Internet outage is a phrase many people would prefer not to hear. The internet has become so engraved in our lives that we simply cannot afford to stay offline. But the sad truth is, your internet will experience outages from time to time.

If you notice that your internet is off, here’s what you’re supposed to do:

Make sure it’s actually an outage

If you find that you don’t have internet in your home or place of work, it’s worth checking to know whether it’s a problem on your side or an outage from your ISP. Try restarting your computer and your internet modem, this can solve a number of problems.

If the problem persists even after restarting your computer and modem, use the status tool of your ISP to check whether there’s any information on potential disruptions and outages. You will have to use a secondary device to get online such as your phone.

If your ISP’s status page doesn’t have any report, check their social media to see if they have any updates or complaints from other customers.

If it doesn’t look like your ISP is experiencing an outage, then the issue can be your router, modem or computer. You can unplug the cable that goes into your computer and connect it to your laptop to check whether the problem is your computer. If you still don’t have a connection, check whether all your other Wi-Fi devices are online. If they are not online but your modem is working, then it’s time to give your internet providers a call.

A widespread outage

If you find out that your entire neighborhood is experiencing the same issue, then its best to sit down and wait. It can be frustrating but you simply have to wait for your ISP to fix it.

Do not call to avoid being held for long periods. Keep an eye on their social media platforms for any updates.

What causes an internet outage?

The internet is easy to use but running it is an entirely different story. The main causes of internet outages are congestion, software errors, maintenance, human errors and weather events.