How do I troubleshoot internet problems from home?

Having trouble working remotely? If you think it's a problem with your internet connection, restarting your home internet equipment is the best first step, especially with internet-dependent services like Teams or Outlook.

Note: If you do not feel comfortable performing the following, please contact your home’s internet service provider (ISP), like Comcast or AT&T, and they can walk you through these steps.

First, try restarting your computer.

If you're experiencing issues like connecting to the file servers or connectivity issues during calls: Simply restart your computer, wait about 30 seconds on the logon screen, then go ahead and log in and try again.

If that didn't do the trick, continue to the next section.

Second, try adjusting your setup.

1. Connect to your modem/router via ethernet cable for the most fast and stable connection available. 
2. If you can't connect via ethernet cable, try sitting closer to the router. 

Third, try restarting your network equipment.

1. Shutdown all computer(s) in your home.
2. Restart / Power-cycle your network devices: You can contact your ISP for additional guidance, but typically you would simply unplug the device(s) from power, wait 30 seconds, then plug back in and wait for everything to reconnect.
   1. If you have two boxes (a separate WiFi router and a modem), you'll need to restart both devices. See the next section for detailed guidance.
   2. If you have an "all-in-one" router/modem provided by your ISP, you only need to restart one device. See this section for detailed guidance.

Tech fun facts:

1. The modem is what receives a network connection from your ISP's external line, then delivers it to your home.
2. The router is what takes that network connection, then broadcasts it through a WiFi signal, allowing you to wirelessly connect devices to your home network. 

If you have a separate WiFi router and modem

(Skip to the next section if you have an all-in-one unit. If, to the best of your knowledge it was supplied by your ISP, chances are it is an all-in-one modem/router unit.)

1. Locate your WiFi router. It may possible look something like this, though the models/colors can vary widely:
   
   The router should have several Ethernet ports on the back. It might also have one or more antennae. 
2. Unplug the small black power cable from the back of your router. This should be a round connector that easily slides out.
3. Locate your modem. It may look something like this, though the models/colors can vary widely:
   
   Your modem should be connected via ethernet cord to your router. A modem typically only has three connections. They are 1) the input from your ISP, 2) the output to the router, and 3) the power.
4. Unplug the power cable from your modem. NOTE: The connector for power will look similar the one you just unplugged from the router. DO NOT MIX THEM UP!
5. Wait at least 60 seconds. This is the maximum time it should take any residential internet equipment to reset.
6. Plug the power connector back into your modem.
7. Plug the power connector back into your WiFi router.
8. Give both devices up to 5 minutes to fully reboot.
9. Turn your computer(s) back on and see if you’ve reconnected or your internet connection has improved.

Skip to this section for additional troubleshooting steps >>

If you have an all-in-one router/modem

1. Locate your all-in-one device (if, to the best of your knowledge it was supplied by your ISP, chances are it is an all-in-one modem/router unit).
2. Unplug the small black power cable from the back of your router. This should be a round connector that easily slides out.
3. Wait at least 60 seconds. This is the maximum time it should take any residential internet equipment to reset.
4. Connect the power cable you removed in Step 2.
5. Give your device up to 5 minutes to fully reboot.
6. Turn your computer(s) back on and see if you’ve reconnected or your internet connection has improved.

Continue to the next section for additional troubleshooting steps.

Additional Home Wifi Troubleshooting Steps

We don't have much visibility for home networks, but we can offer you some additional information and tools to aid you on your troubleshooting journey.

Tech Wisdom...

Teams is sensitive to latency, aka the integrity and stability of your network connection. If there are little hiccups or blips with your WiFi or ISP in general, Teams will be the first thing to fail, whereas you might not even notice it browsing websites or using email. 

Teams is more sensitive to those than things like web browsing or email, which tend to be more static/buffered than real-time. 

If you get an error message about the server, it's simply letting you know there's a problem somewhere between your computer and the server cutting you off. 

Test your network speed and stability

There are two key components to your home network's health: Speed and Stability. For example, while you may have fast speeds, if your network is unstable, then you'll likely experience a lot of network-related issues, such as not being able to access the file server, lag or downtime during Teams calls, etc.

Testing your internet speed

1. On a device connected to your home network, open a web browser and navigate to fast.com.
2. Let it load, then click Show More.

About the results:

• For basic email access, 5-10 mbps download speeds (the biggest number in the results) may be acceptable. For file server access and Teams meetings that include audio/video sharing, you will have a better experience with faster speeds. If you're seeing any results in kbps instead of mbps even after restarting your home network equipment, you may want to contact your ISP.

Testing your internet stability

You can think of this test as your computer asking, "how are you?" to your network several times. Ideally, it should respond consistently and quickly. If at any point your network fails to respond or takes a long time to respond, you may see errors or extreme jumps in the latency time.

In the example below, we "ping" google.com. We can see the latency times only jump between 1-3 milliseconds, which is healthy. A jump from, for example, 16ms to 140ms would be something to look out for. 

Here's how you can perform this test from home:

1. Click the Windows Start Menu at the bottom left of your screen
2. Start typing command prompt
3. Open Command Prompt
   
4. A new command prompt window will open. 
5. Type the following command and the press Enter:
   ping -t sip.YOURDOMAIN.org
   
   1. Replace "YOURDOMAIN" with the text of your email address found between the @ symbol and ".org" (For example: ping -t sip.GMAIL.org)

Any 'failures', 'dropped' packets, or extreme jumps in latency times may indicate network instability. In those cases, the CTD Help Desk can try updating your computer. However, if that doesn't resolve the issue, then you'll need to troubleshoot with your ISP (it could be a variety issues ranging from your ISP needing to repair the external line, weather conditions, needing to replace hardware, etc.).