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Network & VPN

Get online, stay on the VPN, reach internal systems, and fix slow or dropped connections.

How to connect to the company VPN

Connect to the corporate VPN so you can reach internal apps, file shares, and intranet sites from home or while traveling.

EasyAbout 5 minutes4 steps

You might notice

  • Internal websites will not load
  • Shared drives are missing
  • A banner says you are off the corporate network
  1. 01

    Confirm the VPN app is installed

    Look for your company VPN client (often GlobalProtect, Cisco Secure Client, or Pulse). On Windows, open the Start menu and search “VPN”. If it is missing, install it from the company software catalog or ask IT to push it.

  2. 02

    Join a trusted network first

    Connect to home Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot. Hotel and airport networks sometimes block VPN ports. If the client cannot reach the portal, try a hotspot.

  3. 03

    Sign in and approve MFA

    Open the VPN client, confirm the company portal address, and sign in with your work account. Approve the prompt on your authenticator app or hardware key.

  4. 04

    Wait for a connected status

    The client should show Connected or a shield icon. Then try an internal site or mapped drive. If you just changed your password, sign out of the VPN client and sign in again.

How to connect to office Wi-Fi

Join the corporate wireless network with your work account so you are on the trusted LAN.

EasyAbout 5 minutes4 steps

You might notice

  • The office SSID is visible but will not join
  • You are asked for a password you do not have
  • The laptop stays on a guest network
  1. 01

    Choose the corporate network, not guest

    Select the official staff SSID. Guest networks are for visitors and usually cannot reach printers or file shares.

  2. 02

    Sign in with your work account

    When prompted, use your full work email or domain\username and your current password. Accept the network certificate if your company uses 802.1X.

  3. 03

    Forget a bad profile and retry

    If it fails, forget the network in Wi-Fi settings, restart the wireless adapter, and join again. After a password change, Windows often keeps the old Wi-Fi password.

  4. 04

    Confirm you received an office IP

    Once connected, you should reach the intranet without VPN. If you only have internet and no internal sites, you may still be on guest.

How to get visitors onto guest Wi-Fi

Give contractors and guests internet access without putting them on the staff network.

EasyAbout 5 minutes4 steps

You might notice

  • A visitor cannot reach email on their own laptop
  • You are asked to share the staff Wi-Fi password
  • A contractor needs internet for a short meeting
  1. 01

    Use the published guest SSID

    Point visitors to the guest network name posted in reception or on the meeting-room card. Never share the staff Wi-Fi password or a personal hotspot for guest use in the office.

  2. 02

    Complete the guest portal

    Most guest networks open a browser page for a name, email, and accept-terms step. If the page does not appear, have them visit a plain HTTP site to trigger it.

  3. 03

    Request a sponsored account if required

    Some sites need an employee sponsor. Use the guest-access form or reception process. Sponsored access usually expires the same day.

  4. 04

    Set expectations

    Guest Wi-Fi will not reach printers, file shares, or internal apps. Visitors who need those should use a company-managed loaner or a contractor account.

How to use a wired Ethernet connection

Switch from Wi-Fi to a cable when you need a more stable connection for calls or large files.

EasyAbout 5 minutes4 steps

You might notice

  • Wi-Fi drops during meetings
  • A dock is plugged in but the laptop stays on wireless
  • IT asked you to test a wired connection
  1. 01

    Plug into a known-good office jack or dock

    Use the company dock or a wall jack that other people use. Consumer switches and random floor ports are often disabled.

  2. 02

    Confirm the adapter comes up

    On Windows, Ethernet should appear under Network & internet. If it says “Unidentified network” or nothing happens, reseat the USB-C dock cable and try another port.

  3. 03

    Turn Wi-Fi off for the test

    Disable Wi-Fi so Windows cannot silently fall back. Then open an internal site and join a short test call.

  4. 04

    Leave Wi-Fi off at your desk if you stay wired

    Laptops that keep both on sometimes flip between them mid-call. At a fixed desk, wired-only is more reliable.

How to find my IP address

Find the address IT often asks for when diagnosing network, printer, or VPN issues.

EasyAbout 3 minutes3 steps

You might notice

  • A ticket form asks for your IP
  • You need to confirm you are on the office network
  • A printer setup wizard wants a host address
  1. 01

    Find the address on Windows

    Open Settings → Network & internet → the active connection → Properties. Note the IPv4 address. Or run ipconfig in Command Prompt and read “IPv4 Address.”

  2. 02

    Find it on a Mac

    Open System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi or Ethernet → Details. The IP address is listed on the TCP/IP tab.

  3. 03

    Know which IP IT wants

    For office troubleshooting, send the laptop’s IPv4 address. For “the website is blocked from home,” IT may also want your public IP from a search for “what is my IP” while off VPN.

What split tunneling is and when to use it

Understand why some internet traffic bypasses the VPN and when that helps or hurts.

EasyAbout 4 minutes4 steps

You might notice

  • Streaming or personal sites are slow on VPN
  • An internal app fails while public sites work
  • IT mentioned split tunneling in a ticket
  1. 01

    Know the two modes

    Full tunnel sends all traffic through the company network. Split tunnel sends only internal destinations through the VPN and lets general web traffic go out your home internet.

  2. 02

    Use the company default

    Do not change tunnel mode unless IT publishes a setting. Security and access rules assume the standard client configuration.

  3. 03

    When split tunnel helps

    It often improves home video calls and large personal downloads because that traffic no longer travels through the data center.

  4. 04

    When it causes confusion

    A site that is “kind of internal” may not be on the split-tunnel list, so it fails until IT adds it. That is a configuration request, not something to fix locally.

VPN is connected but I cannot reach internal sites

The VPN tunnel is up, but browsers and file shares still behave as if you are off-network.

ModerateAbout 10 minutes4 steps

You might notice

  • VPN shows Connected
  • Intranet pages time out
  • Network drives stay disconnected
  1. 01

    Confirm you are on the work VPN, not a personal one

    Some laptops have more than one VPN. Disconnect personal or browser VPNs and leave only the company client connected.

  2. 02

    Refresh DNS

    On Windows, open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns. Close the browser completely and reopen the internal site using the official bookmark, not a saved IP.

  3. 03

    Reconnect the tunnel

    Disconnect the VPN, wait 20 seconds, then connect again. If your company uses more than one gateway, try the one closest to your region.

  4. 04

    Test a known-good internal site

    Try the intranet home page and a mapped drive. If the intranet works but a single app fails, that app may be down or restricted to office IPs.

The VPN keeps disconnecting

The VPN drops after a few minutes, after the lid closes, or when you move between rooms.

ModerateAbout 12 minutes4 steps

You might notice

  • Client flips between Connected and Disconnected
  • Drops after the laptop sleeps
  • Works on a hotspot but not on home Wi-Fi
  1. 01

    Rule out sleep and power saving

    Set the laptop to never sleep while plugged in during a long session. After waking from sleep, disconnect and reconnect the VPN instead of leaving a stale tunnel.

  2. 02

    Test a different network

    Try a phone hotspot. If the VPN stays up, the home router may be dropping long-lived connections. Reboot the router and disable “VPN passthrough” experiments or extra security suites on the router.

  3. 03

    Pause extra security software briefly

    Personal firewalls and “web shields” can reset VPN traffic. Pause them for a test, then add the company VPN to the allow list.

  4. 04

    Update the VPN client

    Install the latest company-approved client from the software catalog. Old clients often fail after a gateway change.

Wi-Fi is connected but there is no internet

The laptop shows a strong wireless signal, but browsers and apps cannot reach the web.

ModerateAbout 10 minutes4 steps

You might notice

  • Pages spin and time out
  • A globe or warning icon appears on the network icon
  • Only some apps work
  1. 01

    Toggle the adapter

    Turn Wi-Fi off and on. If that fails, use Airplane mode for 10 seconds, then reconnect. This clears a stuck DHCP lease.

  2. 02

    Forget the network and rejoin

    Forget the SSID, reconnect, and accept any captive portal. Hotel and cafe networks often require a browser login before internet starts.

  3. 03

    Try another site and another device

    Open a simple site and compare with your phone on the same Wi-Fi. If the phone also fails, reboot the router or move closer to the access point.

  4. 04

    Flush DNS and release the address

    On Windows run ipconfig /release, then ipconfig /renew, then ipconfig /flushdns. On a company laptop, also check that you are not stuck on a manual proxy.

I cannot access a shared network drive

A department drive is missing, asks for a password, or returns “access denied.”

ModerateAbout 10 minutes4 steps

You might notice

  • The drive letter is gone
  • Windows asks for network credentials
  • You can see the folder but cannot open files
  1. 01

    Confirm you are on the corporate network

    In the office, join staff Wi-Fi or Ethernet. From home, connect to the VPN first. Shared drives are almost never available on guest Wi-Fi.

  2. 02

    Reconnect the mapping

    In File Explorer, try the official path (\\fileserver\share). If it opens, remap it as a drive letter so it returns at sign-in.

  3. 03

    Use your current work password

    If prompted, enter domain\username and the password you use for Windows. After a password change, old saved credentials in Windows Credential Manager often block the share.

  4. 04

    Check with a teammate

    If they can open it and you cannot, you likely need group access. If nobody can open it, the server or share may be down.

Internet or internal apps feel unusually slow

Pages crawl, file copies stall, or video calls pixelate when the network used to be fine.

ModerateAbout 12 minutes4 steps

You might notice

  • Sites load for a long time
  • OneDrive or file copies stall
  • Calls degrade only on your machine
  1. 01

    Separate Wi-Fi from the destination

    Try a wired connection or a hotspot. If speed returns, the issue is local Wi-Fi. Move closer to the access point and forget crowded 2.4 GHz if 5 GHz is available.

  2. 02

    Pause heavy sync and downloads

    Pause OneDrive, Windows Update, and large browser downloads. A single large sync can make everything else feel broken.

  3. 03

    Test with and without VPN

    If you are in the office, disconnect VPN. If you are at home, compare a public site on and off VPN. A slow VPN gateway is a common remote-work cause.

  4. 04

    Restart the stack

    Reboot the laptop, then the home router if you are remote. In the office, try another desk to see if one access point is overloaded.

I cannot join a meeting because of the network

Teams, Zoom, or Webex stays on “connecting” or drops you before the lobby.

ModerateAbout 8 minutes4 steps

You might notice

  • The meeting window never opens
  • You hear no one and they cannot hear you
  • It works on a phone hotspot but not on office or home Wi-Fi
  1. 01

    Try the desktop app, then the browser

    If the app hangs, join from the browser link in the invite. If the browser hangs, use the desktop app. This isolates a broken client.

  2. 02

    Change the network path

    In the office, switch between Wi-Fi and Ethernet. At home, try with VPN off if the meeting is hosted in the cloud. Some VPN paths block real-time media.

  3. 03

    Allow the meeting through local security tools

    Personal VPNs, ad blockers, and extra firewalls commonly break meeting media. Pause them for the call.

  4. 04

    Join from your phone as a fallback

    Use the mobile app or the dial-in number so you do not miss the meeting while you keep troubleshooting.