Small details make a big difference

Today I saw two clients who described their situation the same. They each had broadband Internet and could get online with one computer that was wired to the network but not with a wireless.

When I got to each of these locations they were each connected to the wireless network but weren't getting any Internet. The first client was connected to the wrong network, an ad hoc connection to an HP device somewhere.

The second client was much more complicated. Like the first they were able to connect to the wireless network (even the correct wireless network) but not the Internet. It turns out that was just the beginning. They also had a printer that would print just fine from anywhere except from a remote Quickbooks terminal (too geek to explain). They were also trying to setup an new network based time clock.

Once had a look at the problem which was described as a wireless computer that couldn't get online, it turned out to be that the computer was trying to connect to the Internet through the time clock and the firewalls were set to heavy for the printer to print from remote Quickbooks.

While I was able to determine the problem, I am going to go back tomorrow to run a 30-foot cable from their DSL to a network hub to solve their last big problem.

Both problems took some troubleshooting to figure out, but occasionally I enjoy a day like this as it feels more like solving a puzzle or brain teaser than computer repair. Just as with puzzles, it helps to have all of the pieces  before you jump in and start trying to fix it.

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