The point of this KB Article is to keep track of useful 3rd party websites on specific hardware and software that can be useful for troubleshooting issues. It is also designed to provide useful links to send to customers regarding issues they may experience.
Router Troubleshooting
Once a router is end-of-life it is no longer receiving firmware updates. It is considered best practice to consider replacing it as it will no longer be receiving security patches and may be vulnerable to infection.
TP-Link
TP-Link Deco – LED Light Meanings
TP-Link – End of Life Models
Netgear
Netgear Orbi – LED Light Meanings
Netgear Nighthawk Router – LED Light Meanings
Netgear – End of Life Models (check Routers section)
Google
Google Nest – LED Light Meanings
Google – No Centralized End of Life listing but OnHub routers are End of Life.
eero
eero Mesh – LED Light Meanings
eero – End of Life Models
ASUS
Asus Zen Mesh – LED Light Meanings
Asus – End of Life Models (check Wireless Routers section)
Linksys
Linksys Velop Mesh – LED Light Meanings
Linksys – End of Life Models (need to search the model of the router at the bottom). Generally if it is WiFi 5 (802.11ac) or earlier it is end of life.
DLink – Note that most DLink products are end of life even if not on this list and have unpatched security vulnerabilities. If a customer has a DLink router it is highly recommended they replace it with a different manufacturer’s router.
DLink – End of Life Models
WiFi Security, Coverage & Interference Mitigation
FTC – How To Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network
Talks about WiFi encryption, keeping your router up to date and other router settings to disable for security.
Eyenetworks – 10 Things In Your Home That Interfere & Block Wi-Fi
Upgrading Routers – How To Geek: Signs Its Time To Upgrade Your WiFi Router
Improving Your WiFi – How To Geek: 10 Ways to Improve Your Wi-Fi Without Buying Anything Talks about router placement, though some of the information gets deeper then the average customer can easily understand.
WiFi Range Extenders (video) – LTT: Don’t Buy A WiFi Range Extender
WiFi Range Extenders – Wired: No Even the Best Wi-Fi Extender Isn’t Worth Your Time
Wifi Speeds & Differences – Intel: 2.4GHz vs 5GHz vs 6GHz: What’s the Difference Goes deeper then most customers need but specifically has a section where it says that in real-world conditions typical max speed of 2.4 wifi is 100mbps vs 1 gigabit for 5GHz.
PowerCert (video) – WiFi Standards and Generations Explained Part of a series of networking training videos, this goes over the differences between the different generations of WiFi.
Intel White Paper – USB 3.0 RF Interference with 2.4 including WiFi – Uncommon, but can reinforce that WiFi is susceptible to interference.
Printer WiFi Troubleshooting
Do not go too deep into troubleshooting printer WiFi connection issues. If their internet connection is otherwise working and basic steps don’t work they should be referred to the router manufacturer. If the printer is near the router with a free ethernet port, hard-wiring the router to a free LAN port and downloading the printer software from the manufacturer’s web site will usually work.
HP
HP – Reconnecting to WiFi After a Router or Network Change
Brother
Brother – Connecting Printer to WiFi
Sites & Videos Relating To Other Issues
Android TV Boxes (video) – LTT: Stop Buying Android TV Boxes
Power Strip vs. Surge Protectors – How To Geek: Why You Should Replace Old Surge Protectors
Don’t Use Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) – XDA: 4 reasons you should turn off Wi-Fi Protected Setup right now
Utility Company Power Outage Sites
poweroutage.us – A nationwide site with county by county power outage information for most major utility companies including WPS, We Energies, ComEd (Illinois), and Rocky Mountain Power. There are also links to the individual companies’ outage maps
WPS – Outage map for most of Door County and other portions of NE Wisconsin
We Energies – Outage map for Southeastern Wisconsin, Outagamie & Shawano Counties
Alliant Energy – Outage map for portions of Shawano, Sheboygan, & Fon du Lac Counties in Wisconsin
ComEd – Outage map for most of the XL Broadband coverage area.
Rocky Mountain Power – Outage map for most of the Optic Loop coverage area.