Question Error : Ethernet Network Cable Unplugged ?

[Paffy]

My landlord installed a new internet connection (Bell Fibre) last night and I keep constantly getting disconnected with the following error message "Ethernet Network cable unplugged".

Laptop model: Asus Vivobook X540LA
Windows 10 Home
Router: Bell Giga Hub
Ethernet
Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller, latest driver (10.63.1014.2022)
Device status is working properly
Wireless Network Adapter
Qualcomm Atheros AR9485

Thanks

 

[bill001g]

These type of issues are almost always bad ethernet cables. The other extremely rare thing would be a bad port in some equipment. You can't really fix a bad port other than replacing hardware.

Bad ethernet cables are very strange at time. They can work with some equipment and not others. What this means is the cable no longer actually meets the specs for a ethernet cable but some equipment can tolerate a cable out of spec more than another.
It can be anything from some damage or even wear on the plug contacts. It is almost always the ends of the cables.
Unless you happen to already have tools to replace the ends it tends to be cheaper to just buy a new cable.

The "new" problem that causes this is there are massive amounts of fake ethernet cable sold. The most common you see is that flat cable. The wire size is much too small to meet the standards to be a actual ethernet cable. They can work in some equipment but not others. It all depends on how tolerant the equipment is to cable that are non standard.

You need nothing special for 1gbit ports. Cat5e is fine but it needs to be pure copper wire with wire size AWG 22-24. If you can't find that info clearly stated the cable are likely fakes. Cat6,7 etc will make no difference since you are limited by the 1gbit port speed. If they happen to be cheaper than cat5e and have the proper wires inside then you might as well get those.

If you have wires that are run in the walls of the house it gets a bit more complex but it generally is some issue with one of the wall jacks.

 

[Ralston18]

More information needed:

Exactly where/how etc. did the landlord install the new internet connection? What was the reason for the new connection?

Most home networks are connected and configured as shown in the following line diagram. ----> represents an Ethernet cable.

ISP === (Coax, DSL, fiber)===> Modem ----->[WAN port] Router [LAN Port] -----> Wired devices and ~~~ > wireless devices.

The modem and router can sometimes be a single combined device.

Which model Bell Giga Hub router?

Feel free to edit and correct my line diagram. Include device make and model numbers plus the ports being used between devices.

Also, on your laptop run "ipconfig /all" (without quotes) via the Command Prompt.

Post the results. You should be able to copy and paste the results with no need to retype everything.

Hopefully, the connection is simply loose in some manner. However, the Ethernet cable/plug could be damaged or defective.

 

[Paffy]

More information needed:

Exactly where/how etc. did the landlord install the new internet connection? What was the reason for the new connection?

Most home networks are connected and configured as shown in the following line diagram. ----> represents an Ethernet cable.

ISP === (Coax, DSL, fiber)===> Modem ----->[WAN port] Router [LAN Port] -----> Wired devices and ~~~ > wireless devices.

The modem and router can sometimes be a single combined device.

Which model Bell Giga Hub router?

Feel free to edit and correct my line diagram. Include device make and model numbers plus the ports being used between devices.

Also, on your laptop run "ipconfig /all" (without quotes) via the Command Prompt.

Post the results. You should be able to copy and paste the results with no need to retype everything.

Hopefully, the connection is simply loose in some manner. However, the Ethernet cable/plug could be damaged or defective.

A bell technician came by and installed the router and the wiring.
New internet connection, because the house was just sold and the new landlord has Bell (previous was with Teksavvy)


Ipconfig
Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DESKTOP-6T72V5A
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : home

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 34-97-F6-72-1D-D9
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 2:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 16-C6-3B-3E-6E-86
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 3:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 26-C6-3B-3E-6E-86
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : home
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Qualcomm Atheros AR9485 Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 74-C6-3B-3E-6E-86
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::a8ec:3dfb:9f0c:6a5e%3(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.14(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : September 15, 2023 8:17:41 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : September 17, 2023 3:47:17 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 41207355
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-1F-06-5D-4E-34-97-F6-72-1D-D9
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
207.164.234.193
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled


This is the router and the set-up

IMG-20230914-161726411 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-20230914-161726411 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

IMG-20230914-161740605 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-20230914-161740605 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

 

[Paffy]

The router is located in a closet close to my room

 

[Paffy]

These type of issues are almost always bad ethernet cables. The other extremely rare thing would be a bad port in some equipment. You can't really fix a bad port other than replacing hardware.

Bad ethernet cables are very strange at time. They can work with some equipment and not others. What this means is the cable no longer actually meets the specs for a ethernet cable but some equipment can tolerate a cable out of spec more than another.
It can be anything from some damage or even wear on the plug contacts. It is almost always the ends of the cables.
Unless you happen to already have tools to replace the ends it tends to be cheaper to just buy a new cable.

The "new" problem that causes this is there are massive amounts of fake ethernet cable sold. The most common you see is that flat cable. The wire size is much too small to meet the standards to be a actual ethernet cable. They can work in some equipment but not others. It all depends on how tolerant the equipment is to cable that are non standard.

You need nothing special for 1gbit ports. Cat5e is fine but it needs to be pure copper wire with wire size AWG 22-24. If you can't find that info clearly stated the cable are likely fakes. Cat6,7 etc will make no difference since you are limited by the 1gbit port speed. If they happen to be cheaper than cat5e and have the proper wires inside then you might as well get those.

If you have wires that are run in the walls of the house it gets a bit more complex but it generally is some issue with one of the wall jacks.

I don't understand why I am getting this error "Ethernet Network Cable Unplugged" when my laptop is connected to the router via WiFi ?

My cell phone is connected with no issues.

 

[bill001g]

Seems I made a bad assumption. I figured you just posted this in the wrong forum category since everything talks about ethernet.

Make sure you nothing plugged into the ethernet. All I can think of is the ethernet port for some reason is coming online and then going offline. By default the ethernet will override a wifi connection.

This is extremely strange. I would see if you can disable the ethernet in the ethernet adapter settings. Maybe you can disable it in the bios. I would think this is a driver issue or maybe a hardware issue. Generally it means exactly what it says but you should never see that message when you do not have anything plugged into the port.

Maybe the event viewer might give you a clue if there are any messages related to the ethernet adapter in there.

 

[Ralston18]

I noted two things in the image ending in "0605"

If the connectivity is to be wireless as shown by "ipconfig /all"

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : home
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Qualcomm Atheros AR9485 Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 74-C6-3B-3E-6E-86

Then:

1) what is connected to the LAN port with the green LED?

2) the image is not clear but the connector plug does not appear to be an Ethernet cable. Cable appears too thin and the connector itself seems to have some space where the black wire goes into the body of the plug.

What is printed along the length of that cable?

 

[Paffy]

I noted two things in the image ending in "0605"

If the connectivity is to be wireless as shown by "ipconfig /all"

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : home
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Qualcomm Atheros AR9485 Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 74-C6-3B-3E-6E-86

Then:

1) what is connected to the LAN port with the green LED?

2) the image is not clear but the connector plug does not appear to be an Ethernet cable. Cable appears too thin and the connector itself seems to have some space where the black wire goes into the body of the plug.

What is printed along the length of that cable?

I am not really familiar with the cables, the black one is connected to the power supply and the white one is the fiber?

Here is a better image

IMG-20230915-145217656-MP hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-20230915-145217656-MP hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

IMG-20230915-145158871 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-20230915-145158871 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

 

[Paffy]

Even when I have access, i still get the same error.

Con1 hosted at ImgBB

Image Con1 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

 

[Paffy]

This is how it is when the internet is down

Con2 hosted at ImgBB

Image Con2 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

 

[Ralston18]

The cable in question is the round black cable plugged into the yellow LAN port with the green lit LED.

Notice that the cable has only four pins connected (which are likely pins 1,2,3, and 6).

Look in the yellow LAN ports and you will see eight connectors there.

Ethernet uses specific pairs of pins with the wires serving each pair twisted together to minimize interference.

Full Ethernet requires the use of eight pins specifically paired and twisted together - four pairs.

Two pairs - 100 Megabit speeds. Four pairs - Gigabit speeds.

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP).

My thought is that two things are happening:

1) The cable is only 2 pairs of wires that can be functional but very limited.

2) The cable is likely to be substandard with the termination (the actual connection between a wire and the pin in the plug) being loose and thus connection is intermittently lost on that pair of wires. Especially if the wrong connector was used for the conductor type: solid or stranded. The problem could also be between plug and port.

(Note: Remember follow the cable and determine what device the other end of the cable is plugged into. Post accordingly.)

Replace that black Ethernet cable with a UTP cable that is designated Cat 5e.

Specs:

The cable should have all four pairs (eight pins), be round (not flat), with pure copper conductors. Not copper clad aluminum. There should also be a designation AWG 22-24 on the cable. Look for 568B standard.

The specs should be printed along the length of the cable. Be aware that is is quite a bit of fake and/or substandard cable being sold.

Try to get a known working, at speed, Ethernet Cat 5e cable from a family member or friend.

= = = =

Also another potential issue: if the router is in a closet, the router may not be getting enough airflow to cool itself. Heat is an enemy of electronics and and if the router is getting too hot then that will also cause or lead to problems.

 

[Paffy]

The cable in question is the round black cable plugged into the yellow LAN port with the green lit LED.

Notice that the cable has only four pins connected (which are likely pins 1,2,3, and 6).

Look in the yellow LAN ports and you will see eight connectors there.

Ethernet uses specific pairs of pins with the wires serving each pair twisted together to minimize interference.

Full Ethernet requires the use of eight pins specifically paired and twisted together - four pairs.

Two pairs - 100 Megabit speeds. Four pairs - Gigabit speeds.

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP).

My thought is that two things are happening:

1) The cable is only 2 pairs of wires that can be functional but very limited.

2) The cable is likely to be substandard with the termination (the actual connection between a wire and the pin in the plug) being loose and thus connection is intermittently lost on that pair of wires. Especially if the wrong connector was used for the conductor type: solid or stranded. The problem could also be between plug and port.

(Note: Remember follow the cable and determine what device the other end of the cable is plugged into. Post accordingly.)

Replace that black Ethernet cable with a UTP cable that is designated Cat 5e.

Specs:

The cable should have all four pairs (eight pins), be round (not flat), with pure copper conductors. Not copper clad aluminum. There should also be a designation AWG 22-24 on the cable. Look for 568B standard.

The specs should be printed along the length of the cable. Be aware that is is quite a bit of fake and/or substandard cable being sold.

Try to get a known working, at speed, Ethernet Cat 5e cable from a family member or friend.

= = = =

Also another potential issue: if the router is in a closet, the router may not be getting enough airflow to cool itself. Heat is an enemy of electronics and and if the router is getting too hot then that will also cause or lead to problems.

Thanks for the advice, I will bring this up with my landlord.
Now, if we were to ignore the Ethernet cable, my question is: Why can I connect to the WiFi using my Moto G8 cell phone with no issues but the connection keeps dropping using my Asus laptop ?

 

[Ralston18]

And how is the Asus laptop connecting or supposed to connect to the network?

You cannot ignore the connectivity (Ethernet or otherwise) nor the devices being used.

As I understand it all the issue is narrowing down to who (Admin rights) controls device network rights to access the network. Wired or wireless.

What have you asked the landlord and how has the landlord responded?

 

[Paffy]

It appears some of my roommates on the other side of the house are complaining about weak signal and slow speeds, my landlord has ordered an Internet extender which should arrive today.
I think a Bell technician has to come and figure this out as neither me nor my new landlord are tech savvy when it comes to these things.

For reference, this was the set up (Teksavvy) with my previous landlord, a similar set up was on the other side of the house.

I also ran a auto speed test (every 10 minutes X14) for the new connection on my cellphone.

IMG-20230914-104638717 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-20230914-104638717 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

IMG-20230914-104634722 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-20230914-104634722 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

IMG-20230916-045317 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-20230916-045317 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

 

[Ralston18]

Wireless may be working because the wired connectivity is not as it should be.

Does the network have two routers?

Multiple routers cause problems. All network devices must be set up and properly configured.

= = = =

The router images reveal tangled, kinked, dusty, and generally wires in disarray.

The Nighthawk router's antennas may not be properly connected or oriented. All the surrounding wires are likely contributing to some of the problems.

Plus the Histron modem appears to be laying on its' side.

Good chance that the router is not situated for proper airflows and cooling either.

The wires need to be cleaned up to make everything neat and tidy. The router(s) need to be set up for proper airflows and cooling.

Reorganize the wiring so none of the wires have hard bends, kinks, twists. Any old unused wires need to be removed and everything remaining needs to be cleaned of dust and debris. Not sure what that white bottle is but it needs to be removed as well. Especially if it is some sort of cleaner.

Recommended reading:

https://lazyadmin.nl/home-network/home-network-diagram/

Sketch out a simple diagram showing all devices and all connections. Port by port.

Starting point (edit and correct as necessary):

ISP (Bell) ===fiber ===> Hitron Modem ---Ethernet Cable---> [WAN port] Nighthawk router [LAN ports] ----> wired devices and ~~~~> wireless devices.

Much more detail needed.

The diagram does not need to be fancy or some work of art. Simplicity and clarity matter most.

Start with where Bell's fiber enters the residence and continue the diagram to show all connected devices.

I would not be surprised if some of the other roomates have additional devices - maybe their own routers....

Take a photograph of that diagram and post accordingly.

Nothing more (i.e. "internet extender" ) may be needed. Some basic housecleaning and wire management may resolve things. And adding another device such as an extender could make things worse.

Get it all cleaned and neatened up. That will make things much easier for the Bell tech. Also show the diagram to the Bell tech. If he can see the big picture he may be able to help sort it all out. Or identify some specific issue with the network and/or its' configuration.

Plus the more you know about the network then it is more likely that you will be able to resolve future problems.

 

[Paffy]

Wireless may be working because the wired connectivity is not as it should be.

Does the network have two routers?

Multiple routers cause problems. All network devices must be set up and properly configured.

= = = =

The router images reveal tangled, kinked, dusty, and generally wires in disarray.

The Nighthawk router's antennas may not be properly connected or oriented. All the surrounding wires are likely contributing to some of the problems.

Plus the Histron modem appears to be laying on its' side.

Good chance that the router is not situated for proper airflows and cooling either.

The wires need to be cleaned up to make everything neat and tidy. The router(s) need to be set up for proper airflows and cooling.

Reorganize the wiring so none of the wires have hard bends, kinks, twists. Any old unused wires need to be removed and everything remaining needs to be cleaned of dust and debris. Not sure what that white bottle is but it needs to be removed as well. Especially if it is some sort of cleaner.

Recommended reading:

https://lazyadmin.nl/home-network/home-network-diagram/

Sketch out a simple diagram showing all devices and all connections. Port by port.

Starting point (edit and correct as necessary):

ISP (Bell) ===fiber ===> Hitron Modem ---Ethernet Cable---> [WAN port] Nighthawk router [LAN ports] ----> wired devices and ~~~~> wireless devices.

Much more detail needed.

The diagram does not need to be fancy or some work of art. Simplicity and clarity matter most.

Start with where Bell's fiber enters the residence and continue the diagram to show all connected devices.

I would not be surprised if some of the other roomates have additional devices - maybe their own routers....

Take a photograph of that diagram and post accordingly.

Nothing more (i.e. "internet extender" ) may be needed. Some basic housecleaning and wire management may resolve things. And adding another device such as an extender could make things worse.

Get it all cleaned and neatened up. That will make things much easier for the Bell tech. Also show the diagram to the Bell tech. If he can see the big picture he may be able to help sort it all out. Or identify some specific issue with the network and/or its' configuration.

Plus the more you know about the network then it is more likely that you will be able to resolve future problems.

The landlord contacted Bell today and they "downloaded some software" from their end. My laptop is now connected to the internet with no issues so far (still the Ethernet Cable is unplugged)
Also, we installed a Deco XE75 booster to improve the signal around the house.

 

[Ralston18]

Fair enough but do remember to get the network devices and cables cleaned up.

 

[bill001g]

This might have just been a stupid message. Instead of telling you when the wifi went down it attempted to switch to the ethernet for some reason and told you that was unplugged. Even though it should have known it was unplugged all along.

Good you got it fixed but wifi and ethernet are completely separate network connections.

 

[Paffy]

Thanks to both of you for your inputs