What Causes Internet Outages? 5 Common Ways

Even though the internet plays a major role in our daily lives – it can still be surprising to see it go offline.

But what causes internet outages – and is there anything you can do to troubleshoot?

While your ISP has more control over your connection, depending on the type of outage, there may be a few steps you can take.

Equipment Malfunctions

The simplest cause, and solution, is that either your modem or Wi-Fi router isn’t working.

Try taking these steps first if your internet suddenly goes down.

–       Reboot and troubleshoot your equipment. If necessary, call your ISP’s customer service for support.

–       Optimize the location of your router in your home.

–       Check the age of your equipment, it may be time to replace your router.

Tachus customers can expect 24/7 customer support and quick replacements for any equipment that’s not meeting expectations.

What if it’s not my Router?

If you’re sure there are no issues with your equipment, you should figure out if service is down in your community.

You can reach out to your internet provider if you haven’t yet. But if there really is an outage, you might be on hold for a while.

Go to downdetector.com and type in your provider’s name. It will tell you how many other people in your area are reporting outages with that provider.

Weather

Weather is a very common cause of network outages—that’s especially true in Texas. A thunderstorm or winter freeze is often enough to take down internet connections. If you lose your internet connection during or after harsh weather conditions, it’s likely not a coincidence.

If you know harsh weather is on the way, be sure to prepare your most important devices.

This is especially likely to happen with cable internet lines.

Fiber-optic cables are much sturdier and far less susceptible to severe weather conditions. Likewise, fiber optic networks like Tachus are built with backup generators at each community cabinet, ensuring reliable connections when they’re needed the most.

Animals

Yes, you read that right. Both power outages and internet outages have a history of being caused by animals—namely birds and squirrels. Any aerial or exposed power or communications lines are open to squirrel-induced attacks.

Since fiber optic cable is buried underground, it is much more resistant to Mother Nature’s fiercest warriors.

Severed Lines

Even though buried fiber-optic lines are weather-resistant, they’re still susceptible to accidents.

Severed lines can be caused by several reasons, such as:

–      Construction damage

–      Digging into buried cables

–      Car accidents

–      Components degrading

While utility companies place flags and markings to identify their underground equipment, sometime accidents can still happen.

Fiber networks are often built with redundancy in mind. Meaning that the network is designed to continue functioning if a part were to fail.

If you’re in Texas, to avoid damaging buried utility lines near you, call 811 before you dig!

Network Congestion

Does your ISP’s network slow to a crawl or fail to connect during the evenings?

That’s because the network is likely too congested to provide decent bandwidth. When too many users crowd the network during peak hours, internet slowdowns can become nearly routine.

Be on the lookout for these slowdowns and run a speed test if one occurs.

If you’re unable to get the speeds you need, try using an ethernet cable directly to your device for a more direct connection.

With a 100% fiber-optic network, Tachus customers can be assured that there’s always bandwidth available for their community.

Hacking and Security Breaches

The threat of cyber-attacks only grows as our personal data becomes more vulnerable online. While being vigilant with your own digital footprint is crucial, ISPs and other corporations are no stranger to massive security breaches.

These attacks can take a service completely offline while leaking sensitive information about users. In recent years we’ve seen massive data breaches and service outages with attacks against Sony, 23 & Me, and Change Healthcare, just to name a few.

The best way to defend yourself against cyber-attacks is to be proactive:

–      Never reuse passwords

–      Only use strong passwords

–      Regularly update your passwords

–      Consider using a VPN

–      Utilize 2-Factor Authentication on your accounts

–      Enable fraud protection with your bank & credit cards

Be aware of when data breaches occur and act if your data could be compromised. If your ISP was hit by an attack, be sure to change your passwords for you online accounts and router.

How Reliable is your Internet?

While most internet outages are out of your control, they’re not completely out of your ISP’s control.

How sure are you that your ISP is doing the most to keep you connected with the speeds you need?

Tachus Fiber Internet provides a solution to the many outage issues you may run into:

–       Customer service to provide 24/7 support for malfunctioning equipment.

–       100% fiber-optic network, buried underground and engineered to withstand mother nature.

–       Close relationships with utility providers to ensure a seamless construction process

–       Plenty of bandwidth to support your community, even duringpeak hours

–       Sophisticated security and privacy to keep your important information safe.

By taking precautions against potential outage issues, Tachus provides an ultra-reliable internet service that guarantees consistent speeds with no slowdowns or interruptions. Stream, work, and game with no lagging, no wait times, and no worries.

Stay connected and sign up with Tachus today!