Have you noticed your home Wi-Fi network has slowed down? Do you sometimes get dropped connections or are unable to connect to your network altogether? When this happens, it is normal to think there is a problem with your wireless network adapter or on-board laptop Wi-Fi card. You might even decide to buy a brand new one, thinking your old Wi-Fi card is broken.
In fact, many Wi-Fi connectivity problems can be solved just by restarting your Wi-Fi router and cable or DSL broadband modems. Wi-Fi routers are a lot like computers- they have on-board software (similar to how your computer has a hard drive with an operating system). Just like computers, over time with a number of different connections and operations running, they can slow down and even freeze up. The easiest way to reset a wireless router is to unplug it, wait about 20 seconds, and plug it back in. This does not erase any of your settings such as your network password. We also advise doing the same thing with your broadband modem. Wireless routers can also break down over time. So if you are having connectivity issues with your Wi-Fi router, try resetting it first. If the problems continue, before deciding if it is necessary to buy a new Wi-Fi card or adapter, have a friend or family member come over with their laptop and try to connect to your network. If they also have problems, your Wi-Fi card could be just fine and it may be time to replace the router.
If you find the computer that is hard-wired (connected via Ethernet cable) to your router works without issue but multiple computers in your home have trouble connecting to it wirelessly, that could also indicate a need to reset the router, or a problem with the router.The Ethernet component of wireless routers is a different part of the router from the Wi-Fi AP (access point) built into the router. Sometimes a wired connection may work just fine but a wireless connection will not. This is where doing a reset can help- it restarts the internal AP in the router, the same way rebooting your PC from time to time unloads your computer's internal memory and makes your computer run smoother.
As always, we recommend contacting a Rokland associate for further guidance to troubleshoot any Wi-Fi networking issues you may be experiencing.
Military and First Responder 
