I've been experiencing this weird issue with my Ethernet connection where it randomly switches from 1000 Mbps to 100 Mbps. I've set it to 1000 Mbps and even turned off auto-negotiation, but it still changes. The connection remains active, and when it's set to 1000 Mbps, everything works fine, but then out of nowhere, I lose connection for about 5 seconds, and it reverts back to 100 Mbps. The only solution I've found is to unplug and replug the cable to restore the speed. I'm hesitant to replace the cable because of the setup involved. Are there any suggestions on what I could try before going through that hassle?
2 Answers
It sounds like you might have a faulty Ethernet cable. If even one of the wires in a twisted-pair cable malfunctions, the connection might drop from 1000 Mbps to 100 Mbps because it can only use 2 pairs instead of 4, which is needed for gigabit speeds. It might be worth testing with a different cable, even temporarily, just to see if that's the issue.
I second that idea. Since your hardware seems fine otherwise, the cable is likely where the problem lies.
Keep in mind that Ethernet speed negotiation occurs between your network card and the device at the other end, like your router or switch. If those devices only support 100 Mbps ports, your connection won't run at gigabit speeds no matter what settings you adjust. But if it works initially at 1000 Mbps and then drops, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case here, especially since you're using fiber. I understand the cable replacement would be a hassle, but I suggest exhausting all settings on your motherboard and checking if there's any configuration you might have missed before diving into that task.
I appreciate the input! I really want to explore all possible options in the settings before I commit to changing the cable, but it's good to know I might need to consider it if nothing else works.
I was worried about that too! I guess I'll need to set up a temporary solution to see if it’s the cable causing the problem. Is there really nothing else I should check?