What's wrong with my internet connection?

Question

ok i'm using a wireless connection, and in the past it was working fine. now my netgear rangemax internet adapter keeps "disconnecting". my windows keep popping up this message saying i unplugged my internet adapter, which i didn't. and then it will attempt to connect back to the internet, then "disconnects" again. its like i keep pulling the usb plug from the internet card and reinserting it.

i can't troubleshoot it because i haven't the foggiest idea what's causing it. it happens very randomly, sometimes the internet is smoothsailing, and then all of the sudden this problem pops up at 5pm until 2am. now it seems ok again.

anyone can help? really appreciate it

hi, now my internet is working when i woke up at 10:35am, i'm not sure if the adapter is at fault because when it screws up it really screws up, otherwise it seems to be fine. the screw ups usually happens in the evening, which is kind of weird don't you think?

how do i know if i hv dhcp error, and i would like to try changing the ssid and channel in my router, how do i configure? thanks for all your answers, it really taught me some stuff!

because i have a feeling someone has the same setup as i do. and it screws up at evening and night, when everyone comes home from work and school so they will use the internet at that time.

in the morning, everyone goes to work or school, so maybe that's why my internet is more stable in the morning

ok, so i've changed my channel, and my wep password. it seems to be stable, lets see how it goes

nope, the adapter still unplugs itself.

Answer 1

Just a shot in the dark .. go into the device manager and right click on the usb device look for a power Management tab If it does make sure that the computer isnt allowed to power down the device. It causes a lot of grief .. :)

Answer 2

Go to the router configuration, change the ssid and channel. Someone may have installed a similar unit near you, this could cause conflict and mask yours. Also make sure you have not placed any new obstruction (furniture, metal objects, cordless phones etc) between the router and PC.

Answer 3

make sure you network is secured with wep key if itahappens regularly maybe someone has hijacked your signal

hae you tried hooking up with a long ethernet cable instead of the wireless you could narow down the problem that way take teh router out of the equation. modem coudl be teh problem maybe you can get a newone/ trade one from your isp.

Answer 4

The best thing to do is call a computer store (Staples, Circuit City) and ask to speak to an electronics tech. Those guys are so into what they do, that they're more than happy to spend time talking to you.

Answer 5

attempt resetting your modem. each modem is diverse with this procedure. some have a small button on the back which will say reset, some do not say reset yet nonetheless have the button. If it does not have a button to reset the modem, then unplug the modem and wait a couple of minutes then attempt it back.

Answer 6

if you are just playing games or chatting the internet provider might be tossing you off for being idle or you might need to change settings in display panel
go to settings
power
and turn off
most of the settings there

Answer 7

There are so many things which can cause this. Now, with that said, I am going to offer a few ideas. I too use a Wireless Network in my home and have for several years. There are several things you can do to troubleshoot, but I hate to tell you this, the #1 cause is Adapter failure. As you stated your connection has been good up till now, it is very likely your Adapter is having a hardware failure. This occurred to me once, and after I exchanged that Adapter for a new one, all worked well again.

However, other items could be causing this too. There are actually two areas to at intently. 1. When you are disconnected, you are completely disconnected. 2. You are unable to access any websites, but your Connection shows as Connected, and you are able to access your Internal Network, in other words, your subnet is working, but you are unable to access the outside Internet network.

As you stated it says an "Network cable is unplugged", then this must be the first issue. You are completely disconnected from both your Internal Network, and the External Network, or otherwise known as the Internet.

When this first began occurring with my Adapter, I kept right clicking the little connection icon in my notification tray, and then selected "Repair". This would Repair the Connection by resetting several internal configurations within Windows. What it is doing is releasing your IP Address, disconnecting from the DHCP Server and DNS Server, and then reconnecting, and re-issues the IP Address and attains the IP Address Lease. This would "fix" the issue on a temporary basis, but it worked for a while. It was annoying, but just right clicking, selecting "Repair" and a few seconds later the Connection was reastablished. This went on for some time.

Now, it is also possible that your Router is failing. It could be at either end. The less expensive way to go is trying a new Adapter first, and if that is not the problem you can simply return the item from the store you purchased it from, as long as you don't wait till the time period for returning electronics is up for that particular strore. If the Adapter is good, then it very well could be your Router, and you can try exchanging it out for a new one too, and if it is not corrected, simply return it too. If your Wireless Router is having any DHCP or DNS failures, you will need a new Router. If any of these items fail, well, your entire connection goes down too.

Now, another thing you can do before spending any money, is calling the manufactures toll free number and talking with a technician there who can help you trouble shoot the issue. Sometimes it can be your Router needs a Firmware upgrade, or the Adapter needs a new driver.

It is so annoying when you are in the middle of streaming media and your connection is lost. Just browsing the Internet and losing the connection, while irritating, is not such a big deal. If you do not stream a lot of media, and just browse a lot, you can work with a failing Adaper or Router for some time before needing to replace it. Just keep clicking on Repair, and within seconds you have connectivity again.

Now, sometimes a connection can be active, but the ability to access URLs, or websites is missing. You can browse your own Network, but not be able to reach the Internet. In this case it very well can be your Modem needs a reboot. You go to your Modem,, either turn it off with the switch and wait ten to twenty seconds and then turn it back on, which is called a Soft Reboot, or do a Hard Reboot which is unplug it and wait ten to twenty seconds and then plug it back in. Sometimes you need to unplug both your Modem and your Router at the same time, and then wait ten to twenty seconds and then plug them in. Some Modems have a Reset button on the bottom, which you use a small pointed object to push in and hold for ten to twenty seconds. Read your manual or speak with a technician of the manuafacurer to see how to do yours. Usually, I just do the unplug and replug. ISPs always have clients reboot the Modem before going on to other troubleshooting steps.

Sometimes your ISP can have problems with their towers. For example, my ISP lost connectivity throughout my entire state due to a huge storm we had. We had to wait a full day to get back up and running again. I doubt this is your problem however. I just added it so you know how many different things loss of connectivity can caused from.

Unless you are using dialup, which I seriously doubt, your ISP will not "kick you off" for lack of use. Cable and DSL connections are "Always On" connections, which means they are on regardless of your actual use of the computer and Internet. The connection is constantly On. It doesn't matter if your computer is on or turned off. However, when you turn your computer off, the DHCP Server will release your IP Address and reassign it when you turn your computer on again. In the case of an internal network, where your computers are behind a Router, the Private Address you receive can change depending on which computer is turned on first. The two ways of keeping your IP Addess the same is to either never turn off your computers, or use Static IP Addresses. This is not a huge deal, as regardless of your current IP Address, your Router will always know which computer is sending out data packets, and requesting data packets and routes it appropriately.

Sorry, I didn't mean to go on here, but this is a large area of technology. The best thing to do is either call your Manufacturers technicians, or purchase a new Adaper and see if that fixes this issue. If not, then call the Routers manufacurer unless you just wish to try changint it out with a new one. Remember, sometimes it could just be a Driver has gone bad, and thus is having problems "taking" with the Router, or the Router could need a new Driver, or a Firmware update. Sometimes talking with the manufactuers technical folks can help you save the expense of buying a new peice of hardware.

Good luck and I really hope you pinpoint your problem and get it fixed soon, have a great day!

P.S. I almost forgot, try what Colinc says too, as sometimes congestion can get you kicked off. Also, have you recently purchased a new cordless phone in the 2.4Ghtz range? Anything using this range can cause interference. It was so bad for us, we exchanged our phone for one in the 5.something range instead as the one we had caused such interference we lost ALL connectivity! Microwaves and other items can also cause such interfernce, even a cordless baby monitor or radios, etc. So, check for such types of interference, as that could be a problem.