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DLNews Technology:

It's boiling, anger is rising, despair is spreading, and you're about to freak out ... These emotions are familiar to anyone who has ever experienced a WLAN breakdown!

After all, WLAN is essential - not only for streaming our series but also for doing home office work or paying bills online. So the supposed culprit is often quickly found: the provider! But it's usually not the Internet provider at all but has other reasons.

For example, many customers who call the hotline because of Internet problems do NOT have a network problem. It usually works fine up to the socket in the wall.

Common causes instead: The WLAN or the hardware, such as the router setting.

• For example, in large houses, the signals do not get through the thick walls, the router is in the wrong place, is too old, or simply too many people want to stream, work, or surf online simultaneously.

• Homeowners and tenants of smaller newly built apartments are annoyed by poor connections. The reason: the building material reinforced concrete has a shielding effect. The result: a bad connection and an even worse mood.

• Other radio transmitters are also widespread sources of interference. These include cordless phones, baby monitors, Bluetooth devices, loudspeakers, and neighboring WLANs on the same frequency.

• And: A VPN (a virtual private network) that connects employees to their company's network often causes problems, too!

The difference between the Internet and WLAN

The Internet is THE place for data, i.e., a huge, worldwide network of different computer networks. But on the other hand, the WLAN is wireless access to this network. In summary, this means that the WLAN connects your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to the Internet.

First aid when the WLAN goes on strike

Is your WLAN constantly stalling or not loading a page? Then the first thing you should do is check whether the device is connected correctly. Just look at the screen: you should see the small WLAN icon with a dot and two curved lines (see photo). If this is not the case, you can test whether you can access the WLAN with another device, such as your smartphone or tablet. If that doesn't work, turn off your router and device once and turn it on again. The solution is often really SO simple!

• Place your router in a central location, vertically and elevated. Because this way, it radiates the WLAN signal evenly.

• The further away your device is from the router, the slower the speed will be. So: Stay close by to ensure good reception!

• Place your router freely and at some distance from walls and other obstacles.
• Caution: Do not place it behind or in furniture and metal objects such as refrigerators and flat-screen TVs!

• Watch out for sources of interference, such as cordless phones, baby monitors, speakers, and Bluetooth devices!