Ethernet dropout issues, thinking about buying a network card.

Zenteck · July 11, 2021

Hey folks, I have this issue where my ethernet keeps dropping out. It happens randomly for maybe 10 seconds, and it's been doing this on and off for maybe a year. I've had weeks where it didn't happen at all, and weeks where it's constant. When It drops out, it appears to be only internet access I'm losing, not the full newtwork.

At first I thought it was caused by the new router I'd gotten from my ISP, but it doesn't do the same thing with my work computer or any other device, and the problem continues after a factory reset of the router.

I thought it might be my VPN, but I found the same symptoms even on a new install of Windows with no VPN setup.

I thought it might be my powerline adaptors, but even a direct ethernet cable across my living room doesn't solve it, and my work PC is using the same adaptors without so much as a hiccup.

I've tried swapping out the ethernet cable for a new one.

I've checked my realtek drivers are up to date.

The only thing I've got left is that it has to be a problem with the ethernet port or network adaptor on my motherboard, an MSI B450 Tomahawk, which I cannot afford to replace right now. I'm considering buying a dedicated network card, unless anyone here could suggest an alternative fix? If not, what are the important things to look for when buying a network card?

Electronics Wizardy · July 12, 2021

On 7/11/2021 at 2:41 AM, Zenteck said:

When It drops out, it appears to be only internet access I'm losing, not the full newtwork.

What makes you think this?

Any of the cheap network cards will work fine here, you won't need any of the advanced features the high end ones have.

Zenteck · July 12, 2021

When I lose the connection, clicking the network icon shows the network as connected with no internet access.

Thanks for replying, it's all good now. A few hours aafter posting this I went and ordered the cheapest newtork card I could find online (less than a tenner, single port). Just installed it an hour ago and it seems to be perfoming perfectly. I had been getting 4 or 5 dropouts an hour before.

I just asked incase someone could shine a light on it and tell me about some obscure setting that I'd missed.