Today’s work-from-home scenario requires reliable and stronger internet. But an internet connection that keeps dropping every few minutes can be a major roadblock to anybody’s daily life.
Constant internet access is crucial to successfully conduct remote work or online meetings and conferences. Unfortunately, an outdated router or unstable speed can cause the connection drops randomly. It can even result from a much more complicated issue that is happening on your internet service provider’s end.
So, it’s important to find out the exact cause of the problem to resolve it. In the following section, we’ve explained the possible reasons why your internet keeps dropping and some proven fixes to troubleshoot the issue quickly.
7 Reasons Why Your Internet Keeps Dropping
Your internet keeps dropping because you or your network provider require to solve necessary issues. For instance, your modem may be defective, the cables are damaged or there may be too many devices using excessive data simultaneously. An old, outdated router or network congestion may also slow speed.
A dropping internet connection can cause inconvenience and cause frustration, whether you’re trying to attend an important video conference or a student doing online classes. A repeatedly dropping internet may even prevent remote workers from doing online meetings and waste plenty of time.
Here we’ve listed some potential reasons behind the internet keeps dropping issue.
1. Loose or Broken Cables
Loose or broken cables are one of the common culprits causing a frequent drop in your internet connection. If you have an old and damaged cable connected with your router and modem, it may interfere with your internet experience. So, check the cables and replace them if you find any flaws.
2. Check the WiFi network
If you’ve accidentally connected your device with the wrong network, then it results in the internet dropping issue. Hence, always check that your device is connected to the proper WiFi network. Additionally, change the settings of your devices and restrict them from connecting with any unsecured WiFi networks.
3. Check your local connection
Sometimes, your local network can be responsible for the issue. So, check the strength of your local network by connecting any other computer, mobile, or tab with the same network. If still your internet keeps dropping, it indicates a problem with your internet connection. Or, if the internet is working properly with other devices, then it’s probably an issue with your PC.
4. Outdated Drivers
If you’ve forgotten to update the drivers of your computer, it could cause a frequent drop in your internet connection. Usually, devices with a WiFi network always depend on drivers. That’s why an outdated driver might cause several network problems including network drop.
5. Incompatible Software
Sometimes internet dropping issues can occur due to an installation of incompatible software. This kind of service can interfere with the network connection of the system.
6. Network Overloading
When you connect too many devices with a single network, then it causes an intermittent internet connection as there is limited bandwidth available for each device. In that case, disconnect some devices from that specific network to get hassle-free internet service.
7. External Radio Interference
If there is any other electronic product located near your router, it can lower the strength of your network signal and cause an internet dropping issue. Devices like microwaves, phones, and others can affect the Wi-Fi connection when they are working.
Quick Ways to Fix Internet Keeps Disconnecting
Now, as you understand the reasons behind a drop on the internet, let’s move to the solutions to fix these problems.
Check the Cables
If the cable connected to your modem or router is old and damaged, then your internet will get disconnected frequently. There are mainly three types of cables in most home connections ethernet cable, phone cable, and coaxial cable.
- Ethernet cable: This cable connects a standalone modem to a standalone router. It also connects computers, gaming consoles, and more to the router to enjoy a direct signal.
- Phone cable: It connects your modem or modem and router combo to the DSL internet line.
- Coaxial cable: It connects a modem to a cable TV network in the home.
If any of these cables stop working properly, your network will face problems. Hence, check the cables first whenever you face any network-related issues. Make sure they are connected with the correct port and if you find any kind of damage on those cables, immediately replace them with new cables.
Restart your Modem or Router
Restarting your modem and router is the easiest and most effective way to resolve the problem. To restart your modem or router,
- Turn off your computer.
- Unplug the power cable from the back of your modem or router.
- Wait 30 seconds.
- After that, reconnect the power cable again and wait a while to establish the connection of the modem.
- Finally, turn on your computer and check if the internet connection is steady now.
Move your Device Near the Router
Every wireless device has a limited range. That’s why if you place your device far from the router, you could experience a drop in the internet connection. This is because long distance affects the performance and strength of your WiFi signal. Therefore, try to move your device closer to the router so that you can enjoy an uninterrupted internet connection.
Update Network Adaptor Drivers
Updating the network adaptor drivers and firmware can easily resolve the problem and make your computer fast and smooth. Here’s how to do so,
- Click on the Windows search bar beside the start menu.
- Type Device Manager and hit Enter to search it.
- From the device manager window, click on Network Adapters
- From the drop-down menu, right-click on your network adapter.
- Click on Update Driver Software.
- Now, click Search automatically for updated driver software and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Restart your computer.
Check your Network Activity
If you still facing an internet issue, try to monitor the activity of your home network. All you need is to disconnect all the connected devices from the network and reconnect them again one by one. It will help to find out the faulty device causing the problem.
Once you discover the problematic device, check whether it’s downloading or uploading any background program. For example, It can be your mobile uploading some files to a backup service. In that case, pause those activities to resolve the internet drop issue.
Disable Cloud-Based App from the Background
Cloud-based apps might take up bandwidth and drop the internet connection for a while. Therefore, you need to restrict the access of cloud-based apps such as OneDrive to the internet while doing something important.
Move other Electronic Devices
If you’re experiencing a lot of internet dropping, check if there is any other electronic device is there near your PC. If so, then immediately try to move that device far from your PC. You can also solve this problem by making some changes to the WiFi settings. Alternatively, you can turn off the conflicting device while you’re using the internet on your phone, computer, or laptop.
Connect to Ethernet
In case you’re frequently facing the internet dropping issue, use an ethernet cable to fix the problem. WiFi connections can often get affected for various reasons. Hence, using ethernet is more reliable to enjoy a consistent internet service. So, try to connect an ethernet cable to your device and link it to the router.
Also read: Why Is My Ethernet Slower Than Wi-Fi?
Check the ISP Settings
A wrong ISP configuration can also be responsible for this issue. In that case, you can easily check the ISP settings of your computer to find out the problem. All you need is to open the command prompt window> type ping (website URL) or ping (IP address of a PC in the same network)> if you see sending and receiving bytes then your ISP is fine.
Change the Router
An outdated and broken router can be responsible for an unstable internet connection. Probably, your router is not compatible with your present internet plan. It can happen if your router doesn’t have the latest firmware. Sometimes, even a new router may not work well with the latest wifi connection and cause inconvenience.
Hence, ensure that your router is compatible with WiFi 5 or 6. Contact your WiFi network provider to check the compatibility of your router and replace it if needed. You can buy a new router as well.