Home Networks & Wi-Fi · How Home Internet Works · Lesson 4 of 5

Whose Problem Is It?

Work out if trouble is your ISP, your Wi-Fi or one device.

Narrow it down

When the internet stops, the trouble is usually in one of three places. A few quick checks tell you which.

One device. Try another phone or computer in the same room. If the others work, the problem is that one device. Restart it. Turn its Wi-Fi off and on again. If that fails, tell it to forget the network, then join again with the Wi-Fi password.

Your Wi-Fi. If every Wi-Fi device fails but a computer plugged in with a cable works, the trouble is the router's Wi-Fi. Restarting the router often fixes it.

The whole connection. If wired and Wi-Fi devices all fail, the problem is the modem or your ISP. This is when you check for an outage, a break in service that affects your area, not just your home.

To check, use your phone with Wi-Fi turned off, so it uses mobile data. Then do one of these:

• Open your ISP's app. Most show outages near you.
• Visit your ISP's website and look for a page called Outages or Service status.
• Call the support number on your bill. Many play an outage message first.

If there is an outage, there is nothing to fix at home. The ISP is already working on it, and the page often shows an estimated fix time.

Only use contact details from your bill or the ISP's real app. Scammers post fake support numbers online.

Modem lights and calling your ISP

Your modem's lights are a small status report. Names differ between models, but you will often see:

• Power: the modem is on.
• Downstream and Upstream, or Receive and Send: the modem is finding the ISP's signal.
• Internet or Online: the modem is connected. This is the most important one.

Steady lights usually mean good. Blinking often means it is still trying. Red or off usually means trouble. Check your ISP's website or the modem's sticker for what each color means on your model.

If there is no outage, try a full restart:

1. Unplug the power from the modem and the router.
2. Wait 30 seconds.
3. Plug in the modem. Wait a few minutes until the Online light is steady.
4. Plug in the router and wait for Wi-Fi to come back.

Don't press the tiny Reset button in a pinhole on the back. That erases your settings, including your Wi-Fi name and password.

Call your ISP when the restart doesn't help, the Online light stays off or red, or wired speed tests stay far below your plan. Have your account number ready. Tell them which lights you see and what you already tried. This saves time and skips steps you have done.