The wet season is fast approaching and we have already seen a little bit of rain this weekend which is playing havoc with peoples modems and routers.
Every year when it starts to rain we get a influx if phone calls form customers whose internet has gone down.
This is not a coincidence, and it really applies to people who get their internet from ADSL (old copper line technology) not NBN (National Broadband Network).
What happens is with the ADSL network which relies on the old pits you see around the street, fill up with water and either don’t come good again until the water dries up or maintenance crews come and fix the problem.
However, there are other circumstances which can affect your internet when there is lots of rain such as power surge, loss of power altogether, or human error while trying to resolve these problems.
First thing to do when internet goes down
The first thing you should do is check with your internet service or telecommunications provider the service is up.
It could be down on their end and if you mess with your modems configuration settings, when it comes back up, you might still not have any internet if you have made changes.
Your service provider will be able to tell you if their are any problems in your area, or if you are an isolated problem.
Make sure you can connect to the modem
You can search online for your particular modems IP address (you might have to use your phone or ask someone if your internet is down).
Once you know your modems IP address a simple command such as ping 10.0.0.138 using your computers terminal or command prompt will tell you if you are connected to your modem or not.
If your computer returns a ping, your internet is the problem most likely. Not your modem.
If it doesn’t return a ping, your modem is not working properly and might be damaged, or need to be reconfigured.
Reconfigure Settings
During storms it’s not unusual for power surges and other power related causes to change, damage or wipe the settings from your ADSL router.
Again, if you know your IP address and are able to use your computer to connect tot he modem, you might be able to re-ad your settings back into the modem/router if you know what they are.
Most modems require an Internet Service Provider specific Username and Password to connect to the internet. If yours are no longer in the router you will need to put them back in again.
If you do not know what they are, a simple call and probably a lengthy wait to your internet service provider will probably be able to tell you what they are.
Once entered back into your modem, you should be able to get back on the internet and start using it again.
Factory Reset
If you are unable to connect to the internet or even connect to your modem/router from your computer via wifi wireless or ethernet LAN cable, you might need to reset your modem.
Most routers have a factory reset switch pn them to the side or underneath which can reset your modem back to like the day it was manufactured.
Sometimes you have told hold the reset key down for up to 8 seconds, but it really depends on the type – again a simple google search from your phone will yield the result.
Once you have reset the modem, if it does not connect to the internet automatically you might have to insert your particular identification details again like mentioned above.
It could be out of your hands
If all the above fails it could be a couple of different things.
Your modem could be damaged and need to be replaced. If so, before buying a new one, if you have a spare or know someone who does, it wouldn’t hurt to try theirs to be sure, before going out and buying a new one.
There could be problems on the line. If your internet service provider says the connection is working and you have replaced your modem and reconfigured it, there could be problems on the line in the street or in some cases in your own home.
Most internet Service providers can only ensure the connection to your premises, but not in it. It is possible the lines inside your house may have been damaged or soaked in water causing the problems.
Knowing your internet settings
Most internet home and business will have three different usernames and passwords.
Its a lot to remember so its always a good idea to write them down somewhere and secure them for when you need them in circumstances like this.
If you do not know your settings and need to reset them all over again it will usually mean having to put the passwords back into each device you use in your home or business to access your service again.
Wireless passwords is a good example. If you change or reset your wireless password – each device will be unable to connect again such as computer, phone, tablet or television until you put the new wireless password in again.
Passwords you will need are:
Service Connection Username and Password – This is the account username and password provided to you by your internet service provider to access your service. It might look something like myname @iinet.net.au and password Fsds6GGl!.
This is the internet password you put in your router to allow it to connect to the service.
Note: Not all service providers require and use this but most do.
Modem/Router Username and Password – This is the username to get into your modem/router to make changes. Lets just say your router IP address is 10.0.0.138 again like most Telstra Bigpond router addresses are.
Typing this address into your web browser will gain you access to your modem to make changes, but without the username and password you wont be able to login and make changes.
Wireless Password – Without a wireless password you will not be able to connect to your router, unless you use a Ethernet cable. Your wireless password might be on the bottom of your modem, router wireless access point or on a card in the box your router arrived in.
If you do not know your wireless password, you can always plug an ethernet cable from your computer to your router and get in their to see or change your wireless password.
