My internet is down — what do I do first?
Check a second device, then plug straight into the wall port — if a wired computer works, the problem is inside your home; if nothing works, call us at (617) 693-9434.
Work through this in order. It takes about five minutes and it tells you which half of the problem you're in.
- Try a second device. If one phone is offline and everything else works, the problem is that device. Turn its Wi-Fi off and on, or restart it.
- Go wired. Plug a laptop directly into the wall port with an Ethernet cable, bypassing your router entirely. If that works, your line is fine and the problem is your router or your Wi-Fi.
- Restart your router. Unplug it, wait 30 seconds, plug it back in, and give it two full minutes before testing. There is no modem to reset — we don't use one.
- Reseat the cables. Both ends, until they click. Check the wall port and the router's WAN port.
There is nothing at the wall to restart, and no lights to read. The wall port is a passive jack — no power, no indicator, no box. If you are hunting for a glowing unit to unplug, stop looking; there isn't one. Your router is the only thing in the chain you can restart, and step 3 already covered it.
That is a deliberate design rather than something missing. We do not put a modem or a powered ONT in your living space, which is why there is no humming box in a closet and nothing to reset when things go wrong.
- Check whether it's just you. See Check for an outage.
In-home problem: one device only, or everything works wired but not over Wi-Fi, or it started right after you changed a setting, moved the router, or added a device.
Network problem: every device is offline, including one plugged straight into the wall port, and nothing you changed explains it.
Stop and call. If a wired computer on the wall port still has no connection, more troubleshooting won't help. Call (617) 693-9434, Mon–Fri 8am–6pm ET. Have ready: your name and service address, whether you tested wired or on Wi-Fi, when it started, and what your own router's lights are doing — ours has none to report. Outside those hours the phone menu includes an option to report a service outage.
If that didn’t work
Call (617) 693-9434, or email [email protected] with your address and what you've already tried.
More in Troubleshooting
- How do I run an accurate speed test?
- Why is my speed test slower than my plan?
- How do I know if there's an outage in my area?
- Why is my streaming buffering?
- Why do my video calls and games lag?
Talk to us
Call (617) 693-9434, Monday to Friday 8am–6pm ET, or email [email protected]. We answer within 24 hours, and usually within an hour.
Boston Broadband is a service-area business serving Boston, Brookline and Cambridge, Massachusetts. There is no counter to walk up to — phone, email and your account at myaccount.bostonbroadband.com are the ways in.