My computer randomly loses usable internet access even though the operating system, ISP status, VPN, and browser all report that the connection is active. When it happens, websites, online games, and other applications cannot connect. The connection may work normally for a few minutes or even several weeks before failing, and the VPN sometimes slows to roughly 152 bytes per second. This has been happening for nearly a year, despite trying many fixes. The same behavior occurs over both Wi‑Fi and Ethernet. What could be causing this, and how can I narrow it down?
3 Answers
Start by completely disabling or uninstalling the VPN and test the connection for a while. A VPN can introduce its own DNS, routing, or packet-handling problems, and it adds another point of failure. If the connection becomes reliable without it, the VPN or its virtual network adapter is the likely cause.
The connection status only confirms that your computer is connected to the local network; it does not prove that traffic can reach the internet. During an outage, check whether other devices fail too, reboot or replace the router and modem if possible, and look at their logs or status lights. If every device loses access, provide the ISP with timestamps and request that they check the line, modem, signal levels, and dropped connection history.
When the problem occurs, test both an IP address and a domain name. For example, try pinging 8.8.8.8 and then google.com. If the IP works but the domain fails, the issue is probably DNS. If both fail while the computer still says it is connected, investigate the router, modem, ISP connection, or routing path. Since Ethernet has the same symptoms, this is less likely to be a Wi‑Fi signal problem.
Neither test worked when the connection failed, even after removing the VPN.
I tested without the VPN, but the connection still failed.