HOW TO STAY ONLINE WHEN YOU LOSE CONNECTION
If your favourite site or whole connection stops working, don't panic. Here we explain how to survive website and internet outages.
There have been several major web outages, affecting big companies including Google, the BBC and Facebook, which proves that it's not just small sites that go offline because of "technical problems" or traffic surges. Losing the web - whether it's your whole connection going down or a specific website not working - can be very frustrating and inconvenient, especially when you don't know what's causing the problem. In this article, we reveal how you can get back online as quickly as possible, or at least continue with what you were doing before the internet failed. Below, we show you how to diagnose service problems, switch to another connection, adjust your browser settings and access cached content. By following our advice, you'll know exactly what to do the next time you lose your connection so you needn't let internet downtime get you down.
Diagnose Service Problems
1. Reboot your router
Hardware glitches are the most common cause of web problems, so if the Internet stops working, the very first thing you should do is reset your router. Unplug it, wait for 10-15 seconds, then plug it back in. It will take a while for the router to go through all its start-up checks, so be patient. If you still can't connect after five minutes, it's probably not the router that's at fault. In any case, you should reset your router fairly regularly to avoid problems.
2. Try a different Wi-Fi channel
Wi-Fi routers broadcast on channels, so it's possible that a lost or slow Internet connection may be due to too many of your neighbours' routers being on the same channel. To change to another channel, you'll need to go to your router's configuration page in your browser. The web address for this is usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, or another IP address that should be on the bottom of the router. The username and password should either both be admin or the password should be password or blank. If not, try Googling your router's manufacturer and search for router login details. Once you're logged in, choose Setup. Wireless Settings (or similar), then choose a new channel from the drop-down menu and click Save. Hopefully, you'll find that switching to another channel restores your high-speed connection.
3. Find and fix PC problems
If you're having trouble accessing the internet wirelessly, try a wired connection (Ethernet) to identify whether it's the WI-Fi that's the problem. You can attempt to fix your wireless connection by right-clicking the network icon in the System Tray and selecting 'Troubleshoot problems'. Follow the steps in the Windows Network Diagnostics window. Some laptops have a sliding switch on the front that allows Wi-Fi to be toggled on or off. This can accidentally get knocked, which may be why you can't connect to the Internet. The old advice about turning your PC off and on again is also worth following.
4. Check that your cables are secure
Another potential reason for problems with your Internet connection is a cable coming loose from its socket. It sounds obvious, but you should check all the wires going in and out of your PC and router are properly connected. Unplug any Ethernet cables and then plug them back in, making sure they click firmly into place. It's surprising how many baffling technical faults are actually caused by loose cables and could have been resolved instantly!
5. Check for problems with your ISP
If your hardware seems to be plugged in and working correctly, it's likely that your lost connection is the fault of your Internet service provider. You can use your mobile phone, a wireless hotspot or someone else's broadband to check if there are any known problems in your area, by going to your ISP's service status page. For example, if you get your broadband from BT, you can check the status at www.bt.com/help/servicestatus. Click the 'Broadband and Email' tab and enter a valid BT telephone number. You can also browse the list of known problems across the UK. To deal with future problems, it's worth downloading BT's free troubleshooting tool, BT Desktop Help, which you can get for PC or Mac from.
If you're a Virgin Media customer, head to https://my.virginmedia.com/faults/service-status and enter your postcode, account details or Virgin Media phone number to view the current service status in your area. If no problems are listed, you can run a broadband test that will check your Virgin Media services and equipment. Sky broadband customers can get service updates from servicestatus.sky.com, while TalkTalk customers should go to my.talktalk.co.uk/servicecertre.
6. Find out if a site is really down
If a single website won't load, it's easy to assume there's a problem at the site owner's end, but that's often not the case. If a site won't work, you can check to see if other users are having the same problem. IsUp.Me (isup.me) is a simple tool that lets you enter the web address of any site to find out if it's down for everyone or just you. There's also a handy new website called Downdetector (downdetector.co.uk). It shows you if popular sites and services are experiencing any setbacks, based on tweets that mention problems with them. You can also report any technical difficulties you're experiencing, and view explanations and excuses from companies' customer-service teams.
Switch To Another Connection
1. Change the DNS server
DNS (Domain Name System) is used to translate site names into IP addresses, so that they can be understood by web servers and internet routers. If the DNS server you use is having problems, your browser won't be able to take you to a website when you enter its URL. Try using a site's IP address to load it instead. To find out this information, click Start, type CMD into the search box (Windows 8+ users can just type CMD at the Start screen) and hit Enter to open Command Prompt. Type ping web address, replacing 'web address' with the site name (ping facebook.com for example). Hit Enter to see the IP address for that site (31.13.90.17 in the case of Facebook). Type this into the address bar and see if you can access the website that way. If you can, consider changing your current DNS to a different one using a tool such as QuickSetDNS (www.nirsoft.net). You can always switch back to your original DNS server in the future.
2. Browse the web on your mobile
Even if you can't access your home broadband, you can still browse the web using your mobile phone's 3G or 4G connection. A lot of sites have special mobile versions which are optimised for viewing on the smaller screen and don't require as much bandwidth (and therefore won't chomp through any data allowance you have). There's also a chance that a mobile version of a site may work, even when the Desktop version is inaccessible. Similarly, if a website appears to be down, is possible that its app may still be working, so you may be able to continue browsing it from your phone. It's certainly worth installing the apps for big names such as Amazon, Facebook and eBay, just to give you an alternative way to connect if their sites go offline.
3. Tether your phone's 3G/4G connection
If your broadband isn't working, you can use your smartphone's cellular connection as a hotspot. Other devices, such as your tablet, can then connect to it to get online. On an iPhone, go to Settings, Personal Hotspot and turn the feature on. Connect to the new hotspot using the generated password. The process on Android phones varies depending on the make, model and version of the OS you're running. Try going to Settings, Wireless & Networks and open More Settings Select Tethering & Portable Hotspot, then Activate Portable Wi-Fi Hotspots. Remember that your mobile provider is likely to charge you for data access (unless you have a generous data allowance in your plan), so you should only use your phone's connection for simple tasks, such as checking email, and save downloading files for when your home connection returns.
There have been several major web outages, affecting big companies including Google, the BBC and Facebook, which proves that it's not just small sites that go offline because of "technical problems" or traffic surges. Losing the web - whether it's your whole connection going down or a specific website not working - can be very frustrating and inconvenient, especially when you don't know what's causing the problem. In this article, we reveal how you can get back online as quickly as possible, or at least continue with what you were doing before the internet failed. Below, we show you how to diagnose service problems, switch to another connection, adjust your browser settings and access cached content. By following our advice, you'll know exactly what to do the next time you lose your connection so you needn't let internet downtime get you down.
Diagnose Service Problems
1. Reboot your router
Hardware glitches are the most common cause of web problems, so if the Internet stops working, the very first thing you should do is reset your router. Unplug it, wait for 10-15 seconds, then plug it back in. It will take a while for the router to go through all its start-up checks, so be patient. If you still can't connect after five minutes, it's probably not the router that's at fault. In any case, you should reset your router fairly regularly to avoid problems.
2. Try a different Wi-Fi channel
Wi-Fi routers broadcast on channels, so it's possible that a lost or slow Internet connection may be due to too many of your neighbours' routers being on the same channel. To change to another channel, you'll need to go to your router's configuration page in your browser. The web address for this is usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, or another IP address that should be on the bottom of the router. The username and password should either both be admin or the password should be password or blank. If not, try Googling your router's manufacturer and search for router login details. Once you're logged in, choose Setup. Wireless Settings (or similar), then choose a new channel from the drop-down menu and click Save. Hopefully, you'll find that switching to another channel restores your high-speed connection.
3. Find and fix PC problems
If you're having trouble accessing the internet wirelessly, try a wired connection (Ethernet) to identify whether it's the WI-Fi that's the problem. You can attempt to fix your wireless connection by right-clicking the network icon in the System Tray and selecting 'Troubleshoot problems'. Follow the steps in the Windows Network Diagnostics window. Some laptops have a sliding switch on the front that allows Wi-Fi to be toggled on or off. This can accidentally get knocked, which may be why you can't connect to the Internet. The old advice about turning your PC off and on again is also worth following.
4. Check that your cables are secure
Another potential reason for problems with your Internet connection is a cable coming loose from its socket. It sounds obvious, but you should check all the wires going in and out of your PC and router are properly connected. Unplug any Ethernet cables and then plug them back in, making sure they click firmly into place. It's surprising how many baffling technical faults are actually caused by loose cables and could have been resolved instantly!
5. Check for problems with your ISP
If your hardware seems to be plugged in and working correctly, it's likely that your lost connection is the fault of your Internet service provider. You can use your mobile phone, a wireless hotspot or someone else's broadband to check if there are any known problems in your area, by going to your ISP's service status page. For example, if you get your broadband from BT, you can check the status at www.bt.com/help/servicestatus. Click the 'Broadband and Email' tab and enter a valid BT telephone number. You can also browse the list of known problems across the UK. To deal with future problems, it's worth downloading BT's free troubleshooting tool, BT Desktop Help, which you can get for PC or Mac from.
If you're a Virgin Media customer, head to https://my.virginmedia.com/faults/service-status and enter your postcode, account details or Virgin Media phone number to view the current service status in your area. If no problems are listed, you can run a broadband test that will check your Virgin Media services and equipment. Sky broadband customers can get service updates from servicestatus.sky.com, while TalkTalk customers should go to my.talktalk.co.uk/servicecertre.
6. Find out if a site is really down
If a single website won't load, it's easy to assume there's a problem at the site owner's end, but that's often not the case. If a site won't work, you can check to see if other users are having the same problem. IsUp.Me (isup.me) is a simple tool that lets you enter the web address of any site to find out if it's down for everyone or just you. There's also a handy new website called Downdetector (downdetector.co.uk). It shows you if popular sites and services are experiencing any setbacks, based on tweets that mention problems with them. You can also report any technical difficulties you're experiencing, and view explanations and excuses from companies' customer-service teams.
Switch To Another Connection
1. Change the DNS server
DNS (Domain Name System) is used to translate site names into IP addresses, so that they can be understood by web servers and internet routers. If the DNS server you use is having problems, your browser won't be able to take you to a website when you enter its URL. Try using a site's IP address to load it instead. To find out this information, click Start, type CMD into the search box (Windows 8+ users can just type CMD at the Start screen) and hit Enter to open Command Prompt. Type ping web address, replacing 'web address' with the site name (ping facebook.com for example). Hit Enter to see the IP address for that site (31.13.90.17 in the case of Facebook). Type this into the address bar and see if you can access the website that way. If you can, consider changing your current DNS to a different one using a tool such as QuickSetDNS (www.nirsoft.net). You can always switch back to your original DNS server in the future.
2. Browse the web on your mobile
Even if you can't access your home broadband, you can still browse the web using your mobile phone's 3G or 4G connection. A lot of sites have special mobile versions which are optimised for viewing on the smaller screen and don't require as much bandwidth (and therefore won't chomp through any data allowance you have). There's also a chance that a mobile version of a site may work, even when the Desktop version is inaccessible. Similarly, if a website appears to be down, is possible that its app may still be working, so you may be able to continue browsing it from your phone. It's certainly worth installing the apps for big names such as Amazon, Facebook and eBay, just to give you an alternative way to connect if their sites go offline.
3. Tether your phone's 3G/4G connection
If your broadband isn't working, you can use your smartphone's cellular connection as a hotspot. Other devices, such as your tablet, can then connect to it to get online. On an iPhone, go to Settings, Personal Hotspot and turn the feature on. Connect to the new hotspot using the generated password. The process on Android phones varies depending on the make, model and version of the OS you're running. Try going to Settings, Wireless & Networks and open More Settings Select Tethering & Portable Hotspot, then Activate Portable Wi-Fi Hotspots. Remember that your mobile provider is likely to charge you for data access (unless you have a generous data allowance in your plan), so you should only use your phone's connection for simple tasks, such as checking email, and save downloading files for when your home connection returns.
4. Find free Wi-Fi nearby
You can find free wireless hotspots almost anywhere these days, including hotels, shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants, so you shouldn't have to stray too far from home in search of free Internet. If you're a BT, EE, Orange or T-Mobile customer, you can get free BT Wi-Fi. Use the Hotspot finder (www.btwifi.com/find) on your phone to view nearby hotspots on a map. There are more than five million in the UK. Sky customers get free access to The Cloud. Find your nearest hotspots by visiting www.hotspotfinder.thecloud.net/consumer. O2 also offers free Wi-Fi and you don't need to be an O2 customer to use its hotspots, which you can locate at www.o2wifi.co.uk/hotspots.
You can find free wireless hotspots almost anywhere these days, including hotels, shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants, so you shouldn't have to stray too far from home in search of free Internet. If you're a BT, EE, Orange or T-Mobile customer, you can get free BT Wi-Fi. Use the Hotspot finder (www.btwifi.com/find) on your phone to view nearby hotspots on a map. There are more than five million in the UK. Sky customers get free access to The Cloud. Find your nearest hotspots by visiting www.hotspotfinder.thecloud.net/consumer. O2 also offers free Wi-Fi and you don't need to be an O2 customer to use its hotspots, which you can locate at www.o2wifi.co.uk/hotspots.
5. Ask your neighbours if you can use their Wi-Fi
Unless you live in a detached house some distance away from your closest neighbour, the chances are that when you search for local wireless networks, you'll see several options pop up. If you're on good terms with your neighbours, ask if they'll grant you temporary access to their connection (they can always change their password before and after) and offer to return the favour if they should find themselves in a similar situation. Obviously, you shouldn't abuse the privilege by downloading hefty files and you should expect the connection to occasionally drop if you're accessing their Wi-Fi from your own home, because the intervening walls will block it. Bear in mind that if your neighbours use the same ISP as you, they may also be without a connection.
Unless you live in a detached house some distance away from your closest neighbour, the chances are that when you search for local wireless networks, you'll see several options pop up. If you're on good terms with your neighbours, ask if they'll grant you temporary access to their connection (they can always change their password before and after) and offer to return the favour if they should find themselves in a similar situation. Obviously, you shouldn't abuse the privilege by downloading hefty files and you should expect the connection to occasionally drop if you're accessing their Wi-Fi from your own home, because the intervening walls will block it. Bear in mind that if your neighbours use the same ISP as you, they may also be without a connection.
Browse Cached Content
1. Use the Wayback Machine
The Wayback Machine (archive.org) stores copies of websites going back several years. Its archive includes more than 423 billion pages, which you can access if the site you want to browse isn't currently available. Enter a web address and click Browse History. On the calendar that appears, days with cached content are denoted with blue circles - the bigger the circle, the more versions of a page there are. Select a snapshot to view the site as it was then.
2. View Google's Cached Content
The Wayback Machine (archive.org) stores copies of websites going back several years. Its archive includes more than 423 billion pages, which you can access if the site you want to browse isn't currently available. Enter a web address and click Browse History. On the calendar that appears, days with cached content are denoted with blue circles - the bigger the circle, the more versions of a page there are. Select a snapshot to view the site as it was then.
2. View Google's Cached Content
Google makes a copy of web pages as it indexes them. If the site you're searching for has gone down, you'll be able to view individual pages from this cache. Use Google to search for the site by name, click the down arrow next to the site address in the results and select Cached. Alternatively, go to http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://website.com - replacing 'website.com' with the site you want to view.
3. Check several cache sources
If you cant find the site or page you want in the Wayback Machine or Google's cache, don't give up - there are other places to try. Both ViewCached (www.viewcached.com) and CachedPages (www.cachedpages.com) let you search for a site and choose a cached source. Options include Google, Bing, Yahoo and Coral CDN (Content Distribution Network).
Adjust Your Browser Settings
If you cant find the site or page you want in the Wayback Machine or Google's cache, don't give up - there are other places to try. Both ViewCached (www.viewcached.com) and CachedPages (www.cachedpages.com) let you search for a site and choose a cached source. Options include Google, Bing, Yahoo and Coral CDN (Content Distribution Network).
Adjust Your Browser Settings
1. Disable troublesome add-ons
Sometimes your web woes can be down to a misbehaving add-on. Try disabling any suspect ones. We've had problems on more than one occasion when a site wouldn't display properly because of Adblock Plus or other content-blocking add-ons. In Firefox, click the menu button (three lines, top-right) and go to Add-ons. In Chrome, click the menu button and go to Tools, Extensions to find and disable add-ons. You can also start your browser with add-ons disabled. In Firefox, click the menu button, click Help and select 'Restart with Add-ons Disabled'. In Chrome, simply open the browser in Incognito mode to disable all your add-ons.
Sometimes your web woes can be down to a misbehaving add-on. Try disabling any suspect ones. We've had problems on more than one occasion when a site wouldn't display properly because of Adblock Plus or other content-blocking add-ons. In Firefox, click the menu button (three lines, top-right) and go to Add-ons. In Chrome, click the menu button and go to Tools, Extensions to find and disable add-ons. You can also start your browser with add-ons disabled. In Firefox, click the menu button, click Help and select 'Restart with Add-ons Disabled'. In Chrome, simply open the browser in Incognito mode to disable all your add-ons.
2. Clear your browser's cache
When you visit a website, your browser stores content (such as HTML pages and images) to speed up loading on subsequent visits. A corrupted browser cache can cause problems, such as displaying pages incorrectly. You can easily remedy this by clearing the cache. In Firefox, click the menu button and choose Options. Click the Advanced panel, click the Network tab and select Clear Now in the Cached Web Content section. In Chrome, open the menu, go to Tools and select 'Clear browsing data'. In the window that opens, make sure 'the beginning of time' is selected, as well as 'Cached images and files', then click 'Clear browsing data'. In IE, open the menu, go to Internet Options and click Delete under Browsing History.
When you visit a website, your browser stores content (such as HTML pages and images) to speed up loading on subsequent visits. A corrupted browser cache can cause problems, such as displaying pages incorrectly. You can easily remedy this by clearing the cache. In Firefox, click the menu button and choose Options. Click the Advanced panel, click the Network tab and select Clear Now in the Cached Web Content section. In Chrome, open the menu, go to Tools and select 'Clear browsing data'. In the window that opens, make sure 'the beginning of time' is selected, as well as 'Cached images and files', then click 'Clear browsing data'. In IE, open the menu, go to Internet Options and click Delete under Browsing History.
3. Reset your browser
You can fix most, if not all, browser problems by restoring the software to its default state. In Firefox, click the menu button, then click Help, Troubleshooting Information and click the Reset Firefox button. In Chrome, click the menu button, go to Settings, click the 'Show advanced settings' link, scroll to the bottom and click 'Reset browser settings'. In Internet Explorer, click the cog icon, choose Internet Options, select the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button.
You can fix most, if not all, browser problems by restoring the software to its default state. In Firefox, click the menu button, then click Help, Troubleshooting Information and click the Reset Firefox button. In Chrome, click the menu button, go to Settings, click the 'Show advanced settings' link, scroll to the bottom and click 'Reset browser settings'. In Internet Explorer, click the cog icon, choose Internet Options, select the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button.
It May Seem Obvious, But...
1. Try refreshing the page
If a website is down, it may only be a very temporary problem. With that in mind, you might be able to access it by trying to reload the page. You can click the Reload button which you'll find near the address bar, but a quicker method is simply to press the F5 key on your keyboard. Don't hammer it though - if a website is trying to come back from an outage (particularly a Distributed Denial of Service attack), all its users repeatedly refreshing pages will just cause it further problems.
If a website is down, it may only be a very temporary problem. With that in mind, you might be able to access it by trying to reload the page. You can click the Reload button which you'll find near the address bar, but a quicker method is simply to press the F5 key on your keyboard. Don't hammer it though - if a website is trying to come back from an outage (particularly a Distributed Denial of Service attack), all its users repeatedly refreshing pages will just cause it further problems.
2. Try a different browser
Sometimes it's a problem with your browser, not the Internet, that's preventing pages from loading. You can check whether this is the case by trying a different browser. Many web users have more than one installed, and most have Internet Explorer on their PCs, even if they don't use it.
Sometimes it's a problem with your browser, not the Internet, that's preventing pages from loading. You can check whether this is the case by trying a different browser. Many web users have more than one installed, and most have Internet Explorer on their PCs, even if they don't use it.
3. Try an alternative site
If a favourite website has gone down, it's the perfect opportunity to see if you can find an alternative that's similar and as good (if not better). It's very rare for Google search to go down but if it does, you can try Bing. If you can't access BBC News, try CNN.com instead. You can use Similar Site Search (www.similarsitesearch.com) to find the best alternatives. Enter the site you like, and it will return the closest matches.
If a favourite website has gone down, it's the perfect opportunity to see if you can find an alternative that's similar and as good (if not better). It's very rare for Google search to go down but if it does, you can try Bing. If you can't access BBC News, try CNN.com instead. You can use Similar Site Search (www.similarsitesearch.com) to find the best alternatives. Enter the site you like, and it will return the closest matches.
Give up and go outside!
As inconvenient as the Internet going down can be, sometimes it's a blessing in disguise and will give you the opportunity to take a break from your screen(s) and go for a walk outside, to get some fresh air and a little exercise. It's certainly better than waiting around for the internet to eventually come back on. And you can always walk, cycle or drive to somewhere offering free Wi-Fi if you really need to get online.
Check out our article on New Ways To Block Irritating Ads
As inconvenient as the Internet going down can be, sometimes it's a blessing in disguise and will give you the opportunity to take a break from your screen(s) and go for a walk outside, to get some fresh air and a little exercise. It's certainly better than waiting around for the internet to eventually come back on. And you can always walk, cycle or drive to somewhere offering free Wi-Fi if you really need to get online.
Check out our article on New Ways To Block Irritating Ads
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