Is Google Fiber Internet Down?
Find out if there's a Google Fiber outage in your area.
Feb 15, 2024 | Share 
Brand Guides, Equipment Guides
If your Google Fiber internet is down, there may be a problem with Google’s service, your account, or your home network. To get you back online, we’ll start with some basic troubleshooting. If that doesn’t work, it’s possible there’s a widespread Google Fiber outage.
Having trouble getting online with Google Fiber?
If Google Fiber keeps letting you down, enter your zip code to see what other internet providers are available to you.
How to find out if your Google Fiber internet is down
Step 1: Check if you can get online with other devices on your network
If you can’t access the internet using a specific laptop or smartphone, try another device. Even if you don’t have multiple computers, you may have a smart TV or smart speakers that can access the internet. If some but not all of your devices can get online, consult our Wi-Fi troubleshooting guides listed below.
How to fix internet connection issues
How to fix common Wi-Fi problems
Step 2: Check the lights on your internet equipment
If you can’t get online with any device, check the lights on the front of your router or Network Box. If you’re using the Nest Wifi Pro mesh system or the Wi-Fi 6 Router from Google Fiber, a solid blue light on the front of each device means you have a connection.
You can also check for lights on your Fiber Jack, where the internet comes into your home. Google Fiber uses several different models (some of which don’t have lights), but you can use this guide to Fiber Jack and router lights to figure out what your lights mean.
Step 3: Power cycle everything
If you still can’t get online, try restarting all your equipment. Most customers will have a router and a Fiber Jack, but you may also have mesh extenders or an all-in-one multi-gig router.
If you’re using routers and extenders provided by Google Fiber, you can use the Google Fiber smartphone app to restart your gear. If you don’t have access to the app, you can power cycle the old-fashioned way: Unplug the equipment from the power outlet, wait about 30 seconds, and plug it all back in.
Two Fiber Jack models (GFLT110 and GFLT300) receive power over Ethernet, so you need to disconnect the Ethernet cable from the Fiber Jack or Network Box—depending on which is easier—to power cycle these two devices. All other Fiber Jack models have a power adapter you can unplug for 30 seconds.
Pro tip:
You may see reset buttons on your equipment, but we don’t recommend using them on provider-supplied equipment. They’ll restore factory defaults, meaning you’ll have to set up your whole network again. If rebooting your equipment doesn’t work and you’re using gear from Google Fiber, call customer service.
Step 4: Check your account page or the Google Fiber outage detector
If you’ve checked everything on your end and still can’t get online, you may have a complete service outage. Find another way to get online and enter your street address on Google’s outage site to find out for sure. You can also navigate to your Google Fiber app or the Google Fiber account page, where you may see an alert like the following:
Logging into your account is also a good way to check if there are any billing issues causing your service interruption. Sad but true, we all sometimes let payment cards expire or forget to budget enough to cover monthly internet bills.
Step 5: Go outside! Ask your neighbors and look for work crews
If there are no notices on your account but you still can’t get online, there’s a remote chance Google Fiber is down in your neighborhood and the customer support system doesn’t know yet. You may want to ask a friendly neighbor who has Google Fiber if they’re having trouble getting online or look around for construction crews that may have cut a fiber line.
Pro tip:
Pro tip: Use social media to find out about local internet outages. Check r/googlefiber on Reddit, @googlefiberhelp on X, or Google Fiber’s Facebook page. Unfortunately, Google Fiber’s own public forum isn’t particularly helpful—most answers are just links to the help desk.
Step 6: Call Google Fiber customer service
Our customer research shows most people prefer to call customer service if they suspect an internet outage or have billing problems. You can reach Google Fiber at 1-866-777-7550. The system automatically identifies your account based on the number from which you’re calling.
Does Google Fiber give refunds if there’s an internet outage?
Residential customers of Google Fiber aren’t guaranteed refunds, but some customers tell us they’ve gotten automatic credits on their bill in case of outages. If you’ve had recent outages and aren’t seeing that credit, we recommend calling support to ask for a refund.
How to get online if there’s a Google Fiber outage
If there’s a true outage, you might just have to wait it out and find other ways to entertain yourself for a few hours. In an emergency, you can do the following:
- Use your mobile phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot by tethering your PC to it using Bluetooth or a USB cable (but be mindful of low data caps).
- See if a neighbor with a different provider can let you use their Wi-Fi.
If you have a little more time to get online, try the following:
- Find public hotspots from businesses like coffee shops and fast food restaurants.
- Log on to hotspots at public libraries and universities (which will also have computers you can use).
- Find hotspots supplied by your provider.
Still struggling with a Google Fiber outage? Leave a review.
Maybe you love your Google Fiber and can’t remember a single outage since you signed up. Or maybe have connection problems all the time and can’t reach support. Either way, let us know about your experience. Reviews help us improve our recommendations to customers like you!
Write a Google Fiber Review | Read Other Reviews
What other Google Fiber customers say
Google Fiber has a great reputation, and it’s well deserved. The company earned the highest overall satisfaction scores among all providers in our annual customer survey, winning its highest marks for speed and reliability.
| Provider | Overall satisfaction | Speed | Price | Reliability | Customer Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Fiber | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
*Rating based on a five point system used in our Customer Satisfaction Survey. Higher is better. Because Google Fiber has fewer than 1 million customers nationwide, it wasn’t included in the annual report. Among providers with at least 1 million customers, T-Mobile was the top provider.
That’s not all we learned. Nearly 9 in 10 customers say they always or usually have the internet speeds they need from Google Fiber, and virtually 100% say they’re satisfied with their speed. What’s more, about two thirds say they rarely or never experience outages.
Below, we break down what customers said when we asked “when was the last time you experienced an internet outage, where your entire household was unable to connect to the internet?”
Quotes from Google Fiber customers about outages and reliability
“I appreciate the fast speeds and reliable service. I haven’t experienced any problems unique to me—just a couple of area outages. I wouldn’t mind spending less as long as I could get the same speed and reliability.”
“I had Google fiber installed a few years ago. I love it because the Internet speed is super fast and very reliable. The only thing they could do better is by offering a better monthly price.”
“Always fast any time there is an outage they credit my account for it and if I have to get help they are always fast and very helpful.”
“I like Google Fiber because it is fast, reliable, no lag time and fits my whole family’s needs. I’ve waited a long time for them to come into our neighborhood and as soon as it was, we grabbed it and haven’t looked back since.”
Sourced from customers in all regions of the United States as part of the 2023 Customer Satisfaction Survey. We did not collect personal info.
Google Fiber reliability in different areas
Google Fiber is known for having very few outages and virtually no slowdowns, but no internet provider is bulletproof. Furthermore, some service areas are more likely to have outages than others.
Local outages usually occur when Google Fiber is new to an area because so many new connections are being set up. Other times, major infrastructure problems are unrelated to signups and can take a few days to fix. Service in North Salt Lake, Utah, for example, was rocky for several months after service in the city was launched. There are dozens of threads about the situation on Reddit, including one about a 10-day outage and another about area outages.
Google Fiber’s shallow trenches in Texas, Kentucky, and Arizona
Fiber is the best connection type out there, but not all fiber is created equal. Google Fiber hires different contractors to install its infrastructure in different cities, so quality, specifications, and techniques can vary a lot.
A few years ago, for example, Google Fiber contractors tried a new micro-trench technique in Louisville, Ky. Instead of burying cables in cuts several inches wide and about a foot deep, which is industry-standard, crews buried them in narrow trenches just a few inches deep.
Other Google Fiber contractors used a similar technique in parts of Austin, Texas, due to the city sitting on top of limestone bedrock.
Google’s new method meant a fast rollout of services, but cables soon sprouted up out of the road and caused a maintenance nightmare. Google eventually announced an end to service in Louisville and abandoned its fiber network there. It has continued expanding in Texas, but we see more complaints from customers around the web about outages in that market than in most other areas of the country. This thread talks about threats to cancel the service, this one talks about common outages in Austin, and this page about Google Fiber features many comments from irritated Texas customers.
Fast forward to 2022, and Google Fiber attempted a new micro-trenching project. This time, it was in Mesa, Ariz., but city rules require fiber cables buried under roads to have at least 6–10 inches of cover.
So far, we haven’t seen many complaints about Google Fiber outages in Mesa, but that’s not necessarily the whole story. Providers typically don’t make outage frequency data available to the general public.
If Google Fiber isn’t in your city, you may have access to another fiber-to-the-home internet provider (more than half of U.S. homes do). Most of these providers won’t offer speeds as fast as those available from Google Fiber, but you may have a lower monthly bill.
Are there any fiber internet providers near you?
Enter your zip code to see what’s available where you live.
Learn more about Google Fiber internet plans
| Package | Price | Speed | Order Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Fiber 1 Gig | $70.00/mo.* | 1,000Mbps | |
| Google Fiber 2 Gig | $100.00/mo.* | 2,000Mbps | |
| Google Fiber 5 Gig | $125.00/mo.** | 5,000Mbps | |
| Google Fiber 8 Gig | $150.00/mo.** | 8,000Mbps |
See disclaimers.
Compare fiber to other internet connection types
Fiber internet uses glass and lasers to transmit data, and it’s the most dependable connection type available today. If you have Google Fiber, that means you have fiber cabling laid all the way to your home. In addition to the tech type, fiber is more reliable because redundancy is usually built in and doesn’t rely on external electrical equipment. That means fewer weather-related outages, less electrical interference, and ultimately fewer ongoing maintenance requirements compared to cable or DSL internet.
Fiber internet can be more expensive than other connection types, and waiting for installation can be a pain compared to signing up with an existing cable connection or installing a simple 5G receiver box in your home. However, fiber is faster and more reliable.
How Google Fiber compares to other internet providers
Google Fiber is available in only 36 cities so far. Some other national providers, in comparison, serve hundreds of major metros in dozens of states.
| Provider | Customer rating* | Max download speed | Cheapest plan | Internet type | Order online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4.3/5 | 8,000Mbps | $70.00/mo.† | Fiber | |
| 3.7/5 | 1,000Mbps (wireless speeds may vary) | $49.99/mo.‡ for 12 mos. | Cable, fiber | View Plans |
| 3.9/5 | 2,000Mbps | $20.00/mo.§ | Cable | View Plans for Xfinity |
| 3.9/5 | 5,000Mbps | $55.00/mo.|| | Fiber | View Plans for AT&T |
*Rating based on a five point system used in our 2023 Customer Satisfaction Survey. Higher is better.
See disclaimers.
FAQs about Google Fiber
How do I troubleshoot Google Fiber?
The mobile app is the best way to troubleshoot Google Fiber. It’s also the easiest way to reset your equipment and see if there’s a widespread outage. Furthermore, the app makes it easy to contact customer support if you can’t figure out the problem.
If you don’t have access to the app, you can call Google Fiber at 1-866-777-7550 or browse the company’s help documentation. For general internet troubleshooting, check out our library of resource articles.
What to do when Google Fiber goes out?
H3: What to do when Google Fiber goes out?
If you need to get online and there’s a Google Fiber outage, try seeing if you can access the internet with your mobile device. If so, you could use your smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot in a process called tethering. If you have mobile coverage but Google Fiber isn’t working, you could also use a separate device called a hotspot.
Data caps are common with hotspot plans, so try to hold off on streaming video and downloading large files. Get back on Google Fiber as soon as the network outage is resolved.
How to Turn On Your Phone’s Wi-Fi Hotspot
Mobile Hotspot vs. Phone Tethering: What’s the Difference?
Does Google Fiber work when power is out?
Your Google Fiber service won’t be available in a power outage unless you have a battery backup for your Fiber Jack at home, according to Google Fiber’s terms of service. If you do have one, though, Google Fiber is highly likely to work.
In a blog posted in October of 2023, Google Fiber’s Director of Network Engineering & Operations Thomas Feilmeier says fiber is not as reliant on commercial power as other internet types. He also says its system was built with a lot of redundancy so customers would always have connection. He cites reliable connections 99.9% of the time, even accounting for power outages and other factors.
Learn about Google Fiber battery backups
How do I report a problem with Google Fiber?
You can visit Google Fiber’s outage detector to report a problem or log on with the Google Fiber app. If you don’t have access to either, you can call Google Fiber at 1-866-777-7550.
Why is Google Fiber not available?
Google Fiber is available in only select cities throughout the U.S. That’s because the network competes with legacy providers such as AT&T, Xfinity, and Spectrum and makes business decisions accordingly. Our internet experts keep an eye on Google Fiber’s homepage to find out which cities have availability. If you are in a Google Fiber city and pay for a plan but your network is down, log onto the mobile app or Google Fiber’s outage detector for more information.
Disclaimers
† Available in select markets only. Plus taxes and fees. Upload/download speed and device streaming claims are based on maximum wired speeds. Actual Internet speeds are not guaranteed and may vary based on factors such as hardware and software limitations, latency, packet loss, etc.
‡ For 12 months when bundled. Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter. Spectrum Internet® Gig promotion price is $89.99/mo; standard rates apply after yr. 1. Taxes, fees and surcharges extra and subject to change during and after the promotional period; installation/network activation, equipment and additional services are extra.
§ No term contract. Taxes and equipment not included. (xFi getaway required). Included up to $10 mo. auto pay & paperless discount. Package not available in all cities.Pricing for some packages are for the first 12 months. Some packages require a 1- or 2-year contract.
|| Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes & fees. Monthly State Cost Recovery Charge in TX, OH, NV applies. Ltd. availability/areas.
Author - Chili Palmer
With more than 15 years' experience in the coverage of tech and consumer issues, Chili Palmer holds a bachelor's degree in print journalism from Weber State University. Before joining highspeedinternet.com, she wrote about home internet and cable TV for Switchful.com. Her writing and editing work has also appeared in the Idaho Business Review, Utah Business magazine, Top Ten Reviews, Deseret News, and more. Previously writing under the name Rebecca Palmer, Chili is passionate about providing accurate and accessible information any time you're trying to connect … whether you already speak geek or just got your first smartphone.
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