How To Troubleshoot and Report a DSL Connection Issue
How To Troubleshoot and Report a DSL Connection Issue
If you are having trouble with your DSL Internet connection, make sure that your location, and surrounding area, has power. If there has been a power outage in your area, please wait until power has been restored, THEN, if your DSL service is not working, perform these steps:
- Power off, and back on, all of your equipment, including your DSL modem, router, and computers or other devices. Wait five (5) minutes to see if your DSL service is working. If it’s still not working, continue to the next step.
- Make a note of the status of the lights on your DSL modem and router. Specifically, take note of which lights are on, off, or flashing.
- If you have a home phone line from Verizon, check your home landline telephone service. Do you get a dial-tone, and are you able to make and receive calls? Make a note of this. If you have no dial-tone on your landline telephone, report the no-dial-tone issue to the telephone company. If you use Verizon, their support number is 1-800-837-4966. Once the no-dial-tone issue is resolved, your DSL should start working, again. If not, continue to the next step.
- If your DSL/Ready light is not on (solid), make sure that you have aDSL micro filters installed on all of your phone devices (except for the DSL modem). Make sure that there is no aDSL micro filter installed on the DSL modem. If these steps have been taken and the modem’s DSL/Ready light fails to turn on (solid), attempt to isolate the line and see if it stays in sync (DSL/Ready light should turn on solid) after the isolation. To isolate the line you will have to disconnect all phones, fax, and anything else that is connected to the phone line, then plug the modem directly to the phone jack. Contact our office for help with this step, if necessary.
- Contact us to report that your DSL Internet service is not working. E-mail us, from an alternate Internet connection, such as from a smartphone with cellular data, or call our office (757-253-7621), and leave a message. Provide ALL of the information, you made a note of, from the previous steps, above. Also include as much of the following information as possible:
- Your name
- Your account number, if known
- Your home/office telephone number
- Your DSL telephone number, if different
- Your cellphone number, state if it is a smartphone, and provide the name of the cellular carrier (ie. Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T)
- Your e-mail address
- If you live in a subdivision, or named neighborhood, which one?
- The status of the lights on your DSL modem and router
Slow Internet? Watch Out for High Bandwidth Consuming Apps!
Has your Internet speed suddenly become unusually slow? Have you asked your Internet provider to test your connection, but found no connection issues? One of the apps, on one of your devices (computers, smartphones, tablets, etc.), may be consuming all of your available Internet upload or download bandwidth.
Advice for DSL Users with Windows 10 and Suddenly Slow Internet
(Updates added to the bottom of article)
DSL users may find that their Internet connection seems much slower once they have upgraded a computer to Windows 10, or purchased a new computer with Windows 10. This may be due to Windows 10 downloading updates or sharing updates using what Microsoft calls Windows Update Delivery Optimization.