Wireless Troubleshooting
May 23rd 2009 – Adam Bauman

Wireless connectivity has done great things for computer lovers everywhere, but what happens when you find yourself stranded after your network throws a hissy fit? This guide should help you isolate the problem and get reconnected. If you don’t have a well secured network at this point it would be a good time to rebuild your network from scratch using our Wireless Setup Guide.

Before you do anything you should disconnect the power from both your router and Internet source (cable modem, DSL router, etc.,) wait a few seconds, bring the network back up by plugging the router in first, then your Internet source. Wait for all of the proper lights to come back up (more on this in a minute) and check your connection again. If this solves it you’re done, if not continue on. It should be noted that a network in needed of excessive power cycling (more than once a month) has deeper problems that should be addressed such as poor wiring quality or a failing router and/or modem.

Follow the flowchart below until you reach a conclusion.

Hopefully you landed in the lone “w00t!” box, but if not don’t despair! In the event that you landed on a “Contact ISP” tile then you’ll need to get a hold of your ISP and work with them to figure out a solution to your Internet issues. There is also a chance that your computer is suffering from a software issue and it should be checked out by a qualified technician if your ISP cannot get you back online. If they do get you back online when directly connected you can reconnect the router, power cycle the whole mess, then start from the beginning if you still can’t access the Internet wirelessly.

If you landed on a “Router may be malfunctioning or misconfigured” tile than you will need to reset and reconfigured the network following our Wireless Setup guide. In the event that the guide can’t get you back up on your feet than the router needs to be replaced with a new unit.

The final tile is the most difficult to land on, which is “Bad wireless card or configuration problem.” This indicates that your computer is refusing to properly connect to the network either because the configuration information became corrupted, has been changed, or because you have an issue with the machine’s wireless hardware. To start we’ll flush out the unit’s wireless configuration, than check the hardware. If you don’t know for sure what your wireless key is you’ll run into trouble so make sure you have it on hand. If you have no idea what the key is you’ll need to contact the person who setup the network or you’ll need to run through our Wireless Setup Guide to set a new key.

The process varies a bit depending on your operating system and software options, but the three most common ways to get to it are as follows:

1. Windows XP – Double-click on this icon in the lower-right of the screen: , click the “Show available networks,” click on the “Preferred Networks” link on the left of the window, than highlight the top item in the list box and click the “Remove” button until the list is black. You can than click the “Ok” button and attempt to reconnect to your wireless network which should appear on the Available Networks list after you hit the “Refresh” button a couple of times. If your network doesn’t appear on the list than your router may no longer be broadcasting. If no networks appear than your wireless card may be faulty or there aren’t any other networks in the area. If you find yourself at this point you should bring the computer in to a professional to have it checked.
2. Windows Vista & Windows 7 – Click one of these icons in the lower-right of the screen: , than click the “Network and Sharing Center” link. On the window that appears, click the “Wireless Configuration” link on left, than highlight all the networks listed and click the “Remove” button. Once the list is blank, click the “Ok” button, close the Network and Sharing Center, click on the wireless icon again, than the “Connect or Disconnect” link. Once the window appears click the “Refresh” button a couple of times until your network appears and reconnect. If your network doesn’t appear on the list than your router may no longer be broadcasting. If no networks appear than your wireless card may be faulty or there aren’t any other networks in the area. If you find yourself at this point you should bring the computer in to a professional to have it checked.
3. Mac OSX – This will also vary a bit between different OSX versions, but the basic windows are the similar (I’m using OSX 10.5 for these instructions.) Click on the Apple logo in the upper-left of the screen, click “System Preferences,” and than click on the “Network” preference panel. Click on the “Airport” item on the left, and then click the “Advanced” button in the lower-right of the window. Here you should see a list of networks the computer has ever been connected to. Highlight each item on the list and hit the “-” button to remove them. Once the list is cleared you can close all of your windows, than click on the icon in the upper-right of the screen, choose your network off the list, than reconnect. If your network doesn’t appear on the list your router may no longer be broadcasting. If no networks appear then your wireless card may be faulty or there aren’t any other networks in the area. If you find yourself at this point you should bring the computer in to a professional to have it checked.

If you’re still without an Internet connection than you’ll want have both the computer(s) and the network checked by a qualified technician.

Hopefully this guide has been helpful, wireless networks can be a royal pain to troubleshoot at first, but once you do it a few times you’ll be a pro.