The internet is down in your office, and you know what that means — lost productivity. Employees gather in the break room or head to lunch early to pass the time. You can practically hear all the things you could be doing, taunting you as the empty minutes tick by. Instead of sitting around uselessly, playing around on your smartphone, here’s a few things to pass the time — and possibly fix your problem.
Check the connection
Let’s start with the basics. If only your computer is affected, restart it. If that doesn’t solve the problem, check its cables to make sure everything is tight and plugged in correctly. You’d be surprised by how many internet problems are caused by an accidental kick to the wrong cable. If that still doesn’t work, open up your computer’s network diagnostic tool to see what it has to say about the problem.
Perform a Ping test
Is more than one computer affected? Perform Ping test. This is when you pin a specific website using your command prompt window. Simply open Command Prompt (if you’re not sure where to find it, search your computer) and type “ping”, followed by the IP address of the site you want to ping.
Don’t know the IP address? No problem — most people don’t. Just type in the full address instead. For example, if you want to ping Google, type “Ping google.com”. If that fails, try another site. If it’s consistently failing, your problem probably lies with the modem, router, or your ISP (internet service provider).
Reboot the router/network box
Next, head to your router or network box. Are the LED lights on? If not, make sure the network box/router is plugged in and powered on. If it’s plugged in and turned on, but no lights, try plugging it into a different outlet.
If your router is plugged in and looking fine aside from the fact that you still don’t have Internet, force a reboot by disconnecting the power cord, waiting a couple minutes, and then reconnecting it.
If that doesn’t fix the problem, pay your modem a visit and make sure it’s functioning by performing the same tests.
Reset the router
Fun fact: Resetting and rebooting are two different actions. If rebooting doesn’t work for your router, try resetting it to its factory defaults. Then you can do a fresh install just like you did on the first day you got it. All you need to do is find the tiny reset button on the rear panel, hold it down until the LEDs start flashing, and then use the installation disk or web-based install software to set it back up.
Update the firmware
Firmware is embedded software installed inside of your router at the factory. Most vendors provide regular downloadable updates that can proactively resolve performance issues and add new features. To update your firmware, find the firmware update tool in your router’s management console under System. Follow the instructions very carefully to make sure you’re installing the right update, and NEVER download firmware from a third-party site!
Call your internet provider
If your Internet is still down, it’s time to call your internet provider. Sometimes regional outages occur while the ISP is performing maintenance in the area or trying to resolve an issue for your neighbor — Comcast is particularly notorious for this. If the problem lies on their end, they will give you a time estimate for when the internet should be back up, or send in their own technicians to fix it, depending on the issue.
Call in the IT team
If the ISP fails, you’ll need to call in some capable IT professionals to diagnose your network. Look for a team experienced with your office’s operating system (for example, you don’t want a Microsoft IT Academy-trained technician working on your Apple devices), with certifications like CIW, CCNA, MCSA, OCP, and CompTIA.
Resources
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/data-center/is-the-internet-down-troubleshooting-network-issues/