To check for a Comcast Xfinity outage, open the Xfinity Outage Map at xfinity.com/support/statusmap, sign in to the Xfinity app, or text OUT to 266278. If an outage is listed, wait for the repair estimate instead of resetting equipment. If none is listed, test a second device, check cables, and restart your gateway from the app (WiFi, then Troubleshoot, then Restart your Gateway) or by unplugging it for one minute.
Who this is for and what you will have at the end
This guide is for Xfinity Internet customers in the US, at home or in a small office, whose connection has stopped working or keeps dropping. By the end you will know how to confirm an outage with Xfinity's own tools, how to tell an outage from a problem with your Wi-Fi or a single device, how to restart your equipment in a sensible order, what the gateway lights mean, how to reach support and how to check whether you qualify for an outage credit.
EpiFive is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Comcast. Xfinity and Comcast are trademarks of their owners. Every menu path, number and procedure below comes from Xfinity's support pages as they read on October 31, 2026. Xfinity updates these pages, so confirm details against the pages listed in the References before you rely on them.
Before you start
Have these ready:
- Your Xfinity ID and password. Several tools show your own location's outage details only after you sign in.
- A phone with mobile data, so you can reach Xfinity's tools even when your home internet is down.
- Access to the gateway (or modem and router) and its power cable.
If you own your modem rather than renting an Xfinity Gateway, Xfinity's troubleshooting page asks you to confirm that the device is on its compatible-device list. An incompatible modem can look exactly like an outage.
If you run Xfinity Voice or Xfinity Home on the same gateway, note the warning on Xfinity's restart page before you restart anything: while the gateway restarts, your home phone cannot place or receive calls, including emergency 911 calls, and you lose access to cameras and connected automation devices. Xfinity notes that security sensors are not affected.
Step 1: Check for an outage with Xfinity's official tools
Start here. If there is an outage, nothing you do at home will fix it, and Xfinity's online troubleshooting is unavailable until it is resolved.
The Xfinity Outage Map
Go to xfinity.com/support, scroll down and select View Outage Map, or open xfinity.com/support/statusmap directly. You can search any address Xfinity serves.
- If you are signed in, select the house icon to see your location's details: a short description, the outage type and cause, and the estimated repair time and repair status where available.
- If you are not signed in, type your address instead.
- If you have problems but no outage is listed, the map offers a Report an outage option.
The Xfinity app
Sign in to the Xfinity app. If your location is affected, outage information appears. Tap View outage details for the description, type, cause, estimated repair time and repair status where available.
Text alerts
Xfinity offers three text options:
| What you want | How Xfinity says to do it |
|---|---|
| A one-off outage check | Text OUT to 266278 (COMCST). Message and data rates may apply. |
| A text when your service is fixed | Open the Outage Map, sign in, select Request Text Updates in the outage banner (or select your Home icon), enter your mobile number and choose Get a Text. |
| Automatic alerts for future outages | Register a mobile number for Xfinity texts. Xfinity sends texts for certain types of outages, with a repair estimate, periodic updates and a final message when service is restored. |
To register or change your mobile number, sign in at customer.xfinity.com/settings/communications (Account Communications), look under Contact Methods and select Add mobile number. Outage and maintenance notices sit under the Service Interruptions category in Preferences, where you can also stop outage texts during quiet hours between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. local time. If you previously opted out of texts, Xfinity says you must text START to 266278 before you can update your preferences, and replying STOP to an outage text removes you from future outage alerts.
Business accounts
Xfinity's "TV or Internet is out" page directs Comcast Business customers to the Service Status Center at business.comcast.com/status/ instead of the consumer tools above.
Step 2: Outage or home network problem?
If Xfinity shows no outage, the cause is more likely inside your home. Work through these checks from Xfinity's connectivity troubleshooting page before restarting anything:
- Test more than one device and more than one website or app. Xfinity notes that problems limited to one device or one site usually are not caused by the gateway.
- Check which network you are on. Make sure Wi-Fi is on and that you are connected to your own home network, not an xfinitywifi or XFINITY hotspot.
- Check for a changed Wi-Fi name or password. If either was changed, update it on each device.
- Check the cables. Confirm all cables are connected, and that the coax cable is tightened at both the wall and the gateway or modem. Xfinity's outage page also suggests checking that plugs are firmly seated and the outlet works.
- Check your account. Xfinity lists overdue payments as a possible cause of disruption. You can confirm under Manage billing in the app, or the Billing tab online.
- Check your distance from the gateway. Weak signal at the edge of your home can look like an outage on one device.
A quick way to read the results:
| What you see | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Outage listed on the map or in the app | Xfinity network; wait for the repair estimate |
| No outage, every device offline, gateway light red | Gateway connection; restart, then contact Xfinity |
| No outage, only one device offline | That device or its Wi-Fi settings |
| No outage, wired device works but Wi-Fi does not | Wi-Fi settings, range or a separate router |
If only a Windows PC is affected, work through Wi-Fi not working on Windows 11. Microsoft's own Wi-Fi guidance includes checking that Wi-Fi is on and that the network shows Connected, turning off airplane mode under Settings, Network & internet, Airplane mode, and in Windows 11 running the Network and Internet troubleshooter in the Get Help app. Microsoft also suggests trying the same network from another laptop or phone: if that device connects, the problem is likely with your device.
Step 3: Run Xfinity's own troubleshooting
Xfinity recommends its guided tools before a manual restart, because they can detect problems and offer a technician visit if a fault cannot be fixed remotely.
Xfinity Assistant
- Open Xfinity Assistant at xfinity.com/xfinityassistant and sign in with your Xfinity ID and password.
- Select Troubleshooting help, then Internet, and follow the prompts.
- If the issue is not resolved, you can switch to a live chat agent.
In the app, the path is Xfinity App, then Services, then scroll to the bottom of the page to Ask Xfinity Assistant.
The Xfinity app network test
- Sign in to the Xfinity app as the Primary Manager or a Member.
- Tap WiFi, then Troubleshoot. If the test will not run, update the app.
- If the system finds a problem it cannot fix remotely, schedule a technician.
Xfinity's restart page also suggests running its full network test first, because it tells you whether a restart is likely to fix the problem.
xfinity.com
Go to the Support page, sign in and select Troubleshoot. The Support page also tells you if you are in an outage, in which case troubleshooting is not available until it ends.
Step 4: Restart the gateway, modem and router
Restart a rented gateway from the app
- Sign in to the Xfinity app.
- Select the WiFi icon, then Troubleshoot, then Restart your Gateway.
- Wait. Xfinity says a restart takes up to 12 minutes, and your home network is unavailable until it finishes.
Restart manually
Xfinity describes the manual restart as a final troubleshooting attempt if the methods above did not work, and says it works for its gateway as well as most third-party devices:
- Unplug the power cable from the modem or gateway.
- Wait one minute.
- Plug the power cable back in.
If you use your own router behind the gateway or modem
An Xfinity Wireless Gateway is both a modem and a router. If you connect your own router to it, Xfinity says to enable Bridge Mode on the gateway, which turns off the gateway's router and private Wi-Fi so your router handles the network. In Bridge Mode only one device can be connected to the gateway.
Xfinity's pages do not set an order for restarting a gateway or modem and a separate router. Microsoft's Wi-Fi troubleshooting guidance gives a general order: unplug both, wait about 30 seconds, then plug in the modem first and the router second. Bring the modem or gateway fully online before powering up the router, so the router can obtain a connection when it starts. If your router has not been updated in a while, see office router security: firmware and defaults.
What the Xfinity gateway lights mean
Xfinity publishes a light guide for its gateways. It does not list model-specific differences; it points to a separate gateway overview for model numbers.
| Light | Xfinity's status | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No light | Off | Xfinity lists no specific action |
| Steady white, or white with a purple tint, after activation | On or operational | Nothing; the gateway is working |
| White steady or blinking during activation | Limited operational | Follow your Getting Started guide if the device is not yet activated |
| Steady red | No internet connection | Contact Xfinity for help |
| Blinking blue | WPS mode | The gateway is trying to pair with a wireless device |
| Any other color combination | Connecting to Xfinity systems | Allow about 15 minutes; contact Xfinity if problems continue |
A steady red light with no outage on the map, after a restart, is the clearest sign that you need Xfinity's help rather than another restart.
When and how to contact Xfinity
Contact Xfinity when the gateway light stays red, when Xfinity's troubleshooting finds a fault it cannot fix remotely, or when your service is still down after a restart and no outage is listed. The channels Xfinity lists on its support pages are:
- Xfinity Assistant, on the web or in the app, with the option to move to a live chat agent.
- Technician scheduling from the app's WiFi troubleshooting flow when a remote fix is not possible.
- Report an outage on the Outage Map if you have problems but no outage appears.
- ASL Support Center for customers who communicate non-verbally.
- Other channels Xfinity names: Messenger, the Xfinity Support Forums, X and Reddit.
Have your account sign-in details ready, along with what you have already tried, the gateway light color and when the problem started.
Outage credits
Xfinity's outage page says eligible accounts receive credits automatically, as long as they have not reached the maximum credit limit. To check:
- Go to xfinity.com/support.
- Scroll to Outage map and credit.
- Select Check credit eligibility.
- Enter your outage details, such as the start and end dates.
- Review your answers and submit.
If you qualify, Xfinity adds the credit to your account automatically. Its page does not publish a minimum outage length or a credit amount, so check your bill afterward rather than assuming a figure.
A business-continuity note
For a home office or small business, an outage is easier to manage if you plan a fallback before you need it.
- Phone hotspot. On an iPhone, Apple's instructions are Settings, Personal Hotspot (or Settings, Cellular, Personal Hotspot), then turn on Allow Others to Join. On Android, Google's instructions are to pull down Quick Settings and tap the Hotspot tile. Both vendors note that carriers may limit or charge for hotspot use, so check your plan.
- Xfinity WiFi hotspots. The Outage Map includes a hotspot toggle: sign in or enter an address, then turn it on to find nearby Xfinity WiFi Hotspots.
- Phone service. If you rely on Xfinity Voice, remember that it does not work while the gateway is offline, including 911 calls. Keep a mobile phone charged.
If downtime has a real cost for your business, a second connection may be worth comparing; see leased line vs business broadband vs fibre.
Checklist
- Check the Outage Map, the Xfinity app, or text OUT to 266278.
- If an outage is listed, wait for the repair estimate and sign up for a restore text.
- If none is listed, test another device, check you are on your own network, and tighten the coax cable.
- Run Xfinity Assistant or the app's WiFi troubleshooting test.
- Restart the gateway from the app, or unplug it for one minute; allow up to 12 minutes.
- Read the light: steady white is operational, steady red means contact Xfinity.
- Afterward, check outage credit eligibility under Outage map and credit.
References
- Xfinity, Check for a service outage: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/check-service-outage
- Xfinity, What to do if your Xfinity TV or Internet is out: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/cable-not-working
- Xfinity, Internet and WiFi connection troubleshooting: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/internet-connectivity-troubleshooting
- Xfinity, How to restart your Xfinity Gateway: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/troubleshooting-your-cable-modem
- Xfinity, What the lights on your Xfinity Gateways mean: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/xfi-gateway-led-lights
- Xfinity, Texts from Xfinity and contact preferences: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/comcast-text-alerts
- Xfinity, Proactive outage notifications: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/proactive-outage-notifications
- Xfinity, Enable or disable Bridge Mode: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/wireless-gateway-enable-disable-bridge-mode
- Microsoft Support, Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fix-wi-fi-connection-issues-in-windows-9424a1f7-6a3b-65a6-4d78-7f07eee84d2c
- Apple Support, Personal Hotspot on iPhone and iPad: https://support.apple.com/en-us/111785
- Google Android Help, Share a mobile connection by hotspot or tethering: https://support.google.com/android/answer/9059108
Comments
Questions and tips are welcome. Comments are checked by the EpiFive team before they appear; please do not share passwords, phone numbers or other private details.