As users begin to use your hotspot, you will likely have many connectivity and technical issues pop up. This chapter covers the main problems you might encounter and prioritized steps, for you and the users to perform, that will help fix them.
In addition to referencing this chapter when you have problems, you can use “cheat sheets” for quick access. This is especially convenient because you can post them at your location for the users and other members of the staff.
You can download common problems and fixes cheat sheets at http://www.wifihotspotbook.com/bonus_materials/.
Sometimes users cannot view your Wi-Fi hotspot in their available wireless network list or cannot connect to the hotspot.
This list details several actions that users can perform that might fix this problem:
Ensure that you are in the coverage area, and move closer to the Wi-Fi hotspot—. You might not be able to see or connect to the Wi-Fi hotspot because you are outside or on the fringe of the coverage area.
Check the radio card—. You might not be able to see the hotspot on your available wireless network list because your radio card is not enabled, or it might be jammed and not working properly.
If your radio card is not enabled, enable it. If your radio card is already enabled, restart it by disabling it and re-enabling it. If you need help doing this, refer to Chapter 13, “Using Wi-Fi Networks.”
Restart your PC—. Just like with any other computer problems, restarting the PC operating system clears up many problems.
You can do several things as the hotspot owner or administrator to help resolve this issue:
Check the infrastructure device—. Users might not be able to view your network because the hotspot became unplugged. Therefore, ensure that the infrastructure device is plugged in and that the correct status lights are lit.
Restart the infrastructure device—. Unplugging the infrastructure device for several seconds and plugging it back in gives it a fresh start, which usually cures any weird quirks.
Restore the infrastructure device—. If you still cannot seem to see or connect to your Wi-Fi hotspot, you can try giving it a “hard reset” by restoring the infrastructure device to its factory defaults. This usually cures any problems associated with the infrastructure device.
Most wireless routers, gateways, and other infrastructure devices have a small button (or tiny hole) on the back of the device for restoring. Although you should refer to your manual, typically all you have to do is hold the button in with a pen point or paperclip for up to 10 seconds.
Check for possible interference—. Other nearby wireless networks and devices, such as cordless phones and kitchen microwaves, that use the 2.4-GHz frequencies might interfere with your Wi-Fi hotspot and cause connectivity issues during their use.
Do some experimenting to see if this is the cause of your problem. For example, when you experience connectivity issues, check whether anyone nearby is using other 2.4-GHz devices. If so, try to disable them and check whether you still have problems with your Wi-Fi hotspot.
If you suspect that you are experiencing interference from other wireless devices, try changing your Wi-Fi hotspot channel.
Your hotspot users might experience an intermittent wireless connection to the Wi-Fi hotspot.
Users can do several things to try fixing an intermittent connection:
Move closer to the Wi-Fi hotspot—. Moving closer ensures that you are not on the fringe of the coverage area, causing your connection to be unstable.
Do not move around—. Walking or moving while connected to the hotspot might cause your connection to be unstable if you are in a partially covered area.
Following are some actions you can take as the hotspot owner or administrator that might repair this problem:
Increase the hotspot coverage area—. If users are regularly losing their hotspot connections, you might want to think about increasing the coverage area.
Check for possible interference—. Other nearby wireless networks and devices, such as cordless phones and kitchen microwaves, that use the 2.4-GHz frequencies might interfere with your Wi-Fi hotspot and cause connectivity issues during their use.
Do some experimenting to see if this is the cause of your problem. For example, when you experience connectivity issues, check whether anyone nearby is using other 2.4-GHz devices. If so, try to disable them and check whether you still have problems with your Wi-Fi hotspot.
If you suspect that you are experiencing interference from other wireless devices, try changing your Wi-Fi hotspot channel.
Users on your hotspot might experience poor performance, such as a slow Internet connection.
Following are several things users can try to solve poor performance issues:
Move closer to the Wi-Fi hotspot—. Moving closer ensures that you are not on the fringe of the coverage area, causing your connection to be unstable.
Do not move around—. Walking or moving while connected to the hotspot might cause your connection to be unstable if you are located in a partially covered area.
You can do several things as the hotspot owner or administrator to help curb poor performance:
Check for possible interference—. Other nearby wireless networks and devices, such as cordless phones and kitchen microwaves, that use the 2.4-GHz frequencies might interfere with your Wi-Fi hotspot and cause performance issues during their use.
Do some experimenting to see if this is the cause of your problem. For example, when you experience connectivity issues, check whether anyone nearby is using other 2.4-GHz devices. If so, try to disable them and check whether you still have problems with your Wi-Fi hotspot.
If you suspect that you are experiencing interference from other wireless devices, try changing your Wi-Fi hotspot channel.
Implement bandwidth limiting, if available—. Enabling bandwidth limits on hotspot users helps ensure that everyone receives an equal part of the bandwidth, or speed, that the Internet connection provides.
For example, suppose that your cable Internet connection averages about 2500 kbps. If no bandwidth limits are imposed, all the hotspot users will compete for the total bandwidth. Users who are downloading large files might adversely affect the bandwidth of other users, resulting in slower connections. With the bandwidth controls, however, you give only up to 250 kbps to each user, optimizing it for 10 users because 10 × 250 kbps = 2500 kbps. Now hotspot users are more likely to receive more reliable performance. The 250 kbps is not lighting-fast, but this should still be acceptable for just checking e-mail and web browsing.
Keep in mind that you should set the bandwidth limits based on the average number of concurrent users you have on your Wi-Fi hotspot. For example, if you typically have only a few concurrent hotspot users, you can afford to provide them with more bandwidth, such as 800 kbps per user for an average of three users, or you might not even have to worry about limiting it.
Increase the hotspot coverage area—. If your hotspot users are regularly experiencing poor performance (possibly due to their location on the fringe of the coverage area), you might want to think about increasing the coverage area.
The hotspot user might be able to connect to the hotspot but might not be able to get to the Internet.
Users can do several things to help remedy their connection problem:
Check the IP address—. To access the Internet, your radio card must have a valid IP address assigned from the hotspot network. When you have a poor connection to the hotspot or when the network does not assign an IP address to your radio card, it usually gives itself an automatic private address, which is not valid.
Move closer to the hotspot to ensure that you have a high-quality connection, and try reconnecting to receive a valid IP address so that you successfully access the Internet.
Restart the radio card—. Sometimes your radio card gets jammed and does not work properly. To fix a jam, disable and then re-enable your card. If you need help doing this, refer to Chapter 13.
Restart your PC—. Just like with any other computer problems, restarting the operating system clears up many problems.
You have several options as the hotspot owner or administrator to repair connectivity:
Check the Internet modem—. Users might not be able to access the Internet because the modem became unplugged. Therefore, ensure that the Internet modem is plugged in and that the correct status lights are lit.
Restart the Internet modem and infrastructure device—. Sometimes your Internet modem and infrastructure device hang up and do not work properly. Simply unplug them for several seconds to give them a fresh start. It is typically recommended, and in some cases it might be necessary, to allow the modem to boot up before powering on your infrastructure device.
Restore the infrastructure device—. If you still cannot see or connect to your Wi-Fi hotspot, you can try giving it a “hard reset” by restoring the infrastructure device to its factory defaults. This usually cures any problems that are associated with the infrastructure device.
Most wireless routers, gateways, and other infrastructure devices have a small button (or tiny hole) on the back of the device for restoring. Although you should refer to your manual, typically all you have to do is hold in the button with a pen point or paperclip for up to 10 seconds.
Check with your ISP—. If your equipment is in working order and you still cannot access the Internet, your connection might be temporarily unavailable. You can usually call your Internet service provider (ISP) to see why your service is down and get a time frame for when service will return.
If you cannot fix a problem by referring to this chapter, do not worry. You have other options for help:
Product manuals—. You should check the user manuals of the products for any troubleshooting information or advice that might help you solve your issue.
Manufacturer websites—. Keep in mind that most manufacturers offer online tools, such as knowledge databases and e-mail support, to help with issues relating to their products.
Manufacturer live support—. Some manufacturers also offer live online or telephone support for issues relating to their products. This is a great way to get some quick advice.
Discussion forums and e-mail lists—. To receive some independent guidance from others, you can try discussion forums and e-mail lists at websites such as http://www.wi-fiplanet.com.
Web searching—. Do not forget to prowl the Internet with your favorite search engine to see if you can find information on the web regarding the issues you are experiencing.
Now you are armed with ways to combat some general issues you might run into while installing and operating your Wi-Fi hotspot. As you learn more about how Wi-Fi works and how your setup is operating, you will likely develop some intuition when it comes to wireless networks and be able to quickly troubleshoot problems down the road.
These are the main points to take away from this chapter:
Ensure that you are within range of the hotspot.
Ensure that all hardware is on (and plugged in when applicable) and working properly.
If you are having problems that might be related to a single computer, remember that restarting the operating system might cure the problem.
Wi-Fi uses the air to transmit and receive data; therefore, you must think about interference from other wireless devices.
Do not forget about all the ways you can get help.