Internet connectivity is the fuel that keeps the world running in today’s time. Staying connected is a necessity that cannot be compromised. And getting stuck with a slow internet connection is no less than a nuisance. It interrupts your daily work and tasks that depend on internet availability and accessibility. If your internet connection keeps dropping every now and then, maybe it’s time to consider it’s more than just a technical error. Don’t jump at the first chance to throw out your modem and router, instead focus on identifying the cause of the issue. Find out why you can’t stay connected to the World Wide Web and fix the problem.
There’s a reason you’re spending your precious time reading this article. You want answers too. You want to know why your home network keeps giving up on you. This is why we won’t take much of your time. We’re going to highlight the most common reasons your Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting and provide the solutions as well to help you out.
Keep reading to learn more!
Common Reasons Your Internet Keeps Giving up on You
There are several reasons your connection is unable to hold up and stabilize longer than it can. A few popular ones are listed below:
Unstable network connection
Your Wi-Fi icon may confirm your connectivity to the internet but soon later, you’re disconnected. And this keeps happening a couple of times for you to realize your connection keeps dropping. But why does that happen? It happens because your device fails to establish a strong connection with the Wi-Fi network. Usually, the issue is caused by the ISP’s end and the probable way of fixing it is to get in touch with your internet service provider and ask them to restore the connection manually from their end.
Weak signals
The low signal range is one of the most commonly observed reasons why your connection keeps dropping. Low signal range means not enough signals are able to reach your device from your wireless network, to establish a strong internet connection. You can check the signal strength on your device by looking at the signal status indicator on your device. If the signal strength is weak, the issue may be because you’re too far from the provider access point, or there’s significant interference that’s blocking the signals from reaching your device. You may face this problem often on mobile broadband or fixed wireless internet connection.
Outdated hardware
The equipment that makes up your home network should be top-notch and run smoothly to ensure you have a stable connection 24/7. Your online experiences depend on how updated and reliable your modem and router are. Huge connectivity problems arise when your equipment is outdated and unreliable and isn’t compatible with your internet plan. Therefore, you must ensure the compatibility of your hardware with your internet service if you’re buying It yourself to avoid future mishaps.
High network traffic
You will notice a significant difference in your internet experience during peak and off-peak hours. Your internet connection will grow weak and drop frequently during peak hours due to network congestion. As more devices and users are connected to your network, the network load increases and reduces the bandwidth delivered to each device. Hence why the speed slows down until the connection drops.
It’s a problem that can be fixed by getting in touch with your internet service provider since the issue arises mostly from the ISP’s end. You can also avoid this by upgrading to a faster fiber optic internet connection, offered by AT&T, Spectrum, Xfinity, and many major players in your area!
Reasons Your Wi-Fi Keeps Turning Off
When you’re connected to the Wi-Fi on your phone, laptop, or tablet, you may have noticed how your internet connection drops and reconnects automatically multiple times, until it doesn’t and you have to do it manually. Your Wi-Fi turns off in the middle of your gameplay, binge-watching session, or work and it can be the most frustrating thing ever. Here are a few reasons why your Wi-Fi disconnects so very often.
Unable to find a Wi-Fi network to connect to
At times, when you’re unable to connect to the Wi-Fi network you want to, it’s mostly because you’ve entered the incorrect username/password or because you’re trying to connect to the wrong network. All you have to do is double-check the password and Wi-Fi network name to fix the problem. That usually restores the connection.
Weak Wi-Fi signal strength
Weak Wi-Fi signals cause the connection to drop frequently and switch off the Wi-Fi once and for all and that’s mostly because the signals are either interrupted by electrical or concrete objects in your way or that you’re too far from the Wi-Fi gateway device. You can either add in a Wi-Fi extender to boost the signal range to reach all areas equally or move closer to the device.
Overloaded Wi-Fi network
Network congestion is one of the most common reasons your Wi-Fi disconnects and turns off. More devices connected to the network consume more bandwidth for multiple online activities, leaving little to none for your usage. Therefore, you will experience frequent dropouts, slow speeds, and finally, face a Wi-Fi disconnect. Every internet plan comes with a limit and once you exceed that limit, you’re bound to face poor network performance. You can either limit the number of devices connected to the network or upgrade to a higher-speed internet plan that accommodates the online needs of everyone connected to the network.
Poor network adapter performance
As previously said, your network equipment should be updated with the latest firmware to deliver strong and stable internet speeds across your devices. One such piece of equipment you should focus on is your corrupt or outdated wireless network adapter driver. You can double-check the functionality of your network adapter by visiting the Device Manager in your Control Panel and clicking on the name of your wireless adapter. If it states “this device is working properly”, you don’t have to worry about the adapter anymore.
If it shows otherwise, simply update the Wi-Fi network adapter driver with the latest update by visiting the company’s website. Test the driver by reconnecting your devices again.
Wi-Fi channel interference
Unless your home network works with a dual-band router, your internet connection comes from either the 2.4GHz frequency band or the 5 GHz Wi-Fi frequency band. A dual-band router gives you more coverage and faster speed as you can pick the band you connect to. The Wi-Fi channels are smaller bands in these frequency bands that allow your network to send and receive data. A few channels may face interference when a lot of devices are connected to the same channel. You can only fix this by connecting to channels that don’t overlap and aren’t crowded. It’s wise to go for Channels 6 and 11 on a 2.4 GHz band and pick any from the 24 channels on the 5GHz band.
Why Does My Internet Connection Keep Dropping with an Ethernet Cable?
While wireless connectivity is everyone’s preference, it’s not always the faster way to get the best internet connection, which is why an Ethernet cable comes in handy. An internet connection provided by an Ethernet cable is often fast and more reliable than a wireless connection. But, there may be times your Ethernet connection keeps giving up on you. Here’s why that happens:
Modem keeps disconnecting
The core of your Wi-Fi network is the modem. It should be up to date with the latest firmware and capable enough of establishing strong internet connectivity with all your devices. It’s the hub that receives data from the internet and sends it across your devices. You can connect the Ethernet directly to the modem to get the most stable and fastest internet speeds across your devices. But if your Ethernet keeps disconnecting, check your modem for any issues. A simple reboot usually solves the problem.
All you have to do is disconnect the Ethernet cable from the modem and unplug the device from the power outlet. Wait for it to ‘cool off’ and plug in the cables and device to turn it on again. Test the connection on your device after the reboot.
Router keeps disconnecting
A router is responsible for connecting your device to the internet. If you’re using the internet via Ethernet and you keep disconnecting from the internet, reboot the router and your device. Unplug the router from the power outlet and the Ethernet cable too. Let them be for 5 minutes and plug them back in and wait for the reboot to complete. The status indicator lights will stabilize and indicate that a connection is now established. Reset your device and test the connection now.
Why Can’t My Computer Connect to the Wi-Fi?
If you’re facing connectivity issues on your laptop or PC, it’s time to check all the factors behind the cause. You can refer to the pointers above to understand why your Wi-Fi keeps switching off and learn about the factors below that cause frequent connection drops:
Laptop needs a reboot
If you’ve already rebooted your router and modem, one last thing you can try is restarting your laptop to fix the problem quickly. Restart or shut it down and turn it back on after 5 minutes to restore the connection. You can also disconnect and forget the Wi-Fi network from the settings and manually enter the password to reconnect to the network.
Turn off power-saving mode
If your laptop is functioning in power-saving mode, chances are it’s preserving battery life by automatically switching off the Wi-Fi. This is where you’ll have to turn off the power-saving mode and reconnect to the Wi-Fi manually.
Study the network interface card
A network interface card is what establishes an internet connection on your laptop. Your laptop usually comes with a network interface card. All you have to do is make sure it’s up to date with the latest update. Your routine windows update normally updates the network interface card too but you can also do it manually by looking for available updates and downloading them.
Lingering viruses and malware
Viruses cause huge connectivity problems on your device and destabilize the connection all the time. Any malicious or suspicious activity can lead malware or viruses to attack your files and corrupt them, disrupting internet performance. Therefore, it’s important to download a trustworthy antivirus program on your laptop and run regular scans for bugs and viruses.
To Wrap It All Up
We hope this quick and thorough guide helps you understand the reasons behind the frequent connection drops and disconnectivity. If none of the reasons and solutions make sense, you should get in touch with your internet service provider and support team to find out the reason.
