This morning I was at a client’s office because they had just switched Internet Service Providers (ISP) and their IP (Internet Protocol) Address changed. Under many circumstances, this wouldn’t be a big deal because they can be assigned dynamically but because this client went from a static IP address to another static IP addres, their entire network was offline until their router was changed to the new address.

To get their computer network running with the new ISP we had to change the static IP address. Not a problem… Except for the fact that the client didn’t have the password for their router. This meant that we had to completely reset their router back to factory settings. Nothing from the old configuration was kept.

Now we had to set the static IP Address, Default Gateway, and DNS entries. We changed the router’s internal static IP address settings and the default password to something that he can easily remember.

Much of this hassle could have been averted if the IT Company who installed the network had given him the password. Keeping passwords and documentation is a way that computer companies try to lock you into using their services and that is poor customer service.

Always remember, the computers and network in your home or office are yours. They do not belong to the IT company no matter what they say. If you paid for the hardware, you own it and should have all the passwords and documentation.

If you are in the position where your IT services are holding you hostage, Contact Biden PC. We’ll gladly set you free.

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

If you found this post to be informative, consider subscribing to our Biden PC’s RSS feed.