No internet?
WiFi playing up?
We sort internet and WiFi problems for homes and businesses across Christchurch just about every day. A technician can usually be with you within 24 hours – or within the hour with our urgent option.
Our techs come to your home or business with the tools and parts they're likely to need.
Turned on your laptop, desktop or tablet and there's no internet? Router lights flashing and nothing works? We fix internet faults every day, whoever your provider is, and we carry modems, routers and cables so we can usually sort it on the spot.
Try this first: Turn the modem router off for a minute, back on, then give it 5–10 minutes to reconnect.
Call 03 666 4357 →Strong signal in one room, one bar in the next? Slow WiFi usually comes down to where the router sits, what's in the way, or a router that isn't up to the job. We'll find the cause and fix it.
Try this first: Move the router out of the cupboard and into the open – as central and as high up as you can.
Ways to improve your WiFi →Internet's working, but your email isn't – or one laptop, tablet or phone just won't join the WiFi? We'll get every device connected and your email going again.
Tip: Keep your WiFi password and email settings written down somewhere safe.
Email & software help →New connection, or just changed provider and it won't go? Sometimes it's only a few settings that need changing to get your fibre or VDSL running. We'll set it up and test it properly.
Tip: Have your internet provider's account details handy when the tech arrives.
Types of internet →The free modem router from your internet provider is often basic, with a weak connection and weak WiFi. A better quality one can make a real difference, and we'll set it up and secure it for you.
Tip: If your router hasn't had a firmware update in a year or two, it may be time for a new one.
Modem or router? →Bedroom, office or garage out of range? We'll set up a WiFi repeater or extender in the right spot – ideally connected to your router by network cable, so the signal at the far end is as strong as at the router.
Tip: A repeater placed too far from the router just repeats a weak signal. Placement matters.
Call 03 666 4357 →Your modem is the box that connects your home or business to the internet. Your router shares that connection with all your devices – laptops, desktops, tablets and phones – by cable or WiFi, and lets them talk to each other.
Most internet providers give you one box that does both, which is why people use "modem" and "router" to mean either one. That's fine – your technician will know what you mean. Either way, you need both jobs done, whether it's one box or two.
The catch: the modem router your provider gives you is often basic, with a weak connection to the internet and a weak WiFi signal. Investing in a better one usually improves both.
Worth a go before you call – they fix more problems than you'd think.
As central as possible and out in the open. Keep it away from metal, out of cupboards, and not behind the TV, monitor or in the far corner of the house.
Turn it off, wait 10 seconds, then turn it back on (the modem too, if it's separate). Doing this now and then is normal – if you're doing it every day, it may need replacing.
Change both the WiFi password and the admin password printed on the label – the admin one is often just "admin". It stops others using your internet or changing your settings.
Updates improve performance and fix security holes, but most routers don't update themselves. Check the manual for how – or ask us, it's one for the geeks.
Tried those and still stuck? A tech can usually be with you within 24 hours.
Call 03 666 4357Your device connects to a router, the router connects to a modem (often the same box), and the modem connects to the internet in one of these ways.
The most popular way to connect. A fibre optic cable runs all the way to your home or business, completely off the old copper phone lines – the fastest connection available. Speeds of 100 Mbps or more are common, and 1000 Mbps is there if you need it.
Fibre runs to a cabinet on your street, then the copper phone line covers the last stretch to your house. That's why it's faster than ADSL, with speeds of up to around 80 Mbps.
The original broadband over copper phone lines. Reliable, but limited to around 20 Mbps download. The big providers are keen to move everyone off the old copper lines, so if you're still on ADSL it's worth asking about fibre.
Out in the country without fibre nearby? Rural providers offer wide-area wireless – a bit like your home WiFi on a much bigger scale – and satellite internet is another option.
Cable internet arrived in Christchurch in the late 1990s, and dial-up – with its beeps and bops and a top speed of 0.056 Mbps – is where it all started. Almost everyone is on broadband now. (Mbps, megabits per second, is how fast data travels to and from your computer.)
This short video from Chorus explains the difference between ADSL and VDSL – and why VDSL is faster.
Strong signal one minute, one bar a few steps later? Is it the computer or the router? Lots of things affect WiFi – here's what makes the biggest difference.
Home WiFi routers aren't cell towers. Some cheap ones struggle to cover a one-bedroom flat, let alone a whole house – and an expensive router doesn't guarantee good WiFi either. A WiFi analyser app like NetSpot shows where your signal drops off.
Metal is the worst for blocking WiFi, but walls, glass, wood, appliances, wiring, furniture – even people – soak some up. Put the router roughly in the middle of the area you want covered, and up high if you can, like on a wall.
Video calls and streaming on several devices at once can slow even strong WiFi to a crawl. Many modem routers have a Quality of Service (QoS) setting to share bandwidth fairly – and changing your WiFi password stops the neighbours borrowing it.
A repeater rebroadcasts your router's signal, but too far away and it just repeats a weak one. Powerline extenders send the signal through your power wiring – handy, but slower. Best of all is an extender connected to the router by network cable, for full strength at the far end.
Like lanes on a motorway, routers broadcast on different channels – and most are left on the default, so neighbours end up on the same busy one. On 2.4 GHz only channels 1, 6 and 11 don't overlap. A WiFi analyser app shows the quietest channel; switch to it in your router settings.
"Have you tried turning it off and on again?" really does work for routers. It clears the memory and lets updates install. Unplug it, wait 60 seconds, plug it back in, then give it up to 10 minutes to start before checking your speed.
Computer playing up as well? Or keen to read more about internet and wireless?
Mon–Fri 8.30am–5.30pm · Onsite across Christchurch and Canterbury · Urgent visits within the hour
