Basic Checks

If there's a problem with your broadband connection, it's important to check that your equipment is set up and working properly. This quick reference page is a checklist of the major things you should look at.

Make sure your telephone line is working

Check for a dial tone on your phone. If you don't hear anything, report the problem to BT by calling 151 or using their website.

If we are your telephone provider, check the Home Phone Troubleshooting Guide.

Check for background noise on your telephone line

If you can hear crackling, pops or whistles this might mean:

• Something on your line is causing interference (This might not have microfilters fitted properly, or maybe incompatible with broadband)
• There's a faulty microfilter on your line
• You have a telephone fault

Report the problem to BT by calling 151 or using their website. If we are your telephone provider, check the Home Phone Troubleshooting Guide.

Check your Microfilters

Run through our Fitting Microfilters Guide to make sure you've fitted them properly.

Check your cables and remove extensions

Faulty cables and extensions are the cause of more problems that you'd think. You need to make sure that yours are OK by testing from your master socket.

Unplug everything from your telephone line, then connect your kit to the master socket. If you still have problems try connecting with a different microfilter.

If this fixes the problem, connect your equipment back up one device at a time to find the cause of the problem.

Read our Testing from the Master Socket guide if you're having trouble with this.

Check your modem/router

Faulty hardware is another common cause of connection problems.

Do your problems stop if you restart your kit? If so try re-installing.

Modems will need their drivers removed and re-installed. Routers should be reset to their factory settings.

The instructions should show you how to do this, if you bought your hardware from us read our Modem and Router Setup Guides for help.

If this doesn't help, try testing with a different router or modem.

Other things to note

If your connection or speed drops keep an eye on when this happens. If you spot a pattern, see if it co-incides with anything else happening at the same time (e.g. lights, an alarm or another device being switched on).

For example, many faults raised in December are caused by Christmas lights, others find their connection is up and down during bad weather.

If you still have problems with your broadband after checking all of the things listed above use the Broadband Fault Checker to report the fault.

This article last updated 27th October 2009