My wired Ethernet connection randomly drops and reports a bad connection. Restarting the network adapter temporarily helps, but I've already tried the usual troubleshooting steps and can't figure out how to make it stable. I'm using the Ethernet port built into the wall. What should I check next?
2 Answers
This could be caused by the network adapter’s power settings. Open Device Manager, find your Ethernet adapter under Network Adapters, open its properties, and disable “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.” Also check the Advanced tab for Energy Efficient Ethernet, power-saving, or Ultra Low Power options and disable them if available.
A bad driver, cable, wall jack, or router/switch port could also cause intermittent drops. Update or reinstall the Ethernet driver, then test with a different cable and another network port if possible. If the problem continues, check Event Viewer for errors from the network adapter around the time of each disconnect.
That sounds likely, especially if the connection comes back after restarting the adapter. The exact setting names can vary by driver.