1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:05,460 It's happened to all of us. You're in the middle of a raid trying to submit an 2 00:00:05,460 --> 00:00:09,560 assignment five minutes before it's due or about to watch an important penalty 3 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:16,440 kick when everything just freezes and that little yellow icon says no internet 4 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:21,850 connection. Frustrating as it may be unless there's been an infrastructure 5 00:00:21,850 --> 00:00:28,350 failure outside of your house at least you know a relatively easy fix. Go over 6 00:00:28,350 --> 00:00:32,790 to your router which probably has some indicator lights bleep blooping that 7 00:00:32,790 --> 00:00:40,770 there's a problem. Unplug it, wait a few excruciating seconds and plug it back in. 8 00:00:40,770 --> 00:00:45,000 Although you've probably missed something critical in the interim you're 9 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:51,280 at least back online now. But why does this seem to happen so often seemingly 10 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:56,730 out of nowhere? Well here's the deal although we think of a router as a 11 00:00:56,730 --> 00:00:59,010 simple little box that 12 00:00:59,010 --> 00:01:04,190 sends your internet connection to your devices there is a lot going on under 13 00:01:04,190 --> 00:01:11,330 the hood. Just like a full-blown desktop PC routers have their own CPU, memory, 14 00:01:11,330 --> 00:01:18,230 mainboard, IO, and even operating system. All of which help it manage data traffic 15 00:01:18,230 --> 00:01:24,790 deciding what needs to be sent where. And these components of a router can get 16 00:01:24,790 --> 00:01:28,970 overloaded. Similarly to how having 40 browser tabs 17 00:01:28,970 --> 00:01:33,410 multiple HD video streams and a game running at the same time might bring 18 00:01:33,410 --> 00:01:38,450 your laptop to its knees, pushing tons of data through your router to lots of 19 00:01:38,450 --> 00:01:45,500 different devices can also slow it down sometimes to a screeching halt. Further 20 00:01:45,500 --> 00:01:50,480 complicating matters is the fact that most home internet connections use what 21 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:56,320 are called dynamic IP addresses. You see internet service providers typically 22 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,980 assign IP addresses which are likely to be a little bit more complicated than the 23 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:16,220 normal IP addresses. But if your router is very busy it might not latch on to the new 24 00:02:16,220 --> 00:02:21,680 IP address and continue trying to use the old one. Which is kind of like trying to receive 25 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:27,220 mail at your old apartment. Your router might be yelling as loudly as it can for Google 26 00:02:27,220 --> 00:02:28,680 to deliver that darn 27 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:34,760 Chinese food order. But no one down at the city walk can hear it scream. And while we're 28 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:40,240 on the subject of chicken fried rice, your router also might be cutting out because it's 29 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:46,240 as hot as a wok. Many of us are guilty of this, but shoving your router in a corner 30 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:52,720 somewhere where its ventilation holes might get blocked by cables or dust can cause it 31 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:58,660 to overheat. So be sure to check that if your router is crammed behind a piece of wood, 32 00:02:58,660 --> 00:03:01,840 a piece of furniture, it can actually breathe. 33 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:07,460 But there are other problems that aren't necessarily caused by a router malfunction. If you're 34 00:03:07,460 --> 00:03:13,880 on a Wi-Fi connection, sometimes the airwaves just get very crowded. Especially if you're 35 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:20,380 on the common 2.4 gigahertz band, where noise from common household devices like microwave 36 00:03:20,380 --> 00:03:27,040 ovens and baby monitors, and even signals from other nearby routers on the same frequency 37 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:28,040 can overlap. 38 00:03:28,660 --> 00:03:33,240 This can make it difficult for your receiving device to hear what your router is trying 39 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:34,600 to say. 40 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:39,220 If this is the case, which you can actually find out by downloading a mobile app to look 41 00:03:39,220 --> 00:03:45,980 at nearby networks, try going into your router settings and changing the channel or switching 42 00:03:45,980 --> 00:03:50,940 to the 5 gigahertz band if your router and your devices support it. It not only delivers 43 00:03:50,940 --> 00:03:57,380 data more quickly, but it also offers many more channels and is less crowded overall. 44 00:03:57,380 --> 00:03:58,580 And if changing channels, 45 00:03:58,580 --> 00:04:02,760 making sure your router has cooled off, and the time-honored tactic of turning it off 46 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:07,740 and on again, doesn't help, we'll see if your router's manufacturer has a firmware 47 00:04:07,740 --> 00:04:13,340 update available. Sometimes intermittent connectivity problems are a result of buggy 48 00:04:13,340 --> 00:04:18,400 software that can be solved with an easy download and a quick round of everybody's 49 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:22,350 favorite game, RTFM Funtime. 50 00:04:22,350 --> 00:04:27,490 And finally, while remembering this handful of tips, we'll usually ensure your router's 51 00:04:27,490 --> 00:04:28,490 never out of commission for a long period of time. So if you're on a Wi-Fi connection, 52 00:04:28,490 --> 00:04:32,470 and you've been out of commission for too long, if it does happen, we've got a great 53 00:04:32,470 --> 00:04:39,450 tip to help you feel better. Keep a stress ball nearby, so you can route your frustrations 54 00:04:39,450 --> 00:04:42,840 into that. 55 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:47,840 As a freelancer or small business owner, would you rather spend your time doing the work 56 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:53,160 that you get paid for, or making sure that you get paid for the work you did? And if 57 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:57,780 your answer is anything but the first one, you're not really a freelancer or small business 58 00:04:57,780 --> 00:04:58,800 owner, are you? 59 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:04,920 FreshBooks is the cloud-based accounting software that's designed for the way that 60 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:12,840 you work. 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To claim it, just 68 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:56,700 go to freshbooks.com slash techquickie linked below, and enter techquickie in the how did 69 00:05:56,700 --> 00:05:58,520 you hear about us section. 70 00:05:58,520 --> 00:05:59,520 So thanks for watching, guys. 71 00:05:59,520 --> 00:05:59,700 Like, dislike, share, and subscribe. 72 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:04,420 Check out our other channels, and comment with video suggestions. Oh yeah, and don't 73 00:06:04,420 --> 00:06:09,920 forget to subscribe. It'll be worth it. More puns. Endless puns.