Issues with your connected internet are common. Check cables, restart devices, and verify settings.
Issues with your connected internet are common. Check cables, restart devices, and verify settings.
In recent months I've been having trouble understanding my internet issues. About a year ago I put in a new cat5 cable to connect my router to my PC across the house. Over time I experienced problems like slow speeds and lag during games, eventually losing connection entirely—only affecting the PC connected via the long Ethernet cable. After swapping it with two shorter cables and an adapter I had, the issue lasted only a few days. Then again, similar problems arose, with unreliable speeds and no connection at all. I switched to Wi-Fi for a while until I found a solution: using another long cat5e cable. It worked briefly, then failed completely when I got home. The rest of the house remains stable—router linked to TV, PS4, and Blu-ray player without issues. I suspect the router might be handling too many devices, including phones and a personal server, but nothing else is affected. I’m unsure if I’m overloading the connection or if something is genuinely wrong. The router seems fine, and I’m not sure if I’m causing the problem. I’ve tried port changes, updated the router, and even checked all connectors, but nothing seems to be the cause. Did I accidentally replace three or four cables in a row? Why does it work for a short time before failing? I ran a speed test the day after installing a new cable, and I wasn’t aware of how fast it was. With everything connected normally, the adapter’s settings say it isn’t connected, and I’ve double-checked every port.
It seems odd at first. You might want to consider the possibility of an issue with either the sending or receiving device. It’s highly improbable to have a broken cable repeated four times. You could try using a different router temporarily to check if the problem persists.
Your nearby store might have an item around $5. It's hard to say what else might be the problem.
I discovered a problem with the cat5 cable. After straightening it, the internet seemed to respond, but then it failed again. I cut and reconnected the wires, and it worked once more. Still, it’s a temporary solution—they just twisted it and covered it with tape. I’m not eager to purchase another one since I already have this one. How long do you think this will last before it stops working? I’m exhausted by all this. I’m planning to try downloading Hitman to test the 60 GB speed. Right now, my connection is about 12 MB per second, down from 26 MB. I’m worried it won’t hold up much longer.