CenturyLink Internet Not Working? Here’s What to Do.

So your CenturyLink internet connection is down, and you’re panicking. What do you do without internet access?! How can you watch the latest season of Loki? Or tell Alexa to turn on your bedroom fan?

Take a deep breath, and know you aren’t alone. We’re here to help you troubleshoot and even fix some common CenturyLink issues.

We’ve synthesized and reorganized info from the CenturyLink internet outage troubleshooter to create this guide. Now everything you need is easy to find on one page!

Also, if you’re done with CenturyLink altogether, we can help you find new internet right away.

Guide to troubleshooting your CenturyLink internet:

• Check for outages
• Check that your equipment is plugged in
• Reboot your modem
• Troubleshoot the issue
• Find a new ISP

Is it just you, or is it everyone else, too?

CenturyLink can tell you if there’s a general service outage in your area with this CenturyLink internet outage checker.

If there’s an area outage, you have to sit tight and wait.

If there’s no area outage, ensure your power is on and your service payments are up to date.

Everything look good? Then you’ve got a home outage or other equipment problem.

We know, we know—it sounds like a no-brainer. But just to be safe, make sure your modem is actually plugged in.

If it’s not, then that’s your problem right there.

If it is, you can quickly move on to trying something else.

Have you tried turning it off and back on again?

But seriously, you may be surprised how many issues a reboot can help. It’s the internet tech equivalent of a power nap! So you can sit back and relax and beat your high score on the Google Dinosaur game until it turns back on.

And by the way, from here on out, most of our tips focus on the CenturyLink router-modem combo (hereafter referred to as the modem).

If you don’t know where yours is, you want to find it quick, or else you can’t follow our advice. (We’ll give you a hint: Modems are usually installed in an out-of-the-way location, like a closet, laundry room, or basement.)

Once you’ve tried the two basic fixes, you need to troubleshoot the issue further.

You have two options: Troubleshoot and fix the connection with help from CenturyLink or troubleshoot and fix the connection on your own.

If you aren't keen on working through things on your own (and we don’t blame you), try the CenturyLink troubleshooter. It may tell you the exact issue and help you schedule a repair person to fix it.

The only problem? You may not want to wait on CenturyLink customer service, which according to the ACSI is … lacking.

CenturyLink offers many different troubleshooting suggestions to guide you through a DIY fix. We’ve paraphrased these suggestions to create the tips in this section.

Some troubleshooting techniques will make the solution obvious, while others may require you to do more digging or contact CenturyLink.

Double-check to be sure you’re trying to connect to the right internet.

Similarly, make sure you’re correctly logged in to your home Wi-Fi with the right password.

Is everything set up correctly? Is your modem close enough to your devices for them to pick up the signal? Is there anything that might physically block the wireless connection?

Do a quick lookover to ensure nothing is amiss in the physical Wi-Fi config.

Do you have a fast enough download and upload speed for your devices? If not, you may simply suffer from a bandwidth problem.

You might wonder how you can even know that! But don’t worry; our Mbps needs and speed guide can help.

You can also try our speed test.

Is there another piece of tech in your house that might interfere with the Wi-Fi signal? Phones, baby monitors, Bluetooth devices? Even your microwave?

If your Wi-Fi connection usually operates fine without interference from your devices, then this probably isn’t the problem, but it never hurts to check.

If you do find something blocking your Wi-Fi signal, try turning it off or moving it elsewhere in the home.

Software lags can cause connectivity issues, so make sure your modem is up to date.

CenturyLink leases two primary modem types to customers: The C4000 series and the tower modem.

The C4000 modems have just one status ring light on the front.

When the light is green, you know you’re good to go. When it’s amber, you haven’t finished internet setup. And when it’s red, the connection just isn’t working.

The tower modem is a little trickier! It has six (yup, count ‘em: Six) lights to worry about.

When five of the six lights glow green, everything is good. The only one that doesn’t need to glow green is the ethernet light—that should light only up if you plug a device directly into the modem.

If one of the five required lights isn’t lit up or glows some other color, you know there’s a connection problem. And you even know what kind of connection problem you have, depending on which light(s) are on the fritz.

If you brought your own modem to your CenturyLink contract, you should still look up info for that specific model.

The modem lights might clue you in: some part of your equipment could simply be busted.

Check everything for frayed cords, cracks, or any other physical damage.

If you can’t figure out the issue using our tips—or your CenturyLink internet always acts up—it may not be meant to be. You might want to look into a new carrier.

CenturyLink is great because it doesn’t have data caps or contracts, but it has just two plans, one of which is a rather slow DSL connection. This could be a great opportunity to switch to something with more options and faster service.

Here are our top recommended internet service providers.

Remember, not every plan or provider works in every area. Your options are limited by where you live, but luckily, our zip check tool can help.

When choosing a new provider, remember to consider cost, speed, data caps, connection type (DSL, cable, fiber), and customer service.