Long running internet issue. Hardware? Software? Misc?

kyledempster7 · January 26, 2020

Hi everyone,

I'm a full-time twitch streamer, and I'm having one hell of an internet mystery. Since about May 2018, I've been grappling with very intermittent internet issues that seem to happen every six months or so. Just long enough for me to think we had a long term fix. Also long enough for me to forget all the steps I've tried.

Here's how it manifests:

While streaming, my PC will lose connection to Twitch, the game I stream (Elder Scrolls Online), and report as a problem on Net Uptime Monitor. This can also happen while on my desktop (usually noticeable shortly after I boot my PC, but this does not happen every day).

I was issue free from approx. July 2019 - November 2019. The issue will often appear as a total internet outage for about three seconds or so. It can happen multiple times an hour or it may not happen for hours. It doesn't appear everyday. Instead, I can go for about three or so days before it starts again.

I've gone through many basic steps:

I replaced the cable from my fiber jack to my Network Box.
I've replaced the Network Box.
I've replaced the Ethernet cable to my PC from the network box (also swapped ports on the network box).
I've replaced the network card inside my PC.
I've started (not finished) going through possible programs that could interfere, but streaming requires a lot running at once.
I’ve had google fiber techs look at the problem in the past with no luck. They also say my fiber signal is strong.
Unchecked the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power) setting on the Ethernet port.
Removed all network devices (Hue, Nest, Network Switch, etc.) aside from the New and Old PCs.

I’ve experienced this issue on two computers now. One that I built in 2017 and a new one I built in October 2019.I was convinced that these internet drops would stop on the new rig.

Now that I have a second PC to test against, I've been running test streams on the old PC while doing my primary stream on the new PC. The Old PC isn't detecting internet dropouts when the new one is. (I was not running these two side by side until the issues appear in November)

I would love to hear any ideas anyone could think of. I’m stumped at this point. Please ask any questions!

I'll provide relevant details for you below:

ISP: Google Fiber. Computer is using an Ethernet connection to the Network Box.

2019 Build: