Why doesn’t it work? (aka Netflix isn’t working)

Almost weekly in the Capric household someone shouts from the distance: “Netflix isn’t working” (not always Netflix, can be YouTube TV, Disney+, etc.)

To which I shout back, from a further distance because I’m starting to run in the opposite direction: “Are you sure it’s Netflix?”

Anguish ensues. Tempers flare. Frustrations peak. Hands thrown in air. Problem resolved. Disaster averted.

How did we get here?

To make something more useful and easier to use, we had to make how it works more complicated. That was the trade-off we made over time.

You want access to literally every piece of information you can ever ask for? No problem.

You want access to it any time you want? You got it.

You want it fast and cheap? That’s relative, but we can get you there.

This was all done for us. Yet, we still complain when it doesn’t work when we want it, how we want it — even if it’s for a fleeting moment.

And what compounds this frustration are the many layers that make this all work “just like that” that one must peel back to fix the issue.

“Netflix isn’t working.” (are you sure about that?)

Something as simple as “Netflix isn’t working” could have multiple points of failure (you’ll read more about this later). Heck, Netflix may be working fine for everyone else, just not for you.

Let’s not even go down a rabbit hole of “some of these issues at Netflix sometimes aren’t even Netlfix’s doing”.. or shall we?

Do you know how many component parts there are for a website or app like Netflix? Several, but here are some of the most common ones:

• Hosting Provider: Think of this as the apparatus that contains all the files, code, databases, etc. that make that thing work. Think of this as the house that holds your plumbing, furniture, etc. One of the most popular hosting providers is Amazon Web Services (yes, the same Amazon you buy your batteries from).
• Domain Name Registrar: You know that thing that goes into the browser bar of your browser? Netflix.com, Facebook.com, etc. That’s the address of the website. Behind the scenes, there are companies that map those user-friendly addresses to the more technical addresses used by those hosting providers we mentioned earlier.
• Content Delivery Networks: Now we’re getting a bit technical, but bear with me. While everything seemingly happens in a split second when on the internet, much of this is helped by companies that help large companies set up hubs across the world so that their website is physically closer to you. Believe it or not, your computer located in New York trying to fetch files from a website located in Singapore takes a noticeable amount of time. So, instead, websites use these content delivery networks to bring their content closer to you (let’s say having a content hub in Massachusetts where you could more quickly grab those files from).

When working in harmony these components bring you amazing, high-quality content in the blink of an eye for an affordable price. BUT, if any of these components fail the whole thing fails.. and if these components fail big.. then large parts of the internet fail in a spectacular fashion.

How spectacular? Well..

Spectacular Failures that Brought Down the Internet

In December 2021 Amazon Web Services (AWS) had three significant outages. What happens when AWS goes down? A quick (but not exhaustive) list:

• Amazon Fulfilment Centers grind to a halt.
• Whole Foods cancels deliveries.
• Slack stops working (although I’m sure many are okay with that).
• Final exams were canceled because the software that hosts content was down (I’m sure students weren’t heartbroken).
• Roomba’s stop working (dogs and cats rejoice).

In October 2021 Facebook (now Meta) had a significant, prolonged outage. While you may read this and say, “I can live without Facebook for a few hours”, you forget how much connectivity Meta has across the internet. For starters:

• No Facebook (clearly).
• No Instagram.
• Lightning round: No WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Oculus.
• Websites using Facebook Login experience issues.
• Gmail, TikTok, and Snapchat also experienced slowdowns as Google Public DNS service became strained.
• Meta lost 5% of its market cap and $60 million in ad revenue that day.

In July 2021 content delivery network (CDN) provider Akamai experienced an outage. What happens when there’s an issue with this thing you probably never heard of? Brace yourself:

• 29,000 websites went down. Akamai handles 15–30% of the total web traffic.
• You can’t play Playstation with your friends since PlayStation Network is down.
• No posting pics on Instagram.
• No complaining about the outage because Twitter is also down.
• Want to catch up on news? No dice — Financial Times, New York Times, Bloomberg News, and others are offline.

For those who are more visual learners, here is what it looked like those days these outages occurred:

Ok, but seriously, Netflix isn’t working. What do I do?

This section is mostly for my spouse, but I will make it publicly available for the greater good of the “tech-half” of couples everywhere.

Seriously, read for a laugh (or if you really have an issue with Netflix), but also feel free to skip to the next chapter.

How do you solve for “Netflix isn’t working”? Let’s break down the questions to ask by probability order.

1. Is it Netflix (or Disney+, YouTube, etc.)?

What to do: Check a website like Downdetector or Is it Down Right Now. If it says Netflix is down, then bingo, you nailed it on the first question. This will need to be something you wait for Netflix to resolve.

What you’d see at Downdetector.com

If not, don’t sweat it, we still have options. Head on over to step 2.

2. Is it the internet? (Comcast, FIOS, etc.)

What to do: A few things you can do here, check your service provider’s website, check Downdetector, check your town’s Facebook group (there are always a few frustrated folks who run to a Facebook group), or just try to run a few different apps from your devices (if other apps are not working, most likely it’s your internet).

Here is the rub. If your service provider is showing that there are no outages, then you may need to go to the next step.

3. Is it the router?

What to do: Run over to your router and see if any of the lights are either blinking or any color other than green (green being the universal “all good” sign).

Honestly, we’re now at a point where regardless of what you see (orange light, blinking light, or a healthy green light), just go ahead and unplug the router for 30 seconds and then plug it back in. Yes, I know, not highly scientific or technical, but just roll with it. We use to blow into Nintendo cartridges to get them to work — we don’t always need to understand why.

If after you plug it in, let it boot up, you still don’t have the Tindler Swindler blaring on your screen.. now we’re getting into some serious stuff. Head onto the next step.

4. Is it the WiFi extender/mesh network?

You can skip this step if you do not have a WiFi extender or mesh network.

What to do: Run over to the extender(s) you have or the hub of your mesh network (usually located next to the router you just fiddled with) and see if any of the lights are either blinking or any color other than green (sound familiar?). Also, mesh networks usually have apps that will tell you what’s happening on the network.. but..

Once again, we’re at an impasse, just go ahead and unplug the device for 30 seconds and then plug it back in.

Still no joy? Are tears welling up in your eyes? This is where I suggest you take a breather. Grab your favorite snack. Or your favorite drink. If it’s wine, just grab the bottle, forget the glass.

Ok, feeling better? Onto the next step.

5. Is it the Fire TV Stick (or Apple TV, Roku, etc.)?

If you’re not using a streaming device, head to the next step.

What to do: If in step 2 you didn’t use your streaming device to check other apps to determine if the internet is down, then do so now. If it’s just not Netflix, but you also have issues with YouTube, Disney+, etc. AND if your internet works on other devices then it’s time to restart your streaming device.

I won’t get into how to do this for each device. You usually find this in the “Settings” area. Make sure you are “restarting” the device and NOT resetting the device to factory settings. Go on, I’ll wait.

..are you serious? It’s still not working?

Ok, we’re running out of daylight here. Last thing to check.

6. Is it the TV/device?

• What to do (on a Smart TV): We’re going to go straight to the Settings to restart (not reset) the TV.
• What to do (on a Tablet/SmartPhone): Whatever device you’re on, press the buttons to restart the device (ex: on an iPhone/iPad press and hold either volume button and the side button until the power-off slider appears).

If none of those things worked — read a book — a physical book.

Thanks for fixing my Netflix, are you done?

Yes, I’m done.

Going step by step to fix your Netflix issue was done for dramatic effect; but also to demonstrate how when a simple, everyday thing we use stops working, it’s not easy to deduce where the issue is (or how to fix it).

Apply the Netflix example to anything: a website being down (how many times I’ve lived through that), an email not being delivered, your car not starting, your phone not working.. on and on and on.

What’s the solution for this? Deep breaths, patience, understanding, and time. The moment an issue occurs, the first question shouldn’t be, “How long until it’s fixed?”, it should be, “How long until we know what’s wrong?”

If what isn’t working is not life or death, we should appreciate the fact that it “just works” almost all of the time.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk (less of a talk, more of a ramble) standing on this soapbox.

As always, pieces of me can be found here, if interested: Twitter, LinkedIn, or Quora (providing there are no outages, of course).