Drop-outs have three possible causes
A connection that cuts out and comes back is hard to pin down, because by the time you ring your provider it is often working again.
Openreach, which carries out line checks and repairs when a provider asks it to, says intermittent drops can be caused by line faults, network issues or even equipment in your home. So there are three places to look: your home network (Wi-Fi, router, cables and devices), the wiring in your home if your broadband comes through a phone socket, and the line or network outside. Faults on the line or network outside, and a faulty router your provider supplied, are for your provider to fix. Your own devices, Wi-Fi set-up and extension wiring are generally yours. The aim is to rule out your side and hand your provider a clear case. If your broadband has gone off and is staying off, start with what to do when your broadband is down instead.
The causes differ by connection type. Phone-line broadband means ADSL (copper all the way) or FTTC, also called superfast or VDSL, where fibre runs to the green street cabinet and the copper line does the last stretch through your phone socket. Full fibre (FTTP) runs fibre straight into your home, on Openreach's network to a box called an ONT (optical network terminal). Virgin Media runs its own network: cable, where fibre runs to Virgin's street cabinet and coaxial cable finishes the job, and full fibre in some areas. Its Hub 5x connects over full fibre (XGS-PON); the Hub 3, 4 and 5 use cable (DOCSIS). Provider help pages quoted here were checked in October 2026.
First test: is it the Wi-Fi or the connection?
thinkbroadband, the UK broadband information site, puts this first for unreliable broadband: make sure the problem isn't your own Wi-Fi. Often what feels like "the broadband dropping out" is one device losing its wireless link while the connection stays up.
- One device or all of them? Virgin Media says that if only one device has connection problems, it's likely that device rather than the broadband.
- Try a wired connection. Plug a laptop or desktop into the router with an Ethernet cable. If it stays connected while wireless devices drop, the problem is the Wi-Fi. If it drops at the same moments, the router is losing its connection to the outside world.
- Ping the router. Microsoft's Windows help suggests a ping test (timed test messages) to your router's address, the default gateway: a reply means your computer reaches the router, so the problem may be the modem or the provider; no reply points to the Wi-Fi or router. BT Hubs use 192.168.1.254 and Virgin Media's Hub 5 uses 192.168.0.1.
- Check the cable. thinkbroadband says if a computer's network connection shows 10 Mbps rather than 100 or 1,000 Mbps, try another Ethernet cable.
What you notice | Where to look first |
|---|---|
Only one device drops | That device |
Wireless devices drop, wired ones don't | Wi-Fi: router position, congestion, interference |
Everything drops at once, wired included | The router, home wiring or the line |
Wi-Fi shows connected but pages won't load |
Keep a record of when it drops
thinkbroadband says faults proven to be on the Openreach side should be fixed free, but intermittent ones can be troublesome to find. A record of each drop gives you and your provider something to work with.
Look at your router's status pages
Most routers have a settings page you open in a browser on a connected device. What it shows varies by model.
- BT Hubs: Hub Manager opens at 192.168.1.254 or http://bthomehub.home; the admin password is on the back of the hub unless you've changed it.
- Virgin Media Hub 3 and Hub 4: Advanced Settings, then Tools, then Network Status shows Downstream, Upstream, Configuration and Network logs.
- Virgin Media Hub 5 and 5x: a "Modem status overview" is shown at 192.168.0.1.
Look for the times the connection was lost and came back, and note any clustering by time of day.
Run a free broadband quality monitor
thinkbroadband's free Broadband Quality Monitor (BQM) pings your router continuously and graphs latency (how long replies take) and packet loss (replies that never arrive). Each point covers 100 seconds, dropped packets show in red, and a disconnection shows as 100% packet loss, giving you a timestamped record of each drop. It uses about 2.42MB of data a day, and the router must stay on.
One catch: a firewall that blocks pings, or a change in your connection's IP address, also shows as 100% packet loss (thinkbroadband says changing addresses need a dynamic DNS hostname). Check the graph is clean while things work.
Keep a simple diary
Note each drop: date, time and how long it lasted; whether wired devices dropped too; what the router lights did (see broadband hub lights explained); and anything else happening, such as a storm, an appliance switching on or the evening rush. Notes over several days can help you or your provider spot a pattern.
New connection or recent upgrade? Give it ten days
TalkTalk says new and recently upgraded services can take up to 10 days to settle, with varying speeds or occasional drops expected in that time. BT says new lines can take up to 10 days of checks, and Openreach notes speeds can take time to settle after a repair or upgrade.
On phone lines this is Dynamic Line Management (DLM): an automatic system that watches how stable the connection is and adjusts its speed to keep it reliable. So leave the router switched on. TalkTalk asks customers to keep it on at all times so the system can learn about the line; BT says switching the hub off regularly can make the line look unstable and may lead to a lower speed; and thinkbroadband says frequent power cycling on ADSL and FTTC can trigger DLM to slow the line. Afterwards, run our broadband speed test at different times of day and keep the results with your diary.
Restart once, properly
Provider | Restart advice on its help pages |
|---|---|
TalkTalk | Fibre router off for 20 minutes; ADSL router off for 30 seconds |
BT | Hub off for 5 minutes; power cycle the Openreach modem too if you have one |
Virgin Media | Off at the wall for ten seconds, then about 5 to 10 minutes to start up |
These are each provider's own instructions for its own equipment, so follow your provider's. Then watch rather than restarting at every drop, which hides any pattern. Avoid a factory reset unless your provider asks: Virgin Media notes it wipes custom settings such as a Wi-Fi password you've changed.
Phone-line broadband: wiring, filters and the phone ringing
On ADSL or FTTC, home wiring is a common cause of drop-outs that you can often fix yourself.
Has your landline gone digital? gov.uk says all users of the old Openreach phone network (the PSTN) must be moved to new services by 31 January 2027, and Openreach says your phone will then usually work through your broadband router instead of a wall socket. The phone-ringing and corded-phone checks below assume a traditional landline, so if you're on a digital landline or have no phone service, ask your provider which checks suit your line, including whether you still need microfilters. FTTC still uses the copper line from the street cabinet, which Openreach says stays in service until full fibre reaches your area, so the main socket and test socket checks still matter. More in our digital landline switchover guide.
Use the main socket
TalkTalk, BT and thinkbroadband all say the router belongs in the main phone socket, where the line enters your home, not an extension. TalkTalk explains that extension wiring isn't designed for broadband signals, and thinkbroadband warns that "flat" extension wiring sold in DIY stores can cause considerable interference. TalkTalk adds that loose or incorrect connections commonly cause outages.
Get the microfilters right
A microfilter is a small splitter with a port for the router and one for a phone. TalkTalk says it stops phone and broadband signals interfering, and that without one you're more likely to get slow speeds, drops and phone-line noise. TalkTalk's and BT's rules:
- Single-port sockets need microfilters; two-port sockets are pre-filtered and don't.
- Fit one on every socket with something plugged in: a phone, the router, an answering machine or a digital TV box.
- None in empty sockets, and never plug one microfilter into another.
- If you suspect a faulty one, swap in another.
thinkbroadband warns that moving a phone to another extension and forgetting the microfilter can cripple ADSL2+ and VDSL2 speeds, so if drops started after something moved, check every socket.
If it drops when the phone rings
On a traditional landline, thinkbroadband says broadband that disconnects when the phone rings or is in use points to a wiring problem inside your home. If your phone now plugs into your router, mention the pattern to your provider instead.
Narrow it down with the test socket
Some main sockets have a test socket inside that connects your router straight to the incoming line, bypassing your home wiring. BT notes this check is for copper and FTTC, not full fibre. TalkTalk says a socket with two ports, or one port with a horizontal line across the front, has one; if a single-port socket has no line, don't remove the faceplate. What the results mean, according to thinkbroadband:
- Stable on the test socket: the problem is your extension wiring, which is yours to fix or pay to have fixed.
- Still dropping, and a corded phone on its own is noisy: report a voice fault to your phone provider.
- Quiet line, but incoming calls still cause drops on the test socket: possibly a High Resistance (HR) fault, a poor connection on the line, which generally gets worse over time. Report it to your provider.
For extension problems, thinkbroadband says a faceplate filter, which filters every extension at once, or removing unused extensions is its preferred fix on FTTC lines. TalkTalk notes Openreach can replace or move the main socket for a fee.
Interference: electrical noise, storms and crowded Wi-Fi
Interference can hit the phone line or your Wi-Fi, and the fixes differ.
Noise on the phone line
- Cheap power supplies. thinkbroadband says radio interference to ADSL and VDSL2 lines from cheap switched-mode power supplies (the plug-in adaptors that run many gadgets) is a much bigger issue than LED lights. If drops line up with something switching on, try a few days without it.
- Around sunset. thinkbroadband says errors on ADSL2+ and VDSL2 lines can rise with extra noise around sunset (from about 4pm in winter, perhaps 10pm in summer), and links this to slow speeds every evening rather than drop-outs as such.
- Storms. Lightning, even a long way away, can interfere with DSL signals; thinkbroadband suggests restarting the router if broadband is poor after a storm.
Crowded or blocked Wi-Fi
thinkbroadband says Wi-Fi usually copes well with interference; the bigger problem is congestion from neighbouring networks. The 5GHz band is far less crowded than 2.4GHz but doesn't reach as far, and Microsoft suggests trying the other band when a Windows device struggles. Some things block or weaken the signal: thinkbroadband says 2.4GHz is easily blocked by fish tanks, fridges, freezers and foil-backed plasterboard, and BT names cupboards and metal objects. Others interfere: Virgin Media lists baby monitors, cordless phones and TVs, and thinkbroadband mentions microwaves and old wireless CCTV.
BT suggests the middle of the home, raised on a shelf, not in a cupboard, on the floor or behind a TV; Virgin Media says keep the Hub upright, in the open and at least one metre from other electronics. See how to improve your Wi-Fi signal and mesh Wi-Fi vs Wi-Fi extenders.
Full fibre and Virgin Media: different checks
Microfilters, extension wiring and the phone ringing are phone-line issues; thinkbroadband notes phone-ringing drops don't apply to cable or full fibre. Wi-Fi checks apply to everyone.
Openreach full fibre: your router plugs into the ONT. BT says that if its PON light is off, or PON and LOS are flashing, the fibre link isn't connected or there's a problem between your home and the exchange. Check the thin white fibre cable is plugged in and undamaged, power-cycle the ONT and wait five minutes. If those lights misbehave each time you drop, note it. Other full fibre networks use their own equipment, so check your provider's help pages.
Virgin Media, cable or full fibre: check for loose cables at the Hub and wall socket, look at the Hub's status pages (above), and use Virgin Media's service status tool, which checks a postcode for known problems, fix progress and planned work. On Virgin's full fibre the fibre either ends on an outside wall or plugs straight into Virgin's own equipment, so check Virgin's help pages for your kit rather than the Openreach ONT advice.
When the cause is on the line: getting it fixed
If drops still happen on a wired device, with the router on the main socket or ONT and correct microfilters, the fault is probably outside your home.
- Contact your provider, not Openreach. Openreach says only your provider can raise a repair with it.
- Run your provider's line test. You can run BT's online checks at any time of day; they take a few minutes, need a BT ID and cover problems "from slow speed to a dropping connection". TalkTalk's My Connection runs line tests and can log a fault; TalkTalk warns not to run a line test if medical or monitoring devices use the phone line, and to contact it instead.
- Say it comes and goes, and share your diary, router status entries and BQM graph, plus what you've ruled out. See how to report a broadband fault.
Engineer charges. thinkbroadband advises borrowing another microfilter and router to rule them out first, because you can be charged if the fault is your hardware. Sky's terms, for example, say it may charge if no fault is found on the line or ONT, if your equipment caused the fault, or if it's on wiring beyond the main socket; the same terms say Sky will repair or replace a faulty router it loaned you at no cost, unless you caused the fault.
Timescales. Openreach says simple problems can often be fixed the same day and many faults within one to two working days; complex ones such as underground cable damage take longer.
Compensation. Ofcom's automatic compensation scheme, as reported by ISPreview in April 2026, pays when a total loss of service isn't repaired within two working days, for missed engineer appointments and for delayed starts. It is voluntary, covering customers of signed-up providers (BT, EE, Plusnet, Hyperoptic, Sky and NOW, TalkTalk, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Zen), so check whether yours is one. The industry code behind it, and BT's own page, say intermittent faults aren't covered for repair delays. See our automatic compensation guide.
If drop-outs keep coming back
If an engineer has been and the drops carry on, Openreach says the fault may be more complex than expected or need another visit, and the reasons go in the engineer's notes, which your provider can review. If you've heard nothing within a couple of days, contact your provider, and keep your diary and quality monitor going to show the drops haven't stopped.
- Make a formal complaint. Note each contact: date, time, who you spoke to and what was said. The Communications Ombudsman asks for copies of emails or letters, and advises against cancelling direct debits or refusing to pay bills during a dispute.
- Go to ADR if it isn't sorted. Ofcom says that from 8 April 2026 you can take an unresolved complaint to alternative dispute resolution (ADR, a free independent service) six weeks after first raising it, or straight away with a deadlock letter. The two approved schemes are CISAS and the Communications Ombudsman. See our guide to complaining about a broadband provider.
If speeds suffer too. Under Ofcom's broadband speeds code, signed-up providers give you a minimum guaranteed speed, and if speeds fall below it because of a problem on their network that isn't fixed within 30 days, they must let you leave without an exit fee. Check the small print: Virgin Media, for example, counts shortfalls over three consecutive days "continuously or intermittently" but says the guarantee doesn't apply to outages. See our minimum speed guarantee guide.
If you rely on your connection. Ofcom says providers offer priority fault repair to disabled people with a genuine need for an urgent repair; you may need to register in advance.
Changing connection. Wiring, microfilter and line-noise drops belong to copper connections. If full fibre or cable reaches your address, our broadband deals by area pages show live deals for your postcode through a partner comparison widget (we don't switch you ourselves), and our guide to UK broadband providers describes each one. Before signing, read the contract summary for the contract length and any exit fees.
Broadband dropping out FAQs
How do I know if it's my Wi-Fi or my broadband line that keeps dropping?
Connect a laptop or computer to the router with an Ethernet cable and use it while the drops happen. If it stays online while wireless devices drop, the problem is your Wi-Fi. If it drops at the same time, look at the router, your home wiring or the line.
Should I keep restarting my router when it drops?
No. One proper restart is sensible, but BT says switching the hub off regularly can make the line look unstable and lead to lower speeds, and thinkbroadband says frequent power cycling on ADSL and FTTC can make Dynamic Line Management slow the line. Restart once, then record what happens.
Why does my broadband cut out when the phone rings?
On a traditional landline, thinkbroadband says this points to wiring inside your home, such as a missing microfilter or faulty extension wiring. Try the router in the test socket: if calls still cause drops there and a corded phone sounds quiet, it may be a High Resistance fault for your provider. On a digital landline your phone usually plugs into the router, so ask your provider instead.
Do I need microfilters on full fibre or cable broadband?
Microfilters are for broadband that comes through a phone socket, such as ADSL and FTTC, where they stop phone and broadband signals interfering. On Openreach full fibre your router plugs into the ONT, and Virgin Media's cable and full fibre use Virgin's own equipment. If unsure, check your provider's set-up instructions.
Will I get automatic compensation if my broadband keeps dropping out?
Usually not. Ofcom's automatic compensation scheme is voluntary, covering signed-up providers such as BT, Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone, and its industry code says intermittent loss of service isn't covered. It pays for a total loss not fixed within two working days, missed engineer appointments and delayed starts.
Will I be charged if an engineer finds no fault?
You might be. Sky's terms, for example, say it may charge if no fault is found on the line, if your equipment caused the fault or if it's in wiring beyond the main socket. Rule out your microfilter and router first, and ask your provider about charges before agreeing to a visit.
