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What to Check Before Blaming Your ISP for Every Internet Problem
Router & WiFiIntermediate20-30 minutes

What to Check Before Blaming Your ISP for Every Internet Problem

Difficulty
Intermediate
Time
20-30 minutes
Category
Router & WiFi

Internet slow or not working? Before you spend an hour on the phone with your ISP, check these things that are usually the real problem.

💡What's Happening

Your internet is slow, keeps dropping, or certain websites won't load. Your first instinct is to call your ISP and complain. And sometimes it really is their fault. But more often than you'd think, the problem is actually on your end - your router, your devices, or your home network setup. Here's how to diagnose the real culprit so you don't waste time fighting with ISP customer support.

✓Quick Checks (Do These First)

  • Restart your router and modem. Unplug both for 30 seconds, plug modem in first, wait for it to fully boot, then plug in router. This fixes 50% of issues.
  • Test with Ethernet. Connect directly to your router with a cable. If it works fine, your problem is WiFi-related, not your ISP.
  • Check ISP status page. Google "[your ISP] outage map" or check their website/app. They'll list known issues.
  • Try a different device. If your laptop is slow but your phone is fine, it's not the ISP.

🔧Step-by-Step Diagnostics

Fix 1: Test Your Actual Internet Speed

Determine if you're actually getting the speed you pay for.

  1. Connect your computer directly to the modem via Ethernet (bypass router)
  2. Close all programs and browser tabs
  3. Go to speedtest.net and run a test
  4. Compare results to your plan speed
    • Getting 90%+ of advertised speed? ISP is fine.
    • Getting 50-80%? Could be congestion or ISP issue.
    • Getting under 50%? Likely ISP problem or modem issue.
  5. Run the test 3 times at different times of day for accurate results

Fix 2: Identify WiFi vs Internet Issues

Figure out if it's your wireless signal or your actual internet connection.

  1. Run speedtest on WiFi from various locations in your house
  2. Run speedtest connected via Ethernet
  3. If Ethernet is fast but WiFi is slow:
    • Problem is WiFi coverage, interference, or router quality
    • Not the ISP's fault
  4. If both are slow:
    • Proceed to check modem and ISP connection

Fix 3: Check for Network Congestion (On Your End)

Make sure someone or something isn't hogging all your bandwidth.

  1. Log into your router's admin page
  2. Look for Device List, Connected Devices, or Client List
  3. Count how many devices are connected - you might be surprised
  4. Look for bandwidth usage if your router shows it
  5. Common bandwidth hogs:
    • Someone streaming 4K video
    • Windows/Mac downloading updates in background
    • Cloud backup services (Dropbox, OneDrive)
    • Game downloads (Steam, Xbox, PlayStation)
    • Security cameras uploading footage
  6. Pause these activities and test speed again

Fix 4: Verify DNS Isn't the Problem

DNS issues feel like internet problems but aren't.

  1. If websites won't load but you can ping 8.8.8.8, it's DNS
  2. Change your DNS servers to Google's or Cloudflare's:
    • Windows: Settings > Network > Change adapter options > Right-click adapter > Properties > IPv4 > Use these DNS servers: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
  3. Or change DNS in your router to affect all devices
  4. Try browsing again - if it works, your ISP's DNS servers are having issues

Fix 5: Check Modem Signal Levels

Your modem can tell you if the ISP connection is healthy.

  1. Access your modem's status page
    • Common addresses: 192.168.100.1, 192.168.0.1
    • Or Google "[your modem model] admin page address"
  2. Look for Signal Levels, Connection Status, or Diagnostics
  3. Check downstream power level: Should be between -10 to +10 dBmV
  4. Check SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio): Should be above 30 dB
  5. Look for uncorrectable errors: Should be zero or very low
  6. If numbers are out of range, there's a signal problem - cable issue or ISP problem

Fix 6: Test at Different Times

Determine if it's time-based congestion.

  1. Run speed tests at:
    • Early morning (6-7 AM)
    • Midday (12-1 PM)
    • Evening peak (7-9 PM)
    • Late night (11 PM - 1 AM)
  2. If speed is great off-peak but terrible at night:
    • ISP congestion in your area
    • They're overselling bandwidth
    • Legitimate ISP complaint
  3. If speed is consistently bad:
    • Hardware problem or signal issue

⚠️If Nothing Worked

If you've verified the problem is on the ISP's end, gather your evidence before calling. Have screenshots of speed tests, modem signal levels, and specific times you experienced issues. This gives customer support concrete data to work with instead of "it's just slow." Ask for a tech to check the line from the pole/street to your house - that's often where cable internet problems hide.

📞When to Call a Pro

If you're consistently not getting the speeds you pay for and the ISP claims everything is fine on their end, a local tech can verify the problem and provide documentation you can use with the ISP. Sometimes having a third-party professional confirm the issue gets better results from customer support than you can alone.

Need Professional Help?

If you're in the Tampa Bay area, Geeks in Sneaks provides friendly, on-site tech support in Clearwater, Clearwater Beach, and Dunedin. We can diagnose network issues and help you get what you're paying for from your ISP.

Schedule a Visit

Related Topics

routertroubleshootinginternet-speedispdiagnosticsadvanced

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