fixing internet outages by yourself

As Kenyan's grow more dependent on the internet on various aspects of our lives, an internet outage is one of the things we dread, especially as it always seems to happen at the most inappropriate time.

You are psyched to start your day and you turn on your laptop, ready to get productive or catch up with the latest episode of your favourite TV show but you’re met with an heartbreaking no connection error.

Whether its the first time you have had an internet outage in a year at your home, it’s really disappointing to have your online plans derailed. The good news is, you can fix the internet outage by yourself to some degree. We’ll show you what might be causing an internet outage and how to troubleshoot it.

Common reasons your internet is down

If the internet connection or Wi-Fi isn’t working at your home for some reason, make sure you start by checking the usual suspects and check them off your list before trying more complicated solutions. Remember most of the times, the most simple solution is typically the correct one.

Here are some common issues you are experiencing an internet outage

l Faulty internet equipment or a lose connection.

l Your Wi-Fi signal is compromised.

l The website or site you may be visiting is down.

l There is a general outage from your internet service provider.

Troubleshooting your internet/wifi outage

Remember, the simplest solution is often the correct one. Each of the issues above may be caused by various factors, so you might have to try more than one solution before finding the issue with your internet connection. Here are our suggestions for how to fix several different types of internet outages.

Internet equipment issues: This is by far the most common cause for an internet outage.A solution might even be as simple as restarting your router or checking the power cords or any cabling that you might have. To start a modem reboot, you can simply unplug the modem, wait a few seconds till all the lights are off and then plug it back.

You’ll probably see the lights on the modem switch on after a few minutes to indicate your modem is properly connected to the internet again.

Poor Wi-Fi connection: A poor Wi-Fi connection might be solved by disconnecting your wireless router or disconnecting any extra devices that might be overloading your  internet bandwidth, you can also try shifting your Wi-Fi router to a new spot. For instance, if you aren’t using your portable gadgets, you can just switch off the WiFi on those devices to help speedup your Wi-Fi connection for the devices you are currently using.

The website you are visiting is down: Sometimes you internet might not be the culprit.The website you want to visit might be having technical.  If this happens, try refreshing the page or try re-visiting the page after a couple of hours.

Your ISP is experiencing an outage: If exhausted all the steps listed above and your internet outage problem still persists, then the issue might be with your internet service provider.If your ISP gives you good customer support, It might be  worth calling them for assistance or to find out what the issue is and how long it will take to get you back online.

Why is my internet service provider down?

An internet outage problem may be a direct result of an issue with your ISP. Though these are rare, here are the most common problems that can affect your internet supplier.

l Standard maintenance

l Bad weather/natural disasters

l Network congestion

l Regional power outage

l Human error/cyber attacks (hacking)

Most credible ISPs will have a way in place to notify you if you are getting an internet outage in your area. Of course, you may only be able to access that info through your smartphone message.

It’s also very helpful to check if your neighbors are also experiencing the same internet outage issues. Or, you can visit their website or social handles to keep track of updates on reported outages.

If you are having regular outages in your area, it’s always worth shopping around for a more reliable internet provider in your area.

When to call customer service

If you’ve gone through the troubleshooting list above and your internet is still not working, or if you suspect the problem is with your ISP, then it might be time to contact customer service.

Other hacks you can use when your internet is down

Have a work report that is due and don’t have time to troubleshoot your internet outage? We’ve all been there. If you need internet access like yesterday, here are a couple of speedy solutions to get you connected again instantly.

Use your smartphone — Connect to your mobile network using your data plan (rather than a Wi-Fi signal). Most websites are mobile-friendly nowadays. So, just switch off your phone’s Wi-Fi and start getting things done on your mini-computer, aka your cellphone.

Turn your smartphone into a mobile hotspot — If it’s necessary to use your laptop to complete your online activities, your cellphone can still be your saving grace. Many cellphone plans include a mobile hotspot option already. Follow these steps to turn on your mobile hotspot.

Find a public hotspot — Save the troubleshooting for later and get to another location where you can connect to Wi-Fi. Use this hotspot guide to see where your ISP offers free hotspots, plus other public spots that typically offer Wi-Fi access.