Situation: You are returning home from work and it turns out that the Internet does not work for you, and you cannot view stock quotes, check your mail or find a recipe for lunch. You are wastingly trying to restart your computer, but any web page you try to open says "Failed to open web page". You get angry and eventually decide to call your ISP and say whatever you think of it. Here are some tips that will save you time, perhaps a little money, and definitely self-esteem. By following these simple tips, you can determine what's wrong with your home Internet connection.
Steps
Step 1. Take a look at your modem (this is the device that your ISP provided when connected), it usually has 4 LED indicators
Two of them are on continuously (usually power and Ethernet / USB), and two are blinking (usually inbound and outbound data). This means that the modem is receiving a signal from the ISP. This may be a bad signal, but it is still there.
Step 2. If any LED indicator is not working in its "normal" order, is not lit or blinking, unplug the power plug on the back of the modem and wait 45 to 60 seconds before plugging it back in
Step 3. Now wait about 30 seconds and, if nothing has changed, call your ISP's support service
Do you see the amber LED indicator? This is most likely a standby LED, which means you have pressed the on / off or standby button and you need to press it again.
Step 4. If you are using a router - wired or wireless, remove the power plug from it for 30 seconds and then plug it in again
Check if your router is online. If not, remove the Ethernet cable from the modem and connect the modem directly to the computer using the Ethernet cable from the router.
Step 5. Restart your computer
Check if the internet is working. If not, call your ISP's support team and be prepared to repeat all of the above steps again. Most (if not all) specialists have software to collect information from the modem. They should set the signal strength to determine if the modem is receiving a good signal and if a specialist visit is needed at your home.
Advice
- General computer knowledge is not required, but it is helpful. A support technician will help you reconnect your computer.
- Make sure you have time to work on the problem so that we can work it out.
- Field technicians can visit you during business hours. Please adjust to the technician's schedule so we can restore your access to the network.
- Do not be afraid to ask for compensation to your account for a time when you did not have access to the Internet. However, do not claim compensation for problems that occur two weeks before calling technical support.
Warnings
- Threats to disconnect from your ISP due to an outage will not solve your problem any faster. Threats are immediately processed by a special department, where they decide whether or not to stop providing you with services. This will only delay the resumption of the Internet.
- If you start using swear words, many ISP support operators may disconnect the call without warning. By scolding the technician, you only postpone the renewal of services. Often times, technical support calls are monitored by supervisors and the general department, and notes are made in the notes to your account.
- By calling your ISP at 2:30 AM, don't expect a technician to come to your home immediately.
- Technical support cannot fix problems with routers, switches, hubs, or any other device other than a modem and one main computer. If you can, bypass the router by connecting your computer directly to the modem.
- ISPs will not be able to fix problems with software that was installed separately from windows. Including Outlook from Microsoft Office, Norton, McAfee, or any other antivirus, spyware, or malware. Contact a certified computer technician or call software support.