Your Internet Is Down Again – Here’s What’s Going On

In this new work-from-home and remote-learning era, nothing can be more frustrating than your internet connection dropping during an important online meeting. A painfully slow internet is equally frustrating. Most of us connect to the Internet through our home router, work network router or through a free wireless service at/near a coffee shop, library or other community broadband. There are multiple reasons why your WiFi connection keeps dropping. Here are a few of the most common issues:

  • Internet signal strength is insufficient. You may be near the edge of the WiFi network range.
  • WiFi network is overloaded. This usually occurs on crowded systems but perhaps your home has more online users than normal now with COVID-19.
  • Wireless interference with other WiFi hotspots or devices nearby
  • WiFi adapter has outdated drivers or wireless router has outdated firmware

Troubleshooting Your WiFi Dropping Issues

The good news is there are potential fixes for your WiFi problems:

  1. Move closer to the WiFi router / hotspot. If you suspect interference, move your router to a different place. If multiple people need to be near the router, consider having ClickAway show you a new setup that is inexpensive, called mesh network, that will cover more area. A mesh network solves the problem of having dead spots within a structure by incorporating different hubs placed around the space communicating with each other thus, providing a better overall coverage. 
  2. Update your WiFi adapter drivers and WiFi router firmware by checking the manufacturers’ websites. ClickAway can also do this for you.
  3. Reset your router, restart your smartphone / computer.
  4. If on a public WiFi network, see if you have to login again. Try connecting to another free WiFi source as the current one may not be working. Please note, public WiFi systems are open to security issues so never go on financial apps and the like while on free systems.
wifi mesh network

Can A Slow Internet Be Fixed?

Months into the Coronavirus era, streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ are more important than ever. However, slowing Internet makes it all the more frustrating when scenes stutter or stop in the middle of a crucial part. More and more we are finding steady internet to rarely be our reality. Furthermore, in many areas where we live, monopolies or duopolies of Verizon, Spectrum, AT&T or other local internet service providers make it impossible to just switch from one to another.

What’s worse, with  opens in a new windowlast year’s Supreme Court decision to decline to hear an appeal on net neutrality, Internet Providers (ISPs) can still legally throttle your internet. Yes, they can limit your broadband service if you’re streaming more YouTube than they want and provide slower connections to websites owned by their competitors. Luckily, there’s a solution to some of these internet headaches: the virtual private network is one. Basically, ISPs need to see your internet address in order to slow down your internet connection speed down. A good virtual private network (VPN) will shield that identity. But before you go that route, do these steps to check the health of your current connection or ask ClickAway to do this for you. 

Steps To Check Healthy Internet

Step 1.  Check that your router is centrally located in your home, reposition its antennas, double check your network security and so on. If you’ve run through the list and your Wi-Fi is still crawling along, move on to the next step.
Step 2.  Search Google for a simple speed test and do one such as  opens in a new This will check your connection speed, essentially gauging whether your ISP is providing consistent performance no matter the content you’re accessing. This measurement isn’t perfect, but it’s a good starting place.
Step 3.  If you’ve done a basic first test on your internet health, and you still think something may be awry with your ISP, start researching VPNs. Product differences take into account security, price and server locations. 
Step 4.  Once you have your VPN, do another speed test and compare the results. The VPN should improve the internet connection speed significantly. 

xfinity internet installation
Call us at 800-960-9030 to arrange installation of Comcast Xfinity Internet in your home.
