The internet connection intermittently fails, requiring frequent router restarts.
The internet connection intermittently fails, requiring frequent router restarts.
Issue began yesterday after turning on my PC using Ethernet. In settings, it showed "Connected to internet," but the icons for location didn’t display properly. I had to restart the router to resolve it, and today it worked again after restarting. Now it’s happening twice during the day, and I want this fixed quickly without delay. Troubleshooting revealed my Ethernet card lacks a valid IP configuration. Any solutions?
List of networking devices and their connections. A diagram could be useful. Check the Ethernet cable for any obvious issues like loose wires or sharp turns. Use a different working Ethernet cable if needed. Understand why the connection is being billed and see if disabling it helps.
It doesn’t seem like a wire issue. Pressing the power button on your router seems to resolve the problem. Also, as I was writing, this happened again and I was using my phone, but it fixed itself instantly. I checked the settings and found the metered connection was enabled (it wasn’t turned off). The issue resolved without restarting the router. I’m not sure what’s going on.
Your device briefly lost connection. Are you using a mobile network such as 4G, LTE, or 5G?
No, my phone's internet is fine, no problems with that, I just went on my phone to text that since while I was texting the problem in the PC happened again. This morning I turned on my pc and the same problem happened, restarted my router by pressing its on/off button and the internet is working again. Also, it's been doing this thing where it says Internet PUBLIC network and it kept switching to internet PRIVATE network, here's a video. It's been doing that since the problem started 2 days ago when it wasn't fixed. In the video it switches at the start then at 29 seconds, no idea why. Timeline 1.mov Timeline 1.mp4.mp4
Disable the metered connection on your network port. Make sure it receives LAN IP details automatically. Who provides your internet service and what kind of connection do you use? Besides mobile devices, are there other gadgets on your network facing the same issue? Consider testing with a different Ethernet cable.
For clarity, if it's your home network, it should be a private network. It will revert to public mode when connecting to anything unrecognized as private, which is typical for public WiFi settings (it helps restrict access and can disable certain features). The change indicates something unusual is happening, since it assumes you're no longer on your home network. Considering your mention of losing the IP address, this aligns with how Windows handles default IP assignments—it depends on how the network is configured. Are there other devices on your network that might be acting as a router? This behavior also seems to involve switching between two conflicting networks.
I possess a wifi extender in another room to boost your signal so your TV can connect, but the network it offers isn't listed among the available options on your PC. This suggests it might not be the issue. Another strange occurrence happened recently—I was playing with friends in VR mode while gaming GMod, and when the problem arose again I lost connection to the game and couldn't access websites normally. However, I could still hear my friends in VR and chat clearly. I’m unsure what’s going on and it’s quite puzzling. For other concerns, I don’t remember using a router like Hamachi; I’ve had it for years without any issues. My ISP is StarNet in Moldova, and no other devices seem to be affected. The issue isn’t related to cables—there are no problems with the connections. I already mentioned that restarting the router by pressing the power button can resolve the problem.