the way, and the weather is clear from
your roof all the way to Guatemala, your dish might be
misaligned. If it isn't pointing in the proper direction,
your connection will fail. Satellite dish antennas require
much more precise adjustment than TV dish antennas do - it's
probably a good idea to call your Internet service provider
for help, rather than trying to adjust it yourself.

And on top of that, the problem might be beyond everyone's
control. Sunspots are massive flares on the surface of the
sun that send intense blasts of energy at the Earth. That
energy can severely disrupt satellite communications.

Next, we'll diagnose some common wireless problems.

4. Wireless Router Outages

If you use a wireless access point or wireless router to
access the Internet with a laptop, then the wireless
connection might be the cause of your problem. You may have
to use a wired connection to your network until the wireless
problem is solved. You'll also want to have a copy of your
wireless access point or router's user manual nearby.

There are two main potential issues with wireless
connections: configuration problems and security problems.
Consult the user manual to see how to access the wireless
device -- this is usually done by typing the device's IP
address into a Web browser. From there, you'll need to check
the manual to find the proper settings. You'll probably have
to call your Internet service provider (ISP) for assistance,
because the necessary configuration will vary tremendously
depending on the type of network you have and the type of
connection provided by your ISP.

The wireless device's security settings could also be causing
problems. You can access these settings the same way you
accessed the configuration. If you have a wireless security
protocol enabled, you won't be able to access the wireless
device without using the proper password. You can set and
reset the password the same way you can change the other
settings.

If none of these steps have solved your connection problem,
there are still a few last-ditch efforts you can attempt.

5. More Cable and Configuration Problems

Chances are, part of your home network involves cat5 or cat5e
Ethernet cables. If you're using the wrong kind of cable, it
could defeat your Internet connection efforts. Crossover
cable should only be used to connect two computers directly.
If you're connecting devices with a hub or router,
straight-through cables should be used. How can you tell the
difference? Sometimes crossover cables are labeled by the
manufacturer. If not, it's a bit technical to figure out (it
involves checking the pairs of wires at the connectors). If
possible, just try a different cable to see if that helps.

The problem might be with the computer you're trying to
connect to the Internet. Network configuration
troubleshooting depends on operating system, connection type
and other factors. If your computer has a network icon, it
might displays a red X or other error message if there's
a problem. If there's no error message and your connection
still won't work, some operating systems have the ability to
self-diagnose to determine if there's another issue.

If everything else seems to be working OK, then the problem
might be with your ISP. Contact its technical support line
and ask. If the ISP isn't suffering an outage (they do, from
time to time), technical support representatives might walk
you through some of the steps you already went though, and
they may even be able to test your connection or reset your
modem.