Businesses where employees are working from home, some for the first time, will have no doubt experienced a few teething problems! Accessing a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) through home broadband and fighting other family members for a consistent internet connection for starters!
BCR Associates’ Head of Client Support, Heather Lowry has put together her top tips to resolving connectivity issues based on the queries they’ve received from clients.
For most people we are 4 days in to working from home, and you will no doubt have experienced a few teething problems. We’ve put together a list of issues and suggested solutions:
1. I’m struggling with my Broadband connection Some of the issues that we are experiencing is simply because the network infrastructure is overloaded with users at the moment. However, please give us a call and we’ll see what we can do to help. If you are using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access work files, it’s important to check that your router allows VPN tunnels, Virgin Media and Sky tend to be routers that cause the most issues. Get in touch with your IT dept. or outsourced IT company and they should be able to find a workaround. The age of your home router may also be a factor here. 2. I’m struggling with my Broadband speed If like many you are struggling to compete for bandwidth with children trying to access online classes and other family members working from home, you may wish to consider adding to mobile data packages or getting an additional data sim. This can boost the data available in your household or can be used as a dedicated line for your work requirements. To find out more about this, here’s a blog from our mobile expert, Paul Fry to tell you more about it. You might also find these ‘Practical tips for improving your broadband speed’ from Ofcom helpful: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/broadband-speeds 3. I can’t get my mobile to do what I need it to If you are trying to do things like tether from your mobile, use WiFi calling or send picture messaging, you will need to make sure that your APN settings are correct. Here’s an example of one of our provider’s guide to APN settings. Feel free to give us a call and we’ll see what we can do to help, alternatively get in touch with your provider and ask if they have a similar guide, or a quick google might do the trick – the key is to search for “how do I change my APN settings?” 4. My phone line has been cut off If your phone line has been cut off, we may be able to call your provider on your behalf to find out what the problem is, but be patient, telecoms providers are working hard to make sure that the infrastructure meets current demands. In the meantime, it is possible for your providers’ faults team to divert the calls to another number or mobile whilst they work to fix the issues. We know that it is a testing time for everyone and we want to help in any way that we can. Please get in touch if there is anything that we can do for you and your business. Tel: 03330 433 233 or email: [email protected].
