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I
can't connect. What do I do?
Today's internet connections are extremely reliable,
and are seldom ever down. There can only be two causes, either your
connection is down, or the COLO's connection is. There's an easy way
to tell which is the culprit.
"Can you
surf the internet?"
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I CAN'T
surf and I CAN'T connect to the COLO,
but the other PC's can
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Note: Internet Explorer
will often "cache" web pages to make it seem like they load
faster. This could lead you to believe that you're surfing, when in
reality you're not. Click on a link on the page and see if it loads.
If it doesn't, try a couple of other links and see if they load. If
they do, you're connected; if they don't, you're not.
I can't connect to the
COLO and I can't surf:
This is the most common connection issue, and
it generally means that the problem is on your side. Fortunately there
are some things you can easily check before calling support.
Recycle
the router!!
Sometimes, the
router will just plain get confused. It is constantly being bombarded
by ip requests from inside your store, and from the internet. Eventually,
it will take a hissy fit and it'll stop working; electrical spikes
will literally fry it's brains (see Helpful Hint below).
The fix is to simply unplug it for 30 seconds, and after it regains
it's composure, it'll get back to work again.
Familiarize yourself with the location of
the router and anything attached to it. Unfortunately, there are
literally hundreds of different routers in use by ISP's, but the
most popular is the "Netopia." It's a small blue box with
lights on the front.
Depending on your ISP, you may actually
have two routers. Without getting too technical, there are two ways
a Netopia can be setup. The first way, it acts as a router, and
does not require any additional equipment. The other way, it acts
as a bridge, and requires the use of a DSL router such as a Linksys.
In either case, you and your staff need to know where this equipment
is located, and how to power cycle it.
Helpful Hint: Since these
are critical devices, it would be a good idea to have the router,
and any other network related devices, plugged into a UPS (battery
backup). If the power goes out to the router, you won't be able
to connect.
If you call us for support, and tell us you
cannot connect to the COLO, the first thing we'll ask is "Can
you connect to the internet?" If the answer is NO, then the
you'll be told to turn off the router, wait 30 seconds and turn
it back on. That solves the problem in 90% of the cases. So make
this the first thing you do. It certainly won't hurt anything.
Helpful Hint2: Some routers
do not come with On/Off switches. You need to pull the plug on the
power adapter. This is usually a round BLACK plug like you see on
most electronic equipment. Do NOT unplug any cable that has a phone
plug type clip.
If the DSL light just blinks or is
off, YOUR DSL is down, and you need to call your ISP.
Keep the ISP phone number handy at all times.
You may also have to give them the phone number or your account
number. Have all of this information handy, and make sure your staff
knows where it is. We cannot help you if YOUR connection is down.
The only one who can is your ISP.
If your ISP cannot assist you in a
timely fashion, use your Dial-UP connection.
Dial-up, while not as quick as DSL, permits
you to connect to the COLO if your DSL is down. It's meant only
for POS operations, and only one POS will work per telephone line,
but it's far better than doing sales tickets by hand, and your credit
cards will work.
The instructions for setting up your Dial-up
connection were included in the packet you received with your system.
Setting this up during an outage is NOT the time to do it. Plan
ahead. Also, if you want both POS stations running for busy times,
you'll need two telephone lines. Commandeer the fax line, and one
of your telephone lines for this purpose.
Get
to know your Router:
If recycling the router does not bring
back your connection, the next thing we'll ask you to do is to
unplug it again, and watch the lights on it. While there are many
different types of routers, generally, they all have a Power light,
a DSL or connection light, and LAN lights.
Are the lights on or off? If the router
has no lights on at all, then that's your connection problem,
and you need to turn it on. While that may sound silly, it accounts
for 30% of the calls we get. And the real problem is staff not
knowing where the router is or what it looks like.
Let's assume that you've turned the router
back on. Obviously the Power light should come on immediately.
If not, you'll have to trace the power wire back to the adapter
to find out why it's not powering on.
You should also have at least one Lan light
on. This is the connection to your PC's (we're assuming that your
workstation is still on). If you have power, and at least one
PC is up and running, then you have an internal network issue.
Check for a network switch, or if you have a linksys router, make
sure it's powered on.
The most important light is the DSL light.
It should be a solid color. Turn off the router & turn it
back on. The Power light should go on immediately, followed by
the Lan lights(s). The DSL light may not come on immediately.
It has to go out and synch up with your ISP. This could take several
minutes. Most routers will show a blinking light as it synchs
up. When it finally connects, the light will turn to solid. Now
try to connect to the COLO.
NOTE: Don't trust the
lights. If you can't surf, and the lights are all proper, power
cycle the router any way. It may be confused.
If the DSL light just blinks or is
off, YOUR DSL is down, and you need to call your ISP.
Keep the ISP phone number handy at all
times. You may also have to give them the phone number or your
account number. Have all of this information handy, and make sure
your staff knows where it is. We cannot help you if YOUR connection
is down. The only one who can is your ISP.
I can't connect to the
COLO, I can't surf, and my ISP says the line is working:
If the ISP says the line is working and
you've verified that the DSL light is solid, then the problem
is in the store.
Something is disconnected or off. You may
have network switches in the front counter; make sure they are
powered on. Recycle them if they are, again, don't rely on lights;
if the device is in a confused state, the lights may be on, but
no one's home. If nothing connects, call for support.
Reboot all the workstations and see if
that fixes the problem. If not, you may have to call a local PC/Network
support company.
I can surf but I can't
connect to the COLO:
This is an indication that the
COLO is down.
Call us immediately, so we can contact
OUR ISP. If you can't get through, we are on the phone with
them already. We'll try to change the message on the phone to
advise you that it's down, and that we're working on it.
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