How to Check if Your Internet Is Out — Before You Call Your Provider

Few things are more frustrating than losing your internet connection and then spending 45 minutes on hold waiting to talk to someone at your provider — only to be told there is a known outage in your area and nothing can be done until it is fixed. You could have found that out in two minutes from your phone.

This guide walks you through a quick set of checks you can do before you pick up the phone. By the time you finish, you will know whether the problem is on your provider's network, your home equipment, or somewhere specific to your device.

Why this matters

Internet providers — Xfinity (Comcast), AT&T, Verizon, Spectrum (Charter), and others — all maintain outage maps and status pages on their websites. They also report issues in real time on a third-party website called Downdetector. These resources are free, available 24 hours a day. And you can check them on your smartphone even when your home internet is down.

Knowing the difference between a provider outage and a home equipment problem also helps you describe the issue clearly when you do call, which means a faster, less frustrating conversation.

What you will need

• Your smartphone with cellular data (even a small amount works)
• Your internet account number (optional but helpful — found on your bill)
• A look at the lights on your modem or router (they are on the device itself)

---

Step 1: Check your provider's outage page directly

Every major internet provider has a status or outage page. You can visit these on your phone using cellular data even if your home internet is off:

• **Xfinity / Comcast:** Go to xfinity.com/support/status or open the Xfinity app. Sign in and tap "Check for outages" or "Service status." The app will tell you whether there is a known outage at your address.
• **AT&T:** Go to att.com/outages or open the myAT&T app. Tap the Account tab, then look for "Check for outages."
• **Verizon Fios:** Go to verizon.com/support/residential/internet/network-outage or open the My Fios app and tap "Check network status."
• **Spectrum:** Go to spectrum.com/support/account and sign in, or open the My Spectrum app and look for service alerts near the top of the home screen.

If the page shows a known outage at your address, you can stop here — the problem is on their end and they are likely already working on it. You can also sign up for a text alert when service is restored instead of waiting on hold.

Step 2: Check Downdetector for your provider

Downdetector (downdetector.com) is a free website that gathers reports from real customers across the country. When a lot of people in the same area report a problem with the same provider at the same time, a spike appears on the chart.

On your phone, go to downdetector.com and type your provider's name in the search bar — for example, "Xfinity" or "Spectrum." You will see a live chart showing recent reports. If the chart shows a large spike in the last hour or two, there is likely a widespread outage.

You will also see a map showing where reports are coming from. If your region lights up, that confirms the problem is on the provider's network, not inside your home.

Step 3: Test whether it is just your WiFi router — not a wider outage

Sometimes the internet coming into your home is fine, but your WiFi router has frozen or lost its connection. Here is how to tell the difference:

• **Try a neighbor's WiFi or a coffee shop:** If you can connect to the internet somewhere else nearby with no problem, your provider's network is probably working fine.
• **Check your phone on cellular data:** Turn off WiFi on your phone (go to Settings → WiFi and tap the green switch to turn it off). Then try loading a website or opening an app. If it works on cellular but not on WiFi, the problem is your home router, not the provider.
• **Restart your modem and router:** Unplug the power cord from both your modem (the box that connects to the cable or phone line coming into your home) and your router (the box that broadcasts WiFi). Wait 30 seconds. Plug the modem back in first and wait for its lights to stabilize — usually about a minute. Then plug the router back in. Give it another minute and test your connection again. This fixes a surprising number of outages.

Step 4: Look at the lights on your modem and router

The lights on the front of your modem and router tell a story. Here is what the most common light states mean:

• **Power light is off:** The device has no power. Check the power cord and the outlet.
• **Internet or WAN light is red or off:** The modem is not receiving a signal from your provider. This usually means the problem is on the line coming into your home — either a provider outage or a loose cable.
• **Internet or WAN light is solid green or white:** The modem is receiving a signal. The problem is somewhere between the modem and your device.
• **WiFi light is off:** WiFi may be disabled. Look for a WiFi button on the router and make sure it has not been accidentally switched off.

Write down what you see on the lights before you call — the support representative will ask.

Step 5: What to have ready when you do call

If you have checked all of the above and still cannot find the cause, it is time to call. Have these items ready before you dial:

1. 1**Your account number** — printed on your monthly bill, or visible in the provider's app
2. 2**Your service address** — the address where the internet is installed
3. 3**A description of the modem/router lights** — for example, "The power light is green, the internet light is red, and the WiFi light is off"
4. 4**What you have already tried** — tell them you restarted the modem and router and checked the outage map
5. 5**Whether it affects all devices or just one** — if only one device has no internet, the problem is likely that device, not the provider

Giving the representative this information upfront usually cuts the call time in half.

---