Why can I only connect intermittently?

If you find that you’re able to link to some pages but not to others, or that the connection drops constantly, use the checklist on this page to get to the bottom of it.

1. If you have a Netgear router, check the Power and Internet lights on the front of the router. If they’re green, the router is working fine. If they’re not green, go to What do the lights on the Netgear router mean?

If you have a Speedtouch router, check the PWR and DSL lights on the front of the router. If they’re green, the router is working fine. If they’re not green, go to What do the lights on the Speedtouch router mean?

If you have a Speedtouch modem, check the USB and ADSL lights on the router. If they’re green, the router is working fine. If they’re not green, go to What do the lights on the Speedtouch modem mean?

2. Check that all the cables and filters are securely connected. Go to Check and reboot the router for details.
3. Check that there’s a dial tone on your telephone line (try plugging a telephone handset directly into the telephone socket). If there isn't a dial tone, or you can hear any other noise, such as a buzzing sound, there might be a fault with your normal telephone service. Contact your telephone service provider.
4. If you are using an extension cable to connect the router to the ADSL filter, try using the grey telephone cable that came with it to connect the router to the ADSL filter. Extension cables can sometimes cause problems with connectivity.
5. Make sure that all devices that connect to the same phone line as the router are connected through an ADSL filter. This includes devices (like fax machines) connected to other sockets in your house, unless they’re using a different phone number.

   If none of these tips solves the problem, check the proxy settings on your computer. Virgin Media uses a proxy server to help direct your Internet traffic through the most efficient route, and so deliver your web pages faster. However, it’s possible that proxy server information left on your computer by other ISP's could interfere with your connection.