I don’t understand the reason behind your internet interruptions.
I don’t understand the reason behind your internet interruptions.
Hey there, welcome! I understand this might not be the right place, but I’ve been dealing with intermittent internet issues for about six months now. It would cut out for a few hours at a time, and while it was manageable before, lately it’s been happening almost all day and only lasting a few minutes when it returns.
I’ve checked the router, modem, and even talked to my ISP, but nothing concrete. I’ve reset both devices, but it hasn’t helped much recently. I’ve noticed some odd patterns: the router says it can’t get a signal from the modem over Ethernet, but when I connect the modem directly to my Xbox, it works instantly. However, plugging into my laptop gives no connection either. So I’m pretty sure the problem lies with the router.
Sometimes the router shows it’s getting a signal, but none of my devices can access the internet. Then there are times when everything seems to have a slow connection—around 0.5 Mbps—and when it does work, it’s lightning fast (~150 Mbps). I’ve contacted Cox, who said it’s a hardware issue on my end and suggested resetting everything again. But I’m still confused and frustrated trying to figure out what’s causing this.
Any tips or tests you think might help? I’ve tried new cables everywhere and checked for splitters, but I’m not sure what else I should be doing.
I've switched to a different router, and I already own both the router and the modem, so I'll have to buy another one.
In most cases, the issue might lie with the router itself. However, before swapping it out, you can attempt using the command-line utility mentioned below. You’ll notice I sent 30 pings to my modem, and everything returned without issues. Feel free to test your router by pinging it multiple times. If packet loss occurs, the problem is likely hardware-related—possibly the router, the Ethernet cable, or both. Should the router appear clean, consider using the 'pathping' command instead. This tool merges ping and trace route capabilities, showing you precisely where packets are being dropped throughout the path to your destination. If data passes the first hop without any loss but begins dropping beyond that point, it suggests the fault is on the ISP’s side. You can then inform your service provider about the exact drop points if they attempt to shift responsibility back. Ideally, you’d like the full route to match what I observed.
I tested the system several times, checking my router and modem, and used pathping for the cox connection. The ping showed intermittent drops around 15%, but it never stayed the same. Pathping also recorded some failures at certain IP addresses that weren’t easy to pinpoint.
Your problem seems to involve both your device and the ISP's side. For your setup, test adjustments on your NIC card and router, switch to a different Ethernet cable, and see if that helps. If pings still don’t improve, replace the router. You can also inform your ISP with specific IP addresses where packets are being dropped. Don’t stress about the final four hops—100% packet loss indicates those routers aren’t accepting pings. As long as no frames are lost between hops, it’s not a concern. What Ethernet type are you using? Cat5E or Cat6?
Yeah, there are a lot of frames getting lost between hops 5 and 6. A 98% loss suggests a total internet failure. It seems like both ends are contributing to the problem. Very little data actually made it to its target.
alongside the hardware there’s a chance the cables are the issue. It seems like you’re regularly experiencing problems with your laptop, not your Xbox. If you use separate cables for each device, think about swapping out all Ethernet connections—especially the ones linking your laptop to the router and the router to the modem.