Question Ethernet randomly cutting out ?

[JackSpiceE]

Oh boy it's another Ethernet problem!

Seriously though I have tried everything advised: updated drivers and windows, ran troubleshooter, full virus scan and malwarebytes, turned off and on again, disabled power saving features, got new cables (twice), changed modem ports, etc.

Here's the kicker: I share a modem with my flatmate, both of us are wired directly into the modem (no wireless setup here), and he has no problems whatsoever. It's completely baffling!

I have a suspicion that my pc components aren't playing nicely with each other and won't tell me. I built this pc back in mid 2018 but it seems to have started when I installed Windows 10? Not entirely certain if this is correlation or causation.

I really like my build and Windows 10 but it's become bothersome gaming with friends and losing connection randomly and it's always on my end.

System:

AMD Ryzen 5 2600x
Prime A320M-A Mobo
Windows 10 Pro
Radeon RX 580
16 GB Ram
HD, 2 SSDs, wireless mouse (not the source, problem started before I acquired it), accessories
I was using a Cat 6 cable now a Cat 7 cable (overkill, I know)
Xfinity internet 100 mbps

Currently the modem is connected to 2 computers, a smart tv, and a Switch though it doesn't seem relevant since my computer is the only one that has this problem.

Apologies if this has already been fixed elsewhere. If so, could you point me in that direction? Thanks!

 

[bill001g]

What do you mean cutting out. Does the port go disconnected status or does the port appear live but does not pass data.

Likely the cat7 cable and maybe your other cables are fake. Cat7 was never really fully certified and cat6a is used for 10gbit. The larger issue is it likely does not meet the specs to be any kind of ethernet cable. Many people buy that flat cable which has wires too small to meet the standards.

You need pure copper cable (no cca) an wire size 22-24. Do not buy the cable unless the vendor clearly states this information. The valid vendors know about all the fake cable and make it a point to show they are legit and why it likely will cost a dollar or two more.

 

[JackSpiceE]

Cutting out, as in the network connection is lost and the "no internet" symbol on the bottom displays. Usually lasts a couple minutes then reconnects, unknown as to when-it's just random.

It's certainly plausible. Perhaps I've simply been lucky in the past. I've used Cat 6 cables before on my previous computer and even on my current one with no issues. Then I bought a new Cat 6 cable because the previous one was too short (had to relocate the computer a fair distance). Sometime later, the ethernet problems occurred so I bought a Cat 7 cable thinking it would be better quality and improve connectivity (the vendor is Cables-Direct-Online). So both cables could be junk. I guess I didn't consider that since I had such good fortune in the past.

At the very least, buying a new cable is cheap. I'll give that a shot with a more recognized brand and see how it goes. Thanks for the info and your insight!

 

[bill001g]

The brand does not matter as much as the specs. Reputable vendors very clearly state the spec on the cable. Most quality cables have the information marked on the side of the cable. Many times you will see the letter CU for copper a 23awg for the wire size. You also tend to see EIA/TIA.

Still just read the advertising carefully.

.....one of the problems with fake cable is they do not go to the full 100meter limit required for ethernet so they may work on short cables but longer ones will have more problems. This is how they get away with selling the crap because even a crappy cable many times will function at 1 meter

 

[JackSpiceE]

Well, I had hoped that buying a generic Belkin Cat 5e cable would solve my problems but no. I wanted to get some good data before reporting back and am still having issues where the ethernet stops working. To be more specific, when I hover over the internet icon it says "Unidentified network, no internet", if that's useful or not. It happened twice today/within the past 24 hours:

-was playing a Steam game, offline only, internet cut out for several hours. I restarted my computer which didn't fix the problem. Then 20 minutes later the internet returned.
-Just 30 minutes ago I was scrolling reddit when my internet disappeared. I restarted my computer which did fix the problem.

Throughout the past week I would be surfing the web or playing a game and the ethernet just decides to stop working. In the past this would be a brief interruption of a few seconds to a minute but lately a restart is required before any change is noticed.

Once again, today to be specific for confirmation, I asked my flatmate if he had any problems with internet cutting out: "none". I wonder if my motherboard is having some issues?

 

[bill001g]

The ports do go bad but it is very rare.

What you want to do is use the IPCONFIG /all command and see if the port goes to a disconnected state. That is normally a hardware issue.

If it seems up but does not have a proper IP addresses you can try the standard ipconfig /release ipconfig /renew. You could also try to use a static IP.

If none of this works then I would consider a internal PCIE card if you have a easy slot to put it in. Otherwise you can use a USB3 ethernet adapter. The USB as long as they are 3 will run gigabit but it puts slightly more cpu load than a internal card,

 

[JackSpiceE]

The other day the ethernet went out again. I restarted the computer, didn't work. Usually it does, but that time it required a full shut-down.
Today I was just watching a youtube video when the ethernet just decided to cut out. Fortunately a restart was all that was required. Seems to be a required fix nowadays. I took a few screenshots of when the ethernet is working/not working.

When the ethernet is not working, it's missing:
IPv6 address
Temporary IPv6 address
IPv4 address (but has Autoconfiguration IPv4 address instead)
Lease Obtained
Lease Expires
Default Gateway (address missing)
DHCP Server
DNS Servers-missing 4 addresses

In regards to one of your suggestions, I tried an ethernet-usb 3.0 converter and it still decided to disconnect from the internet at random moments. I tried different usb ports with the same results. Maybe I have a loose connection inside the case?

 

[bill001g]

Does the port say disconnected. If the port goes disconnected that generally is some kind of hardware issue

You can try to put in a fixed/static IP address in the IPv4 setting for the nic. If this works it is some issue with the DHCP server on your router

 

[gggplaya]

Ethernet chips can be bad or do go bad. I've had the ethernet on one motherboard die, also on a NAS unit. Your motherboard is relatively new, but it's an A320 board which are basically super cheap, and thus probably uses a cheaper ethernet controller and made more cheaply to lower standards. I wouldn't rule out a bad chip(overheats and cuts out) or bad solder.

Your best bet is to buy a wifi adapter or a USB to ethernet adapter.

 

[JackSpiceE]

The ports don't ever say disconnected, they simply don't show in the list when the internet isn't working.

IP routing and WINS proxy are unavailable? Even when the internet is running. Is that important?

Yeah, for some reason I had the same ethernet disconnecting problems with a USB 3.0 adapter; randomly dropping the internet connection. Makes me wonder how effective a dedicated wifi adapter/card would be? I suppose it's a cheap test, anyway-got a favorite?

I'm thinking I need to upgrade my mobo if I want wired internet. I knew it was a cheap one; partially why I chose it so getting a higher quality one is a good idea. 'Course, if I decide that, I have to weigh upgrading the whole thing; hmm.....

 

[bill001g]

You don't need that stuff. Pretty much as long as you have a IP address all the other stuff is correct. When it does not show up especially if it is random it likely a hardware issue. Invalid driver do that but then it never works until you get the right driver.
Unless you really need a different motherboard for other reasons I would avoid it. It tends to be you replace the motherboard and then you different memory and a different ssd etc etc.

I really dislike those small motherboards. Depending on how much room your video card takes there is another short pcie slot near the edge of the board. Most ethernet cards will fit in that slot. USB3 ethernet should work ok to, not sure why it would be dropping the only real downside to using USB rather than internal PCIE is it put slightly more load on the cpu because of the overhead of sending the data via USB and then having it converted to ethernet .

 

[JackSpiceE]

All right, I'm gonna call this issue solved. I'm basically at the best I can do for now and that's actually fine. Having my ethernet cable with a usb wifi adapter as a backup works just fine and certainly better than what it was before.

Thanks for your help, guys! Moral of the story: don't use a really cheap motherboard.

Now is there a button I push that gives it the 'solved' branding or is that someone else's job?