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Causes of Internet Outages
Even if you have subscribed to the best internet provider of your area, known for its fast internet speeds and reliable services, there will still be times when you might experience Causes of Internet Outages due to obvious reasons. Imagine how you would freeze if your internet signals run out in the middle of an important online job interview. However, opting for a reliable internet connection is important for minimizing any outage or connectivity issues and experiencing an impressive customer support service. It is something that helps you stay calm in an annoying situation. We are so much dependent on a seamless internet connection for our personal and professional needs that an outage seems to be a nightmare and disrupts our routines drastically.
We are left stranded in between our important online activities. There might not be a way to avoid an internet outage completely, but it is up to you to make a smart choice by signing to a provider that ensures an impressive service at affordable prices. When choosing a suitable internet provider, I checked and compared the plans offered by various well-known providers in my area and found Spectrum internet prices to be the most cost-effective. After subscribing to one of its plans, I only experienced an outage once or twice so far. Although the causes of internet outages are inevitable, high quality and trustworthy customer support services can rescue you by restoring your internet connection as early as possible.
Causes of An Internet Outage
You must be wondering by now-why do we face internet outage even if we have subscribed to the best provider in town? Well, certain reasons can cause an internet outage. Let’s dig in deeper into what these reasons could be:
- Network Congestion: You must be wondering by now-why do we face internet outage even if we have subscribed to the best provider in town? Well, certain reasons can cause internet outage. Let’s dig in deeper into what these reasons could be:
- Network Congestion: One of the most common reasons that can cause internet disconnection is network congestion. This occurs when a lot of people are using the network at the same time in the same area. It is more likely to occur during the rush hours that makes it a more common cause of an outage. However, it is also the type of internet outage that is easier to prevent. Network congestion is faced more commonly while accessing the internet available in public libraries, dorms, or other public Wi-Fi hotspots. You can also experience it in your house but it can be fixed easily.
- Failed Links: Another reason that can result in an internet outage is a failed link to your service provider. This means that the link between your server and device is somehow disrupted. These failed links can be a result of any extreme weather conditions like a storm, flood, or heavy rain. A natural disaster can damage the infrastructure of an internet connection, thereby leading to an outage. This is especially true for satellite or cable internet connections that can be badly affected by any extreme weather change.
- Speed Fluctuations: Speed fluctuations are mainly caused by network congestion. Often we do not experience the speeds that we pay for. Receiving slower speeds from your internet service provider can cause major interruptions in your online routines. This usually happens when the lines from your provider are not properly optimized as they are supposed to be, resulting in network interruptions. Such network downtime usually occurs during peak hours like in the evening when all users are using the internet at the time.
- Faulty Equipment: Equipment failure can be one of the biggest causes of internet outage. Your network might be disconnected because of a hardware failure. A failure of any single element can cause a complete network failure. It is therefore necessary that your equipment is protected and grounded properly to avoid any short circuits, because of power fluctuations. Any technical issues with the equipment can be solved easily by replacing the faulty equipment.
- Operational Error: A disrupted network can also be caused in case the internet connection is not installed properly. This can be due to a firewall that is improperly configured, wrong IP address or incorrectly plugged cable.
- Power Outage: A power outage is another obvious reason for the loss of internet connectivity at your house or office. An unstable power supply can also lead to equipment failure, causing a greater problem.
Types of Internet Outage
You should also know that internet connection issues could be mainly of two types:
- Local Issues: Some of the reasons for internet outage are more localized and can be due to any wrongly plugged cables or failure of any hardware. It might be due to the required software up-gradation. Equipment failures usually fall under the category of local issues.
- Regional Issues: Certain causes lead to the causes of internet outages that are located outside your location and seem beyond your control. Such causes may include power outages, extreme weather conditions, or any physical damage to the data center.
- ISP Issues: We are usually blaming the internet service provider immediately once we experience an internet outage but we now know that there can be certain reasons that can be fixed at our ends. However, it is our internet service provider most of the time that encounters a problem leading us to suffer a network disconnection including software failures, system overloads or physical damage to the infrastructure, etc. It is the responsibility of the customer support service to offer you instant assistance and update on any such issue and try to resolve it as early as possible so your network connectivity can be restored.
What to do When an Internet Outage Occurs?
Imagine you are sitting peacefully on your couch with your cat resting on your lap. You are surfing the internet on your phone while you stream Netflix on your laptop placed in front of you. You are having a relaxing time when all of a sudden, your show stops streaming. You try reloading but Google does not seem to work. Just when your favorite show was about to reach the climax scene, the video froze. You instantly know that there can be a possibility of an internet outage so you pick your phone and try calling your internet service provider. Upon calling you might get the news that the outage is a major one, which means it is not just you but a majority of people are being affected by it. In this age of technology, when we are all wired up, internet outages have become more common considering the excessive usage.
There is always a cause and a solution for any internet outage that occurs. The first step to fix it is to find out the cause. Only when you have identified the reason for the internet outage, you will be able to resolve it. Here is a quick look at how to tackle it:
How to Deal with Internet Outages?
Any event that causes a network downtime is surely to affect our daily routines and get us frustrated. After all, we do feel deserted without an internet connection since it is our utmost source of entertainment, communication, and global news in addition to a tool to accomplish our personal, educational, or professional tasks. Therefore, if you encounter a horrific screen saying your connection is lost, do not panic. Here is how you can tackle it:
- Stay Calm: Though it may sound obvious, but it is extremely important to stay patient. Trivial issues can cause a network disruption but can be resolved immediately. If you see a network error message on your computer screen, you should try loading it repeatedly. There is a probability that your network connection is restored.
- Check Your Cables: If you face an internet outage, you should check if all your cables are plugged in the right ports properly. The cables attached to your computer or modem should be secured properly. Any cable positioned incorrectly can be a reason for a network disconnection.
- Try Restarting: You can try restarting your computer or router to fix a configuration issue if any. Make sure you save all your work and then restart your PC or modem. It is a good idea to unplug, wait for thirty seconds, and then plug again before your restart to allow a reboot.
- Make Use of Tools: There are certain tools available that can tell you about an internet outage and help you identify the problem and resolve it.
- Call your Service Provider: You can pick up your phone and call your service provider for assistance once you find out that the issue causing the outage requires professional help. This is where the role of a strong customer support department comes in. If your provider has an effective customer care team, they will put in all the effort to resolve the outage issue and revive your internet connection.
How Often Internet Outage Happens?
It will be true to say that the causes of internet outages have become much common these days. The probability of facing outages mainly depends on the service provider you choose. The more reliable the services of your provider, the lesser the chances of an outage to occur. However, at times these outages can be scheduled by your provider, for the sake of any system upgrades. More often such network downtime is sudden and unexpected.
Internet Outage Can Happen to Anyone
It does not matter if you live in a big or a small city, whether you are using your home or office internet, you are never completely immune to the risk of an internet outage. Internet blackouts can happen to anyone and anywhere. Some people prefer having a backup connection so that they do not run out of the internet in case their primary internet network faces a downtime. They have another internet access option available. If you ever find yourself battling a blackout, you can follow the aforementioned steps to resolve it and stay calm. You can always grab a book or enjoy a walk until your network connectivity is restored.
The Bottom Line
It does not matter whether it is your house or office internet, it is almost impossible to escape an internet outage completely. Therefore you must have a knowledge of the reasons that can cause an outage and how you can deal with them. It is always helpful to check things at your end first so if you find out a potential cause, you can fix it straight away. For instance, a system reboot might help restore your connection. However, if the issue persists, you can contact your ISP to complain about the issue. It is important to report any issues regarding the network downtime or slowing speeds so that the customer support service can take measures to solve them and save you from the frustration. Staying patient does help! So once you have tried fixing any possible issue at your end and contacted your provider to be updated on the prevailing outage situation, why not relax and enjoy some “me-time”!
