If you've not checked your router in a while then now is a good time to give it some love and attention. Virgin Media has just sent out some very useful advice to its customers and ignoring it could leave you without a precious broadband connection.
Perhaps the most important tip is to check the position of the flashing black box that beams the web around your home.
With the summer on its way and temperatures starting to soar, it's vital to make sure that your router is out of direct sunlight and not placed on a baking hot window ledge.
Like most gadgets, such as phones and laptops, routers really don't like to feel the heat and if they get too toasty they can end up shutting down.
That will leave you without any broadband access until things cool back down again.
"Always keep it indoors in a cool place and out of bright sunlight to prevent it from overheating," explained Virgin in the message to users.
That's not the only top tip from the Internet Service Provider (ISP) with the company also advising customers to place their router in a central position and as high up as possible in their homes. This gives the signal the best possible chance of spreading throughout the home.
Another good piece of advice is to give the Wi-Fi a clean and check for any devices that shouldn't be connected - such as a neighbour's laptop or old gadgets you no longer use.
Virgin offers its Connect App to help with this task which lets you see exactly what's going on - you can even pause smartphones and tablets from accessing the web if you don't want your children streaming movies late at night.
Next up, it's the good old-fashioned reboot. Yes, switching off the router can fix all sorts of issues and it's worth doing this at least once every few months.
If you haven't refreshed your router then here's how to give it a reboot.
• On the back of your hub, turn the A/C power switch into the off position (with the “O” pressed in).
• Leave it off for about 10 seconds.
• Turn the hub back on by turning the A/C power switch into the on position (with the “I” pressed in).
While you’re waiting, Virgin says it's a good idea to check over your equipment for faulty or damaged cables, which can cause problems with your network and slow down your internet speed.
One thing that is worth noting is the hub can take five to 10 minutes to reboot. You’ll know the connection is back up and running when the white light on the front of the hub is on.
Due to the amount of time a reset takes, only perform it when nobody needs access to the web or there could be arguments to deal with.
