No internet access first steps to solving the problem

Internet not working on your device? We look at what to do if you get a “No Internet access” message on your phone or computer and how to fix it.

No Internet access – how to find out what the problem is

Lack of internet access is a fairly common complaint from devices that are connected to the network on a daily basis. The logical first reaction is to call the internet provider’s hotline. However, it is not uncommon that the problem lies with the user or the devices they use. Let’s first start troubleshooting at the source.

Is your computer connected to the local network? If our laptop or desktop is connected to a router via an internet cable or WiFi network and we use Windows 10 daily, we should see the first clue in the bottom right corner of the notification bar.

If the network cable is disconnected or we are not connected to a WiFi network, this is the message we will see. In this case, we should do a preliminary inspection of the router. Is it plugged in? Are all the lights on?

If there is no activity on the router (no LEDs on), it is worth checking the power supply. It is possible that the device has been disconnected from the mains or that the power supply has been damaged. It is also possible that the router is damaged. If the LEDs are on, you can restart the router. This often helps.

Router reset – the solution to many problems

Technicians from Atlantek Fibre Broadband provider, having an experience of being and ISP on Irish market for more than 20 years and having gone through every single problem and solution to it can safely say that there is one that stands out. In many cases when your broadband is down, the easiest and simplest trick is to: Reset your Router!

A router is a device that is most often responsible for the transmission of the Internet in the home, flat or office. It is, in a sense, a communication centre that accesses the Internet from the provider (4G or 5G network, cable, fibre optics, radio provider) and distributes the signal to the target devices within the network.

You can connect to the router via a network cable or (more commonly) via the WiFi network that the router has ‘created’ around you. Often a router reset is the solution we try when we are experiencing a lack of internet access. However, the problem is not always with the router. This is a solution that is often used because of its ease of execution.

Let’s try this: disconnet the device from power  for a while,  perform a “soft reboot”, restart the ISP’s Internet connection and start WiFi connection to the devices again.

More advanced users should try to log into the router interface (it is very common to be able to log in through any browser, knowing the router IP address, login and password) and do a reboot from the admin panel.

It sounds more complicated than it is in reality, especially taking into consideration that all brand new routers provided by Atlantek Fibre Broadband provider, are loaded with very intuitive user interfaces and as long as you know your login details, it’s quite easy to navigate your way through the menu and all settings.

The router will then be turned off and the system will reboot according to the procedure provided by the device manufacturer. Simply disconnecting power should not damage the device, although such a concern may always exist.

A hard reset of the router is a restoration of its factory settings. Is it worth restoring the router to factory settings?

That depends. You should be aware of the consequences of a hard reset of the router. The factory settings of the device will most often be different from what we use every day. The WiFi network name used by devices connected to the router may change and after a reset they will have problems with WiFi authentication.

Therefore, you should either restore your previous WiFi network settings with the same network name and password or change all previously connected devices to the new network. Advanced router settings will also change – parental control, if it is from the router level that we control younger children’s access to the Internet, guest network, router IP addresses and devices connected to it. If we feel like power users and know what we are doing – it is worth a try.

Above all, when we are sure that the fault is the router and the Internet was lost after we changed its settings ourselves, and we cannot remember which setting was changed.