WEBVTT 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 00:00:05.460 --> 00:00:09.560 assignment five minutes before it's due or about to watch an important penalty 00:00:09.560 --> 00:00:16.440 kick when everything just freezes and that little yellow icon says no internet 00:00:16.440 --> 00:00:21.850 connection. Frustrating as it may be unless there's been an infrastructure 00:00:21.850 --> 00:00:28.350 failure outside of your house at least you know a relatively easy fix. Go over 00:00:28.350 --> 00:00:32.790 to your router which probably has some indicator lights bleep blooping that 00:00:32.790 --> 00:00:40.770 there's a problem. Unplug it, wait a few excruciating seconds and plug it back in. 00:00:40.770 --> 00:00:45.000 Although you've probably missed something critical in the interim you're 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:51.280 at least back online now. But why does this seem to happen so often seemingly 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:56.730 out of nowhere? Well here's the deal although we think of a router as a 00:00:56.730 --> 00:00:59.010 simple little box that 00:00:59.010 --> 00:01:04.190 sends your internet connection to your devices there is a lot going on under 00:01:04.190 --> 00:01:11.330 the hood. Just like a full-blown desktop PC routers have their own CPU, memory, 00:01:11.330 --> 00:01:18.230 mainboard, IO, and even operating system. All of which help it manage data traffic 00:01:18.230 --> 00:01:24.790 deciding what needs to be sent where. And these components of a router can get 00:01:24.790 --> 00:01:28.970 overloaded. Similarly to how having 40 browser tabs 00:01:28.970 --> 00:01:33.410 multiple HD video streams and a game running at the same time might bring 00:01:33.410 --> 00:01:38.450 your laptop to its knees, pushing tons of data through your router to lots of 00:01:38.450 --> 00:01:45.500 different devices can also slow it down sometimes to a screeching halt. Further 00:01:45.500 --> 00:01:50.480 complicating matters is the fact that most home internet connections use what 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:56.320 are called dynamic IP addresses. You see internet service providers typically 00:01:56.320 --> 00:01:58.980 assign IP addresses which are likely to be a little bit more complicated than the 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 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 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 00:02:27.220 --> 00:02:28.680 to deliver that darn 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 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 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 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:52.720 somewhere where its ventilation holes might get blocked by cables or dust can cause it 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, 00:02:58.660 --> 00:03:01.840 a piece of furniture, it can actually breathe. 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 00:03:07.460 --> 00:03:13.880 on a Wi-Fi connection, sometimes the airwaves just get very crowded. Especially if you're 00:03:13.880 --> 00:03:20.380 on the common 2.4 gigahertz band, where noise from common household devices like microwave 00:03:20.380 --> 00:03:27.040 ovens and baby monitors, and even signals from other nearby routers on the same frequency 00:03:27.040 --> 00:03:28.040 can overlap. 00:03:28.660 --> 00:03:33.240 This can make it difficult for your receiving device to hear what your router is trying 00:03:33.240 --> 00:03:34.600 to say. 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 00:03:39.220 --> 00:03:45.980 at nearby networks, try going into your router settings and changing the channel or switching 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 00:03:50.940 --> 00:03:57.380 data more quickly, but it also offers many more channels and is less crowded overall. 00:03:57.380 --> 00:03:58.580 And if changing channels, 00:03:58.580 --> 00:04:02.760 making sure your router has cooled off, and the time-honored tactic of turning it off 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 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:13.340 update available. Sometimes intermittent connectivity problems are a result of buggy 00:04:13.340 --> 00:04:18.400 software that can be solved with an easy download and a quick round of everybody's 00:04:18.400 --> 00:04:22.350 favorite game, RTFM Funtime. 00:04:22.350 --> 00:04:27.490 And finally, while remembering this handful of tips, we'll usually ensure your router's 00:04:27.490 --> 00:04:28.490 never out of commission for a long period of time. 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