Why can't I print to my shared printer? Why can't I get out to the Internet? Why is my Internet connection so slow? Home networking has come a long way in a short time. It wasn't that long ago that families with more than one computer were fighting over the phone line to see who would get to use the dial-up Internet connection. Thankfully, that problem was solved with the widespread introduction of DSL, Broadband cable Internet, and more recently, FIOS (Verizon's Fiber Optic Network offering).

With those technologies came a boom in home networking as people discovered that with the right equipment, they could share their high-speed Internet between multiple computers simultaneously. Early on, people spent thousands of dollars to have their homes wired for ethernet (the stuff corporate networks are made out of), and still today have the most reliable home network available. For many though, wireless home networking, or "Wifi" became the preferred home network architecture thanks mostly to the relatively low cost of wireless networking equipment compared to the cost of wiring.

Today, many homes are networked with both wired and wireless networks, and homes are becoming increasingly more networked as other devices like gaming consoles, home entertainment systems, security systems, mobile phones and PDAs are all being developed with ethernet, wifi, and blue tooth connectivity built in... ready for inclusion in the home network.

Of course, with this increased connectivity and network demand, comes increased complexity, and for people who would rather use their technology than tinker with it, increased frustration.

What are the symptoms? People experience a wide variety of home networking problems that can originate not only in the network itself, but often in the configuration of systems and devices that are connecting to the network. Typical symptoms include:

• Wireless network connection problems (see this page for more info on wireless networking problem solving).
• Unreliable access to or inability to print to shared printers.
• Unreliable access to shared drives on networked computers.
• Lost Internet connection.
• Unable to send or receive Email (also sometimes able to send but not recieve or vice versa).
• Reported IP address conflicts: "There is an IP address conflict with another system on the network" or "The system has detected a conflict for IP address..."
• Errors while connecting or reconnecting to the network: "Limited or no connectivity" or "Unable to renew IP address."

What can be done about it? Before trying anything else, you should try the common practice of resetting your Internet connection (also called "bouncing the connection"). You are probably already familiar with this, but if not, here's how it works:

• Shut down all of your Internet-connected computers
• Unplug power from your network equipment such as router, wireless router, and Cable, DSL, or FIOS modem (note that sometimes these are separate devices, but sometimes they are a single integrated unit)
• Wait a few minutes
• Plug in power to your Cable, DSL, or FIOS modem first and wait a couple minutes for the lights to stop flashing
• Plug in power to your router or wireless router (if separate) and again wait until the lights stop flashing
• restart your Internet connected computers and check for Internet or Email access

If you are unsuccessful at restoring your connection in this fashion, or if you find that some computers connect, but others don't, resist the urge to begin tinkering with your router or computer networking settings. Many users who attempt to solve more extensive problems without understanding the real causes end up with a lot more work and greater expense when a professional geek is finally called in because the geek now needs to solve the original problem plus determine and restore any incorrect or lost configuration settings.

How can Geek Housecalls help? Your geek arrives with the knowledge and experience to identify the sources of networking problems, and can usually solve them during the course of your service call. What's more, Geek Housecalls also has network wiring specialists on staff who can help bolster the reliability of even wireless networks by wiring in additional access points, or relocating an existing router to provide better coverage. Of course we can also crimp new ends onto network wires that have been damaged, and can trace wiring through the walls and add or replace network wall jacks where needed. Most importantly though, your geek can work with you to map out your network and plan a networking strategy that will take into account future expansion and demands rather than leaving you to be broadsided by unanticipated changes or problems as your computing needs evolve with the technology.

And of course, your geek won't ignore the possibility that the problem isn't with your network at all, and may originate instead with your Internet provider. In this case, your geek will get on the phone with your cable or phone company if needed, to shortcut the diagnosis process and push them towards speedier resolution of problems that originate on their end. Our customers appreciate the fact that bringing in a geek from Geek Housecalls eliminates finger-pointing between Internet providers, PC manufacturers and network equipment makers because we work with all parties involved to find the solution to your problems, meaning you only need to deal with your geek and your geek deals with everyone else. Now that's a reason to smile!