My older, used PS5 first started disconnecting and reconnecting at random, but now it won't connect to the internet at all. I've restarted and powered it off, toggled Wi‑Fi settings, tried a LAN cable and another Wi‑Fi network, forgotten and re-added the connections, toggled console sharing, changed the DNS, renewed game licenses, and unplugged both the console and my modem/router. The console gives different possible error causes each time. Could this be a hardware problem, or is there another troubleshooting step I should try?
2 Answers
First check whether other devices are having the same problem. It’s also worth connecting the PS5 to a phone’s mobile hotspot for a while. If it stays connected there, the issue is probably with your router or home network. If it still drops on the hotspot, that points more toward the console itself. You can also continuously test the PS5’s local IP address to see whether the connection drops at the same time as the console reports an error.
A failing Wi‑Fi chip could cause this pattern, especially since the console is older and the problem progressed from occasional drops to not connecting at all. If it fails over both Wi‑Fi and a wired connection—and also fails through a phone hotspot—the network hardware or another internal component may be going bad.

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