Problems with Router

1. It's So Slow You Can't Get Any Work Done

Problem: Your router is slower than molasses running uphill on a hot day.

Solution: A couple of things that might be causing this problem. Most routers work on the 2.5GHz band. So do Microwave ovens, cordless phones, garage door openers, baby monitors, and some other electronic devices. Have you added anything to the environment recently that works on the 2.5GHz band -- just about when the problem started? If so, turn it off and see if there's an improvement.

Router Repair Services

If that's not an issue, keep in mind that the 2.5GHz band has only three real channels (1, 6, 11) despite pretending to have eleven (the others overlap with each other). Your neighbors who are Wi-Fi-enabled are also using those same channels. If you live in a major metropolitan area with public transportation, it's a lot like trying to get on the bus during rush hour.

You can modify the channel your router uses (and subsequently any Wi-Fi adapters) by going into the device's setup controls (usually through a browser-based program that's been installed on your computer when you installed the router or adapter) and manually changing it. (The default setting is where the problem can arise; vendors always pick the same channel.)

Upgrade Your Firmware

Finally, try upgrading your firmware. This is last in the pile because it's a task that will probably make you nervous. The usual procedure is to:

·         Go to your router's or adapter's website and find and download a firmware upgrade if available. (If you use the setup utility that was installed with your router or adapter, you'll be able to tell what firmware version you currently have. Just compare that to the "new" version.)

·         Once the new firmware is downloaded onto your PC, go back into the router's or adapter's setup through its utility software or your browser, find the management section, locate the firmware upgrade section in there, and just follow along.

It is that easy, but you may freak out thinking of all the possible things that might go wrong (like if you lose power during the upgrade)

2. You're locked out

Problem: You've lost your passphrase and you can't access all of your router's feature.

Solution: Oh, are you in trouble -- but not for long, and it's not as bad as you think. If you've arrived at that point in the road where you once again need to access the internals of your router but never wrote down what your access passphrase was, relax. You can reset the device to factory defaults.

Most routers have a reset button recessed into the back of the case. It's sometimes ringed in red but often it's just an awfully small hole into which you must blindly poke a safety pin tip (or unbent small paper clip) so you can depress the recessed reset button for (typically) 3 to 5 seconds. (Don't mistake it for the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) button prominently placed, and usually labeled, on the front of your router).

Router Setup & Installation 

The upside is that you'll now have access to your router. The downside is that any settings you may have modified will now be back to their factory defaults and you'll need to redo them. You've saved the manual that was supplied with your router so you can look up the factory default username and passphrase, right? In case you haven't, the usual combinations of usernames and passphrases are admin/password and admin/admin. (And now you realize why you should always change those values, right?)