ISP

How it works

• It delivers the connection by cable, fibre or phone line, and usually supplies the modem.
• Speed, price and reliability vary by street, so check what is available at your address.
• Many small offices keep a second, cheaper connection as a backup so one outage does not stop work.
• The provider can see that you are online and when, and fixes faults on its side of the modem.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A seven-person office had one internet line and a card machine that needed it. A cut cable on the street took the line down for most of a day, and every sale had to be written on paper.

How WILDCARD handles it

Network covers the firewall and switch behind the provider's modem, which is where a business office takes over from the provider's equipment.

• A clinic keeps a cellular backup line for the card terminal.
• A shop keeps the provider's support number and account number taped inside the network cabinet.
• A consultancy compares fibre and cable quotes before a move and asks for static IP details.

A question owners ask

Who do I call when the internet is down?

Check the modem lights and restart it first. If that does not help, call the provider, because the fault is often on their side of the wall.