Has your internet connection dropped out? If it has, working out what’s gone wrong is easier if you understand what happens behind the scenes. Tim Clark MBCS offers some much needed insight.
When you visit a website or use an app to complete a task, you request and receive information from a server. It can be thought of as another computer (although perhaps much bigger than yours), contactable using an Internet Protocol (IP) address (similar to your home address). IP addresses are difficult to remember, so we use a more human Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A DNS server is used to translate from a URL to its IP address. This step can be time consuming, so DNS lookups are often saved in a cache. Whether by your ISP, router, or even on device or in a browser, the goal is to improve the lookup speed. You may discover using a fast DNS service such as 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 brings a speed boost.
To get online, both you and the service you’re connecting to need an Internet Service Provider (ISP). To connect to the wider internet, ISPs need to link their Autonomous Systems (AS — think large router) to those of other ISPs. Sometimes they pay a third party for this service (perhaps a Tier 1 ISP), other times they will have mutual ‘peering’ arrangements to share traffic with another ISP. Often, this is done using the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), perhaps infamously behind large service outages due to mistakes made in its configuration. This includes the prolonged Facebook outage in October 2021.
The last mile
The ‘last mile’ of the connection to your ISP requires a connection to your property. With fibre connections, you will generally have a cabinet in your building or on your street that your property will be connected to. You can, if you’re lucky, have a fibre to the property connection.
The complexity of an ISP’s network means that there are many points of failure — whether it be a misconfiguration, an equipment malfunction, software bug or even a cyber security incident. If this is the case, you will normally find details on the ISP’s website, along with an estimated time to fix. If the issue persists after two full working days, your ISP is required to compensate you.
Many problems occur close to home and, basic as it sounds, turning your router off and on — with a good pause between — can fix a multitude of problems. Doing so clears the router’s RAM, terminates any erroring operations and allows the router to start afresh.
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When back on, the router can refresh DNS caches and reload the configuration. It will also force the router to re-establish connection with your ISP, which can often fix temporary problems.
Lastly, your device could be misconfigured. Configuration varies greatly between devices and manufacturers, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, ensure your Wi-Fi or ethernet adapter is enabled, any cables are fully plugged in and try restarting your device. Some network settings could be erroneous, such as an invalid custom DNS server. Nowadays, even web browsers can provide network configuration overrides, so you may need to do some digging.
Modern troubleshooting
Modern routers operate on at least two bands — 2.4GHz and 5GHz. You may find that your router provides access to both bands via the same SSID (Service Set IDentifier, the broadcast name of the router). Some older devices, or IoT devices that support just the 2.4 GHz band, may require you to split the bands, so that each is connected to using a dedicated SSID.
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), group settings and proxies can also cause issues. Often reinstalling or updating these can fix the problem. Make sure you know why you need such a profile, and that you trust its provider. A misconfigured or malicious one can route your traffic as it likes, so be vigilant to prevent a man-in-the-middle attack.
I hope that fixed your issue, and more importantly that you appreciate the technology keeping you online. We often take ubiquitous technologies such as broadband for granted — but when we look deeper, we find beauty in the ordinary things.
