5 steps to troubleshoot Wi-Fi network problems

Network administration - Wi-Fi allows you to access the network without the hassle of connecting wires, but to get that advantage you also have to pay for many problems that cause headaches in connection. The degradation and distance of wireless signals depend on two main factors: building materials and nearby interference. There are also other issues that can cause disconnection: using different wireless standards for routers and access points for wireless APs or adapters and not updating the operating system.

In this tutorial, we will look at the main troubleshooting tasks to fix computers that cannot connect or keep a stable connection.

1. The signal of poverty or interference

First, eliminate the poor signal or interference from the list of possible causes. If using a laptop or mobile device, move the laptop closer to the router or AP. Use your evaluation based on the wireless performance of other computers to determine if the problem is too far from your signal source or something that causes interference near your location. It should be noted that the extended telephone system, the child monitoring device or some other wireless devices (especially 2.4GHz frequency devices) can cause serious interference to the Wi signal. Your-Fi.

If you want the signal to be good, you need to make sure the wireless router or AP is located near the central location of the area to be covered. If this arrangement doesn't help, then you might consider upgrading to a router or AP 802.11n to increase the coverage for the signal. If you want to extend the coverage further, you can use the bridge or wireless repeater, or you can add and run wires to another AP.

If you think interference is a problem, then try to find the device or network that causes interference. If you cannot disable the noise source, you can change the router's or AP's Wi-Fi channel by logging into its control panel, then try channels 1 or 11.

2. Failed to reach the 802.11n speed

If you can connect, but the problem you encounter here is not as high as your 802.11n wireless router, then the first thing to check is the wireless adapter, check your adapter. Whether to support 802.11n or not. Because 802.11b / g devices can also be compatible with newer standards like 802.11n, connections will be limited to 11Mbps for 802.11b or 54Mbps for 802.11g.

If you use both an 802.11n wireless router and adapter, this could be because you use WEP or WPA / TKIP encryption. To get full support of 802.11n, you must use WPA2 / AES encryption. Even when using this encryption, you still don't get the maximum speed if you use the default channel width at 20MHz, overcome this problem by changing the width of the default channel to 40MHz.

3. WPA or WPA2 compatibility of wireless adapters and Windows XP

If you can't connect and your wireless router or AP is using WPA or WPA2 encryption, then fix it by making sure the wireless adapter and Windows support it. You can check in Windows by opening the wireless network properties window and referencing the authentication types listed there.

Note : WEP encryption is not safe and should not be used. Use WPA or WPA2 encryption instead, even if you need to buy new hardware.

If you do not see your authentication type as WPA or WPA2, first ensure support by Windows. Windows XP Service Pack 3 and recent versions all support WPA and WPA2. If you use Windows XP with the old service pack, then download the service pack 3 via Windows Update or from the Microsoft website. Another way is to install WPA update for Windows XP and WPA2 update for Windows XP Service Pack 2.

If you still don't see the WPA or WPA2 authentication type in Windows, chances are your wireless adapter doesn't support it. However, you can upgrade the adapter's driver to see if the manufacturer has released these new updates. Visit its website and search for drivers in the support section. If you have a new driver, upgrade it according to the instructions or through Device Manger in Windows. Then check the authentication types in Windows again.

4. Use 802.11b wireless adapters with 802.11n

If you connect to an old 802.11b wireless adapter with a newer 802.11n wireless router, the problem here may be incompatibility. Although 802.11n is said to be compatible with 802.11b / g, sometimes it still doesn't work. You can upgrade the adapter's driver to see if there is any help. Visit its website and search for drivers in the support section. If you have a new driver, upgrade it according to the instructions or through Device Manger in Windows.
If the problem persists, you can connect the 802.11b adapter if your wireless router or AP is set to 802.11b / g without using its default mode of 802.11n. To do this, log in to the router's web console with its IP address, then find the wireless settings.

To get optimal 802.11n performance, you should only use 802.11n wireless adapters and change the default mode of the router or AP to 802.11n only .

5. Luckily with wireless adapters or Windows

Sometimes the problem may be luck for wireless adapters or Windows. First, try disabling and re-enabling the wireless adapter. In Windows XP, click Start > Connect To > Show All Connections . In Windows Vista or 7, right-click the network icon in the lower right corner, open the Network and Sharing Center , and then access the adapter settings or network connection. When in the Network Connections window, right-click the wireless adapter to disable and reactivate it.

If restarting the adapter does not help, you may need to restart Windows. Sometimes these very simple tasks can solve the problem.

Conclude

In this article, I have shown you some key troubleshooting tasks to diagnose and fix Wi-Fi connection problems. If you still have problems with your connection, check the upgrade for the adapter driver. Also, check for software upgrades for your wireless AP or adapter and upgrade it via the console.

If you have problems with all computers that are connected, try restoring the factory default settings to the router or AP by pressing the small button behind it.