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7 stepsAbout 20 minutesUpdated 23 October 2026

How to fix your home internet when it stops working

Most home internet problems come down to a router that needs a restart, a loose cable, a fault at your provider or DNS servers that stopped answering. Work through these steps in order. Each one rules out a cause, and the last one tells you when the fix is your provider’s job.

Step by step

Seven steps to get back online

  1. Check one device or all of them

    If only one phone or laptop cannot connect, restart that device, then forget the Wi-Fi network on it and join again. If nothing in the house can get online, the problem is the router, the cables or your provider, so carry on.

  2. Restart the router properly

    Unplug the power cable from the router, and from the modem if you have a separate one. Wait 30 seconds. Plug the modem in first and wait until its lights stop changing, then plug in the router. Give it 2 to 5 minutes before you test. Do not press the reset button: on most routers holding it erases your Wi-Fi name, password and settings.

  3. Check the cables and lights

    Push every plug in until it sits firmly: power, the line from the wall (phone, cable or fibre) and any network cable between modem and router. Then look at the lights. Labels differ by model, but a light marked Internet, WAN, DSL or with a globe that stays red, orange or keeps blinking usually means the router cannot reach your provider. The sticker or the manual explains your model’s lights.

  4. Test with mobile data

    Turn off Wi-Fi on your phone and open the same site on mobile data. If it works there, the site is fine and the problem is your home connection. If it fails on mobile data too, the site itself may be down: check whether it is down for everyone.

  5. Check your provider’s status

    Look for an outage notice in your provider’s app, on its website (open it on mobile data) or on its social media accounts. Many providers also have a phone line with a recorded message about local faults. Larger providers are listed in our directory of mobile and internet providers, with problem reports from other users.

  6. Change your DNS servers

    If some sites load and others do not, or pages take a long time to start loading, your provider’s DNS servers may be failing. Switch to a free public DNS service: Cloudflare (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1) or Google (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4). Menus vary by version and maker, so use these paths as a guide:

    1.1.1.1Cloudflare, main
    1.0.0.1Cloudflare, backup
    8.8.8.8Google, main
    8.8.4.4Google, backup
    • Router (changes it for every device): open the router’s admin page at the address on its sticker, often 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, and find the DNS setting under Internet, WAN or DHCP. Some provider routers do not allow it.
    • Windows 10 and 11: press Windows+R, type ncpa.cpl and press Enter. Right-click your connection, choose Properties, then Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), Properties, and Use the following DNS server addresses.
    • Mac: System Settings, Network, your connection, Details, DNS. Press + and add both addresses.
    • iPhone and iPad: Settings, Wi-Fi, tap the i next to your network, Configure DNS, Manual, then Add Server.
    • Android: search Settings for Private DNS, choose the hostname option and enter one.one.one.one (Cloudflare) or dns.google (Google).

  7. Call your provider

    Call when the internet light stays red or off after a restart, when even a device plugged in by cable cannot connect, when the line keeps dropping, or when speed stays far below your plan for days. Have your account number ready, say which lights are on and what you already tried, and ask whether there is a fault in your area. Run the ping test and note the drop times: numbers help them find the fault.

Questions

Common questions

How long should I wait after restarting the router?
Give it 2 to 5 minutes. Fibre and cable modems often take a few minutes to connect to the provider, and the lights blink while they do. Testing too early makes a restart that worked look like one that failed.

Is it safe to change my DNS to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8?
Yes. Both are free public services, run by Cloudflare and Google. Your address lookups then go to them instead of your provider. To undo it, set DNS back to automatic in the same place. School and office networks sometimes block outside DNS servers.

My Wi-Fi is connected but there is no internet. What does that mean?
Your device reaches the router, but the router does not reach your provider. That points to the router, the line or the provider, not your device. Restart the router, check the internet light, and call the provider if it stays red.
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