Symptoms
- Provider's outage map or status page confirms an outage in your area
- Support representative or automated line confirms a known issue
- Modem lights show a signal-loss pattern consistent with an outage
- Neighbors report the same loss of service
Likely causes
- CommonDamaged infrastructure such as a cut cable or damaged equipmentConstruction, storms, or accidents can damage the lines or equipment serving your area.
- CommonPlanned maintenance affecting service temporarilyProviders occasionally schedule maintenance that causes brief service interruptions, sometimes with little advance notice.
- PossibleWidespread equipment failure at a local hubA failure at a piece of shared infrastructure can take out service for many customers in a region at once.
What to do
- Confirm the outage through the provider's official outage map, app, or by calling their automated support line.
- Check the estimated restoration time provided, understanding that these estimates can change as the provider learns more about the cause.
- Avoid repeatedly restarting your modem and router during a confirmed outage, since this won't help and can occasionally interfere with the provider's automated recovery processes.
- Use a phone's cellular data as a mobile hotspot for essential internet needs while waiting for restoration, checking your data plan limits first.
- Sign up for outage text or email alerts from your provider if available, so you're notified when service is restored rather than needing to keep checking.
- If the outage extends significantly beyond the estimated time with no updates, contact support again for a status check.
- Once the outage is marked resolved, restart your own modem and router once to ensure your equipment reconnects cleanly.
Tools and parts
- Phone with cellular data for mobile hotspot
When to call a pro
If service doesn't return by the provider's estimated time or the outage seems isolated to just your home despite a listed area outage, follow up with support directly.
Safety
Generally low risk
Generally low risk for a careful person. Stop if anything looks different from what this guide describes.