Figuring out network issues is probably my least-favorite thing to do that's related to my PC (or my home network in general).It can take ages, simply because so many little factors can manifest themselves in various ways, ruining everything around them with little fanfare.Even something as simple as a mesh router can ruin internet speeds, for instance.
That's why, over the last couple of years, I've adopted a preventative strategy.Instead of waiting for network problems to pop up and troubleshooting them then, I started trying to find ways to avoid them in the first place ...or at least simplifying the "figure it out" process as much as I can.
That effort brought me to a $5 fix that quickly spread to my entire setup.My network was fine, but my cables were very much not Everything was a possible culprit My network was fine, but as I looked at my various network-related cables, it hit me just how bad the state of them was.And that launched a full-scale improvement marathon.
From an ISP that disconnected me up to 50 times a day to one that said I broke the connection by "touching the Ethernet cable," I've had my fair share of network-related woes.I've been building PCs for 20 years, so I can troubleshoot a desktop or a laptop any day of the week with relative ease (although no one ever knows everything), but there's only so much network troubleshooting I can take.The most annoying thing about it is that there are so many variables, and it's not always immediately obvious which one is causing problems.
With a PC, you can usually tell pretty easily whether the issue is, say, the GPU or the RAM.With your network, a lot of different problems come back with the same symptoms, so it can be just about anything, from the router, to the Ethernet cable, the switch, the mesh node, or the end device itself.After a few unpleasant experiences (read those articles linked above if you want to laugh at my misfortunes), I decided I was done with all of that.
I had to find ways to streamline the process should it ever happen again, because hey, internet downtimes happen to us all.So while everything technically worked, I decided to clean up the entire setup.I started with addressing some network settings, but as I inspected the physical state of my setup, it hit me that the glaring issue was the fact that my cables were a complete mess.
The fix couldn't be simpler: I needed some plain old cable ties.Hook and Loop Cable Ties Brand Quadafy Color black, gray, white Even something as simple as this 60-pack of hook and loop cable ties can absolutely transform your whole network setup.$6 at Amazon Expand Collapse The $5 fix was just labeling both ends Everything needs to make 100% sense The first thing I did was label both ends of the Ethernet cables that mattered.
Not just the end near the router, and not just the end that was easiest to reach, but both.Most reusable cable ties don't let you write anything on them (they're Velcro), so I simply color-coded mine, but you can buy cable ties with labels or just use the Velcro ones with a little paper label on top.Taking the guessing game out of the equation was brilliant.
If one side says "router to switch" and the other side says the same, you're golden.You always unplug the correct cable and quickly learn which one is the problem, if any.Related The forgotten network setting making your internet feel slow Stop blaming your router for slow website loading times Posts 2 By Monica J.
White I labeled the gear, not just the cables Being extra actually helps a bit here Once I started labeling the cables, it quickly became obvious that I should do the same thing with the rest of my setup.Router, switch, mesh node, ONT, power adapter, and any random little box that hides somewhere in the depths beneath my desk ...all that stuff got labeled.
Doing this a bit overkill, I admit.You can tell at a glance what you're looking at, but when your network setup doesn't look particularly exciting, everything is just a black box with some LEDs.Plus, I have so much hardware junk lying around the house, it's best to label it all.
The power adapters matter more than you'd think, too.You probably have a bunch of near-identical power bricks in your setup, and reading the tiny fine print on them is annoying.Just stick a label on it and enjoy.
Reusable cable ties made it all easier to follow I'm sure I'll get made fun of in the comment section for this one, which, yeah, fair enough, this is hardly a massive discovery.But I'm not trying to tell you that cable ties and labels will suddenly fix every internet problem you might ever deal with.It's more that they'll make it easier to deal with when it does happen.
For me, that's worth more than $5, but that was all I had to pay.60 PCS 6 Inches Reusable Cable Ties $5 $7 Save $2 Materials Nylon These 60 reusable cable ties can be a huge game changer for your home network, and general cable management everywhere, too.Colors Black $5 at Amazon Expand Collapse
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