WEEKLY WHEATIES #2519
Internet Connection Troubleshooting, Microsoft, AI, Travel
In this newsletter:
📝 Post: Simple Steps to Troubleshoot Your Lost Internet Connection
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Microsoft Laptops, Xbox, and AI
😎 Pick of the Week: General Travel Picks
📦 Featured Product: Magnetic Field Viewing Film
📝 Simple Steps to Troubleshoot Your Lost Internet Connection
Have you ever tried to do something on your phone, computer, or other device and only then noticed the internet didn’t work? Sure you have! The question is then: what did you do next? Did you throw your phone, yell across the house, or call your favorite nerd? If it happens again - and it will happen again - here are some steps you could take next time.
The first and biggest tip is to troubleshoot if it’s your specific device or the entire network. Just because you can’t access the internet doesn’t mean other people can’t. Should your phone not work, try a computer or streaming device. Maybe you have an Alexa or Google Home in the house. Whatever you check, make sure it’s a different device that’s checking something that will absolutely require an internet connection.
Before going too much further, a quick note for home and business. In your place of work, I would advise contacting your IT department rather than following many of the steps listed below, as they may have control over much of this process. At home, if all of your devices are disconnected, simply reset your router or modem first. Then, try to verify if your local ISP is up and functioning, possibly asking a neighbor or calling customer support.
When troubleshooting devices, check a device that is connected to your network via a wired cable, and not a wireless device. This removes an extra layer of troubleshooting. However, if the device you are using is wired, checking any other device (wireless included) can be helpful. The goal is to check something different, potentially connected in a different way. Should you only have wireless devices or minimal devices to check, that’s okay, too. There are other steps to escalate.
When checking the web for connectivity, I like to use a very specific website that I know I have never been to. For example, my go-to site is NHL.com. I have nothing against hockey, but I don’t really watch it and have no reason to visit their site, so I know it won’t be cached or saved on my computer or phone. There is another site you can use called Is My Internet Working? that will also give a bit more information that could come in use later. Alternatively, running a test on SpeedTest.net will show your download and upload speed to compare with what your normal speeds are, or at least what you pay for through your ISP.
What if your internet is working, but not the service or website you are trying to access? Using Downdetector.com will allow you to see if their service is having issues. Not all services are listed here, but it’s a great start. As well as locating the service in question on X.com. If the service isn’t indicating any issues, then maybe your one specific device is having trouble establishing a connection to their services.
This brings us to the next step in the process…
Restarting. Yes, I know you hate to hear that, but restarting your device, and sometimes even your internet router or modem, will help re-establish a connection to your ISP and the internet as a whole. It will help reset settings that may be causing issues that are difficult to troubleshoot otherwise. All devices have RAM (Random Access Memory) that is limited in space and can become ‘crowded’ for lack of a better explanation. Restarting will clear out your device’s RAM and allow a smoother operation. For more info here, check out my post on Why Restarting Technology Helps in Weekly Wheaties #2405.
If simply restarting the device didn’t help, sometimes reconnecting to the network will. This can be done simply on any iOS, Android, Mac, or PC through the WiFi menu. Find the network you’re connected to, view the settings for that connection, and choose “Forget This Network.” Then, turn WiFi off, back on, and reconnect to the network in question. You should be prompted to re-enter the password - this is a way to verify the device did, in fact, ‘forget the network.’ If not prompted for the password, start this step over. In rare instances, your device may pull the WiFi password from a shared account storing it.
Should reconnecting not work after establishing a new connection, there is one more way to escalate. However, a quick warning, this will erase all WiFi networks and passwords on your device. In some cases, it may be in the same location accessed to reset the entire device, so be careful when poking around here. This step is known as “Reset Network Settings.” Here’s a guide for iOS and Android. This isn’t as easily accessible on a computer (whether Mac or PC), so I would advise escalating to an IT pro if still having issues here.
Lastly, a quick tip for those troubleshooting on a mobile phone or device with cellular connectivity. If you want to verify you are using your internet connection over WiFi, put the device in airplane mode. This will turn off any cellular data connection you have, keeping your device from using that connection when WiFi doesn’t work (even if still connected). After seeing the WiFi bars in the menu with an established connection, you can turn airplane mode off.
What other ways do you troubleshoot your devices when not being able to access the internet?
🗞️ ICYMI: Microsoft Laptops, Xbox, and AI
Microsoft is known for their software - specifically the Windows Operating System, but they also offer an array of hardware. The newly released Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models are lighter, have a longer battery life, and are less expensive than previous versions. They can also run artificial intelligence models without using the internet. In other hardware news, Microsoft announced it would be raising the price of all Xbox consoles and games.
Regarding AI, OpenAI and Microsoft are negotiating new funding methods alongside a possible future IPO. If you use an AI model and would like a bit of Microsoft nostalgia, check out the Clippy Desktop Assistant.
😎 POTW: General Travel Picks
In the coming months, I’ll be sharing a litany of travel picks - assuming this is welcomed (please feel free to respond to this email in support or opposition). I love to travel, and love to help others with their travel - whether overseas, to NYC, or even locally. I shared Tech Tips for Safe and Smart Travel in Weekly Wheaties #2506 earlier this year and have shared plenty of other travel picks in the last 2.5 years. So to kick it off, here’s a list of general travel tips I’ll collated from across the web.
📦 Featured Product
If you ever wondered if your phone or phone’s case had a magnet, possibly MagSafe compatible, simply putting it up to a charger or mount would work. But that’s not as fun as using a Magnetic Field Viewing Film. This sheet can be put up to pretty much anything to see the layout and strength of the magnets. Use this to definitely know where magnets are installed on your items or to even DIY something magnetic to use with said item.
