Fault Reporting
How to report a fault with the right operational detail
This page is for clients who have already worked through the self-help checks and now need to report a service issue clearly. The goal is to separate local issues from network issues and give Netmetrix enough detail to troubleshoot, dispatch, or escalate properly.
Reporting standard
Good support starts with accurate technical observations
When a fault is logged without site detail, equipment observations, or symptom timing, resolution takes longer. This page explains what information Netmetrix needs before treating a complaint as a line fault, a wireless path issue, an FNO issue, or an upstream provider incident.
Start by classifying the impact
- Device-level issue Only one phone, laptop, TV, decoder, or PC is affected while other devices are working.
- Room-level Wi-Fi issue The complaint is mainly about a weak area in the building, not the entire property.
- Site-wide service issue Multiple devices across the property are affected in the same way at the same time.
- Intermittent network issue The fault comes and goes, changes by weather, time of day, or equipment restarts.
Capture these details
Minimum information before you report the fault
Site and service details
- Full installation address or business site name.
- Whether the service is fibre or fixed wireless.
- A callback name and number for follow-up.
Scope of the fault
- Whether the issue affects one device, one room, or the whole property.
- Whether the problem is slow speed, no browsing, high latency, Wi-Fi weakness, disconnects, or total outage.
- Whether the fault is constant or intermittent.
Timing and triggers
- What time the problem started.
- Whether the issue started after load shedding, storms, electrical work, cable movement, or tree growth.
- Whether the problem becomes worse at certain times of day or in certain weather conditions.
Equipment observations
- What the ONT, router, injector, UPS, or outdoor radio lights are showing.
- Whether any device in the equipment chain was off, rebooting, or unstable.
- Whether a single controlled restart changed the symptom.
Service-specific reporting
What to record based on the access type
Fibre fault reporting
- Check whether the ONT has power and whether the normal fibre status lights are present.
- Record any red, flashing, or unusual light states before restarting equipment.
- Confirm whether the router WAN connection appears normal or whether the whole property is offline.
- Check whether recent cable movement, cleaning, furniture moves, or electrical work may have disturbed the fibre equipment.
Wireless fault reporting
- Check whether recent weather, wind, storms, or physical changes may have affected the radio path.
- Check whether trees, foliage, new roofing, shade cloth, or structures may now affect line-of-sight.
- Record whether the issue is constant or linked to weather or time-of-day conditions.
- If known, report whether the issue is slow throughput, high latency, packet loss, or full link failure.
Wi-Fi-only complaints
- Report how many Wi-Fi bars the affected device shows in the problem area.
- Compare the same test close to the router or access point.
- State clearly if the issue disappears when the device is near the access point.
- Describe whether only one room, floor, or part of the property is affected.
Application or upstream complaints
- State whether all internet use is affected or only one app, site, platform, or cloud service.
- If email, streaming, VPN, CCTV remote viewing, or business systems are affected, mention exactly which service fails.
- If local Wi-Fi remains connected but external platforms fail, this may point to provider-side or application-side issues.
- Wider routing incidents, maintenance, DDoS activity, or data-centre faults can create this pattern.
Equipment lights
What to note before restarting anything
- Whether the ONT power light is on and stable.
- Whether internet, PON, LAN, or link indicators are normal, flashing unusually, or off.
- Whether the router appears fully booted or stuck restarting.
- Whether the outdoor wireless power injector or backup supply is powered correctly.
Avoid these mistakes
What makes troubleshooting slower
- Reporting only that the internet is down without saying whether one device or the whole property is affected.
- Restarting equipment repeatedly before noting light states or fault timing.
- Assuming a provider outage when the complaint is limited to one room with weak Wi-Fi signal.
- Ignoring recent tree growth, weather exposure, load shedding, or site changes on fixed wireless services.
Escalation logic
How Netmetrix typically interprets the fault
First isolate the scope
Netmetrix first determines whether the issue is device-level, Wi-Fi-only, site-wide, or upstream.
Then verify local equipment
Power state, cable condition, light status, and recent environmental changes are checked before assuming a provider fault.
Then assess the access layer
For fibre, that may mean checking FNO-side conditions. For wireless, that may mean checking line-of-sight, alignment, or radio-path changes.
Then escalate if required
If local conditions appear normal and the fault pattern supports it, Netmetrix can escalate to the FNO, upstream provider, or relevant platform more effectively.
When you contact Netmetrix
What a good support handoff looks like
- Service type: fibre or fixed wireless.
- Impact: one device, one room, or whole property.
- Symptom: slow, down, intermittent, high latency, or poor Wi-Fi.
- Time started and whether it is constant or weather-related.
- Equipment light observations before restart.
- Any recent power events, storms, cable movement, or foliage changes.
- Any test result from close to the router compared with the problem area.
Next Step
Use the support hub first if needed
- If the fault is still unclear, go back to the Support Hub and work through the self-help scenarios first.
- If the fault is already classified and you have the observations ready, contact Netmetrix directly.
- Clear reporting helps Netmetrix decide whether to troubleshoot remotely, dispatch locally, or escalate to an FNO or upstream provider.
Need to log the fault now?
If you have the observations above ready, contact Netmetrix with the full site detail and exact symptom pattern so the issue can be classified and escalated correctly.