Desktop Internet issue

1,912 Views | 30 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by dubi
BCS-Ag
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So I'm pretty technical, but am at wits end trying to troubleshoot this problem and would really appreciate some new ideas. Basically, my network interface card keeps "glitching out" dropping it's connection to the internet (but not the network). Here is what I know:
  • Symptoms are loss of stream/inability to pull up web pages, looking at internet settings shows the connection to my router is good (LAN), but no connection to Internet (WAN)
  • Problem seems to occur randomly, sometimes not for hours, sometimes repeatedly
  • Second USB network adapter attached to the desktop had the same problem
  • Signal strength seems to be strong for both internal and external NIC
  • Windows network diagnostics doesn't detect a specific problem, but it does reset the NIC which fixes it temporarily
  • No other devices on network have the issue (including video streaming devices, Xbox gaming & 2 laptops)
  • Manually disabling and re-enabling the NIC fixes the problem temporarily
  • I have a Dell XPS 8700 Desktop running Windows 10 64 bit - entirely up to date
  • TP-Link Archer C3150 Router - everything up to date no obvious errors in log
  • Malwarebytes and MS Virus scanner are up to date and say I have no problems

Anyway, I would really appreciate your suggestions on what else to check. It is driving me nuts now that I am using Zoom a lot more from home.

Thanks in advance!
pnut02
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AG
Network drivers up to date?
Disable Malwarebytes real-time scanning?

edit: I wonder if there are errors on the cable modem (ie signal dropping)
BCS-Ag
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pnut02 said:

Network drivers up to date?
Disable Malwarebytes real-time scanning?

edit: I wonder if there are errors on the cable modem (ie signal dropping)
Thanks for the quick response!

Network drivers are up to date (so says Windows after I do a check inside the adapter properties)

Malwarebytes was just installed and uninstalled to check for issues, the problem occurred before install, during use, and after uninstall.

As for cable modem, not sure how to check that other than router logs (which didn't show anything obvious). However, it seems to me this would cause issues elsewhere on the network for things like gaming or streaming.
BQ2001
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I would go to your laptop manufacturer website and check for BIOS, chipset and wireless adapter updates there. Dell has a support assist program that will find any out of date drivers, I'm sure others do too. I wouldn't really trust what device manager says.
Caesar4
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Next time it happens, see if you can ping some well known site, e.g. 8.8.8.8

If that works, then maybe it's a DNS problem (but I can't explain why other devices in your home are fine). Are you using Google's or OpenDNS's servers? If not, configure your router to use either of those.

Also, how many addresses is your router configured to serve via DHCP? Maybe it's too few and 2+ devices in your home are constantly fighting each other for an address?
BCS-Ag
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BQ2001 said:

I would go to your laptop manufacturer website and check for BIOS, chipset and wireless adapter updates there. Dell has a support assist program that will find any out of date drivers, I'm sure others do too. I wouldn't really trust what device manager says.


Not that it really matters, but it's a desktop. I did check this using Dell supportassist a while back and everything is up to date. Thanks!
BCS-Ag
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Caesar4 said:

Next time it happens, see if you can ping some well known site, e.g. 8.8.8.8

If that works, then maybe it's a DNS problem (but I can't explain why other devices in your home are fine). Are you using Google's or OpenDNS's servers? If not, configure your router to use either of those.

Also, how many addresses is your router configured to serve via DHCP? Maybe it's too few and 2+ devices in your home are constantly fighting each other for an address?


Good questions and I think I have tried this before, but I will give it another shot next time the problem happens and I'm not scrambling to get back on a zoom call :-).

I have my router set to serve Google's DNS. I also have a hundred addresses in the DHCP pool, so that shouldn't be a problem.

As a troubleshooting step, I did set my desktop as a static IP, but it made no difference.
C@LAg
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Sine poena nulla lex.
BQ2001
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Is the desktop wired or wireless? I was assuming wireless before.

If wired, first thing I would do is swap the cable from the pc to wall. Then check the connection from the wall to switch. Then change the port you are plugged into on the switch or router if you can. Especially if this is the only device having issues, I'd want to rule out the physical connections.
BCS-Ag
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Ok, I tried pinging DNS (8.8.8.8) and my gateway during the last "glitch" and both timed out.

@C@LAg, I don't think it could be a modem or even a router issue as everything else in the house continues to work fine. I will try your uninstall everything/reboot suggestion next though (I have reinstalled drivers but would like to do a clean replacement of all drivers and networks).

@BQ2001 It is wireless

Thanks all for the ideas - keep it coming!

Caesar4
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Hmmm, maybe interference at that location (microwave running, refrigerator motor, etc)?

There's a tool that I posted about a week or two ago. I still haven't tried it out, though, so I cannot really say how well it works. It's an app that scans to determine signal quality. If you install it onto a laptop, I'm thinking you could move around the house (especially where you're seeing problems) to identify if there is interference and/or a preferred channel or frequency.

Here's a link to that post about the tool. There's a free version and a pro version, if I recall correctly.
https://texags.com/forums/30/topics/3102636/replies/56254198
taxpreparer
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BCS-Ag, I was having similar problems at my house. We have wireless internet and stream everything; three tvs, one tablet, two smartphones and my wife's work computer. We were not having any trouble streaming the tvs and the phones showed to be connected to the network. However, occasionally, one of the phones (not always the same one) and my wife's computer, would lose internet while still showing network connection. Obviously, the internet was working because we could access it on other devices. I finally installed a new router and the issue seems to be resolved.

I know this is different than your situation, but the answer my be the same. I do not understand why a device would randomly stop getting internet access and stay network connected.
***It's your money, not theIRS! (At least for a little while longer.)
Bregxit
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I had the exact same issue about four weeks ago after a Windows update. Something apparently happened to my NIC driver because after uninstalling it and reinstalling everything was just fine. Prior to that it did show it was up to date with no issues detected.
TMoney2007
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BCS-Ag said:

BQ2001 said:

I would go to your laptop manufacturer website and check for BIOS, chipset and wireless adapter updates there. Dell has a support assist program that will find any out of date drivers, I'm sure others do too. I wouldn't really trust what device manager says.


Not that it really matters, but it's a desktop. I did check this using Dell supportassist a while back and everything is up to date. Thanks!
Do you generally keep up with the driver updates that dell recommends? Their wireless cards and software are kind of garbage... I installed a wifi driver update on my laptop one time and it completely killed it and I had to roll the driver back.

It might be worth putting a wifi analyzer on your phone and seeing if there is interference from a neighbor's wifi or something like that.
fooz
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Check the nic power management settings. Make sure it's disabled. This has solved a similar issue for me.

HTH
BCS-Ag
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Update...after extensive further troubleshooting, I think I have it limited down to the router (turns out it was happening to other devices on the network). I tried resetting to factory defaults but the same thing happened. Any suggestions before I fork out for a new one? It is up to date on firmware.
bco2003
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BCS-Ag said:

Update...after extensive further troubleshooting, I think I have it limited down to the router (turns out it was happening to other devices on the network). I tried resetting to factory defaults but the same thing happened. Any suggestions before I fork out for a new one? It is up to date on firmware.

How do you know it's not the modem, or cable/connection between the modem and router?

Are you able to leave a PC plugged directly into the modem for a period of time to determine if it's the router or modem?
TMoney2007
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BCS-Ag said:

Update...after extensive further troubleshooting, I think I have it limited down to the router (turns out it was happening to other devices on the network). I tried resetting to factory defaults but the same thing happened. Any suggestions before I fork out for a new one? It is up to date on firmware.
Did you download a wifi analyzer to see if there are other networks interfering with yours?
BCS-Ag
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bco2003 said:

BCS-Ag said:

Update...after extensive further troubleshooting, I think I have it limited down to the router (turns out it was happening to other devices on the network). I tried resetting to factory defaults but the same thing happened. Any suggestions before I fork out for a new one? It is up to date on firmware.

How do you know it's not the modem, or cable/connection between the modem and router?

Are you able to leave a PC plugged directly into the modem for a period of time to determine if it's the router or modem?
Good question. I verified this by pinging the default gateway when the interruption occurs and got no response. Also, when "the glitch" happens and I am in the router admin panel, it freezes and forces me to reset the page. A second confirmation is that the Xbox (which is the only hardwired device) never skips a beat. Do you agree that confirms it is a router issue rather than cable modem or am I missing something?



BCS-Ag
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TMoney2007 said:

BCS-Ag said:

Update...after extensive further troubleshooting, I think I have it limited down to the router (turns out it was happening to other devices on the network). I tried resetting to factory defaults but the same thing happened. Any suggestions before I fork out for a new one? It is up to date on firmware.
Did you download a wifi analyzer to see if there are other networks interfering with yours?
No, haven't tried that, but I don't know much about this area. Got a recommendation on an android or windows app as well as what to look for? Thanks!
TMoney2007
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Wifi Analyzer is the android app I've always used. It will show you how many networks are around you and what channels they're on. Then you can check to see if there is one that is less congested.

With so many more people at home right now, there may be more wifi traffic around you than usual.
BCS-Ag
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TMoney2007 said:

Wifi Analyzer is the android app I've always used. It will show you how many networks are around you and what channels they're on. Then you can check to see if there is one that is less congested.

With so many more people at home right now, there may be more wifi traffic around you than usual.
Cool, can you check and see who makes the one you use? There looks like there a million different ones in the play store with "wifi analyzer" as the name.
TMoney2007
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I think the one I've usually used is the one by abdelrahman m. sid...

They all seem to be pretty comparable but some of the other ones ask for permissions that they shouldn't need (like location).
________________________________________________ I am not TMoneyAg99.
BCS-Ag
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Ok, I checked for WiFi interference using the Analyzer and manually set it to free channels. I even changed a few times when the problem reoccurred, with no luck.

Now I have a new variable that is making me question my assumptions about it being the router (again). I switched to a hotspot today when things got particularly bad and the problem happened again - 3 TIMES! My desktop was the only device on the hotspot. Could my desktop be CAUSING the network issue? I know it is network wide because my other devices drop off at the same time when connected to the same network. ARGH

dubi
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Any chance you could hardwire the desktop to a cat 5 cable? Then disable the wireless.

Just as a test.
flyingaggie12
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What is your ISP? AT&T?
BCS-Ag
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dubi said:

Any chance you could hardwire the desktop to a cat 5 cable? Then disable the wireless.

Just as a test.
Not easily, but was thinking about that. I may just run a hardwire through the attic as a permanent solution as this problem is so perplexing.

My office is on an outer wall of the house, cablemodem/router are in the middle of the house. It's about 50feet straight line & would cross through livingroom, hallway, and foyer to get here.

BCS-Ag
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flyingaggie12 said:

What is your ISP? AT&T?
Suddenlink, but the problem happened when I switched to my Verizon Hotspot too, so I think that rules out an ISP problem.
dubi
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Maybe just order a 50' cat 5 from amazon and try it before you go thru any further hoops!
HECUBUS
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Multiple paths failing could point to PCIe. You said it fails the built in wireless network adaptor and an external wireless adaptor that goes through a USB controller. If it works on Ethernet, it could be the PCIe link configuration for the other two paths. Not that this would be possible to debug without much more info.

Have you installed any PCIe cards? Are there errors in Event Viewer Windows System? Any yellow bangs in Device Manager?

Good luck.
dubi
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Somewhere i have a 100' cat 5 if you want to borrow it AND you live in BCS.
dubi
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Plus I'd delete and re-install the drivers for both your ethernet card and your wireless usb.
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