I’ve had trouble for the past two or three weeks with my DSL router/modem. It’s a combination router and modem, and allows us to connect via ethernet and wireless. However, for some inexplicable reason, the wireless wouldn’t work. We couldn’t connect the laptops to the network or to the Internet. I did all sorts of troubleshooting, and finally came to the conclusion that it was the modem and not anything else (like the PC cards or the telephone service).

Usually, I unplug the modem from the telephone jack and the power source. I do this with our cordless telephone, too. Sometimes these devices just need a refresh to get back to business. But not even these techniques worked.

I was surfing around, and found a person or two who had the same problem. One response was to update the software for the modem. Hm. I had never updated the software since I got DSL service, about two years ago!

I went to my ISP’s home page and looked around for software update notifications. Amazingly, I found something (my ISP is notorious for its poor service and unfriendly user pages). I updated the software, and it all worked! We’ve not had any problems since.

So, if you discover that your DSL wireless won’t work, and you’ve tried the unplugging and replugging of your modem and phone, try looking for a software update. It may just be what you need.