Troubleshooting and General Queries

There are a lot of things that can cause an internet connection to go down, but in most cases it is usually something very simple rather than a complete outage in the local area. Below are several simple checks that will either resolve the issue, or at least give us a better idea of what is going on:

• Check the router has power and all of the cables/connections are secure and have not come loose: This includes the connection back to the phone socket

• The next thing to check is if the actual line running the broadband service is working. To do this you will need an analogue phone; the kind of phone you would have at home. Most cordless models are analogue and are perfect to test this.
  • With the phone connected to the line you will just need to see if you can make a call out on the line; if there is no dial tone and the call fails to connect, then the line is dead and you will need to contact us so we can raise the fault

• With the above checked, power off the router for 10-15 minutes then turn it back on to see if the service resumes
  • Sometimes your connection can get stuck in a ‘stale state’ meaning that no traffic is being sent/received; a reboot of a few seconds/minutes is not long enough to force this session to close at the provider’s end, so allowing a good 10-15 minutes is the best option (This Article explains what we do in that time)

If you have gone through all of the above and the service is still not working, please contact Vadtel Support – 01903 256 555, option 2

As with a total loss of service, there are a few basic checks to do if you are experiencing slow broaband speeds. If you call our support team we will of course be able to talk you through them, but if you are able to complete them beforehand it may lead to a faster resolution:

• Power off the router for 10-15 minutes then turn it back on to see if the service resumes
  • As well as leading to a loss of service, a ‘stale state’ can also cause your speeds to drop down; a reboot of a few seconds/minutes is not long enough to force this session to close at the provider’s end, so allowing 10-15 minutes is the best option

• If the physical line running your broadband is faulty this can have a direct impact on your service. For slow speeds the usual cause is noise on the phone line
  • If you have a basic analogue handset (most cordless phones are analogue, or a handset like you would have at home) try connecting this directly to your broadband line and see if you can call out. If the line is clear then this is not the cause, but if there is a hiss/crackle you will need to contact your line provider to raise a line fault

• There might be one specific device on your network that is causing the problems. This could either be with a heavy download/upload use, a virus causing a lot of traffic to be used, or a general fault with the device that could cause problems
  • Try disconnecting everything from your connection and putting them back on one at a time. If the speeds only drop when one device is connected you will need to contact your maintainer for them to carry out a check of the PC/Laptop/other device

• Most broadband connections are now provided with a filtered BT socket (meaning your phone line and broadband have seperate connections on the wall socket), but older types still use a micro-filter (a small box which connects to your phone line then splits off to your router/any other phones/faxes). If this bit goes faulty then the service can either stop or slow down
  • When most providers supply a router, they also send a spare micro filter. Please try replacing the one you are currently using with a spare and see if this improves

I’ve tried everything and it’s still going slow!

Please click this link to run a speed test on your connection and make a note/save the results. Then contact Vadtel Support on 01903 256 555, option 2 where a member of our Support team can assist you further.

In most situations where you can’t access one specific site, it could be that the actual website you’re trying to get to is down. Simply try to access the site from another connection (e.g. another broadband or mobile data); if it doesn’t load, you know the problem is with their end. If it does, then there’s one more thing to try.

We all know that there are bad programs floating around and there is always a chance something might infect your PC. Whilst most viruses are obvious and prevent you doing even the most basic of work, some others are more nefarious in purpose and are not easy to identify.

We always suggest running a full virus scan in the event something like this happens; if it’s been fine up until now, it will most likely be something on your device stopping it.

One of the best free software available is Malware Bytes which can be downloade here. Install the software that downloads and run the scan; it can take up to an hour (depending on how much is on your device), but you should still be able to work on it in the meantime. Once the scan has completed, remove/clean any threats that it finds and reboot your machine.

If the issue persists after this, please contact Vadtel Support on 01903 256 555.

The most common cause of this issue relates to DNS (domain name system) which is how you connect to a website. When you type in www.google.com your DNS resolves this to an IP address for communication over the web. If there is a problem with the DNS, the page either will not load or direct you to (usually) a malicious site.

We always suggest running a full virus scan in the event something like this happens; if it’s been fine up until now, it will most likely be something on your device causing this.

One of the best free software available is Malware Bytes which can be downloade here. Install the software that downloads and run the scan; it can take up to an hour (depending on how much is on your device), but you should still be able to work on it in the meantime. Once the scan has completed, remove/clean any threats that it finds and reboot your machine.

If the issue persists after this, please contact Vadtel Support on 01903 256 555.