When the internet dies entirely, the first instinct is nearly always the same: unplug the router, wait, plug it back in. Sometimes it works. Often it doesn't, and when it doesn't, you've already lost the most useful clue.
A mistake more common than fixing something wrongly is fixing something that wasn't broken. The order below is built to avoid that: each step eliminates one large possibility before moving on.
Step 1: look at the lights before touching anything
The router reports its state through indicator lights, and that's the only information you have before contacting anyone. A restart erases it.
Three lights matter:
| Light | State | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Power | Off | A mains or adapter problem, not internet |
| LOS / PON | Red or blinking | Fibre link is broken, outside your control |
| Internet / WAN | Red or off | Router is alive but getting no connection |
| Internet / WAN | Green | External link exists; the problem is inside the house |
The second row is the decisive one. A red LOS light means the fibre to your home is cut or its signal is lost, and no setting, restart, or equipment swap inside the house will change that.
A fuller reading, including how blink patterns differ between brands, is in the guide to router indicator lights.
Photograph the lights. Ten seconds, and it becomes precise information when a technician asks, as well as evidence if the state changes before they arrive.
Step 2: confirm it's genuinely everything
"The internet is down" sometimes means one device is misbehaving. The check is quick and saves a lot.
Try a second device
If only one is affected, the cause is in that device rather than the network. Tracing it is covered in the guide to one device with Wi-Fi problems.
Check whether the network name still appears
If the Wi-Fi name has vanished entirely, that's a different problem, covered in the guide to a missing Wi-Fi name.
Try over cable
Connect a laptop directly to the router with a cable. If cable works and Wi-Fi doesn't, the fault is in the wireless side, and that's far better news.
Note whether it's connected but with no internet
The device shows connected yet no page loads. That's its own pattern, see the guide to Wi-Fi that won't connect.
Step 3: check whether it's an area outage
If the lights point to a fault on the external link, the next question is whether it's only your home.
- Turn off Wi-Fi on your phone and check over mobile data. This is the most commonly skipped step, and without it you can't check anything.
- Look at the provider's social accounts. Area outages are usually announced there faster than over the phone.
- Ask neighbours on the same provider. Neighbourhood groups often answer within minutes.
- Consider the weather and roadworks. Heavy rain and digging near the estate are two of the most frequent causes, for the first, the symptoms are covered in the guide to internet problems in rain.
If it is an area outage, there's nothing to do but wait, while noting the times, which is useful if you later request a bill adjustment. Your position is covered in the guide to customer rights during internet problems.
Step 4: check the physical things
If it's only your home, most causes can be seen with your eyes.
Check the adapter and switches
A loose plug, a switch knocked off, or an adapter no longer lighting up. If the mains failed earlier, the considerations are in the guide to UPS for routers.
Inspect the fibre or incoming cable
Fibre strongly dislikes sharp bends. Look for kinks near the connector, and don't pull on it to inspect.
Unplug and reseat network cables
Including those to other equipment. A broken plastic clip makes a cable look seated when it isn't, see the guide to choosing LAN cable.
Feel the router's temperature
Equipment running too hot shuts down or reboots itself, and the symptoms resemble a network fault, see the guide to router overheating.
Step 5: only now, restart
With the lights noted and the physical things checked, a restart is reasonable. How you do it matters:
- Unplug from the socket, rather than pressing the power button. Some routers retain their state when only the button is used.
- Wait a full thirty seconds. Anything shorter often isn't enough for the provider side to release the old session.
- If there are separate units: a modem or ONT and a router, power the modem first, wait for its lights to settle, then the router. The difference is explained in the guide to modems, routers, and ONTs.
- Once is enough. Repeated restarts don't improve the odds, and with some providers they actually trigger a connection delay.
Don't factory reset. This isn't a step for internet that's down. It erases every setting including the provider connection details, and if the cause is outside the house, you lose your configuration without fixing anything. When a reset is genuinely appropriate is covered in the guide to resetting a router.
Step 6: calling with the right information
If nothing has changed by this point, it's time to contact the provider. Four details cut the conversation in half:
- Light colours and patterns: LOS and Internet especially.
- Since when, and whether anything preceded it: a power cut, heavy rain, digging, an installation.
- What you've tried: one restart, cables checked, tested over cable.
- Whether neighbours are affected, if you managed to find out.
Ask for a ticket number and note the time. If the outage drags on, that record is the basis for requesting an adjustment, and if you're considering leaving, the terms are covered in the guide to cancelling and contract penalties.
What not to bother with
Three things commonly tried that almost never help when the internet is fully down:
- Changing DNS. Useful for certain problems, but not for a connection that doesn't exist, see the guide to DNS server not responding.
- Updating firmware. It needs the internet that's currently down, and an update interrupted midway can damage the device.
- Buying a signal booster. It extends coverage; it doesn't create a connection that isn't there, see the guide to boosting Wi-Fi signal properly.
The order is simple: read the lights, confirm it's everything, check whether it's area-wide, check the physical things, then restart, and finally call with what you've gathered.
The first step decides the most. Indicator lights answer the crucial question, whether the external connection still exists, within seconds, and a hasty restart erases the answer.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check first when the internet is fully down?
The router's indicator lights. They answer the most important question within seconds: whether the connection from the provider still exists. If the internet or LOS light shows a fault, no setting inside the house will help.
Should I restart the router first?
Better not, before looking at the lights. A restart erases the clue most useful to a technician, and if the cause is a provider outage it changes nothing. Look first, then restart.
How do I tell an area outage from a fault at my house?
Turn off Wi-Fi on your phone and check using mobile data. If neighbours on the same provider are also affected, or the provider's social accounts announce an outage, your equipment probably isn't the problem.
When should I call the provider?
After confirming the lights point to a fault on the external connection, the cabling is seated, and one restart didn't change anything. Give the light colour and when it started, those two details cut the conversation in half.
