Troubleshooting slowness or connection issues in Right Networks

In this article (select to jump to):

• Data packet loss, latency, and slowness
• Helpful questions for investigating slowness or connection issues to Right Networks for Intuit Hosting
• Possible network-related causes of slowness or connection issues
• Helpful tests to investigate further

Data packet loss, latency, and slowness:

I have a lightning-fast internet connection so everything should be fast, right?

The quality of your connection is more important than the speed. If you are experiencing data packet loss or latency, you can experience slowness and other issues. So while you may want to check your internet speed when things slow to a crawl, there are other things to consider.

What are data packet loss and latency?

Imagine a package lost in the mail. Sometimes it just doesn't get delivered, other times that initial package is delivered, just a lot later than expected.

Have you ever had a package not arrive and needed to wait for a replacement to be sent to you? The sender will normally have you wait a while to see if it shows up. When it was just delayed in being delivered, that is latency.

When the package doesn't show up after waiting, the sender gives up and may send you a replacement. This is what often happens with data packet loss. One side sends a message. Waits for confirmation it was received. Gives up after realizing it was lost, and sends the message again, which takes longer to get to you.

Other times they don't send a replacement and you don't get what was sent. A way you could see this problem with a remote connection is while you were typing a sentence you see temporary slowness and then some of the words typed just don't appear. The data packet was lost and not resent.

Helpful questions for investigating slowness or connection issues to Right Networks for Intuit Hosting

When it comes to internet connections, there are a lot of problems that can cause a connection to seem slow. Consider the following to help narrow down potential problems and solutions:

• Do others using the same internet connection have the same issue?
  • If only one or some users are having an issue, look at what's unique to their connection or hardware.
    • Are they connecting wirelessly when others are using a wired connection? If yes, try a wired connection. If no, try a different ethernet cable (internet cord) and make sure Wi-Fi is turned off.
  • If all users are having the issue, try restarting your router/modem and check with your internet service provider to see if others have reported issues in your area.
• If you connect from multiple locations, do you only have the problem from one location?
  • If yes, check with your internet service provider to see if there are issues reported in the area. You may also have a hardware issue.
• Do you have a limited data plan?
  • Some limited data plans slow down your internet speed once you have used a set amount of data in a billing period. Check to see if you have gone over these limits.
• Are you using Microsoft Teams, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, or some other syncing program?
  • Try temporarily pausing or disabling these. They can use up a lot of bandwidth.
• Are other apps slow too?
  • Some apps use more resources than others, but if you are only having a problem with one app there may be causes not related to the connection to the hosted environment.
    • Lacerte provides this article for troubleshooting slowness.
    • ProSeries takes longer to run when you have more installed. Contact support if you installed everything to get assistance with changing your installation to just what you need.
• Is your antivirus or firewall updating right now or is a Windows update being downloaded?
  • Downloading or installing these updates can reduce bandwidth. Consider setting an update schedule to reduce the impact to your work day.
• If you open the app locally, or other ones, are they running slowly there too?
  • If yes, this would indicate there's not an issue with the connection to the hosted environment. Check to see if an update is being downloaded or installed locally.

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Possible network-related causes of slowness or connection issues

• Right Networks recommends a wired connection. If you're experiencing slowness while connected to Wi-Fi, turn off Wi-Fi and connect with your ethernet cable (internet cord) instead.
• If you're only experiencing slowness while working from home but not at your office (or vice versa), the issue could be geographical. Check with your internet service provider.
• Right Networks recommends running apps that require internet access in the hosted session itself when the app is available and not on your locally.
  • For example, if you need Google Chrome open while working in Right Networks, don't open Google Chrome on your local computer. Instead, open it within your hosted session to reduce bandwidth usage and improve your performance.

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Helpful tests to investigate further

If none of the above solutions work, some tests can help you

. Before testing your network, make sure you're logged into your Right Networks Remote Desktop and minimize the Right Networks window so it can run in the background. Don't perform the tests within the Remote Desktop.

• Running an internet speed test using Google's built-in speed test utility

Running an internet speed test using Google's built-in speed test utility

If your internet service provider has a speed test of their own that you prefer, you can run that instead.

1. Open Google Chrome or access the Google web browser by searching for google.com on your default browser.
2. In the Google Search Bar, type out "speed test" and hit enter on your keyboard.
   
3. Before your search results, you should see an Internet speed test utility. Click Run Speed Test at the bottom right of the utility.
   
4. After the utility finishes running, it will display your results.

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Possible hardware-related causes of slowness or connection issues

• If your computer monitors are being powered through a USB hub or switch, Right Networks recommends connecting the monitors directly to your computer.
• Take note of which users with your firm are affected. If it's only a handful, it may be easier to compare their hardware with those who aren't having issues.

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Testing your hardware:

If none of the above solutions work, you'll need to test your hardware. Before testing your hardware, make sure you're logged into your Right Networks Remote Desktop and minimize the Right Networks window so it can run in the background. Don't perform the tests within the Remote Desktop.

If you've worked through all of the above steps and still haven't determined what's causing your slowness or connection issues, additional troubleshooting may be necessary. Reach out to our Technical Support team during business hours and we can assist over the phone.

For more information on how to contact Lacerte, as well as our operating hours, see here.

For more information on how to contact ProSeries, as well as our operating hours, see here.

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Restarting your router/modem:

If you are using a domain network, we suggest contacting your local IT for assistance. Otherwise, complete the following steps to properly restart your router/modem:

1. Unplug your router/modem from the power source.
2. Unplug all other wires from the router/modem.
3. Wait 30 seconds.
4. Plug in the internet connection.
5. Plug in the connections to the computers.
6. Finally, plug in the power.
7. Wait until the lights on the router/modem show connectivity again. This may take a couple minutes.
8. Test to see if the issue is resolved.
   • If you are continually running into this problem, we suggest contacting your internet service provider or your local IT.

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