My Windows 11 PC connects to my phone's mobile hotspot and shows the connection as connected and secure, but internet access is inconsistent. Mobile data works normally on the phone, and the PC can ping 1.1.1.1 with roughly 56–66 ms latency, but domain names initially failed to resolve. For example, websites would not load and nslookup google.com reported errors such as "Server: Unknown." I already flushed the DNS cache, reset Winsock and TCP/IP, and released and renewed the IP address. The hotspot is configured for automatic channel selection and WPA2-PSK. I also tried manually setting DNS to 1.1.1.1; nslookup then worked and returned both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. However, pinging 8.8.8.8 still showed about 5% packet loss, and there are occasional latency spikes even when pinging the hotspot gateway at 192.168.43.1. What should I check next—DNS, IPv4/IPv6 configuration, or the hotspot connection itself?
3 Answers
The 5% packet loss and large latency spikes suggest the hotspot link may be unstable. Since the PC can reach the phone gateway but occasionally has delays, try switching the phone hotspot from automatic channel selection to a fixed 2.4 GHz channel, or test the 5 GHz option if the phone provides one. Keep the phone close to the PC, temporarily disable battery saving, and test with another device to see whether the same packet loss occurs.
You can separate an IPv4/IPv6 problem by testing them explicitly. Try pinging 8.8.8.8 for IPv4 and using an IPv6 test address or ping -6 for IPv6. If IPv4 is stable while IPv6 fails, temporarily disabling IPv6 on the Wi-Fi adapter can confirm the cause. If both protocols show loss, the issue is more likely the cellular hotspot connection, signal quality, congestion, or tethering configuration.
The original symptom points strongly to DNS: if you can reach an IP address like 1.1.1.1 but domain names fail, the PC is connected to the network but cannot use its configured DNS server. Setting DNS manually to 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8 is a reasonable test. If that fixes name resolution, the phone or carrier’s supplied DNS server is likely the problem rather than Windows itself.
I tried 1.1.1.1, and nslookup now resolves google.com with both IPv4 and IPv6 results. The remaining issue seems to be packet loss or instability rather than DNS.