Follow a simple connection
Your device connects to a local network through Wi-Fi or a cable. A router moves traffic between networks. Your internet service provider carries traffic beyond your home. The website runs on another computer, often in a provider's data center. A problem at any step can stop a page from loading.
Names, addresses, and services
An IP address identifies a network endpoint. The Domain Name System, or DNS, helps translate a name such as example.com into an address a device can use. Ports help direct traffic to particular services. These concepts describe how traffic reaches a destination; they do not prove that the destination is trustworthy.
Separate connection from trust
Imagine that a shopping page loads successfully but asks for an unusual payment. Connectivity is working, yet the transaction may still be unsafe. HTTPS encrypts the connection to the domain you reached; it does not establish that the business is honest.
- Describe whether one site or every site fails to load.
- Check the full domain before entering account details.
- Use device settings to inspect your own connection; do not test other people's networks.