Internet Outage: How to Check If the Problem Is You or Them

Your internet stops working. Pages will not load, video calls drop, and Slack goes silent. The first question is always the same: is it your connection, your ISP, or the specific service you are trying to use?

The answer determines what you do next. If it is your router, you can fix it in minutes. If it is your ISP, you need to wait (and maybe switch to mobile data). If it is a specific service like Google or Slack, everything else will still work fine. This guide walks you through figuring out which one it is.

Step 1: Check if Anything Works

Before assuming the entire internet is down, test a few different things.

Try Multiple Websites

Open your browser and try loading several different websites: google.com, apple.com, bbc.com. If some sites load and others do not, the problem is not your internet connection. It is one or more specific services experiencing outages.

If nothing loads at all, the problem is either your device, your local network, or your ISP.

Try a Different Device

If your laptop cannot connect, try your phone (using Wi-Fi, not mobile data). If your phone works on the same Wi-Fi network, the problem is with your laptop specifically, not the internet connection.

If neither device works on Wi-Fi, try mobile data on your phone. If mobile data works, the problem is your Wi-Fi network or ISP. If mobile data also fails, you might be in an area with a broader infrastructure problem.

Try a Wired Connection

If you are on Wi-Fi, try connecting your computer directly to the router with an ethernet cable. Wi-Fi has more points of failure (signal interference, router Wi-Fi radio issues, device driver problems) than a wired connection. If wired works but Wi-Fi does not, the problem is your wireless setup.

Step 2: Check Your Local Network

If nothing works, the next step is checking your home or office network.

Restart Your Router and Modem

The oldest troubleshooting advice exists because it works. Unplug your router (and your modem if it is a separate device) from power. Wait 30 seconds. Plug the modem in first and wait for it to fully boot (1 to 2 minutes). Then plug in the router and wait for it to boot.

This clears cached data, releases and renews your IP address, and resets any temporary glitches in the router's firmware. It solves a surprising percentage of connectivity issues.

Check the Router Lights

Your router has indicator lights that show its status:

• Power light on: The router is receiving power (good).
• Internet/WAN light on: The router is connected to the internet (good).
• Internet/WAN light off or red: The router cannot reach the internet. The problem is between your router and your ISP.
• Wi-Fi light off: The wireless radio is disabled. Wi-Fi devices will not connect.

If the internet light is off after a reboot, the problem is upstream of your router: your modem, the cable to the street, or your ISP.

Check for Service Outages in Your Area

If your local network seems fine but you still have no internet, it is time to check whether your ISP is having problems.

Step 3: Check Your ISP

Internet service provider outages are more common than most people realize. Construction cuts a fiber line. A central office has a hardware failure. A software update goes wrong. Your neighborhood loses internet while the rest of the city is fine.

Check Your ISP's Status Page

Most ISPs have a status or outage page. Search for "[your ISP name] outage" or "[your ISP name] status." Some ISPs also post updates on their Twitter/X accounts.

Use a Different Connection to Check

If your home internet is down, use your phone's mobile data to check outage information. You cannot check your ISP's status page if the only way you access the internet is through that ISP.

Check Neighborhood Reports

Downdetector aggregates user reports for major ISPs. A spike in reports for your ISP, especially at your location, confirms a provider-level outage. The heatmap feature can show whether the issue is concentrated in your area.

Call Your ISP

If you cannot find outage information online, call your ISP's support line. Many ISPs have automated messages about known outages that play before you reach a representative.

Step 4: Check if a Specific Service Is Down

Sometimes your internet works fine but a specific service does not. Gmail will not load but everything else works. Slack is disconnected but your browser handles other sites without issue.

Check the Service's Status Page

Most major services maintain public status pages:

• Google: Google Workspace Status Dashboard
• Microsoft: Microsoft Service Health Status
• Slack: Slack Status
• AWS: AWS Health Dashboard

Use Is That Down

Is That Down monitors the status pages of dozens of popular services and alerts you when incidents are reported. Instead of checking each service's status page individually, you can see everything in one place. See also how to check if a service is down.

Check Social Media

Search Twitter/X for "[service name] down." If thousands of people are posting about it in the last few minutes, the service is having problems. This is often the fastest informal source of outage information.

Step 5: Troubleshooting Specific Problems

Slow Internet (Connected but Unusable)

Your connection works but everything is painfully slow. This could be:

• Network congestion at your ISP. Common during peak hours (evenings, weekends). There is nothing you can do except wait or contact your ISP.
• Wi-Fi interference. Microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, and neighboring Wi-Fi networks can interfere. Move closer to your router or switch to the 5 GHz band if available.
• Too many devices. Every device on your network shares the available bandwidth. Video streaming, file downloads, and video calls on multiple devices simultaneously can saturate your connection.
• Background updates. Operating system updates, app updates, and cloud backups running in the background consume bandwidth.

DNS Not Resolving

You get "DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN" or "server not found" errors, but other network functions (like pinging an IP address directly) work. The problem is DNS resolution.

Try switching to a public DNS provider. On your device or router, change the DNS settings to:

• Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
• Cloudflare DNS: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1

If this fixes the problem, your default DNS provider (usually your ISP's DNS) is having issues.

One Website or Service Not Loading

If one specific site does not load while everything else works, the problem is almost certainly on their end. Check Downdetector or Is That Down to confirm.

Alternatively, the site might be blocked by your network (corporate firewall, parental controls, or ISP-level blocking in some countries), or your local DNS cache might have a stale entry. Try ipconfig /flushdns on Windows or sudo dscacheutil -flushcache on macOS.

Intermittent Connectivity

The connection works, then drops, then works again. This pattern usually indicates:

• Faulty cable or connector. Check physical connections, especially if they are old or frequently moved.
• Router overheating. If the router is in an enclosed space, it might overheat and throttle or restart.
• ISP signal issues. For cable internet, signal degradation can cause intermittent drops. Your ISP can check the signal levels remotely.

When to Switch to a Backup Connection

If you work from home or run a business, having a backup internet connection prevents productivity loss during ISP outages.

Mobile hotspot. The simplest backup. Use your phone's cellular data as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Good enough for email, messaging, and basic web browsing. Limited for video calls and large downloads.

Secondary ISP. If you have access to a second ISP (cable and fiber, or cable and fixed wireless), maintaining a second connection provides true redundancy. This is more common for businesses than individuals.

Cellular failover routers. Some routers accept a SIM card and automatically switch to cellular data when the primary connection fails. This provides seamless failover without manual intervention.

Key Takeaways

• When your internet stops working, check multiple sites and multiple devices first.
• Restart your router and modem before anything else. It solves most local issues.
• If your router's internet light is off, the problem is your ISP or the connection to your home.
• Use mobile data to check your ISP's status page or Downdetector for outage reports.
• If only one service is down, the problem is on their end. Check with Is That Down or the service's status page.
• For remote workers, a mobile hotspot is the simplest backup for ISP outages.