Diagnosing Internet Connection Issues

What you'll learn

The basic flow of internet (broadband and fibre) internet connections
Steps to take when the internet goes down or is much slower than usual
How to narrow down where the internet outages/slowdown is occuring so they are more informed before speaking to their Internet Service Provider (ISP)
How to identify if the phone line might be the cause of internet problems
Wifi Issues
Ideas for a "Backup" Internet Connection to keep working when the main internet connection is down
Restarting Router Remotely
Bonus content - An introduction to IP addresses, including about having a Fixed IP
Bonus content - An introduction to Firewalls

Requirements

Having some technical aptitude/ability to problem solve

Description

We rely so much on the internet that when our connection goes down, or behaves very slowly, it is not only very frustrating but has an impact on our business and personal lives. It's even worse if internet connection problems are intermittent or ongoing!

Getting to the bottom of WHY the problems are happening can be "a needle in a haystack", but having some basic understanding and things to test can help to identify whether the problem is with something at your premises, the Internet Service Provider or (in the case of Broadband/Fibre) the underlying phone network. This also saves time (and frustration!) when contacting your Internet Service Provider, as you can try things ahead of speaking to them, instead of having to start from scratch.

This course is technical by nature, but I've tried to break it down so you don't need loads of technical experience to make at least some progress. It is focused on Broadband and Fibre (as these are what I had to deal with during my time working in IT infrastructure), but some of the principles could be applied to other forms of internet such as cable.

Later in the course, I touch upon issues relating to Wifi and also the idea of a "Backup" Internet Connection (so you can keep working when you main internet connection goes down). There are also lectures on restarting a router remotely, introduction to IP Addresses (including Fixed IP's) and introduction to firewalls.

Ultimately, no one wants to waste more time and energy than they have to dealing with internet problems, which is why I'm sharing my experience through this course.

Who this course is for:

Anyone who has some technical aptitude and wants to be better equipped at dealing with internet issues
Beginners in IT infrastructure
Anyone working in the IT sector who is fed up of their internet problems!