Nothing’s more frustrating than when you’re right in the middle of a dramatic show, an important video chat, or super competitive game and – bam! – your internet stops working. While we do everything we can here at Softcom to ensure that your connection is fast, strong, and steady, the occasional outage can happen. Did you know, though, that often the cause of an internet outage can easily be fixed by the user at home? Before you pick up the phone and request a service call, we put together this quick checklist that might help you get back on track (or back in the game!) without too much time or stress.
- If your device or computer is the only one in your home that isn’t connected, try a restart on that computer or device to allow it to reconnect.
- If you were streaming on a TV and lost the connection, check that the TV is on the correct input.
- Streaming hitching or buffering? It could be another device using all your bandwidth. Xbox and PlayStation, PC gaming applications like Steam or Origin, and behind-the-scenes software updates for Microsoft Windows Update or Apple iOS can use much of your available bandwidth when running. Try checking or turning off some of these devices and see if your connection speeds up.
- Are you too far away from your wireless router? Typical ranges on routers are approximately 150 feet (but this can and does vary greatly depending on the construction of your home and how many other wireless routers are in your area.) Try moving closer to your wireless router or relocating it to a more central location.
- Check your cable connections. Are all the cables coming in and out of the wall and connecting to your router secure? Has anyone moved or disconnected and then reconnected your router recently? Loose cables, or ones that are improperly connected, can cause an internet outage. If you’re not sure how the cables should be hooked up, give our technicians a call at 1-800-982-7675, Opt. 1.
- Next, check your router. Make sure the power source hasn’t been turned off (check breakers on power strips, plugs that may have been accidentally pulled out of the wall, etc.) If the power is on, you want to reboot your router. This is as simple as unplugging the power cable from the wall for 30 seconds, then plug it back in. (Note: DO NOT press the “reset” button or any other buttons on your router, this can erase the configuration on your router, requiring reconfiguration. Only do this if directed to by a member of our support department.)
- Check to see if anyone else is experiencing the same problem. If your smartphone is working, go to our Facebook page, Twitter feed, or Network Status page on our website. We post frequent updates and notifications announcing disruptions to service and what we’re doing to address them.
If all else fails, give our technical support department at call at 1-800-982-7675, Opt. 1. And take advantage of this break from the internet by cleaning out your desk, indulging in a few yoga poses, or finally organizing all those photos from your family vacation last summer. As a valued Softcom customer, we’ve got your back, and we’ll do all we can, as quickly as we can, to help you get online and stay online at the fastest speed possible.