As more and more of us have several computers at home, we’re rapidly discovering that a network makes life much easier. Printers can be tucked away in the study or spare bedroom, music and photos can be accessed from any computer, and everyone can use the internet at the same time.

In fact, with a network up and running we soon take it for granted that we can print a letter when sitting at the garden table, surf the web from the sofa or show someone a photo whenever we like. Until something goes wrong, that is. When networks fail it can often seem impossible to work out where the problem lies, so many of us resort to repeatedly checking cables, and restarting computers, often to no avail.

But not any more. In this article, we’ll explain some of the most common problems, and how to fix them –­ without having to call expensive experts, tear your hair hair out or resort to guesswork.

Your network is, hopefully, working at the moment. If so, you might be tempted to skip this article, but don’t. Whether you have a network that uses Ethernet cables, a wireless one, or a mix of the two, there are lots of different settings on the computers, printers, broadband routers and wireless access points that are vital to making sure that everything works properly. This means that to fix problems when they do occur, it’s important to know how things should be.

Survey your network
With this in mind, it’s worth spending a little time noting down how your network is set up when working properly. First, make sure you have the details of your internet account, which will include a username and password. You might have received these in an email ­ – if so, it’s a good idea to print it out and make a note of the telephone support number, too. Keep this in a safe place.

Next, if you have a broadband router, find the instructions for it. Most routers can be accessed via a web browser by typing in a specific IP address, such as http://192.168.1.1. You’ll need to know what this address is, and what username and password will let you access the router’s settings. If you haven’t changed the password, it should be given in the manual.

Use the username and password to access the router’s settings. Look for a page called something like ‘LAN settings’ or ‘local network’, and print it off; this shows how your network is set up. Do the same with the page that contains the internet settings; this is sometimes called ‘WAN’ or ‘WAN settings’. Keep these printouts safe.