Laptop says that I am connected to the internet, but frequently disconnects when web searching and gaming

[nathanf]

My laptop that is connected to the Ethernet says that I am connected to the internet at all times, but acts like it disconnects around 7-12 times in an hour. I have tried resetting the Modem and Router but nothing has worked so far, I have also changed Ethernet cords but that did not do anything either. I am using Windows 10 on an HP Laptop version 1703, if you need any more information please ask, any kind of help is needed, not much of a tech person, thanks in advance.

 

[tsnor]

Are you using wireless? try inSSIDer (google it). Look for signal strength problems and "noisy neighbors" interfering with your channel.

Are you hardwired to the modem/router? The look at the log in the router to tell you if it is seeing problems. (post modem/router model numbers and say cable or DSL if you want detailed instructions. All cable and DSL routers have logs of problems where they lost signal. You can read these.

Does "acts like it was disconnected" mean that things are slow, but that you do not lose network? Then run several speed tests to different sites and see if you are getting lagg from your internet provider. Do you have games (like World of Warships) where they show you your network latency?

 

[richiestang_78]

Have you tried a different router? Or does this happen with any other computers?

Also how far away/how many walls are you from the router?

If you are in an Apartment complex you may just be screwed since if you are on a G connection the channels may be busy as hell.

 

[nathanf]

Are you using wireless? try inSSIDer (google it). Look for signal strength problems and "noisy neighbors" interfering with your channel.

Are you hardwired to the modem/router? The look at the log in the router to tell you if it is seeing problems. (post modem/router model numbers and say cable or DSL if you want detailed instructions. All cable and DSL routers have logs of problems where they lost signal. You can read these.

Does "acts like it was disconnected" mean that things are slow, but that you do not lose network? Then run several speed tests to different sites and see if you are getting lagg from your internet provider. Do you have games (like World of Warships) where they show you your network latency?

I am hardwired to the Modem, I logged in but do not know where to find the problems, I found out what the model number is for the Modem (dpc3800-v303r2042162-160115a)(Also it is DSL) but do not know exactly what to do with it. By "acts like it was disconnected", I mean that everything just stops working. For example, the game League of Legends "Attempts to Reconnect", YouTube "Buffers", Skype says "Connecting". This has been happening 7-12 times an hour for a week now. I have called the internet provider and they said there was no problem on their side when they came yesterday. Any ideas?

 

[nathanf]

Have you tried a different modem? Or does this happen with any other computers?

Also how far away/how many walls are you from the modem?

If you are in an Apartment complex you may just be screwed since if you are on a G connection the channels may be busy as hell.

I do not have any extra Modems right now, this does not happen with any other computers in my house. I am only one wall away from the Modem

 

[richiestang_78]

Sorry I meant to type router

 

[tsnor]

Are you using wireless? try inSSIDer (google it). Look for signal strength problems and "noisy neighbors" interfering with your channel.

Are you hardwired to the modem/router? The look at the log in the router to tell you if it is seeing problems. (post modem/router model numbers and say cable or DSL if you want detailed instructions. All cable and DSL routers have logs of problems where they lost signal. You can read these.

Does "acts like it was disconnected" mean that things are slow, but that you do not lose network? Then run several speed tests to different sites and see if you are getting lagg from your internet provider. Do you have games (like World of Warships) where they show you your network latency?

I am hardwired to the Modem, I logged in but do not know where to find the problems, I found out what the model number is for the Modem (dpc3800-v303r2042162-160115a)(Also it is DSL) but do not know exactly what to do with it. By "acts like it was disconnected", I mean that everything just stops working. For example, the game League of Legends "Attempts to Reconnect", YouTube "Buffers", Skype says "Connecting". This has been happening 7-12 times an hour for a week now. I have called the internet provider and they said there was no problem on their side when they came yesterday. Any ideas?

IS this your modem? (Not sure since this is a cabel modem, not a DSL modem...) https://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Advanced-Comcast-Connector-DPC3008/dp/B006IJHK96

Once we have the right modem we can see what the panels look like and can tell you what to look for.

We are hunting for times when modem goes into error recovery (from noise on the line). That will look like dead time to you. We want to see those line up with times you saw dead time. But first we need to get to the right model modem.

FWIW: I had the phone company come out 4 times. I showed them the errors. I bought a new DSL modem. On the final visit they found a wire had broken in their side of the interface box, and were surprised I was getting signal at all. Once fixed all my problems went away. The symptoms were very similar to what you are seeing. The log showed signal strength was marginal, and then showed loss of sync, line errors and reconnects. Once they fixed it signal strength was great.

 

[nathanf]

Are you using wireless? try inSSIDer (google it). Look for signal strength problems and "noisy neighbors" interfering with your channel.

Are you hardwired to the modem/router? The look at the log in the router to tell you if it is seeing problems. (post modem/router model numbers and say cable or DSL if you want detailed instructions. All cable and DSL routers have logs of problems where they lost signal. You can read these.

Does "acts like it was disconnected" mean that things are slow, but that you do not lose network? Then run several speed tests to different sites and see if you are getting lagg from your internet provider. Do you have games (like World of Warships) where they show you your network latency?

I am hardwired to the Modem, I logged in but do not know where to find the problems, I found out what the model number is for the Modem (dpc3800-v303r2042162-160115a)(Also it is DSL) but do not know exactly what to do with it. By "acts like it was disconnected", I mean that everything just stops working. For example, the game League of Legends "Attempts to Reconnect", YouTube "Buffers", Skype says "Connecting". This has been happening 7-12 times an hour for a week now. I have called the internet provider and they said there was no problem on their side when they came yesterday. Any ideas?

IS this your modem? (Not sure since this is a cabel modem, not a DSL modem...) https://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Advanced-Comcast-Connector-DPC3008/dp/B006IJHK96

Once we have the right modem we can see what the panels look like and can tell you what to look for.

We are hunting for times when modem goes into error recovery (from noise on the line). That will look like dead time to you. We want to see those line up with times you saw dead time. But first we need to get to the right model modem.

FWIW: I had the phone company come out 4 times. I showed them the errors. I bought a new DSL modem. On the final visit they found a wire had broken in their side of the interface box, and were surprised I was getting signal at all. Once fixed all my problems went away. The symptoms were very similar to what you are seeing. The log showed signal strength was marginal, and then showed loss of sync, line errors and reconnects. Once they fixed it signal strength was great.

Oh sorry my bad, it is a cable Modem, sorry for the inconvenience.

 

[nathanf]

Sorry I meant to type router

Ah, don't have any extra routers and its still a wall between me and the router right now.

 

[Karadjgne]

I've had several issues all with similar results. First was a bad cable connection in the back of my kids TV. It set up so much interference that the back feed was killing my net signal. Second was the cable amplifier in the box outside. It was hooked up before the splitter, creating further backfeed. Tech said anything under 5 on his readout was nominal, mine was 32 peak.

So my suggestion is check everything yourself. The cable guy isn't infallible, all it takes is 1 tiny ground hair touching the center electrode and your signal is toast. Also look for any solid kinks or places where the cable is squashed, that'll do the same thing, bleed rf. Also check the wiring colors on all patch cables, they are supposed to be A set, but some patch cables come A-B and were used by AT&T years ago and for use with a direct internet connection from 1 pc to another, basically using the first pc as a modem.
Lastly, make sure you have current lan drivers, win10 has issues with legacy lan drivers, the older, original mobo lan drivers aren't always 64bit compliant so windows tries to use its own native drivers and you get conflicts.

 

[tsnor]

Are you using wireless? try inSSIDer (google it). Look for signal strength problems and "noisy neighbors" interfering with your channel.

Are you hardwired to the modem/router? The look at the log in the router to tell you if it is seeing problems. (post modem/router model numbers and say cable or DSL if you want detailed instructions. All cable and DSL routers have logs of problems where they lost signal. You can read these.

Does "acts like it was disconnected" mean that things are slow, but that you do not lose network? Then run several speed tests to different sites and see if you are getting lagg from your internet provider. Do you have games (like World of Warships) where they show you your network latency?

I am hardwired to the Modem, I logged in but do not know where to find the problems, I found out what the model number is for the Modem (dpc3800-v303r2042162-160115a)(Also it is DSL) but do not know exactly what to do with it. By "acts like it was disconnected", I mean that everything just stops working. For example, the game League of Legends "Attempts to Reconnect", YouTube "Buffers", Skype says "Connecting". This has been happening 7-12 times an hour for a week now. I have called the internet provider and they said there was no problem on their side when they came yesterday. Any ideas?

IS this your modem? (Not sure since this is a cabel modem, not a DSL modem...) https://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Advanced-Comcast-Connector-DPC3008/dp/B006IJHK96

Once we have the right modem we can see what the panels look like and can tell you what to look for.

We are hunting for times when modem goes into error recovery (from noise on the line). That will look like dead time to you. We want to see those line up with times you saw dead time. But first we need to get to the right model modem.

FWIW: I had the phone company come out 4 times. I showed them the errors. I bought a new DSL modem. On the final visit they found a wire had broken in their side of the interface box, and were surprised I was getting signal at all. Once fixed all my problems went away. The symptoms were very similar to what you are seeing. The log showed signal strength was marginal, and then showed loss of sync, line errors and reconnects. Once they fixed it signal strength was great.

Oh sorry my bad, it is a cable Modem, sorry for the inconvenience.

Look at the LIGHTS on the modem when things are normal. You should see 4 lights solid on, and the 'LINK' light solid on or blinking. (the link light blinks when your laptop is talking to the modem).

When you laptop stutters look at the LIGHTS on the modem. You should still see 4 lights solid on, and the 'LINK' light solid on or blinking. If instead you see the lights off for DS, US, Power or Online 'off' or 'blinking' then you have a connection issue.

Did you use a splitter on the incoming cable after the cable guy installed? If so you may be getting a weak signal because of it.

If you are getting dropped connections ( lights off for DS, US, Power or Online 'off' or 'blinking' ) then call the Cable company and tell them how often this happens and what the modem lights are doing. They will have you power cycle (plug and unplug) the modem and after that they will say its fine. You say OK, then call them back as soon as it drops again. Keep calling every time you get the problem with lights off for DS, US, Power or Online 'off' or 'blinking'. Eventually they will send someone to find out why its dropping and then fix it. Good luck.

 

[nathanf]

Are you using wireless? try inSSIDer (google it). Look for signal strength problems and "noisy neighbors" interfering with your channel.

Are you hardwired to the modem/router? The look at the log in the router to tell you if it is seeing problems. (post modem/router model numbers and say cable or DSL if you want detailed instructions. All cable and DSL routers have logs of problems where they lost signal. You can read these.

Does "acts like it was disconnected" mean that things are slow, but that you do not lose network? Then run several speed tests to different sites and see if you are getting lagg from your internet provider. Do you have games (like World of Warships) where they show you your network latency?

I am hardwired to the Modem, I logged in but do not know where to find the problems, I found out what the model number is for the Modem (dpc3800-v303r2042162-160115a)(Also it is DSL) but do not know exactly what to do with it. By "acts like it was disconnected", I mean that everything just stops working. For example, the game League of Legends "Attempts to Reconnect", YouTube "Buffers", Skype says "Connecting". This has been happening 7-12 times an hour for a week now. I have called the internet provider and they said there was no problem on their side when they came yesterday. Any ideas?

IS this your modem? (Not sure since this is a cabel modem, not a DSL modem...) https://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Advanced-Comcast-Connector-DPC3008/dp/B006IJHK96

Once we have the right modem we can see what the panels look like and can tell you what to look for.

We are hunting for times when modem goes into error recovery (from noise on the line). That will look like dead time to you. We want to see those line up with times you saw dead time. But first we need to get to the right model modem.

FWIW: I had the phone company come out 4 times. I showed them the errors. I bought a new DSL modem. On the final visit they found a wire had broken in their side of the interface box, and were surprised I was getting signal at all. Once fixed all my problems went away. The symptoms were very similar to what you are seeing. The log showed signal strength was marginal, and then showed loss of sync, line errors and reconnects. Once they fixed it signal strength was great.

Oh sorry my bad, it is a cable Modem, sorry for the inconvenience.

Look at the LIGHTS on the modem when things are normal. You should see 4 lights solid on, and the 'LINK' light solid on or blinking. (the link light blinks when your laptop is talking to the modem).

When you laptop stutters look at the LIGHTS on the modem. You should still see 4 lights solid on, and the 'LINK' light solid on or blinking. If instead you see the lights off for DS, US, Power or Online 'off' or 'blinking' then you have a connection issue.

Did you use a splitter on the incoming cable after the cable guy installed? If so you may be getting a weak signal because of it.

If you are getting dropped connections ( lights off for DS, US, Power or Online 'off' or 'blinking' ) then call the Cable company and tell them how often this happens and what the modem lights are doing. They will have you power cycle (plug and unplug) the modem and after that they will say its fine. You say OK, then call them back as soon as it drops again. Keep calling every time you get the problem with lights off for DS, US, Power or Online 'off' or 'blinking'. Eventually they will send someone to find out why its dropping and then fix it. Good luck.

Thanks for the help, I will get back to you ASAP if this method does not work.

 

[nathanf]

Are you using wireless? try inSSIDer (google it). Look for signal strength problems and "noisy neighbors" interfering with your channel.

Are you hardwired to the modem/router? The look at the log in the router to tell you if it is seeing problems. (post modem/router model numbers and say cable or DSL if you want detailed instructions. All cable and DSL routers have logs of problems where they lost signal. You can read these.

Does "acts like it was disconnected" mean that things are slow, but that you do not lose network? Then run several speed tests to different sites and see if you are getting lagg from your internet provider. Do you have games (like World of Warships) where they show you your network latency?

I am hardwired to the Modem, I logged in but do not know where to find the problems, I found out what the model number is for the Modem (dpc3800-v303r2042162-160115a)(Also it is DSL) but do not know exactly what to do with it. By "acts like it was disconnected", I mean that everything just stops working. For example, the game League of Legends "Attempts to Reconnect", YouTube "Buffers", Skype says "Connecting". This has been happening 7-12 times an hour for a week now. I have called the internet provider and they said there was no problem on their side when they came yesterday. Any ideas?

IS this your modem? (Not sure since this is a cabel modem, not a DSL modem...) https://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Advanced-Comcast-Connector-DPC3008/dp/B006IJHK96

Once we have the right modem we can see what the panels look like and can tell you what to look for.

We are hunting for times when modem goes into error recovery (from noise on the line). That will look like dead time to you. We want to see those line up with times you saw dead time. But first we need to get to the right model modem.

FWIW: I had the phone company come out 4 times. I showed them the errors. I bought a new DSL modem. On the final visit they found a wire had broken in their side of the interface box, and were surprised I was getting signal at all. Once fixed all my problems went away. The symptoms were very similar to what you are seeing. The log showed signal strength was marginal, and then showed loss of sync, line errors and reconnects. Once they fixed it signal strength was great.

Oh sorry my bad, it is a cable Modem, sorry for the inconvenience.

Look at the LIGHTS on the modem when things are normal. You should see 4 lights solid on, and the 'LINK' light solid on or blinking. (the link light blinks when your laptop is talking to the modem).

When you laptop stutters look at the LIGHTS on the modem. You should still see 4 lights solid on, and the 'LINK' light solid on or blinking. If instead you see the lights off for DS, US, Power or Online 'off' or 'blinking' then you have a connection issue.

Did you use a splitter on the incoming cable after the cable guy installed? If so you may be getting a weak signal because of it.

If you are getting dropped connections ( lights off for DS, US, Power or Online 'off' or 'blinking' ) then call the Cable company and tell them how often this happens and what the modem lights are doing. They will have you power cycle (plug and unplug) the modem and after that they will say its fine. You say OK, then call them back as soon as it drops again. Keep calling every time you get the problem with lights off for DS, US, Power or Online 'off' or 'blinking'. Eventually they will send someone to find out why its dropping and then fix it. Good luck.

Okay, so I figured out that when the internet drops on my Laptop, the Modem still has the correct lights on, none start blinking when it drops. Any ideas?

 

[tsnor]

"..Okay, so I figured out that when the internet drops on my Laptop, the Modem still has the correct lights on, none start blinking when it drops. Any ideas?.."

If it's not your internet connection, but your PC is seeing all network activity stop while it is still able to interact with the mouse, then the problem is in the cable you are using or in your PC.

This --> "the game League of Legends "Attempts to Reconnect", YouTube "Buffers", Skype says "Connecting". " means that TCP-IP in your PC has dropped end to end connections to external sites. I was thinking the modem was the cause of the drop. If not then something else is doing it.

Do you have a spare ethernet cable? They are cheap. If you buy a new one it should say CAT6 . If you have an old one then CAT5 or CAT6 both work. See if a new cable makes the problem go away.

If you do not have a spare ethernet cable see if there is an activity light where you plug your ethernet cable into the cable modem or on your laptop where you plug enthernet into your laptop? If either has a light then do this. Unplug the wire. Wait. Plug it back in, watching the light. These light vary, most are dark if no cable, light up when cable is good, and blink when transferring data. If you don't have an activity light on either end then skip this. If you do have the lights see if they go dark when you lose connection.

Once you rule our the wire or the ethernet port then it's time to look at the software stack.

Aside, just as a test, do you have WIFI on your laptop? If you unplug the ethernet cable and conenct via WIFI (and place the laptop no closer than 1 ft but be in the same room) do the problems go away ? If so that points at the ethernet cable. If not then that points at TCP-IP setting or some other software problem.

 

[nathanf]

"..Okay, so I figured out that when the internet drops on my Laptop, the Modem still has the correct lights on, none start blinking when it drops. Any ideas?.."

If it's not your internet connection, but your PC is seeing all network activity stop while it is still able to interact with the mouse, then the problem is in the cable you are using or in your PC.

This --> "the game League of Legends "Attempts to Reconnect", YouTube "Buffers", Skype says "Connecting". " means that TCP-IP in your PC has dropped end to end connections to external sites. I was thinking the modem was the cause of the drop. If not then something else is doing it.

Do you have a spare ethernet cable? They are cheap. If you buy a new one it should say CAT6 . If you have an old one then CAT5 or CAT6 both work. See if a new cable makes the problem go away.

If you do not have a spare ethernet cable see if there is an activity light where you plug your ethernet cable into the cable modem or on your laptop where you plug enthernet into your laptop? If either has a light then do this. Unplug the wire. Wait. Plug it back in, watching the light. These light vary, most are dark if no cable, light up when cable is good, and blink when transferring data. If you don't have an activity light on either end then skip this. If you do have the lights see if they go dark when you lose connection.

Once you rule our the wire or the ethernet port then it's time to look at the software stack.

Aside, just as a test, do you have WIFI on your laptop? If you unplug the ethernet cable and conenct via WIFI (and place the laptop no closer than 1 ft but be in the same room) do the problems go away ? If so that points at the ethernet cable. If not then that points at TCP-IP setting or some other software problem.

I tried a different Ethernet cable and the problem still persisted. I believe that the orange light next to the Ethernet port on my Laptop is an activity light and if so, when the internet disconnects the light looks like it flashes a lot more than it was.I do have WIFI on my Laptop and when I unplug and connect with the WIFI about 1 foot away, the problem still seems to happen.

 

[tsnor]

"....I do have WIFI on my Laptop and when I unplug and connect with the WIFI about 1 foot away, the problem still seems to happen...."

Then it's something in the TCP/IP stack rather than an ethernet wire problem. Ugh, these are hard to find.

Type "troubleshooting" ins the search windows box. Clcik troubleshooting when it appears, then hit network then try a few things. Intermittent are hard to troubleshoot vs. hard errors.

Verify that windows update has run recently on your PC.

Verify that you have windows defender running so we know malware is not using your network.

If those fail I'm out of ideas other than a clean re-install of windows. "the game League of Legends "Attempts to Reconnect", YouTube "Buffers", Skype says "Connecting" means you are losing teh TCP-IP connection. Not sure why that would happen if the router is good.

 

[nathanf]

"....I do have WIFI on my Laptop and when I unplug and connect with the WIFI about 1 foot away, the problem still seems to happen...."

Then it's something in the TCP/IP stack rather than an ethernet wire problem. Ugh, these are hard to find.

Type "troubleshooting" ins the search windows box. Clcik troubleshooting when it appears, then hit network then try a few things. Intermittent are hard to troubleshoot vs. hard errors.

Verify that windows update has run recently on your PC.

Verify that you have windows defender running so we know malware is not using your network.

If those fail I'm out of ideas other than a clean re-install of windows. "the game League of Legends "Attempts to Reconnect", YouTube "Buffers", Skype says "Connecting" means you are losing teh TCP-IP connection. Not sure why that would happen if the router is good.

So I re-installed Windows and the problem still seems to be happening, thanks for the help.