Why does my internet briefly disconnect at random intervals?
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MellowPine47
For the past few weeks, my internet connection has been dropping for roughly five seconds at seemingly random times. I first noticed it because my PS5 is connected by Ethernet to a Wi‑Fi extender and immediately reports that the LAN connection was lost. My partner has also seen brief disconnect and reconnect alerts on her laptop, so the problem does not appear to be limited to the PS5 or its Ethernet cable. I have restarted the router, extenders, and other devices, but the issue continues. I have Xfinity service and use an older Netgear Orbi extender system, possibly close to a decade old. The router and console are on opposite sides of a large, two-story house, so replacing the cable between the router and primary extender or buying a new mesh system may be necessary. What troubleshooting steps can help determine whether the problem is the ISP, router, or aging extenders?
Answers
Old wireless repeaters can be unreliable, especially if they use one radio to communicate with both the router and connected devices. A brief loss while they switch or lose their bridge connection can affect everything attached to them. Try replacing the cable between the router and primary unit, if possible, and temporarily test from the router directly. For a long, two-story home, a modern mesh system with wired backhaul would usually be more stable. Powerline adapters are another option, although their performance depends heavily on the home’s electrical wiring and interference.
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The most useful test is a temporary Ethernet run directly from the router, or from a nearby network switch, to the PS5. If the disconnects stop, the extender path is responsible. If they continue even on a direct connection, investigate the modem, router, or ISP line instead. The cable can be routed temporarily along the wall or floor just for testing before deciding whether to install a permanent run.
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Run a continuous ping from the laptop, such as pinging 8.8.8.8, while the problem is happening. If you see packet loss there, contact Xfinity because the issue could be with the incoming line or modem/router connection. If the ping stays at 0% loss while devices connected through the extenders disconnect, that points more toward the extender system or its backhaul cable.
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An Ethernet cable from the PS5 to an extender is still relying on Wi‑Fi for the extender’s connection back to the router, so it does not eliminate wireless problems. As a quick test, connect the console directly to the router’s Wi‑Fi and see whether the dropouts continue. Since your partner is also connected through the extender network, the extender system is a strong suspect.
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MellowPine47: The test showed 0% packet loss, so the extenders seem more likely than the service connection. I’ll test the network without them as well.