Broadband Outage: How to Check if the Internet is Down in Your Area

If you suspect there’s a major internet outage today or are experiencing internet issues near you, there are several quick steps you can take to identify the problem.

We'll explain how to check if the internet is down just for you or in your area, and provide tips on how to handle the outage and get back online.

What is an internet outage?

An internet outage is when there’s a temporary disruption in your broadband supply, which usually results in being unable to access the internet. 

These disruptions might be caused by something going wrong with your router or another piece of hardware, in which case it’s likely only your home that’s affected. Depending on the cause, it could extend through your neighbourhood or even wider areas across the country. 

Several different components are involved in powering a home with broadband, from the exchange to the cabinet on your street to your internet service provider’s (IPS’s) internal systems. This means an outage could be due to a fault with any part of the supply, sometimes making it difficult to isolate and resolve.

Why is my internet down?

There are a few different types of internet 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. Discover more reasons why your internet connection might be slow here.

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.

How long will an internet outage last for?

How long an internet outage lasts usually depends on what caused the disruption. Generally, more minor causes will be fixed shortly, and you’ll be up and running reasonably soon.

Uswitch’s 2025 Broadband Outage Report found that 15 million Brits (67%) experienced internet outages that lasted for three hours or more in the last year.

While many of these are resolved on the same day, damage to physical infrastructure — like underground cables or street cabinets — can lead to outages that last for days.

The time it takes to get back online can also vary depending on whether your home uses Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) or Fibre to the Premises (FTTP). FTTC relies on older copper wires to deliver broadband to your home, and it’s more susceptible to environmental damage and physical wear, which can sometimes lead to longer repair times. FTTP is generally more resilient.

How to check if your Wi-Fi is down at your property

If you suspect the internet outage is isolated to your home, there are a few checks you can do to try and resolve the problem yourself.

Check for signs of a local issue

Look at your modem and router: are all the usual lights on? Sometimes, a simple indicator can tell you if a service disruption is affecting the wider area or if the equipment isn’t working correctly.

Restart your equipment

One of the most common fixes is to restart your modem and router. Turn off both devices, wait a minute, and then turn them back on. Make sure your device is connected to your Wi-Fi network and that you can access the internet. Restarting your router or modem can often resolve minor connectivity issues caused by software errors or temporary disruptions.

Check your hardware for faults 

Make sure all the cables connected to your modem and router are secure and undamaged. Loose or damaged cables can also be the culprit behind connectivity issues.

Move your router 

Broadband signal strength can be affected by physical structures or metal objects that block or hinder the signal. Try moving your router to somewhere central in your home and adjusting the antennae to help improve the signal to your device. 

Contact your provider 

When you’ve completed all the above checks and are still not back online, it’s worth using Down Detector to check for any widespread service issues and whether they have been reported. 

If the problem is local to your property, you can contact your provider directly to request support.  They should be able to help troubleshoot the problem remotely or, if that fails, send you a new replacement router.

How to check if the internet is down in your area

If you’ve done the checks to determine if the problem is isolated to your property but the internet still isn’t working, the next step is to see if others are being affected, too.

There are two ways you can do this:

• Down Detector – The easiest and quickest way to check for service disruptions is by using the Down Detector website. It shows you a real-time overview of any reported outages, and you can search by your internet provider to understand whether one has affected your area. You can also report outages on the website and understand if others in your area have also been affected.

• Check your ISP’s website or social media – Broadband providers sometimes use their website or social media accounts to let their customers know about any sudden network issues.

Can you claim money back due to broadband outages in the UK?

If your internet is down for a prolonged period of time and it’s impacting your work, you may be able to claim some money back.

In the UK, you have certain rights that allow you to claim compensation for broadband outages, thanks to regulations enforced by Ofcom, the communications regulator.

Ofcom has set out clear guidelines that require ISPs to compensate customers if: 

• They experience an internet outage and loss of service that’s not been fixed after two days

• The engineer misses a scheduled appointment to fix the problem, or if it’s cancelled within 24 hours' notice

• An ISP agrees to start a new service on a scheduled date but fails to do so

Your provider should handle the compensation, so you don’t need to apply for it. It should be automatically added to your account. If you don’t get the compensation, you can make a claim by raising it with your provider; be sure to document a clear timeline of events and details about the duration of the outage and how it impacted you.

Providers have to sign up to Ofcom’s ‘automatic compensation’ scheme, and only customers of those providers are eligible for compensation. UW is one of these providers signed up and offering automatic compensation. Find out how our automatic compensation works here.

You can learn more about it and find the full list of providers here.

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