Spectrum Internet Not Working? Try These Simple Fixes.

Los Angeles-based TV writer Alex Zaragoza relies on Spectrum internet for her job—here’s her tried-and-true guide to troubleshooting shaky Wi-Fi

By Alex Zaragoza

Sep 23, 2024

3 min read

Working as a television writer means meetings. Lots and lots of meetings—often held over Zoom or Google Hangouts. I need strong and reliable internet (and a great shirt to match with sweatpants) for when I’m pitching a series or talking to an executive who could change my life forever. If the Wi-Fi signal at the corner of my screen suddenly goes gray, it could possibly destroy all my hopes and dreams.

When my Spectrum internet begins to glitch or even fully crash during an important work call, I start banging my screen, panic-mouthing “Please help me!” to my partner, googling “Spectrum internet not working” on my phone, trying not to cry, and generally melting down in a sweaty panic.

If you’re ever in a similar situation as me or any other anxious worker that relies on a strong Wi-Fi connection for their livelihood, there are a few ways to troubleshoot the issue.

Jump to:

Check for outages
Restart your equipment
Reboot your modem and router
Troubleshooting FAQs

Getting too familiar with Spectrum Internet outages? Search your zip code below to find other options in your area.

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1. Check for Spectrum outages

The last time I was having serious connectivity issues, it turned out local squirrels were chewing on the cables outside. True story!

So before tossing your laptop out of a window, see if there are any network outages in your area by going to the Spectrum outage page. You can also set up a profile on the My Spectrum app to receive push notifications that tell you whenever there are outages or other service interruptions—and estimate when the network will be back up.

There’s not much you can do if Spectrum’s network is down. But fellow TV writer and comedian Josh Gondelman, who has written on Desus & Mero and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, tells how he has handled professional internet snafus: “I’ve had little lag in meetings that I always feel reflects badly on me, even though everyone understands that it can happen sometimes,” he says. “It still makes me feel like I took their call on a tin can.”

“I recently had my Wi-Fi fully go out during a podcast recording that I’d already rescheduled, and I ended up recording on my computer but listening to the call on my phone,” Josh recalls. “It was extremely frustrating and embarrassing!”

Here’s how to reach Spectrum customer service

Call +1-833-949-0036, Monday-Sunday, 7 am–2 am ET.
Send a message through chat support.
Download My Spectrum App.

2. Restart your equipment

First off, check to see which equipment you have. From there, follow these steps.

Go to the Spectrum troubleshooting guide and scroll down until you see the Reset It button under “Troubleshoot Internet Equipment.”
Go to the Internet tab and choose your equipment from the list provided.
Look for a Connection Issue status next to your equipment.
Select Troubleshoot
Select Restart
Then select Restart again

This will restart your equipment and hopefully get it working again. If you need extra help navigating the process, check out our guide to restarting your Wi-Fi router.

3. Reboot your modem and router

There’s nothing like turning something off and on again to get it back to work! Also called power cycling, this is a tiny step up from simply restarting your equipment.

Unplug the power cord from the back of your modem.
Unplug the power cord on your router. (If you have a modem/router combo, also called a gateway, you can skip this step.)
Wait for 30 seconds, then plug your modem’s power cord back in.
Wait for two minutes while the modem reconnects to the internet. You’ll know if it has reconnected when the blue light is solid.
Plug the power cord into the router, and wait another two minutes while it connects.
Your device should automatically connect to the Wi-Fi network from your router. You may need to reconnect to Wi-Fi on your computer by hitting the 🛜at the top right corner of your computer, selecting your Wi-Fi network, and entering your password.
To test it out, visit your favorite web page to make sure it loads properly and your internet is working again.

Spectrum Wi-Fi still not working after reset? It happens.

You may need to contact Spectrum customer service by calling +1-833-949-0036 or chatting live with a representative. Need another internet option entirely? Take a look at the best internet providers below (yes, that includes Spectrum).

Best Internet Providers for Everyone

Provider	Monthly price	Speeds	View plans
	$55-$245*	100-5000 Mbps	View Plans
	$70-$150†	1000-8000 Mbps	View Plans
	$25-$70	50-1000 Mbps‡	View Plans
	$50-$160^	292-415 Mbps	View Plans
	$50-$5000°	100-220 Mbps	View Plans

Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change. Data verified as of the article's publication date.

* Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes $ fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.

† Plus taxes and fees. Upload/download speed and device streaming claims are based on maximum wired speeds. Actual Internet speeds are not guaranteed and may vary based on factors such as hardware and software limitations, latency, packet loss, etc.

‡ Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter.

^ w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.

° Plus hardware, shipping & handling fees, and tax. Fully refundable. Depending on location, some orders may take 6 months or more to fulfill.

Everyone deals with internet issues, even big time fancy Hollywood people like Josh and me! And usually, the internet recovers quickly enough to get you back online before your career falls to pieces.

Search your zip code below to find reliable internet options where you live.

Find internet in your area.

Spectrum Troubleshooting FAQs

If your Spectrum Internet is not working, check for a Spectrum outage via your Spectrum.net account, the My Spectrum App, or Spectrum's outage information page.

With the My Spectrum App, you can also set up outage alerts, so you'll always know if your Spectrum internet issues are due to an outage.

A solid red light on your router means you don't have an internet connection, while a blinking red light means the connection is corrupt.

Double-check that your cables are connected to fix the red light, blinking or otherwise. If everything is connected correctly, try restarting your router or checking for Spectrum Internet outages.

Written by

Alex Zaragoza

Alex Zaragoza is a journalist and television writer based in Los Angeles. She has written for the LA Times, VICE, NPR, Teen Vogue, and others as well as on the series "Primo" and "Lopez vs. Lopez."