So you just bought a 500 ft Ethernet cable for your brand new computer. You have everything set up. Your desk, your computer, all in a roomy office atmosphere, and then you try to connect to the internet only to get an error message. If you’re experiencing some sort of connection issue it may be a number of things. Some might be related to the 500 ft Ethernet cable, so don?t be too quick to return your purchase just yet.

Let?s look at some of the things that might have gone wrong and how we can troubleshoot and resolve the problem.

Check the power output of your router.As ridiculous as it sounds this is a common problem with connection issues. It might be that the cables are not properly inserted into either the outlet of the router port. Check to see if they are and adjust the cable if needed. Since you may have a 500 ft Ethernet cable it might also be the case that the connection power may not be transferable due to the cord being coiled. Uncoil it to see if it helps with your connection problem.

Check the router.Take the time to properly examine your router to see if there are any signs of damage. Regardless of the type of cord you have whether you’re using cat5 cables or cat6 cables, if there?s something wrong with the router then it?s nearly impossible to get any connection. Examine the router to see if all the lights are turned on. If so than that’s a pretty good sign that everything with the router is fine. If not than whichever light is not on or blinking may indicate where the problem is. For example if the connection light is not blinking on turned on than you might have to check the network Ethernet cable to see if it is properly attached.

Troubleshoot and check the connection status on your computer.Computers have gotten extremely smart these days and are sometimes able to not only detect if there is an issue but also tell you how to fix it, or at least give you a clue as to how to fix the problem.One of the best part of troubleshooting is that you don?t have to start messing around the the long 500 ft Ethernet cable yet possibly cause more connection problems than you really need to. Just let the computer work its magic and take it over from there once the system is done analyzing the situation.

Restart the system if the troubleshooting failed.If you couldn?t figure out the resolution through troubleshooting that try restarting the system and reboot. There may not be anything wrong with the fiber optic cables or the router. It might be a simple case of system needs not recognizing the signal and receive the connection. Rebooting will restart the entire process and allow the system more opportunities to recognize the signal.

If all fails than it’s time to contact a professional. If need be you may have to contact your internet service provider to see if they can help identify and resolve the issue. They?ll be able to help you better assess the issue to see whether it’s your system, the router, of the cable.