Don't waste time with networking problems

As we continue to investigate the role of technology in business, this week we’ll focus on computers, and describe a few simple things you can do to make you love your computing tools rather than hating them. It goes without saying that you need to protect your computers from virus and spyware infections, but I will say it anyway, and you should also be sure that you have a firewall of some kind to prevent unwanted intrusions.

Most small businesses, and many homes, have some kind of basic computer network with a shared internet connection, and though these small networks are pretty simple to set up, they are prone to failure for a variety of reasons. Internet failure is a very common problem, and it is usually very easy to fix, but most businesses panic and immediately call the help line. Use the “divide and conquer” methodology when troubleshooting this type of problem. If any type of failure is narrowed down to a single component, it is then very easy to diagnose. Learn to distinguish between your modem and your router and take a close look at the LED lights on each of these devices – they will often tell the whole story. If either of these devices has become unplugged (very common) or has a failed power supply, there will be no lights and the diagnosis is complete - plug it back in or replace the power supply. In general, lights solid-on is good, lights steady-blinking is bad. If all the lights are lit as expected, try unplugging the modem for 30 seconds. If this fails, unplug the router for 30 seconds, and try again. Check to see if all the computers are affected or just one. If only one computer fails to connect to the internet, it is probably not going to find shared files or printers on the network either, so now you can focus on the computer rather than the network. It’s all just common sense; don’t be afraid to solve your own problems.

Very often, computer networks are thrown together without giving any thought to cable management. There is nothing more frustrating for me than finding a mass of tangled, knotted network cables stuffed behind a desk, right next to a baseboard heater, with a bunch of cheap power bars interconnected to each other, and the modem and router just tossed into the tangle. This situation makes troubleshooting very tough, if not impossible, and is probably best approached by ripping the entire mess out and starting over. If your office is not pre-wired for networks, get an expert to make your wire runs so that they remain neat and tidy; troubleshooting, if ever necessary, becomes much easier and subsequently less expensive. Keep network cabling well away from baseboard heaters, or the cable will become brittle over time and ultimately fail. If your “computer guy” is confident that there is no problem with the cabling, he can very quickly troubleshoot a network problem. If the cabling is suspect, such as cable runs that lie next to heaters, intermittent symptoms are often the result, and they are a nightmare to troubleshoot.

Having a rock solid network with tidy cabling provides many benefits and ensures minimum down-time. Internet will be dependably delivered to all the computers on the network, and resources on one computer can dependably be shared by others. If you build your network on a well-designed, solid foundation, you can expand your network and add more computers with confidence; if you don’t, you’ll waste a lot of time wondering why they don’t work right. Time is money! Don’t waste it; have it done right from the beginning.