San Jose Techies

We all had (or having) issues with our internet at some point in our lives, but how can you know if the problem is with your ISP (Internet Service Provider), with your wifi inside your house/business, or both?

Everyone deserves fast, reliable internet covering 100% of their house/business.
In this article, we'll refer to ISP issues as "internet problems" and wifi issues as "internal network" or wifi problems.

The ISP provides the internet to your house/business. 
In some cases, the ISP also provides the modem/router/wifi (usually in one box that holds all the components together), usually for a monthly fee.
 
For you (as the end user), it might seem like the "internet" is unreliable/spotty, while in fact, the "internet" coming from your ISP to your modem might work well, while the problem relies on your wifi, and not the modem/ISP. 

Alternatively, you might have a great, reliable wifi inside your house/business, but the internet you're getting from your ISP is spotty.
 
In a perfect world, every time you had any "internet" or "wifi" issues, the ISP will visit you, identify, and solve the problem.

While ISPs have some methods of troubleshooting internet problems (to your house/business), ISPs have limited tools to identify internal network/wifi issues which occur inside your house/business.

In other words, ISPs sometimes can detect internet issues (from the internet to your modem/router), but would miss wifi issues.

When people are having internet issues, usually they contact their ISP. Usually, the ISP performs a quick infrastructure check, which might show that the "internet" (the service that the ISP provides to your modem/router) works well. In some cases, the ISP might be "right" (regarding the internet to your modem), while you still suffer from a poor experience.

Why is that? It can happen when the ISP provides good service to your house/business, but fails to troubleshoot issues (wifi) inside your house/business.
Identifying the correct cause of the problem is the key to resolving it.
 
Suppose you find yourself calling the ISP repeteadly or switching between different ISPs, and switch having internet (or wifi issues), it's probably time to contact a professional.