North Lauderdale Wireless Internet

Connection Troubleshooting

It is the 21st century, but our electronic devices are still not 100% reliable.  There are many devices in the chain between you and the internet, and knowing how to troubleshoot them will help you maintain your connection 24-7-365.  This guide assumes your internet devices are connected to our broadband service through a Wi-Fi wireless router. 

1. Diagnosis

  • First thing is to determine specifically what is working and what is not working. 
  • Is it just one device, or all your devices having the same problem?
  • Are your devices connected to your Wi-Fi network, but not seeing the internet? 
  • Are your devices not seeing your Wi-Fi network? 

2. Wireless (Wi-Fi) Router

  • If none of your devices are connecting to Wi-Fi, check the lights on the front of your wireless router to see if it is showing activity.  Generally a router will show at least 3 solid green or blue lights, and perhaps a couple more that blink.
  • If there are no lights, check that the router is plugged in to a wall outlet or power strip that has power.
  • Reboot your Wi-Fi router by cycling the power to it (remove its power plug from the outlet for 10 seconds and then plug it back in).  Watch for the lights on it to begin coming back to life.  It may take 2 minutes for it to fully come back online. 
  • Check if your devices can now connect to your network.

3. NLWI Network Radio

  • If any one of your devices is seeing the internet when connected through your Wi-Fi to the NLWI network, then the NLWI network is working and the problem must be something else in your location.
  • If the problem is the NLWI network radio at your location, then reboot your NLWI radio by cycling the power to it (remove its power plug from the outlet for 10 seconds and then plug it back in).  It may take 2 minutes for it to fully come back online.  Check if your devices can now connect to your network.

4. User Device

  • If it is a single PC, smartphone, iPad, or DVR or smart TV that is not connecting, it is most likely the individual device itself that has the problem. 
  • First, make sure that Wi-Fi reception is turned on for the device by  looking for the Wi-Fi icon.
  • If Wi-Fi is on but not connecting, check the device network settings and confirm the correct password is entered.
  • Some devices have a network setup or troubleshooting option that runs some automated tests and will try to connect.
  • If none of these work, the ultimate and usually effective fix is to force a reboot by fully powering down and unplugging the device from the wall outlet if applicable, then powering it back on after 10 seconds.