Diagnose persistent problems

A QUICK-FIRE GUIDE TO NETWORK TROUBLESHOOTING.

When issues won’t go away, or have disrupted your network completely, you’ll need to take a different approach. Start with the classic ‘turn it off and on again’ – either the one troublesome device, or your router if the problem is networkwide. In the router’s case, switch it off for 30 seconds to ensure its memory is properly cleared, then turn it back on. If the problem remains, follow this walkthrough.

RESET AND START AGAIN

Click Renew DHCP Lease. No joy? In the main pane, use the gear icon to make the connection inactive, then reactivate. For Wi-Fi, in Advanced > Wi-Fi, remove the network, click OK, then reconnect.

MAC TROUBLESHOOTING

Check for Wi-Fi problems by using Spotlight to run Wireless Diagnostics. Open Network Utility to see if your Mac is the issue. Enter the router’s IP address in the Ping tab to check it’s reachable.

CHECK INTERNET ACCESS

If the problem affects all devices, open your router’s admin tool to check your internet connection isn’t down. If the router says it is, use a mobile phone to check your ISP’s status page for info.

RESET IP ADDRESS

If you encounter timeout issues with Ping, go to  > System Prefs > Network and select your connection. If using Wi-Fi, click Advanced > TCP/IP. If Configure IPv4 is set to Manual, try Using DHCP.

RESOLVE DNS ISSUES

If the connection looks fine but web pages aren’t loading, try ‘pinging’ 1.1.1.1 in Network Utility. If this works, use your phone to follow the guide at 1.1.1.1/dns and try changing your Mac’s DNS settings.