Technical issues, maintenance, and weather affect; these are some of the reasons that can cause internet disruptions. However, in such cases, you should reach out to your provider’s customer service for help.
For instance, if you’re using Xfinity, you can contact Xfinity customer service and inform them of the problem. If the issue is at their end, you’ll be notified alongside a timeline for the fix. But what if the issue isn’t at their end?
In such a case, we’re listing some easy fixes that you can run to resolve the internet issue at your home or office. Keeping these handy is recommended so that you don’t have to face downtime due to a problem that could’ve been fixed easily. So, let’s get down to them:
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Rebooting Your Internet Router
In most cases, a simple reboot fixes almost all the issues, whether it’s with your internet device or the device that you’re using. A reboot relaunches all the programs in your device, enabling them to reconnect and reestablish the framework for execution.
In our current case, if you’re facing internet issues, you can simply reboot your internet router. Simply unplug the power cable from your router and wait for at least 30 seconds. Then, reconnect the cable and let the router reboot itself until the Wi-Fi light is stable.
You can then connect your devices to see if it has resolved the issue or not. Rebooting your internet router will help reconnect to the ISP and resend data packets. In addition, it will also assign a new IP address to your device that it’ll use for connectivity.
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Changing the Location of Your Router
In addition to rebooting your device, you should also focus on changing its location. In most cases, electromagnetic waves from electronic devices and appliances interfere with Wi-Fi signals. As a result, the Wi-Fi signals don’t spread ideally and you don’t get ample speed and connectivity.
Therefore, try placing the router away from electronics and appliances in an open space or close to where you use most of your devices. It’ll allow you to get good signal strength, which will in return give you ample speed and performance.
If the distance isn’t manageable, then add a Wi-Fi extender to your network. A Wi-Fi extender is like an amplifier for your internet router that amplifies the signals and improves the overall spread in your place.
You can add an extender where you think the signals are the lowest. Doing so will amplify the signals and you won’t have to move your internet router for it. However, an extender only increases signal range, not the actual speed. If you don’t get a good speed connection, then you need to upgrade your internet plan for it.
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Updating Router Firmware
There are times when rebooting or adding a Wi-Fi extender still doesn’t resolve the issue. Here, the issue can be with your router’s firmware. Just like our smartphones that receive software updates to minimize any loopholes and remove bugs, routers receive firmware updates too.
In addition, security updates from your internet provider work the same way and ensure that your router doesn’t have a loophole that can be exploited. Moreover, these updates are designed to improve its functionality as well as give better performance.
If you’re facing an issue where rebooting or adding an extender doesn’t help resolve the problem, then try running a firmware check for your router. You can head to the router’s dashboard and from there check for updates.
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Updating Drivers
Apart from the internet router, your devices receive updates too, and should not be left updated. Similar to the above situation, these updates are designed to improve functionality and improve performance while minimizing loopholes and security risks.
These can be installed with your OS’s updates that are automatically downloaded unless you’ve turned them off. Apart from this, you can head to the device manager to check for driver updates individually. Checking for updates for your network drivers is a must since most of the time, issues occur when your network drivers are outdated.
You can run for updates using the OS or even use a third-party driver software to check which ones are outdated. It’ll also check for your router’s drivers if the function is available.
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Clearing Cache
The cache memory is designed to store frequently used processes and programs so that they can be fetched and booted instantly. However, for this purpose, the cache memory uses memory and internet resources to keep the processes ready on the go.
In case you’re facing lags, disruptions or the internet speed is just slow, then try clearing your device’s cache and your browser’s cache too. It’ll help clear some space for your programs and devices to use the internet.
If possible try switching to Ethernet use instead of Wi-Fi for most devices so that any signal disruption doesn’t affect too. But, even in that case, you should clear the cache to get better internet performance.
Closing Thoughts
With these fixes, your internet problems should be resolved, well, mostly. However, if there’s an issue with the network such as connection issues, DHCP issues, etc. you’ll need to contact support for assistance.
