My ethernet connection keeps loosing internet access, but I can see it's still physically connected to my switch.

Hi Lee,

Resetting your Internet connection can refresh your connectivity. To resolve your concern, we suggest that you reset your TCP/IP or Internet Protocol to its default settings. To do this, follow the methods below:

Method 1: Run the Network troubleshooter. To diagnose your network configuration, perform the steps below:

1. Open Start menu, then click Settings.

2. Click Network & Internet.

3. On the left pane, click Status.

4. Click Network troubleshooter to diagnose and fix network problems.

Method 2: Perform an Internet connection reset via Command Prompt. To reset your Internet connection, follow the steps below:

1. Press Windows + R to open run window.

2. Type cmd, then press Enter.

3. Type the following commands, then press Enter after typing each commands below:

netsh int ip reset resettcpip.txt

netsh winhttp reset proxy

netsh int ip reset

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

ipconfig /flushdns

netsh winsock reset

Once done, restart your PC to complete the process.

In addition, we also suggest that you restart your router and wait for 15-30 seconds then turn it back again.

Let us know if the solution above works for you.

hi, I have spent the past three days with a temporary direct Ethernet connection that at the moment I have no way to make permanent because of my rented property. My internet connection worked 100%  over this time and I just put it back to work through my powerline adaptors and it dropped out after half an hour so the problem has to be something they are doing that the new windows 10 system does not like. My next test will be to use my laptop over the powerline adapters and see if that also has the same connection issues.

This happens when your Ethernet driver is not updated or installed properly in your computer. Be reminded that there is a range limit between your device and the WiFi router or switch. To resolve your concern, we suggest that you update your driver by doing the steps below:

1. Press Windows + X.
2. Click Device Manager.
3. Expand Network adapters.
4. Double-click the Ethernet Connection device.
5. Click Driver tab, then click “Update Driver…”.
6. Wait for the installation to finish.

7. Restart your PC.

Let us know if you are now able to connect to your WiFi.

For now, I need your help to perform the following to further isolate your concern with your network connection:

Step 1 - Ping www.microsoft.com server then tell us the result through a screenshot.

1. Press Windows key + R to open the run window.
2. Type cmd, then press Enter.
3. Type ping www.microsoft.com and press Enter.
   • If you receive 4 replies, it means that your connection with the site is working properly.
   • If you got a request time out, it means that your connection has issues.

Step 2 - Reboot the Network Device.

1. Switch off your switch or router, wait for 10-20 seconds and plug it back in.
2. Wait for about 30 secs to reboot.
3. After rebooting your router, proceed to the next step below.

Step 3 - Scan your PC for viruses and malwares by using Windows Defender.

1. Press Windows + S to open Search Box.
2. Type Windows Defender, then click it.
3. In Home tab, click Full then click Scan now.
4. Wait for the process to finish. If there are any findings after the scan, send us the screenshot.

Get back to us if you can perform these steps.

Thanks for the continued help, but I am now happy that this is the powerline device doing something that the lan device on my motherboard does not like. I removed them and used a long Ethernet cable down my stairs so I had a direct connection to the router and I had no dropouts for 3 days. I put the powerline devices back in and after half an hour I had dropouts in connection. I did some tests and I found with the powerline adaptor would get lost packets when I did a ping -t to my router ***.***.*.*, but it would be 100% ok with the direct Ethernet cable. over the weekend I found I had a old phone socket to my room that was also wired to a socket next to the router so I have changed this to be a 4 wire Ethernet connection with rj45 face plates and I have had no issues since Saturday morning. 

So I may still have a problem if I used the powerline device, but I have worked my way around this and so I am now happy that I no longer have any disconnections.

***Personal information deleted by the moderator. Please see the Microsoft Community Frequently Asked Questions for more information on how you can protect your privacy.***

When establishing a network connection between your computers, you will need to have less than 20 meters of LAN cable for wired connection for maximum efficiency.

Make sure you got a right color coding for your cable. See the image below for rollover cable color-coding:

After you establish a network connection, you may now check your computer’s connectivity if it is working fine. To do this, follow the methods below:

Step 1: Get the IP Address. To know your computer’s IP Address, follow the steps below:

1. Click Ask me anything.
2. Type Windows PowerShell, then click it.
3. Type ipconfig, then press Enter.
4. Look for Default Gateway and take note of it.

Step 2: Once you get the IP address of your computers, ping one computer to another by following the steps below:

1. Press Windows key + R to open the run window.
2. Type cmd, then press Enter.
3. Ping IP Address XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX, then press Enter.
   • If you receive 4 replies, it means the connection is working properly.
   • If you got a request time out, it means that the connection has issues.

If you get errors while doing the methods above, send us the screenshot.

Let us know if these works for you.