How to Troubleshoot a Wireless Internet Connection

Wireless Internet access gives computer users the freedom to go online and be productive wherever they want to be. When there is a problem with the connection, a user's computer can be rendered completely useless. Fortunately there are ways to troubleshoot this issue and get back to being productive.

1. 
   

   Download and install a free
   wireless network scanning program for your computer before you try to log into a wireless
   network. For Windows, you can get InSSIder, for Macintosh you can get
   KisMAC, and for Linux there is a program called Kismet.

   
   


2. 
   

   Using your wireless network
   scanning program, look for the name, or SSID, of the network you are
   trying to connect to. 

   
   


3. 
   

   Use the wireless scanning program
   to measure the signal strength of the network you want to connect. If the signal is too weak, try to find a location that
   is closer. If the signal is weak and you're in your own house, try
   moving the router to a more open area where big metal objects or
   walls aren't standing between your computer and the router.

   
   


4. 
   

   Make sure the router is actually
   connected to the Internet, if you have physical access to the
   device. Also test it with another computer, if possible, to make
   sure the problem is not with your laptop.

   
   


5. 
   

   Check the router's encryption
   settings to see if your computer is compatible. For instance, if the
   router uses the highly secure WPA2 encryption and your computer
   doesn't have that ability, you may need to find an alternate method
   to get online and download drivers that allow using this type of authentication.

   
   


6. 
   

   Make sure you are connecting to
   the right network. Sometimes two routers may have the same SSID and
   this may be a malicious attempt to lure users to the wrong
   router for the purpose of capturing passwords or other sensitive
   information.