How to Fix Centurylink Internet Keeps Disconnecting?

When your Centurylink internet keeps disconnecting, there’s always a bunch of proven methods to attempt. This is exactly what this article will unwrap so read everything!

When the Centurylink WiFi/internet service keeps going out, you should first check for current outages in your town/city.

After that, verify that your network device is working fine, test your internet consistency and deactivate restrictive services.

Let’s unwrap further!

Why Does Centurylink Internet Keep Disconnecting?

When your Centurylink WiFi is struggling to remain online, there are multiple key factors that must be taken into comprehension.

Let’s learn the reasons why Centurylink is dropping:

1. Outage with the network router
2. Inappropriate router location
3. Outdated router firmware version
4. Issue with the connecting device
5. Improper router network settings
6. Temporal outage with Centurylink
7. Malware or virus on your device

How to Fix When Centurylink WiFi Keeps Disconnecting?

Tip: Follow our instructions consecutively!

1. Power Cycle the Router

If there’s a problem with the WiFi router in your Centurylink setup, this will cause all WiFi threads to go offline.

The issue can either be temporary, or last for as long as your network device remains offline so we recommend refreshing the system via power circulation!

Follow these instructions to power cycle your router:

1. Turn off your Centurylink network device using the power button.
2. Unplug your network router (or Centurylink’s all-in-one modem).
3. Wait for about 4 to 5 minutes and reconnect the device back.
4. The network device takes up to 60 seconds to come back online.

Info: All network devices typically have a “power” LED that displays the activity status of your router or modem. 

This LED light can either be situated on the front or top panel.

2. Resolve Any Network Congestion!

Network congestion is when your network is getting overwhelmed with traffic, so it slows down or becomes totally unresponsive.

This can be the case of your Centurylink WiFi issue and the only way to restore the functionality of the internet, is to reduce the network traffic!

Here are a couple of ways to reduce the congestion of your network:

1. Limit unnecessary network data transfers
2. Temporarily stop downloading/uploading
3. Compress all the data sent over WiFi
4. Restrain from streaming in high-quality
5. Unpair unused devices from the WiFi

Info: The main reason for network congestion is when too many devices are connected at once. 

Hence, disconnect unused devices and check if your Centurylink WiFi is not working.

3. Verify the Centurylink Wiring!

There are multiple major cables in the Centurylink network setup that your internet cannot work without.

In this step, we’ll inspect each and every cable of your network configuration, to make sure everything is installed and connected properly.

• The cables in your Centurylink setup vary depending on the type of service!

Centurylink Fiber Optic Service:

1. Fiber-optic cables – connect from the outside of your home to the modem
2. Power cable – supplying A/C power adapter to the modem/router
3. Ethernet cable – connects your router and modem if you don’t have a gateway

Centurylink DSL Service:

1. Phone cable – connects to the modem from the house’s phone line
2. Power cable – supplying A/C power adapter to the modem/router
3. Ethernet cable – plugs your router/modem if you’re not using a combo

Alert: It’s important to note that the cables included in the setup of your Centurylink internet vary on location, type of service, plan and the equipment.

• I Have My Own Router?

In case you’re subscribed to a specific equipment service by Centurylink but you are using your own router/modem, inspect the Ethernet cable first.

When using separate router or modem devices, the Ethernet cable connecting them must be working!

4. Test Centurylink Consistency

On a Windows-operated machine, connected to your Centurylink (router) via Ethernet or WiFi, open the Command Prompt (CMD) as administrator.

Then you can simply ping Google’s DNS to check whether you receive or lose packets. 

• The command is as follows: “ping 8.8.8.8 -t”, without the quotes!

As shown in the image above, you will start sending packets to Google’s DNS continuously.

In the example above, there are no lost packets, hence the consistency of the internet is reliable without interruption.

Note: If you see “Reply Timed Out”, your internet is inconsistent so you would need to contact the supplier for further troubleshooting.

5. Diagnose Signal Interference

Sometimes when Centurylink internet keeps disconnecting, the culprit is a third-party device or a setup that is under interference.

Though interference can exist in multiple conditions, wireless interference is what often makes the network fluctuate or lose its consistency.

Here are all factors of wireless interference:

• Bluetooth devices, baby monitors other routers
• Microwaves can emit strong interference waves
• Large tech appliances and nearby metal objects
• Think concrete or wooden walls near your router
• Bulky electrical wiring with strong magnetic field

Tip: Centralize the Network Device!

The key to boosting the connectivity levels all throughout your house is placing the router in a centralized location.

Putting the router/modem device of your Centurylink setup in the kitchen or living room (where you spend the most time) is recommended!

6. Stop Restrictive Firewall Services!

If you’ve activated a firewall service that’s managing the network traffic, it’s possible that this is the reason why Centurylink keeps disconnecting.

Important: Check for activated firewalls on ALL devices connected to the router!

How to Disable Firewall (Windows)

1. Enter the Settings tab on your device.
2. Navigate to the “Update & Security” tab.
3. Press on the “Windows Security” option.
4. Choose “Firewall & network Protection”.
5. Scroll down to “Windows Defender Firewall”.
6. Switch the setting to “Off”.

How to Disable Firewall (Centurylink Network)

1. Access your network device’s GUI (use the provided username/password).
2. Once in the Centurylink GUI, navigate to “Firewall”.
3. Find the “SPI Firewall” option.
4. Press the toggle button to disable the service.

How to Disable Firewall (Mobile)

On Android devices:

1. Go to Settings > “Apps & Notifications”.
2. Press “Advanced” > “Special App Access”.
3. Navigate to the “VPN/Wi-Fi Calling” option.
4. Find the Firewall setting and set it to “Off”

Tip: Don’t keep the firewall service on your device disabled for too long. 

It guards your device against malware and hackers with malicious intent!

7. Check your Centurylink Subscription

Any unpaid fee toward Centurylink will result in the deactivation of all of your network and internet services/perks.

Like all other providers, Centurylink expects monthly payments from their users to keep all of the services active at all times!

Here’s how to check your Centurylink subscription:

1. Navigate to www.Centurylink.com.
2. Press on the “My Account” button.
3. Type your login credentials in the fields.
4. Once you’re logged in, press “Dashboard”.
5. Navigate to “My Products & Services”.
6. Inspect the data of renewal for the services.

Info: The “Renewal Data” of each Centurylink service is when the service has to be paid. 

8. Inspect the Connecting Device!

One of the most important factors is to check whether the issue comes from your Centurylink network or the device that you’re using.

The best course of action would be to test the Centurylink WiFi by connecting to another device!

Based on whether the secondary device works in contrast to the previous one, you can draw a conclusion.

Some of the reasons why your connected device is disconnecting from Centurylink WiFi is due to enabled mobile data or misconfigured networking settings.

9. Factory Reset the Network Device!

The final and most-powerful step is to perform a factory reset on your network device and refresh all settings to default. Based on your Centurylink equipment, proceed accordingly:

Recommended Centurylink Modems:

• Zyxel modems (the C4000s, C3000Z, C3510XZ)
• Axon modems (the C4000s)
• Greenwave modems (the C4000s)

Info: All modems recommended by Centurylink can factory reset identically!

How to Factory Reset a Centurylink Modem?

1. Locate the reset pinhole on the back of the modem.
2. Insert a paperclip or another thin device in there.
3. Hold the button for about 5-10 seconds and let go.
4. Wait for the modem to start blinking and reset itself.

How to Reset a Third-Party Modem?

If you’re not in possession of one of the recommended Centurylink modems but instead have a third-party device, look for the reset button. Typically, modems are reset by holding the reset button for about 10-15 seconds until the device starts blinking.

Tip: Check the user manual of your modem to learn how the device is reset!

Quick Recap:

Hereby we could address the “Centurylink internet keeps disconnecting” problem, by power cycling your router and inspecting all network cables/wires.

After that, we need to identify whether there are Centurylink outages and disable restrictive services!

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Read Next: How to Cancel Centurylink Service?