Wireless networks are still a popular alternative for many in the home and on the go. One just needs to look at the new trend of smartphones and tablets to see that going wireless still has some great appeal. For home wireless networks, the reduction of wire clutter is also appealing, as it means that many of those devices can be accessed in any room of the house.

But as with all technology, sometimes things break down or don’t go smoothly. While in some of these cases it’s good to call on a professional, there are many areas in which you or your family can take care of things yourself with some simple tips.

No Internet Connection – it can be common for the signal from the router to that of your computer is lost or dropped. Most likely, it’s because you are too far away, however sometimes it could be other things, such as an outage or power spikes due to the weather. If you noticed that you aren’t getting a connection or a limited connection, try unplugging both the router and cable modem for a few seconds. Then plug in the modem and then the router. In some cases, you may need to disable and then re-enable your wireless device, but you should have connectivity afterwards.

Weather – the weather can play havoc with electronics, so its important that you are keeping both your computer and your network devices in cool, but easily reachable places. Make sure to keep them out of the heat! In the case where rain or storms disrupt your connection, try the above with restarting your wireless devices. If that doesn’t work, contact your ISP; they may be experiencing an outage.

Keep Up to Date – as with all technology, it’s important that you are keeping your devices up to date. Routers and modems will occasionally have firmware updates that are offered by the manufacturer on their website. If you’ve been having connection issues, it’s a good idea to check there for updates. And, as always, make sure that you are protecting your network by enabling passwords that are hard to decipher.The information party rocks on: Talkin’ Tech: Wireless and Routing