Guide · internet dropping out
Internet keeps dropping out? Work out whose fault it is.
Here's the short version: plug a computer into the router with a cable. If the drops stop, it's your WiFi and you can fix it yourself. If they don't, it's the line or the provider, and you fight them with evidence, not vibes. This guide walks through both.
Last updated 2 July 2026 · by Alien IT Solutions
Two different problems that feel the same
When the internet plays up, it's one of two things. Either the WiFi between your devices and the router is falling over, or the connection between the router and the world is. They feel identical on the couch, and they have completely different fixes.
Get it wrong one way and you'll buy mesh gear that fixes nothing. Get it wrong the other way and you'll spend hours arguing with a provider about a fault that's actually your router in a cupboard. The tests below settle it, in order, for free.
Step 1: take WiFi out of the picture
Plug a laptop or desktop straight into the router with an ethernet cable and turn the WiFi off on that machine. That's the whole test. Use it that way for a few hours, a full evening if you can.
If the connection is solid on cable, your line is fine and your WiFi is the problem. Skip to the WiFi section below and don't waste a minute arguing with your provider.
If it still drops or crawls on cable, the fault is past the router: the line, the equipment or the provider. Everything from step 2 on is about building your case.
No ethernet port on the laptop? A USB-to-ethernet adapter costs about $20. Cheapest diagnostic tool you'll ever buy.
Step 2: read the drop pattern
When it fails tells you a lot about why it fails.
None of these is proof on its own, but each points you at where to look. Steps 3 and 4 turn the pattern into evidence.
Step 3: look at what the modem is telling you
Every modem has an admin page, and the address is usually printed on the sticker underneath. Log in and look for two things.
Uptime. If the connection uptime keeps resetting to minutes or hours, the service is dropping and reconnecting at the network level. That's not WiFi, and it matches whatever your household has been feeling.
Sync speed. On FTTN and FTTB connections the modem negotiates a line rate with the network. If the line syncs at 40Mbps and you're paying for 100, you will never see 100, full stop. Providers are expected to check this and offer a remedy, a cheaper tier or a penalty-free exit, when the line can't do the speed they sold you.
Screenshot the stats page. Dates, error counts, sync rate. That's evidence, and it's timestamped.
Step 4: run speed tests that actually mean something
One speed test over WiFi at 2pm proves nothing, and providers know it. Do it like this instead:
- Wired, on the cable, never over WiFi.
- Same test server every time.
- Twice a day: once off-peak in the morning, once between 7pm and 11pm.
- Every day for a week, and write down each result with the date and time.
Fine in the morning and a crawl every evening is congestion. Slow all the time points at the line or at how the service is provisioned. Either way it's on their side of the router, and a week of numbers is what makes the complaint stick.
If it's your WiFi: the usual suspects
If the cable test came back clean, fix the WiFi and keep your money. Most of it comes down to a short list:
- Placement. A router in a cupboard, on the floor or at one end of the house is throttling itself. Central, up high, out in the open.
- Channel congestion. In units and townhouses every router shouts over the neighbours'. Changing the channel in the router settings, or setting it to auto, can transform it.
- Old gear. A router from 2015 carrying a 2026 household is done. Replace it before you blame the plan.
- Too much house. Double brick and long runs kill signal. That's when a second access point or mesh earns its keep, and not before.
That's the short list and it fixes most of it. This page isn't deep WiFi surgery; the point is making sure you don't pay to fix WiFi when the fault was the provider's all along.
If it's the provider: the escalation ladder
Providers respond to paper trails, not patience. Climb it in order.
Document, then report
Dates, times, wired speed tests, modem stats, a drop log. Report the fault and get a ticket or reference number every single time you contact them. No number, no record.
Complain in writing
If the fault ticket goes nowhere, put a formal complaint in writing, email, not another phone call. Every provider must have a complaints process. State the problem, attach your log, and say what you want: the fault fixed and credit for the period it wasn't.
Go to the TIO
Still nothing? The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman is the free, independent body that handles phone and internet complaints in Australia. Complain to your provider first; once the TIO is involved the provider has to engage, and disputes that dragged for months tend to move in days.
Thinking of switching instead? Right move when the provider is the problem, but check three things first: whether the fault is the line itself, because a new provider on the same line inherits a physical fault; the typical evening speeds the new provider publishes for your tier; and any exit fees on your current contract. And if you're owed credits, settle the dispute before you walk. Chasing a provider you've already left is much harder.
Questions people ask
Is it my WiFi or my internet connection?
Plug a computer into the router with an ethernet cable and turn its WiFi off. If the problems stop on cable, it's your WiFi. If the drops and slowdowns keep happening on cable, the fault is on the line or with your provider, and no amount of new WiFi gear will fix it.
Why does my internet slow down every evening?
Evening slowdowns between about 7pm and 11pm are the classic sign of congestion: too many customers sharing capacity your provider hasn't bought enough of. Your line is fine, their network is full. Log wired speed tests at peak and off-peak for a week; if mornings are fine and evenings crawl, that's your evidence.
Why does my internet drop out when it rains?
Drops that line up with wet weather usually mean water is getting into the copper or a joint somewhere between you and the exchange. That's a physical line fault, and it's the network's problem to fix, not yours. Keep a note of drop dates against the weather; a pattern like that is hard for a provider to argue with.
What speed should I actually be getting on my NBN plan?
Close to the tier you pay for, most of the time. Providers publish typical evening speeds for each plan; compare your wired tests against that number, not the theoretical maximum. On FTTN, also check the modem's sync speed. If the line syncs below your plan tier you can never reach the speed you're paying for, and the provider is expected to offer a remedy such as a cheaper tier or letting you leave without penalty.
Who do I complain to about my internet provider in Australia?
The provider first, in writing, with your evidence. Every provider must have a complaints process and give you a reference number. If they don't fix it in a reasonable time, take it to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), a free and independent body that handles phone and internet complaints between consumers and providers. Providers take a TIO complaint far more seriously than another phone call.
Will switching providers fix my slow internet?
Only if the problem is the provider. Congestion and bad support follow the provider, so switching can fix those. A physical line fault follows the line, and a new provider on the same connection inherits it. Work out whose fault it is first, then decide.
Rather not fight them yourself?
Send us your bill and your drop log. We'll tell you straight whose fault it is, then take the dispute, the credits and the plan haggling off your hands.
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