Practical Manual: troubleshooting Wi-Fi

Among the many wireless technologies, Wi-Fi technology is becoming increasingly mature. How can we monitor our network connections and face various problems? Here we will reveal the answer. Wireless network technology has developed very well. But how can we handle Wi-Fi faults? The following describes in detail.

In this article, we will talk about the monitoring function of wireless management software and how to handle Wi-Fi faults.

Wi-Fi fault handling software: monitor your connection

Although most of the efforts to optimize Wi-Fi networks only involve hardware, software can also play an important role. Some wireless router monitoring software can track connected hardware devices and perform simple repairs. These software settings are usually involved in the initial network configuration process.

Some software programs may also be helpful, such as a free online bandwidth monitor such as Speedtest.net or Alken, which can show how fast your IP address and data can access your computer. For some users, there is nothing more important than knowing how fast your network is. Currently, there are dozens of such services on the Internet, but they display different speed values. It is important to select a service and use it for speed comparison when adjusting your network configuration.

If the program runs slowly on your computer, JiWire's free Wi-Fi security test may help you find out the cause. After investigating your system, it will display valuable information such as your encryption type, signal strength, used channels, and significant security vulnerabilities.

If you need basic information about network operations, try NetStumbler, which is also free of charge. This product has been available for several years. Although it is still a beta version from a technical perspective, it still understands which networks are running and which channels are used in your region, this helps you avoid interference in the best way. At the same time, it also uses a beautiful bar chart to show the changes of your signal strength in a certain period of time.

Wi-Fi troubleshooting list

After using the recommendations listed in this series of serialized articles, your wireless network transmission distance and speed should be greatly increased. However, this does not mean that your network has no defects at all. The following are nine steps to help you check for dead connections (or weak connections:

1. Make sure that the cable or DSL modem is connected to your router, and all devices are powered on.

2. Restart the router and PC to update the DHCP license.

3. Call the Internet service provider to see if it is maintaining or repairing its network.

4. Check whether the latest firmware and client software are used.

5. Try to connect to the Internet using the LAN cable. If this method works, the wireless connection is faulty.

6. Interference from cordless phones, microwave ovens, or nearby high-power networks can interrupt your network and try different channels.

7. When too many client devices are connected, or someone uploads or downloads a large amount of data, the Wi-Fi connection speed will become very slow. When you notice that the network speed suddenly slows down, you should immediately inspect the network to see if someone is watching videos or doing anything else that consumes bandwidth. You can ask this person to stop using the service when other users are connected, or try QoS software such as JDSoft Bandwidth Manager. This software allows you to monitor network traffic and assign priority to data streams.

8. If you receive an "IP conflict" error message, consider using a static IP address.

9. If all attempts fail, simply reset the router and restore it to the factory configuration.