Help!what’s up with my network?

3 min read

Fast fixes for Mac

Is your Mac having trouble on your home network? Try these tricks

THESE DAYS, WE rely on our home networks more than ever, especially when working wirelessly, remotely or from home. Macs are easy to connect to home networks with Wi–Fi, but you can still encounter problems. Here we explore some of the more common issues, what you can do to identify and address them, and how sometimes switching things off and on again is the only thing that works. If you can’t get on to the internet, or communicate with other devices on your network, your first step should be to turn off the router, count to 20 and turn it on again. You’ll be amazed how often this solves the problem.

Another method to try early on is Apple’s Wi–Fi Diagnostics. Quit all open apps. Press and hold Option on your keyboard, and click the Wi–Fi icon in the menu bar. The menu that appears is larger than the one you get if you click the icon without holding Option. Choose Open Wireless Diagnostics, and follow the on–screen instructions for a complete diagnostic of your network.

If turning your router and your Mac off and on again doesn’t work, try running macOS’s built–in diagnostics to find where the problem is.

5 best Wi–Fi routers

> $119.99

> www.netgear.com This speedy (up to 1.8Gbps wireless speeds) yet affordable wireless router features Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and four Ethernet ports for cabled connections.

> $179.99

> www.asus.com With a coverage of up to 2,475 square feet, this router should give you Wi–Fi throughout the house.

Available in black or white, it has Wi–Fi 6, very fast speeds and excellent security features. Worth considering.

> $299

> www.surfboard.com Compatible with the services of most major US cable broadband providers, this attractive router offers speeds of up to 1Gbps.

> $299.99 > https:// store.google.com/us The Nest Wifi Pro gives you a smart speaker, Wi–Fi router and extender in one pack. It’s fast, and features simple controls, but only two Gigabit Ethernet ports (on the router). It’s just the thing for your Google smart home.

> $349.99

> www.tp-link.com/us If you want the ultimate tri– band wireless gaming router, check this out. It offers ultra–fast Wi–Fi, and a Game Accelerator to identify and optimize gaming streams. A separate modem is required with most ISPs.

HOW TO Sort your network

If your Mac won’t connect to your Wi-Fi, turn Wi-Fi off then on again. Click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar, and select Wi-Fi settings. Then use the switch in the top-right corner to turn it off, then on.

If this fails, it might be that your router has glitched or crashed. Unplug it, wait around 60 seconds, and then plug it in again. Give it time to reboot, then see if you