The concept of rebooting away a problem is the cornerstone of all computer troubleshooting, but nowhere is it more true than in the area of DSL connectivity. If you find that your DSL connection is down, the first and best thing to do is to reboot your DSL modem. This will solve at least 90% of all DSL connection problems right away.

How is this accomplished? It’s pretty simple, actually. All you need to do is unplug the modem’s power, wait about 30 seconds, and then plug it back in. Wait another 45-60 seconds for the modem to run through its startup and you will hopefully be reconnected. The toughest part of this procedure can sometimes be finding the DSL modem, as it can get lost in a web of cables, hubs, routers, switches, etc. I spoke to a subscriber just a couple of weeks ago and we spent about 20 minutes on the phone running through a multitude of possibilities until we finally tracked down the DSL modem and rebooted it, which did indeed resolve their issue! One other note on rebooting – please make sure to avoid hitting the Reset button on the back of the modem, as that will erase the modem’s configuration, which we do not want to do unless absolutely necessary.

What if rebooting the modem doesn’t resolve the issue? Well, at that point you can definitely call our Support Staff at 303-546-9151 and we can help you investigate the issue further, but here are a few things to look out for. You can get some valuable clues from the lights on your modem. Unless you have a really old DSL modem like a Cisco 675/678 or an Actiontec 1520/1524, your modem will have lights that are labeled DSL, Internet, and Ethernet. Here is how the lights can help you:

The most important light is the DSL light. Under normal conditions, the light should be solid green. If the light is blinking at a regular rate, then there is almost certainly an issue with the phone line, because a blinking DSL light is the modem’s way of telling us that it does not think that it is plugged into a phone line with DSL capability on it. In this situation, we will want to consider any issues related to changes in phone service, phone filters, phone jacks, or possible Qwest outages.

If the  DSL light is solid green, move on to the Internet light. Under normal conditions, the Internet light will be solid green with some occasional twinkling. If the light is red, that is a solid indication that there is an issue with the modem’s configuration, most likely due to an incorrect username or password. If the Internet light is off, we will again want to look at possible phone line issues. In either case, give us a call and we will investigate with you.

Finally, if the DSL and Internet lights both look normal, you will want to look at the Ethernet light. Under normal conditions, this light will be a solid color (usually green or amber) with occasional twinkling. If the internet light is off, this means that there is a problem on your local network and that your modem is unable to communicate with your computer or router/hub/switch. You will then want to investigate any issues on your network that would be causing this lack of local connectivity.

Hopefully, these tips will prove helpful. As always, feel free to call us at 303-546-9151 if you need any help with your connection.