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Research & Content Provided By: Piatt, Kevin
Author: Kristenson, Joel
Last Updated: 2018-05-10
Overview
This article provides some tips and tricks on how to troubleshoot your internet connection if Trail Blazer is running sluggishly on either a Mac or a PC. One of our support techs (Kevin Piatt) did the heavy lifting gathering this information during a support session with a customer who thought that the reason Trail Blazer was running very slow on their Mac machine was something to do with our severs but after running these tests realized it was an issue with their internet providers.
99% of the time if the program is running slow it’s an internet connectivity issue or in some cases it’s a graphics card issue not being able to power the hardware you’re using e.g. monitors.
Tip: Contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) for assistance with troubleshooting slow internet speeds, they’ll have the most insight as to why you’re not getting the speeds that you’re paying for.
Steps to Troubleshoot your Internet Speeds
· Speedtest.net
o Use this after each step below to identify if the slow speeds still exist
o If you do not have flash installed on your Mac, so you will need beta.speedtest.net
· Restart your computer
o Most support techs will start by asking you to do this so you might as well have it done before you call
· Restart Router and/or Modem *Do not reset them unless directed to by your ISP*
o Unplug all cables from the back of the device(s)
o Unplug the outlet connection to your wall as well
o Wait 10 seconds and then restore your connections
o Run test at either speedtest.net or beta.speedtest.net
· Identify & terminate bandwidth hogging plugins and apps
o This is far less likely in your environment, but still possible.
· Update your DNS server
o Lifehacker provides a walk through for identifying these here: Finding the Fastest (and most secure) DNS servers
o An alternative commonly used is to employ Google’s DNS servers (IP addresses listed below)
§ 8.8.8.8
§ 8.8.4.4
· Run a virus scan to check for viruses, bots, Trojan Horses, key loggers, etc.
· Call your internet provider (ISP)
o Share the steps you have taken with the support tech
o Follow any additional steps the can recommend for troubleshooting
o Possibly schedule an appointment to have a service tech come out to your location and try to fix the problem
o If your ISP is unable to produce results, then this will be your last option
Below are example screenshots from our internal systems here and one that is an example of a very poor internet connection. Although ours are far above average, you can clearly see that from the example below the internet speeds are very poor.
· Things to note when evaluating these
o Ping: lower is better
o Download: higher is better
o Upload: higher is better
Test organization results with very bad upload and download speeds:
Example of Trail Blazer’s results:
Ex: Average speeds for providers near Fort Worth:
Check your ISP plan to ensure that you are not on a low bandwidth plan. Many providers do offer budget speeds at cheaper costs.
Ex: In Minneapolis the cheapest budget package you can get is $29.99 per month with speeds up to 10 Mbps. Granted, the 10 Mbps is a maximum speed.
Call our live support if you need a hand with any of this (1-866-909-8700).
Related Resources
Article: How to Download & Install Trail Blazer on a PC, and How to Uninstall-Reinstall the Application if it Doesn’t Launch Correctly after a Recent Deployment
Article: Configure Microsoft Remote Desktop – For Mac Users
Article: “I Can’t See my Attribute Checkboxes” – How to Adjust the DPI Screen Resolution of your Machine so that Checkboxes Display Correctly
Article: Troubleshooting Java and Windows Versions to Fix FEC Reporting Issues – Internal for Trail Blazer Support Team Use
Article: Outlook Internet Calendar Sync Help
Article: Google Calendar – ical sync problems
3rd Party Video: How to Check Your Internet Speed (Tutorial)
3rd Party Video: How to test your internet speed
Trail Blazer Live Support
Phone: 1-866-909-8700
Email: support@trailblz.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trail-Blazer-Software/64872951180
Twitter: https://twitter.com/trailblazersoft
* As a policy we require that you have taken our intro training class before calling or emailing our live support team.
Click here to view our calendar for upcoming classes and events. Feel free to sign up other members on your team for the same training.
* After registering you’ll receive a confirmation email with the instructions for how to log into the GoToMeeting session where we host our live interactive trainings.
* This service is included in your contract.
