Internet and Wi-Fi · Practical guide
Before resetting equipment or calling a supplier, establish what is affected. A few observations can help your IT provider find the right next step and keep your staff working.
First, establish the scope
Compare what works with what does not. These observations narrow the investigation; they do not identify the fault on their own.
Try another service and ask a colleague whether they see the same issue. If other services work, record the affected application before treating the whole connection as down.
What you observe
Another device on the same network can open the service, but one cannot.
Useful next step
Record the device, connection type and error. Start the investigation with that device or its connection.
What you observe
Several Wi-Fi devices are affected, while a device connected by cable can get online.
Useful next step
Record where the affected devices are. Ask IT to investigate the wireless connection and the equipment those devices share.
What you observe
Multiple devices cannot get online through the office connection.
Useful next step
Check the provider’s status page using a separate mobile connection if available. Share the result with IT; the cause still needs checking.
Use an existing wired connection for comparison only if safe and practical. A provider outage notice is useful evidence, but it may not explain every local issue.
Provider guidance: TPG on Wi-Fi connection problems · Telstra internet checks
While the cause is being checked
A deliberate next step is more useful than a series of resets.
Contact the person responsible for IT. Repeatedly restarting firewalls, switches or internet equipment can interrupt calls and other services or obscure the cause. Follow advice for your actual setup.
If you have an approved backup connection, follow the business continuity plan. A mobile hotspot may help a small number of staff, subject to data limits and your security policy.
Say what is affected, what is known, who is handling it and when you will provide the next update. Keep uncertain causes separate from confirmed facts.
Make the first conversation useful
Keep your service address, provider account reference and contact number ready. Add the time the issue began, affected services and any visible errors.
The example shows a small office checking Wi-Fi and a wired desktop. An unrelated mobile service still works. That helps frame the investigation without claiming the cause is known.
See business network supportAlso include errors, equipment lights and any actions already taken. Share account details directly with your authorised provider.
After the connection returns
Test email, phones, payment terminals, shared systems and the applications staff reported as affected. Some services may need further recovery steps.
Document the duration, workaround, cause if confirmed and any follow-up. Leave unknowns visible so they can be investigated.
Discuss whether a second connection, failover equipment or a different support arrangement would be worthwhile for your business.
Tell us what you need and we can discuss a suitable next step.
