Why Does My Internet Keep Going Out | How to Fix

In this era, a reliable and fast internet connection has been one of the essential services in every workplace. But technological advancements and developments aren’t exempted from downsides. People complain about their internet connection that keeps going completely and sometimes dropping, which is not suitable for people who often use the internet to do their day-to-day activities. Internet is helpful more for people who usually work from Home, do meetings and conferences online, and those who typically access the remote application, but with an internet connection that repetitively keeps going, you can be assured that you’ll have a big problem.  

So, why does my internet keep going out? This question has been asked several times, but people rarely find the appropriate solutions. This is the function of this post. We’ve done underground research and put together some of the reasons that could be affecting your internet connection. If you’re facing the problem for the first time, you should follow this review because your problem could be sorted out even before we finish the article. We start by taking you through some of the main reasons that could be causing your internet connection to keep going out. But also, in the course of this article, we’ll offer you some possible solutions to the problem. So, keep reading.

Why does my internet keep going out?

Everybody experiences a sudden internet drop or loss sometimes. When this becomes a usual occurrence, it can inconvenience you in many ways, which can even make you feel frustrated, and your operations will keep on slowing down, which also significantly affect your performance. 

Worse yet, if you’re a student who takes classes online, an internet problem can highly disrupt your schooling and may even cause frustration. On the other side, if you work remotely, an internet interruption might interfere with your work, and you can rest assured that a lot of time will be wasted trying to fix the problem. Do you want to know why your internet keeps going out? We’ve highlighted all the possible reasons:

Issues with your ISP – Internet Service Provider

One of the notable problems that are usually associated with internet drop is issues related to the internet service providers. If the problem is your ISP, you have little things you can do on your side; you should not even bother looking at where the problem is. The only solution when your ISP is why your internet keeps going out is to contact them and inform them about the problem you’re facing. The ISP should be able to solve the problem to ensure your internet is stable and will not continue to go out. 

It is usually a regular occurrence to see your internet surging sometimes because the setting of the ISP can bring the problem. But, if you noticed that this problem occurs more often than not, and you either find the signal strength dropping significantly, in most cases, taking some further steps should be the next thing to do. It is important to find out if you’ve some issues with the settings of the internet subscription. You can follow these simple steps to find out:

  • Open the command prompt on your PC
  • Type ping – IP address of the device sharing the same network, or Ping – URL of the website

If you see that the computer displays that it’s relaying and receiving packets, then your ISP has no problem whatsoever. 

If everything is under control, you should get a message showing that some packets have been received or transferred. As such, you need to look into other issues that might be causing your internet to keep going. 

Use of Drivers and Software that are Outdated in your device

This is another common problem that may go your internet to go out. If your computer doesn’t have up-to-date drivers, you might have one or two issues related to your internet connection. Most devices that connect to a Wi-Fi network depend on the drivers that may become obsolete or corrupted over time. You’ll find that our network connection gets out or drops because of the interference with the wireless network. But that doesn’t mean that a computer with outdated software is usually the main cause of the internet going out or dropping. 

Suppose your connection went through the first time you made the connection; you should not face an issue later due to outdated drivers. But as a rule of thumb, you should ensure that you update your drivers so that several problems are solved and can offer you reliable internet. 

Too Many Devices Connected to your Network

When your network was initially set, it comes with a maximum number of devices that it can comfortably accommodate, but if you connect more than the recommended device, you might have to be forced to experience downtime, which may even get out. If you have very low bandwidth, and on one side, you have connected excess devices, you can expect a drastic drop in your internet. This is because the network is being shared by many devices, which causes a poor internet drop. 

When devices don’t get the required bandwidth, you can face problems, and your computer or device may not run videos and even load websites. Also, you’ll find that the internet will keep going out. Worse yet, if all the devices connecting to the internet are trying to stream service or downloading files, you’ll be in great trouble. 

To ensure that you’re getting the right internet speed, you can check your speed-on-speed test websites. If the results you get are below what your internet providers promised you, then a problem could be with your router or modem, or basically, you have many devices connected to your internet. If that is the case, you can try to disconnect some gadgets from your internet connection to resolve the problem. 

If, for instance, you have a device that is streaming a movie or a video, then you can get some free bandwidth by turning it off. You can also try by asking those connected to your device to pause for a while you figure out if that is the cause of the slow network. The goodness now is that you can give bandwidth to each device connected to your network, meaning if you have a device that generally takes a large share of your bandwidth, you can always set some restrictions on it. As such, you’ll get sufficient bandwidth for your use. After turning off the devices that could be interfering, you may now check out the consistency and stability of your internet to see if the problem is already resolved. Better still, you can opt to change your plan to ensure all your daily uses are sorted. 

Broken or Loose Internet Cables

Your internet connection could also get out because of hidden and simple issues. Your ISP is not always the cause of the problem like most people usually think. There is another internal problem that could be causing your internet to below or drop completely. First, cross-check your connection, normally at the right bottom corner of your toolbar, to check if your internet is disconnected. This isn’t a cause for alarm and should be resolved quickly. 

If you have a broken or loose cable, you might face issues with going out or dropping the internet connection. Most internet problems emanate from the cables connected to your modem and router. The setup may not offer you a reliable and consistent internet experience using broken or old cables. You should first start by inspecting the cable connection to find out if there are any faults with the cables connecting the components. 

To solve this problem, try unplugging and plugging back the cable to fix this kind of problem. But if the cable has a broken section, then you might be forced to do a replacement with another one to have your internet connection stabilize. And now the problem is that you cannot just identify the problem caused by the broken internal cable, which is why it is important to go for a replacement regularly. 

Your Device May be Connected to a Wrong Wi-Fi Network

At times, two different locations can have a Wi-Fi network that isn’t secured having a similar name, and your device can end up being connected to the wrong network. Such issues may result in a wide range of problems such as frequently disconnecting and connecting of Wi-Fi network as the gadget keeps leaving from one connection to another. 

In such a scenario, the gadget also regularly loses connection when the wrong network is turned off, even when the right network is working correctly. Additionally, your device may face problems whenever the second network faces issues related to bandwidth. This is mainly because tons of people use an unsecured internet connection. 

So, when connecting to your internet, ensure that you’re connecting to the right device, and ensure that you’re fully connected to the appropriate internet connection. If possible, ensure all your devices are set to ensure it doesn’t connect automatically to any Wi-Fi connection. You can also tell your neighbors to protect their Wi-Fi network.  

Router Malfunction

The major frustrating part of dealing unstable internet connection is when you confuse the internet signal you receive from your ISP and the one your devices get through the Wi-Fi. The major cause of such a concern is the router – a unit normally used to share the connection across all devices and receive a connection from the modem. This is possible with cable, but a wireless connection is often convenient in most cases.

And if you want to know if this is the main cause of the problem, then the first red flag you’ll notice is when your connection keeps disconnecting when you’re using your laptop or PC but keeps working well on smart TV while using the same internet connection. But, it’s possible to see an unstable internet connection on almost all the devices. Check out what can occur;

  • Software issues: The router is configured wrongly
  • Radio interference: Your internet connection is jammed by a different connection
  • Weak signal: Your router is way too far from your device
  • Faulty connection: Your router is facing a problem connecting to the internet
  • Faulty hardware: There is total malfunction of your router

If any of the above issues are the case in your router, everything is fine, the equipment is causing all the problems, and it can be resolved locally. 

Device Configuration

Another common cause of your internet connection keeps going out from your device is how your device is configured to the internet connection. More particularly, as devices are being designed to ensure they prolong the battery life, it is often set to turn some services off, which could end up causing issues with your access to the internet. In most cases, phones are usually set on these policies, and they typically face such problems. 

If you need to know if you’re experiencing an issue related to power management, it is important to know the time the issue occurred – if the problems related to the internet unstable occurs when you are actively using your PC or phone, then the problem might not be on the power management. In other words, power-saving can be an excellent idea for some cases when access to electricity is limited, and each minute is very important. However, if you’re in your home, this should not cause any problem. You might want to disable such management policies to ensure you are getting your internet connection’s stable and optimum performance. 

How to fix an internet that keeps going out

As mentioned above, internet connection can keep going out for many reasons, and solving the problem can take time and patience. It implies that there is no one-size fit solution to solve your internet connection problem. There are many effective solutions that you can follow to ensure your problem is fully solved. With one of these fixes, you’ll get to know where your main problem begins and quicks ways of resolving it. If you need to get your internet back, you can stick to the below solutions.

Check your Cables to ensure it is plugged in well

If you’re using old cables or one that is loose, your internet could be disconnecting. No matter the internet connection you are using, there are always some cables connected from the modem to the router. In most cases, the significant cables that are used in most connections are:

  • Phone cable: Your router/modem combination links to the DSL connection line using this cable
  • Coaxial Cable: This type of cable links a modem to the cable connection in your Home
  • Ethernet Cable: If your internet uses a separate modem and router, you’ll need an ethernet cable to connect between these two devices. Also, an ethernet cable connects your router to your PC for direct signal. 

If at one point one of these cables isn’t working right, you’ll face an issue with your network. You might see unreliable/poor connection or even complete disconnection. To solve such a problem, you should ensure that the cable is plugged in well and connects to the correct port. If you have a different cable, you can also try to ascertain that it is not the faulty cable. 

An important step is to check cables, connectors, and coax lines to find any damage or bends. Aside from that, you need to cross-check the quality of your cables and make a replacement when needed. You should make sure that the cables are tightly held and those that might be loose are perfectly held. 

Ensure you are closer to your router

As you may know, your access point comes with a range that works optimally. If you often try to access your internet at a far distance, experiencing downtime is high because you’re out of the required limit. If you go further from your modem or router, you’ll lose your connection fully. The location where you place your router in your Home will significantly affect the signal strength and overall performance of the Wi-Fi. So, if you want to avoid the downtimes and slow internet, ensure you’re as close as possible to the router for strong signals. 

You should power cycle your Internet components

In most cases, when you leave your modem or router to run for long hours, the chances of suffering from problems such as memory leaks are always high, and hence their performance goes down. If possible, give them a short break to give them work optimally. You can also power cycle your PC or any other devices you’re using to access the internet. Check out the following simple steps:

  • First of all, switch off your PC, router, modem and wait for, say, 30 seconds.
  • Secondly, power them in order: Modem, router and finally your PC.
  • Check to ascertain if the internet issue is resolved.

This break is often useful to ensure the internet connection is stable, and the disconnection problem is usually solved. If you still face this kind of problem, you can seek other fixes. 

You should ensure your Network drivers and Firmware are fully Updated

As mentioned above, outdated network drivers or incompatible Firmware can interfere with your stable internet connection. If you’re facing such a problem, it might be best to update both your Firmware and drivers to sort out the problem. When you update your software on your computer, you’re making the computer work optimally, hence resolving the internet problem. 

To update your computer to the latest drivers, you can automatically search for drivers and update them. To do this, it is simple, check out the steps below:

  1. On the start menu, search for “Device Manager”
  2. Click “Network Adapter” on the device manager
  3. You’ll see an arrow that is next to it to find the drivers 
  4. Now, search for the right drivers on the internet and go for the updated and latest version.

Monitor the Network activity in your Home

If up to now, your problem isn’t solved yet, you should try to monitor all the activities in your home to see why the internet keeps dropping and going out. This can have to do with trial and error, and you can begin by delinking all the devices in the network and then start all over again by connecting each device one after another while you run your in-house test. Then, you’ll know the device that could be causing many problems. 

You should find if there are any external Interference

Radio signals can be a common issue that affects your internet connection. Any electronic devices with this type of signal should not be placed side by side with the router because it will interfere with your internet connection. Home appliances such as garage door openers, microwave ovens, and cordless phones can highly disrupt your internet connection. 

FAQs

Why does my internet keep going out?

Essentially, your internet keeps going out because you or your ISP need to solve one or two issues. For instance, your router may be out of date, have a faulty modem, or connect many devices to your network in tandem. Also, cables might be damaged. If there is network congestion, the speed of the internet is hugely slowed. 

Why I’m facing problems with my internet connection at night?

You’ll find your internet slowed during the night because many people are actively using the internet from the same ISP as yours, and the competition for bandwidth is high. This is also when most people are streaming and browsing their social media. 

Can I find out if someone else is using my Internet connection (Wi-Fi)?

Yes, it is simple. You can see the devices linked to your Wi-Fi with your router’s gateway settings.

Is there any time of the day when your internet connection is the fastest?

In most cases, your internet connection is often the quickest during the early part of the day and even in the afternoon when many people are not home.

Can my neighbors slow my internet down?

Yes. If you’ve subscribed to the cable internet, then it means that you’ll be sharing your bandwidth which will interfere with the speed of your internet.

Conclusion

Having an internet that is often slow or gets out is frustrating and annoying, more so if you work from Home. And getting the definite cause of the internet issue can take some time; however, after finding it, you can resolve it to have your stable connection back for an enjoyable experience. At least, in this post, we have table some main reasons why your internet keeps going out and some solutions to solve such problems. We hope the post will go a long way in helping you resolve issues relating to your internet connections.

Learn Also: Best Free Government Internet Service for Seniors

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