Help! Having serious internet issues

[jztemple2]

I'm having serious internet issues that seem to be only affecting one computer hooked up to the router. I started losing connectivity to some websites on Firefox, but not all, at least not right away. For instance I could contact weather.gov but not Google. I tried to use speedtest.net but it wouldn't load. All these issues were accompanied by the message "Server Not Found".

However, I could run speedtest.net in Edge and I got 87 Mbps which is my normal speed. I could also get the Google home page on Edge, but a few minutes later it showed the same "Server Not Found" message. However, speedtest.net still works on Edge.

I rebooted the computer, the router and the cable modem. Still have the issues on my computer, wife's computer is working fine. I still have wifi in the house which comes from the router.

Maybe a clue is when I mouse over the Internet symbol on the status bar on the wife's computer it shows Network 3 as expected. On my computer it shows the wifi network id. However, I didn't select that, it just now shows it.

Any help on this would really be appreciated

[jztemple2]

And now, magically, everything is working

No idea what caused it, or caused it to go away. And I'm worried it may happen again.

[Isgrimnur]

Could be your NIC going bad. Or a DNS issue.

[jztemple2]

Could be your NIC going bad. Or a DNS issue.

Could a DNS issue effect just one computer? And oddly only one browser? That's just weird. And I admit to knowing next to nothing about DNS.

[Isgrimnur]

Yes. DNS is set per computer, and browsers can be set to use different settings. Of course, DNS is also an active server connection. If one server is having intermittent issues, it won't matter what settings you have.

[Blackhawk]

I was about to suggest trying OpenDNS and seeing if that sorted it.

[Isgrimnur]

[stessier]

This started happening to me this morning on my tablet. Everything was working fine for about 30 minutes and then it just stopped. I would troubleshoot the connection, it would reconnect to the router, work for about 30s and then stop again. Now it is going in and out every few seconds. Some sites will load, then it won't, then it will. My router isn't reporting any problems, my wired connections work. Very frustrating. Can a NIC card go bad randomly like that?

Edit: I can reset the adapter and it works for one page refresh. After that, the next page call causes a loss of internet connection. Using the troubleshooter will reset the adapter and then I get one page call again. And it takes forever for the pages to load. I checked other devices - it's just the Surface Pro 7. FWIW, yesterday I installed a windows update, but like I said, I used it for 30 minute this morning with no issue and then it just cropped up between one web page and the next.

[LordMortis]

That is beautiful. I have also had that conversation with other technicians often. And I often say "It's probably not DNS but manually set DNS 8.8.8.8 just make sure, so you can cross it off the the list. It only takes a few seconds." I won't say it was the correct diagnostic more often than not, but it was the correct diagnostic a whole lot more than I ever expect.

After that, the next page call causes a loss of internet connection.

My Internet does this a lot with old adapters. Pre Windows 10 machines running Windows 10.

[stessier]

After spending an hour troubleshooting and multiple resets, it just started working. The last two Window troubleshooting efforts said the "default gateway was reset". For the last 20 minutes - no issues. Web pages are all loading quickly and youtube videos are playing without issue. Glad it's fixed, but wish I knew what changed.

[Blackhawk]

If it's happening on both your PC and your tablet, it may be something else. Router, modem, ISP, signal interference? I've seen what you're describing happen with wireless connections whenever someone used the microwave.

[Daehawk]

Routers dont last and even at the best of times they are a horrible POS hardware. Just look online for info on routers. Junk from the start.

[Pyperkub]

Routers can also be attacked:

Three critical remote code execution vulnerabilities have been identified and patched in several popular Wi-Fi routers from the Taiwanese hardware maker Asus.

As reported by BleepingComputer, the Asus RT-AX55, Asus RT-AX56U_V2 and Asus RT-AC86U are vulnerable to being hijacked by hackers if the latest security updates aren’t installed.

Other routers also need updates. Depending on the timelines of the attacker, your speeds/connections could vary.

DNS can be an issue too, and over the past few weeks, many DNS servers have been coping with DDoS attacks.

And, of course, Routers don't always play nicely with nearby electronics...

ricks to improve Wi-Fi signal can range from the sensible to the deranged (yes, aluminum hats do work – no, a Faraday cage won’t help). However, did you know that sometimes the problem can be not the router itself, but the objects you’ve placed it close to?

Routers connect our devices to the Internet by sending signals that direct data traffic between phones, laptops, and tablets so that we can browse the Internet with ease. When their signals get blocked or disrupted, we experience lousy Wi-Fi, so what should you avoid if you want to stay connected?

[Blackhawk]

And, of course, Routers don't always play nicely with nearby electronics...

ricks to improve Wi-Fi signal can range from the sensible to the deranged (yes, aluminum hats do work – no, a Faraday cage won’t help). However, did you know that sometimes the problem can be not the router itself, but the objects you’ve placed it close to?

Routers connect our devices to the Internet by sending signals that direct data traffic between phones, laptops, and tablets so that we can browse the Internet with ease. When their signals get blocked or disrupted, we experience lousy Wi-Fi, so what should you avoid if you want to stay connected?

Huh, I had never considered that my modem might interfere with my router. I've been considering moving the router up higher and mounting it on the wall - I just need to figure out a way to keep certain bird-shaped creatures from parking their tail feathers on it.

[Pyperkub]

I suppose you could try to shake their tailfeathers...

[Blackhawk]

I suppose you could try to shake their tailfeathers...

The tailfeathers shaking is the reason I don't want them standing on electronics.

[Pyperkub]

/Blues Brothers reference

[Blackhawk]

/Blues Brothers reference

Ah.

I have not seen this film. Did it mean that they were pooping in electronics, too?

[Pyperkub]

/Blues Brothers reference

Ah.

I have not seen this film. Did it mean that they were pooping in electronics, too?

Nah, Ray Charles massive dance gig with Jake and Elwood to the song Shake a Tail-feather:

[Punisher]

One thing that can help test DNS is to open a cmd prompt and type ping google.com
If that doesn't work ping 8.8.8.8
If that works it leans towards dns.
You can also try
Ipconfig /flushdns
to repair.

[naednek]

I'm having serious internet issues that seem to be only affecting one computer hooked up to the router. I started losing connectivity to some websites on Firefox, but not all, at least not right away. For instance I could contact weather.gov but not Google. I tried to use speedtest.net but it wouldn't load. All these issues were accompanied by the message "Server Not Found".

However, I could run speedtest.net in Edge and I got 87 Mbps which is my normal speed. I could also get the Google home page on Edge, but a few minutes later it showed the same "Server Not Found" message. However, speedtest.net still works on Edge.

I rebooted the computer, the router and the cable modem. Still have the issues on my computer, wife's computer is working fine. I still have wifi in the house which comes from the router.

Maybe a clue is when I mouse over the Internet symbol on the status bar on the wife's computer it shows Network 3 as expected. On my computer it shows the wifi network id. However, I didn't select that, it just now shows it.

Any help on this would really be appreciated

Weird, had this issue with my daughter's pc last night. Most things on chrome wouldn't load. Speedtest.net did. Rebooting didn't help, disabling the ethernet didn't help.

Tried edge and was able to resolve sites. Ran virus scan, came back clean.

Then a few minutes later things started working.

[Blackhawk]

Everyone having problems - how are you connecting? Ethernet? 2.4Ghz? 5Ghz?

[stessier]

I am connecting via 5GHz. It happened again this morning. The Windows Troubleshooter kept saying "the default gateway is not set". I rebooted my router and it was fixed. While this was going on, my computer hardwired to the router was working fine. If it happens again, I'll check other things wirelessly attached to the router to see if they work.

[Unagi]

It's possible that you (and/or jz) were issued an IP number dynamically by your router that was in conflict with some other device that was also given it. Things would 'magically start working' when you were assigned a new IP address.

/spit-balling

[stessier]

That could be. My problem happened about the same time each day. Rebooting my router seems to have fixed the issue. If it happens again, it's something I'll investigate.

[Blackhawk]

The waves are getting crowded, man!

Even here I've got multiple signals competing for the same frequencies, which sometimes causes me hassles. It's less of an issue with 5GHz because it doesn't carry as far, but a neighbor doing something can still cause hiccups.

[Kasey Chang]

How old is your router/modem? It *may* be due a replacement.

[Kasey Chang]

One of my routers just decided to not connect any more. Fortunately, that's my "secondary" router (the one from the ISP is working fine), but it's kinda annoying. Guess that would also explain why I wasn't able to print anything (they were on that secondary router). Home network is mostly on the primary router anyway.

I ordered two Eero Pro (2017) tri-band refurb from Amazon, but looks like those won't arrive until mid- NEXT month (!?) They're down to $35 each.

[Daehawk]

Ya routers even this day and age are a very flaky piece of hardware.

[stessier]

That could be. My problem happened about the same time each day. Rebooting my router seems to have fixed the issue. If it happens again, it's something I'll investigate.

It came back today. It looked like the tablet was trying to download a Windows update. It eventually completed after multiple network adapter resets on the tablet. Still, the problem persisted. I checked other connected devices - both wired and wireless - they all worked. I checked MAC and IP addresses and everything looked uniquely assigned. I rebooted the router - this has kept it fixed for 5 minutes. Hope that was all that was needed.

[Montag]

And, of course, Routers don't always play nicely with nearby electronics...

ricks to improve Wi-Fi signal can range from the sensible to the deranged (yes, aluminum hats do work – no, a Faraday cage won’t help). However, did you know that sometimes the problem can be not the router itself, but the objects you’ve placed it close to?

Routers connect our devices to the Internet by sending signals that direct data traffic between phones, laptops, and tablets so that we can browse the Internet with ease. When their signals get blocked or disrupted, we experience lousy Wi-Fi, so what should you avoid if you want to stay connected?

Huh, I had never considered that my modem might interfere with my router. I've been considering moving the router up higher and mounting it on the wall - I just need to figure out a way to keep certain bird-shaped creatures from parking their tail feathers on it.

I had some hubs on my network that would periodically cause network loops. I tried so many things. All I needed were smart hubs with loop detection for maybe a whole $5 more each.