What causes an internet outage?
There are a few different types of outages. Localised outages impact a specific area – often just a street or single building – usually because of issues like damaged cables or a router failure. Regional or national outages affect much larger areas and are typically caused by more substantial failures in network equipment or extreme weather conditions that can damage part of an ISP's infrastructure.
Here are a few common causes of broadband outages:
Hardware problems
Sometimes, the root of the issue could be within your own home. Modems and routers can fail because of age, wear and tear, or power surges. Regular checks and resets of your equipment can help expand their lifespan, but sometimes a replacement might be needed if they’re beyond repair.
Faulty lines
Damaged infrastructure, such as severed cables, is a common culprit in disrupted internet service. They usually stem from construction work, regular maintenance, severe weather conditions, or simple wear and tear. There’s not much you can do if the cables are faulty, and your broadband will probably be down until an engineer comes out to fix them.
Scheduled maintenance
ISPs sometimes need to perform upgrades or maintenance on their networks, which can temporarily disrupt your service. Broadband providers should inform customers of any planned outages.
High network traffic
A lot of people trying to access the internet all at once can also impact your internet speed, like if a big sporting event is being streamed. High network traffic can cause ‘congestion’, which may lead to overloaded networks and much slower speeds. In some cases, it can even result in complete disconnection.
Natural disasters
Extreme weather – such as storms, floods, or earthquakes – can also damage cables and network stations that are part of the process of delivering internet service. These events can cause outages that may last until the affected infrastructure is repaired.