My DSL internet is not working

Do not press Reset on your modem or router. A reset can erase your service settings. We will only unplug the power and plug it back in.

These photos show real equipment. Yours may look different.

1 Try another device

Try opening a website on another phone, tablet, or computer connected to your home Wi-Fi.

If using a phone, turn off mobile data for this test.

The other device works: Turn Wi-Fi off and back on on the device having trouble. Reconnect to your home Wi-Fi and try again.

Neither device works: Continue below.

2 Check the power and phone cable

Make sure your modem has power. If you have a separate router, check its power too.

Check the small phone cable between your modem and the wall phone outlet. Make sure both ends are firmly plugged in.

At the modem, it belongs in the port marked DSL, ADSL, or Line.

Left: phone cable plug. Right: example modem. Its DSL port is on the left, Ethernet is yellow, and power is on the right. Leave the Reset hole alone.

Photos: Shaddack, public domain, phone cable; Feureau, modem, CC BY-SA 3.0.

3 Check the modem lights

Look at the Power, DSL/ADSL/Broadband, and Internet lights, if your modem has them.

Write down which lights are solid, flashing, or off, and their colours. A photo helps too.

The DSL light normally stays solid once the modem connects to the line. If it stays off or keeps flashing, the modem may not be connecting to the line. Continue with the checks below.

4 Check the connection to your router

If your modem and router are one box, skip this step.

Check the Ethernet cable between your modem and router. Both ends should click into place.

It should run from a LAN/Ethernet port on the modem to the WAN/Internet port on the router.

An Ethernet plug is wider than a phone cable plug. Photo: www.heimnetzwerke.net, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

5 Restart the modem and router

Unplug the power only. Do not press Reset.

1.       Unplug the power from your modem and separate router.

2.       Wait 30 seconds.

3.       Plug the modem's power back in first. Give it up to five minutes to connect.

4.       Plug the router's power back in. Wait two minutes.

Only have one box? Unplug its power, wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in. Give it up to five minutes.

6 Try the internet again

Reconnect to your home Wi-Fi and open a website.

If it still does not work, check the modem lights again. Tell us if anything changed after the restart.

Still need help? We're here.

Use mobile data, if available, to open a Support ticket in the customer portal.

Please include:

·         When the internet stopped working.

·         Whether all devices are affected.

·         Your modem light status, or a clear photo.

·         What you tried, including the power restart.

Leave your modem and router powered on so we can help check the connection. Do not press Reset.

Our hours of operation are:

Monday-Friday 8:00am - 6:00pm EST

Technical reference: TP-Link DSL light troubleshooting.