Is Spectrum Internet Down? (2024)

Home internet outages can throw off your daily routine, your social life, and even your ability to check accounts and pay bills. So frustrating!

The official line from Spectrum is that it offers 99.9% internet reliability. But your real-world experience could be a different story.

We’ll go over how to tell if there’s a Spectrum network outage, give you tips for getting back online, and help you understand Spectrum outage frequency so you can decide whether it’s time to switch providers.

Spectrum outages happen, but often you can fix your internet access problem on your own. Follow the troubleshooting steps below to find out whether the problem is on your end or if it’s a true Spectrum outage.

Step 1: See if you can get online with a different device
Step 2: Check the lights on your modem and router
Step 3: Restart your devices or perform a complete power cycle
Step 4: Check the Spectrum app or online portal
Step 5: Look for construction crews or ask your neighbors

Check out our guide on Spectrum troubleshooting for more info.

If you’ve gone through all the steps above and still can’t get online, it’s time to contact Spectrum Support. You’ll need the phone number of the account holder or your Spectrum account number. You can find that number at the top left corner of your printed bill or the top right corner of our account page online. In the My Spectrum app, tap Your Account in the top-right corner of the home screen and then tap View Account Info.

When you dial in, your call will be answered by an audio chatbot that will walk you through options. To reach a live human, press “0” or say “representative” and answer the questions from the robot voice until your call is routed properly.

Pro tip:

Sometimes, you can find out about Spectrum outages on social media before the company alerts you of a problem. We recommend checking out r/Spectrum on Reddit, the Ask Spectrum account on X, or the Spectrum page on Facebook.

• How To Fix Internet Connection Issues
• How To Fix Common Wi-Fi Problems
• How To Use the Internet While the Power Is Out

Results from the 2023 Customer Satisfaction Survey. Data is self-reported. Image by Kayla Fischer | HighSpeedInternet.com

Spectrum doesn’t offer automatic refunds to home internet customers, but you may be able to ask for a refund if you’ve had a lot of problems. In the California Connects study mentioned above, researchers found $20 was the most common refund. If you insist, though, you may be able to get up to $50.

We read every word of the terms of service, and here’s what we found: “Spectrum may give credit with respect to Subscriber’s recurring monthly subscription fee but isn’t required to do so.”

We found only one important exception in the terms. New customers may be eligible for a refund within the first 30 days of signing up (if they cancel service within 45 days of billing).

Write a Spectrum Review Read reviews from other Spectrum customers

Many of the short but frequent outages we hear about seem to be related to Spectrum’s network-wide upgrade. A Reddit thread about the high-split tech answers questions about upgrade-related questions from a technician, for example. It lines up chronologically with complaints we see on online outage detection sites. In most cases, brief outages occur during early morning hours, but we have seen reports of them lasting for multiple hours.

According to Spectrum, the upgrade is expected to take place in three stages and last through 2025. By the time it’s done, customers may be able to get download speeds as fast as 10Gbps.

Image source: Charter Communications

in major metros in Texas and parts of Atlanta, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and the Carolinas. If you can get AT&T where you live, you will usually get faster speeds at better prices than you would with Spectrum, but you may be able to find a slower budget plan from Spectrum.

Spectrum competes with Fontier’s fiber internet in places like Los Angeles, Dallas, areas of Connecticut, and Tampa, Florida. Spectrum also competes with DSL from Frontier in areas throughout the U.S. If you can get only DSL, Spectrum is usually the better choice. If you’re in one of Frontier’s fiber neighborhoods, though, it’s a tough call. You may qualify for slow but super cheap plans from Spectrum (for the first 12 months), but you can get excellent speeds and reliable prices with Frontier.

Spectrum also competes with Earthlink. We recommend careful comparison shopping, because prices and available speeds vary widely. Lucky for you, you can get unlimited data with plans from either provider.

If the choice is between Spectrum and Verizon (and you can get Verizon Fios), our experts say you should go with Fios. If your choice is between Google Fiber and Spectrum, you can save a little money upfront with Spectrum, but you will likely be happier with Google Fiber in the long run. Between Spectrum and Optimum, Spectrum might be the better choice due to its lower prices and higher customer service scores. However, both Spectrum and Optimum raise prices after an initial promotional period.

About two-thirds of Spectrum customers are either very satisfied or completely satisfied with their plans, and about the same number are satisfied with the reliability of their service. However, 8% were either hardly satisfied or not at all satisfied with the reliability. Slightly over half of customers tell us they are very likely to choose Spectrum again next time they shop for internet.

Spectrum fared a little better than average among national internet providers in our 2024 expert review. It earned especially high marks for speed.

*Ratings based on our Annual Provider Review. Higher is better.

How do I know if Spectrum is down in my area?

Why isn't my Spectrum Internet working?

How do I check my Spectrum signal?

Why is my Spectrum Wi-Fi connected but I don't have internet?

Does Spectrum work when the power is out?