What to do when your Internet is not working? This article is an easy first aid kit that will help you identify the cause of your Wi-Fi troubles. Follow these steps and send in the cavalry with Fing products to secure and monitor your Wi-Fi.
Try another device or website
A first step in solving your Internet problems is to check whether the Wi-Fi issue is caused by the device or the website you are currently using. How? Very simply by trying another device or website.
If that works, you know what to do: switch to another device and/or try to fix the hardware problem. If it is a website that cannot be reached, the interruption will probably be solved quickly.
Reboot your modem
A classic but efficient solution in many cases of Wi-Fi trouble: try to reboot your modem. The best way is to unplug the power cord from the back of the modem. Wait at least half a minute before you plug it back in. Wait another couple of minutes to check if this worked.
Check for obstructions blocking your Wi-Fi signal
Location, location, location! What goes for real estate, also applies to your modem. If the modem is in a bad location, your Wi-Fi might not be working (correctly).
For uninterrupted performance and highest speed, place your modem in a central location. Avoid locations near metal objects or other electrical devices, as they can obstruct the Wi-Fi signal. A Wi-Fi-extender can also help to improve the signal.
Run a traceroute with Fing
Use the traceroute feature in the Fing App. You can find this option on the ‘Network’ tab under ‘Use one of these tools’ or after selecting a specific device under the ‘Manage this device’ area.
The traceroute information can help you understand why your connection to a specific network might not perform well and can help identify the issues.
Run a speed test with Fing
Is the Internet continuously connecting and disconnecting or is the Internet connection really slow? Find out if the problem is at your end, with your Internet Service Provider, or elsewhere by running a speed test with Fing.
You will find a variety of performance tracking features in the ‘Internet’ tab. The Internet Speed Test is the most prominent feature.
Check for Wi-Fi intruders with Fing
Do you think somebody is using your Wi-Fi? Maybe your Internet is much slower than usual, or you see strange activity? You can block specific devices without changing your Wi-Fi settings if you have their MAC addresses.
A MAC address is a unique set of 12 numbers and letters that identifies every device. An Internet monitoring tool like Fing can find them for you. Run an automatic scan on your Fing App or Fing Desktop. Check the list of connected devices in the ‘Devices’ tab. The MAC address is usually displayed next to the name of the device. If not, click on the device and scroll down to ‘Network Data’. Learn more about this topic by reading our dedicated guide.
Make sure there is no Internet outage in your area
If the Internet is not working because of a network problem of your Internet Service Provider, you depend on them to solve it. Your ISP should announce in advance if planned maintenance will cause an outage.
Unplanned interruptions can normally be checked online, or you can call your service provider to ask when the Internet problem will be solved.
Looking for complete Internet protection and security?
You can choose the best network protection option from our advanced plans: Fing Premium and Fing Starter. Fing Premium gives you a complete overview and toolkit including network security features, unlimited troubleshooting options and a complete timeline of network events. Fing Starter offers you the most loved Fing features at a fraction of the cost.
Interested in learning more? Check our guide to Fing Premium and Fing Starter to pick the best option for you!
