In a recent report by Climate Central, it was shown that power outages in the past 10 years have increased by 64% compared with the previous decade. From 2000 to 2021, 83% of reported power outages were caused by a weather-related event. These ranged from wildfires to tornadoes and hurricanes. There’s only so much you can do to protect your internet and power from the forces of Mother Nature. But you can learn how to troubleshoot an outage and cure an internet hangover.
Keep reading to learn how to check for a CenturyLink outage and what the Troubleshoot tool can do for you.
What is an internet hangover?
After an internet or power outage, you want to get back online as quickly as possible. Still, your modem might have trouble connecting. This is what’s known as an internet hangover. To fix this, all you need to do is unplug your modem, wait for one minute, and plug it back in.
But even after your internet hangover is cured, you probably want to know why you experienced an outage and how to troubleshoot future issues.
Why are you experiencing an outage?
When your internet service stops working, it’s usually for one of these reasons:
- Area outage: A problem with the CenturyLink network that affects your larger area, not just your home.
- Home outage: A problem with the lines or equipment that provide service specifically to your address.
- Other home technical problem: A problem with your router or cords, your modem configuration, or any number of other issues that can cause your service to stop working or to work poorly.
- Service suspension: A missed payment or problem with your account that leads to service being turned off.
A loss in power could also be due to unfavorable weather conditions in your area. From 2000 to 2021, 58% of weather-related power outages were caused by severe weather, such as high winds, rain, and thunderstorms. Because of the interconnected nature of the power grid, extreme weather can affect large areas and cause power outages across multiple states and regions.
How to check for a CenturyLink outage
Use the CenturyLink Troubleshooter to help identify the cause of your issue. With your account number and Zip Code, you can diagnose problems with your service. This tool identifies known CenturyLink outages or existing problems with your line and starts the repair process without requiring you to make a call. With the troubleshooter, you can do the following:
- Check for a problem with your home service and create your own repair ticket with optional alerts.
- Provide additional resources to address problems with your phone and/or internet service.
- Create, manage or cancel any open repair requests.
Tips for using the Troubleshooter
To use the tool, you’ll need your account number or billing phone number, plus your service Zip Code. While testing is in progress, make sure to stay on the page. If you close the window or turn off your computer, you will need to start the test again at another time.
If an outage is found, Troubleshooter will display a message that says “Known Outage Found.” You can sign up for notification updates, so you know the estimated time of repair. The tool will notify you as soon as your issue is repaired. If Troubleshooter doesn’t find an outage or a known problem with your line, it will offer you a menu of choices to get further help with common issues.
More self-help solutions from CenturyLink
If the problem is within your home and not the larger network, you might be able to fix it yourself. There are plenty of benefits to self-service technology. You might be surprised by how often a service problem is solved by these two simple solutions:
- Double-check that all power cords and connection cables are fully plugged into your devices and into the wall jacks/outlets.
- Try resetting your modem.
You can also check out the CenturyLink support center for helpful videos and articles on common issues. The CenturyLink Discover blog is full of supportive content and self-help tools as well.
