Saturday, November 12, 2011

How I troubleshoot my internet connection?

Your internet connection depends on several players. 

  •  ISP (Internet Service Provider) could be your phone company, cable company
  • Modem, sometimes rented to you by your ISP but best to buy one on your own and connect to your ISP's line. 
  • Router either WiFi or Ethernet that is connected to the modem and provides connectivity to your various devices inside the house
  • Your computer or laptop that is connected using WiFi or a Ethernet cable to your router.
My house configuration:
  • Comcast is my cable and internet provider
  • Modem is a Linksys modem
  • Router is a Belkin 
  • Lenovo, Asus, iPad, Blackberry Playbook, Samsung Android Phone.
When the internet goes out here are the steps I take:

Step 1: Power down the Belkin router and then power down the Linksys modem . Wait for a minute and power it back and see if you can connect to the internet.  If not go to Step 2

Step 2: Remove the Ethernet cable connecting the modem to the router and connect it to the Ethernet port on my laptop. Check if I am able to surf the internet. If I can surf the internet then this tells me that the cable company's connection is fine and go to step 3. If I cannot surf the internet, I call Comcast. Usually the automatic voice prompt will send a signal to my modem  or will let me know if there is a system wide issue n my area.

Step 3:  Go to my modem dashboard accessed by going to http://192.168.2.1 and see if the router shows the internet is connected. Restart the modem. in many cases use the option of " Clone your MAC address". This usually fixes the issue.

I wish there was a automatic way for all the companies involved in giving me my internet connection figuring out that my connectivity is down and fixing it even before I notice. I guess that technology is far away or maybe too expensive to provide.

This process I outlined above will usually take me 10 to 15 minutes. The frequency is usually 2 to 3 times a year for me. Hope you are having great connectivity. Please comment and let me know if this post has been useful to you.

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