[SOLVED] Wired Ethernet connection randomly disconnecting over the last week.

[nullscarab]

Suddenly over the last 5 days, I've been getting randomly disconnected from the internet with seemingly no reason. I've always been on an ethernet cable connection, and the router I'm using is a Netgear Nighthawk R7000. The only change I can think of that might have prompted this is me changing the primary and alternate DNS addresses on another PC on our network. Here are the changes/fixes I've attempted since then to get this to stop happening:

• Reverted said DNS changes on the other PC.
• Flushing the DNS through the command prompt on both PCs.
• Restarted the router.
• Restarted all PCs on the network.
• Disabled the power saving options on the router, through the device manager.
• Changed the DNS addresses on my current PC through the device manager.
• Swapped the ethernet cable itself with a different one.
• Updated my router drivers.
• Changed the port the cable is plugged in to on the router.
• Exited every background process I can think of.

The disconnections seem to be completely random, with them happening minutes within each other or sometimes up to two hours before it happens again. Typically they only last about 15 seconds before it comes online again. I have noticed that if I'm on a skype call, I can hear the other person on the line the entire time between the period of time I get disconnected and before I come back online. Any help is appreciated.

 

[kanewolf]

The disconnections seem to be completely random, with them happening minutes within each other or sometimes up to two hours before it happens again. Typically they only last about 15 seconds before it comes online again. I have noticed that if I'm on a skype call, I can hear the other person on the line the entire time between the period of time I get disconnected and before I come back online. Any help is appreciated.

If you can hear the entire time, then you probably aren't "disconnected". You need to watch the LEDs of your network port. That can be difficult because they are on the back side of the computer. Buy a cheap gigabit ethernet switch. Plug just TWO cables in. One from the router and one to the PC. Position that switch so you can see the LEDs from each port. Look at the LEDs when this problem happens. Is there any change?

 

[nullscarab]

If you can hear the entire time, then you probably aren't "disconnected". You need to watch the LEDs of your network port. That can be difficult because they are on the back side of the computer. Buy a cheap gigabit ethernet switch. Plug just TWO cables in. One from the router and one to the PC. Position that switch so you can see the LEDs from each port. Look at the LEDs when this problem happens. Is there any change?

I need to buy a gigabit ethernet switch first so I will update this thread again when I do so. The "internet access" icon at the bottom right shows that yellow triangle with an exclamation mark whenever I experience these disconnections, if that helps. I also forgot to mention I'm on Windows 7.

 

[nullscarab]

I ordered an ethernet switch a few days ago but it still hasn't come in. However, I was experimenting with some options in the router, and I changed an option under Router MAC Address from "Use default address" to "Use computer MAC address" and I have not experienced a single random disconnect since then. I will eventually revert the settings and follow through with the ethernet switch instructions and post my findings anyways.