This article discusses network problems and some signs that the network may need to be upgraded. With network infrastructure becoming a major part of doing business, it is important to get it right.
For most businesses, Wi-Fi is considered an essential need. If the network connection goes down at the office, there is a good chance that everything will run much slower on that day. It is among the reasons why IT departments must always be on their toes, looking for potential pitfalls. They do so by upgrading that physical infrastructure often, creating training programs for employees, and doing regular software updates. If you rely on a network at your organization, here are some signs it could do with an upgrade.
Problems with LAN
The Local Area Network usually runs at quite a high speed. Thus, any problems, such as congestion, are not easy to detect. However, when a bottleneck occurs and causes one or more switches to buffer, that can affect application performance, which will become noticeable to users.
LAN congestions should only last for a short period. However, it can take longer in cases where there is extreme congestion. This type of extreme congestion is usually the result of poor configuration. One of the signs that you are having problems with the LAN includes momentary freezes of applications, especially during peak hours.
Problems with Wireless LAN
Wireless LAN is susceptible to a wide range of challenges. If the wireless LAN is configured for a particular environment, it should usually work without any problems. You will have to establish whether the wireless network or underlying issues cause the problems you are experiencing. If the problem results from underlying network problems, it should be quite easy to resolve.
Problems with the WAN
In contrast to the LAN problems stemming from congestion, WAN can suffer greatly. When congestion occurs, it tends to last for quite a long time. Sometimes, WAN congestion can lead to lost networks for an entire day.
WAN issues can be quite difficult to resolve. However, throwing more money and bandwidth at any problem is not the solution. The best way to address this problem is to control the traffic. This is done by filtering out any unwanted traffic.
Another way to reduce WAN infrastructure is to educate users on how to use the IT infrastructure. In most cases, WAN congestion is caused by recreational use of the internet. This is when users use their devices to access funny videos and listen to internet radio.
Issues with VPN
Virtual Private Networks carry data in an encrypted form. They are prone to the same problems as WANs. However, the additional encryption and tunneling can increase the complexity of data flow. This can cause problems that would otherwise not have existed.
Problems with the internet
Internet congestion is among the most common problems experienced on any network. This is because so many people are accessing the internet for various purposes. As with WAN, if the issue is severe, it can take quite a long time to resolve. You will typically experience web pages failing to render, web pages failing to open, and slow responses.
Unreliable Voice quality
Voice-over IP uses a protocol that requires a stable network connection. If the system has issues, it can lead to excessive noise or the speech may sound unusual. Poor sound quality usually indicates that many packets have been lost because of network unreliability.
The primary challenge with VoIP is that transmitting a lost packet is meaningless since the voice is real-time. It thus works best when using UDP, which is a protocol that does not have an error recovery mechanism.
If you have problems with voice quality, there is a good chance you have network issues. Bad network configuration can lead to a lack of traffic prioritization.
Pixelated Video
When the video is being transferred over a faulty network, it is quite easy for video pixelation to occur. It is usually in the form of rainbow-colored interference on the screen. This can indicate the network is congested or is not properly configured to accommodate video. It is important to note that video traffic places a heavy demand on the network.
Freezing Video
When the network is awful, the video can freeze. This may not be a cause for concern if the video is buffered. However, during video conferencing, that can render it unusable. The voice element will always take precedence to video. The result is that video streaming may not even be established.
If you plan to use video conferencing, ensure the network is properly sized and configured. This is particularly true when hosting a video hub that provides conferencing for various endpoints. The network has to provide support for all the video sessions even when they are operating simultaneously.
What are the Qualities of a Good Network?
A good network design is properly documented and follows best practices. This will allow the business to add new software and equipment without compromising the system’s integrity. An IT department that has a good network design can concentrate on being innovative and proactive. This contrasts to an IT department with an inferior network that spends most of its time putting out fires.
In any organization, the IT network needs to have a firm foundation. That way, when new equipment and software is added, no problems arise. There is also a need to have a policy on how alterations are made to the network. Even minor changes have to be considered since they potentially impact the network assessed.
Summary
By understanding the kinds of problems that can plague your network, you will be able to know how best to solve the problems. It is especially important today when technology plays such an important role in how competitive the organization is. Take time today and seriously assess your network to determine if it has any issues.
For IT consulting Denver businesses can rely on, don’t hesitate to contact Amnet!