How To Troubleshoot When your Internet Connection Is Not Working

We often face a lot of issues with our internet connection . Sometimes it goes down and we start to wonder where the problems lies , we think its something wrong with the pc , or with the router , or with the line . A lot of thoughts come to our minds , but we are not sure where exactly the problem lies . So some of us start troubleshooting , by ourselves , we reset the router , reinstall windows etc only to later realize that it was a problem with our ISP . But it need not be an ISP issue always . Here's a small guide on troubleshooting :

This guide can be helpful for almost any ISP be it airtel,bsnl,mtnl etc . So here's what you could do when you have internet problems :

Step 1 : Firstly try restarting your modem , try this 2-3 times giving a 5 minute gap , if things work out , good for you :)
Step 2 : If you still face an issue , try checking whether the ADSL LED (usually the one next to POWER LED ) is stable .If it is ,go to Step 4 , if not proceed
Step 3 : Pick up your telephone and see if you hear a dial tone . If you dont hear a dialtone , it means your phone isnt working and hence your internet , call your ISP and make a complaint.If you do hear a dial tone . Proceed to next step
Step 4 : Login to your modem ( http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1 ) and check your STATUS page , if it says PPP down or Authentication Failure , Its again an ISP issue call your ISP and mention this ERROR directly.If unable to login proceed to next step . If you see CONNECTED or a VALID IP , proceed to Step 6.
Step 5 : If your unable to login to your modem , then ensure that your machine has a valid ip address ( ipconfig output from command prompt of windows OR ifconfig output from terminal of linux ).If you dont have a valid ip(192.168.0.x or 192.168.1.x) , insert static ip ( CLICK HERE ) and then try. If still no access to modem , RESET your modem and configure again (CLICK HERE) - This is the last resort , you know have to have access to your modem , then follow steps 2,3 again
Step 6 : If you get a valid ip in your modem , and still no internet , then its an issue with your PC , either a firewall is blocking you or your DNS servers aren't set right.

Hopefully this should help you get an idea as to where exactly the problem is.