7 General Network Issues and Easy Ways to Resolve Them

Despite regular network maintenance that you can perform to ensure smooth operation, errors and other unpleasant things can occur. Network issues can be very damaging, causing your business to go into a standstill. The big question is, what are the most common network problems and how can you deal with them?

In this blog article, we are going to look at some tips to solve 7 common network issues and measures to prevent them from happening again. Let’s dive into it!

1. Duplicate IP Addresses

This occurs when two or more devices in the same network try to share a single IP. You will see the “address is already in use” error making you unable to access the network.

How to fix: The main cause of this problem is the routers default DHCP setting. The DHCP is trying to assign a new address to your new device at the beginning off your subnet. But another device in your network may have already occupied the address with static IPs.

If you are adding a new device in your network, you simply need to disable the DHCP server on it in order to solve this network problem.

2. IP Address Exhaustion

Detecting this problem, you need to use the ipconfig command on your PC, and if your workstation has assigned itself an IP address that starts with 169.x.x.x, then it means that there is no IP address available from the DHCP server.

How to fix: Since most users who use the cable Internet may not have a local router, they may have limitations from the Internet provider. This means that they have run out of the maximum number of IP addresses allowed.

The solution is to get a standalone access point or a standalone router. This offers you with several internal IP addresses so that you will not run out of IP Address. If you already have the router, you need to adjust the size of the address pool in order to maximize your network’s needs.

3. DNS Issues

DNS errors, such as “IP address could not be found”, “the network path was not found”, or “the DNS name does not exist” can be traced to DNS problems. By using the command “nslookup”, it is easy to see the workstation’s DNS settings.

How to fix: The solution to this error is as simple as configuring your router to bypass DNS to your ISPs servers. If you have a busy network, then you need to change your network DHCP setting in order to directly access your DNS servers.

4. Single PC Unable to Connect to a Network

Your workstation may give the “No Internet” message when you open up your web browser. When you encounter this problem, the first thing to check is the hardware and software network system.

How to fix: In order to solve this problem, you need to ensure that you check your network cables and the availability of Wi-Fi signals. When a network fails, it can be the result of poor network drivers. That is why it is important to make sure that your workstation is set using the current IP address, DNS servers, and subset mask.

If the problem persists, check any firewall on the device to make sure that all important ports are open for external networks. To prevent this issue, ensure the setting of TCP/IP is set to “Automatically Assign”. Most DHCP servers allow the creation of static IP mappings for devices that needs static IP address.

5. Unable to Connect to a Local File

Printing a sharing problem on a network is one of the most difficult problems to solve due to a series of devices and components that you need to set properly. Sharing problems commonly arise when their conflict between various securing environments. You will find that even the same operating systems can use different security models. This difference can make the interconnection between devices and workstations to fail.

How to fix: The problem with local files and sharing can be resolved through one or more solutions below:

• Ensure that the needed services are running. The servers, NetBIOS, TCP/IP, browser, and workstations have to be running.
• Check your firewall. One of the common problems with the firewall is that it blocks the files and printer from sharing network traffic. This is especially so when there is a new antivirus package introduced to the firewall.
• Make sure that all your workstations have the same subnet. An improperly configured subnet can result in internal traffic having unexpected roadblocks.
• Network adapters need to have NetBIOS, TCP/IP enabled.

After solving the issues above, you need to check the following points to ensure that the access is provided.

• Incorrect NTFS permissions;
• The network type is set to Public;
• The system is configured with the wrong workgroup;
• Incorrectly configured Home Group.

6. Unable to Connect to the Internet

When the local network is unable to connect to the Internet, it may be a difficult problem to deal with. Mostly an organization will change the Internet services providers in order to deal with the problem.

How to fix: The first thing to do is try and reboot a modem or a router. If the problem persists, it is the right time to contact your ISP to get help. It is important to be aware of some common issues with your ISP to plan ahead.

7. Slow Internet

In most cases, this is caused by a poor connection or network congestion. This could be as a result of the exhaustion of bandwidth or overloaded port.

How to fix: It is important to use speed test tools to evaluate your network speed. This will help you determine what is causing the slow Internet (your ISP or your local network).

If your network is shared by many people, you need to consider upgrading the connectivity in order to boost its performance.

Conclusion

This is just a brief write-up for the most common network problems. Knowing them will help you to be ready and prepared. It is also good to ensure that you get further information related to these problems to be able to troubleshoot them on your own and prevent downtime in your business.