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I recently bought a new PC which I use for gaming (mostly online games like TF2). In order to play the games without lag, the sales assistant suggested I use an Ethernet connection rather than wireless. Since my computer is upstairs while my router is downstairs, I bought TP-Link powerline adapters that go through the house mains. I can't remember the model name but this is what they look like:
However, at seemingly random times with no clear pattern, I will be disconnected from the Internet. The icon in the bottom left of my screen that shows my Internet connection will have a yellow warning triangle next to it, and I will be disconnected from any server I am on. Upon turning off the TP-Link adapters at the wall and turning them on again, the problem fixes itself and I am once again able to connect to the internet with no problem. How do I fix this issue?
I have Windows 7 Home Premium.
UPDATE: I have discovered that turning the connector off at the socket and then turning it back on again fixes the problem. It still occurs randomly however, forcing me to crawl under my desk every time it disconnects.
How big is your house? Do you have a refrigerator and other large equipment running in your house while you game? How about A/C? Do your lights flicker at all? – MrDoom – 2014-08-09T19:55:07.167
@MrDoomBringer Not that big. It's a detached house with 4 bedrooms. We do have a fridge but our lights never flicker – imulsion – 2014-08-09T20:05:54.407
How old is the house? How far away from each other are the endpoints? Do you know the amperage rating of the line to your house? When was the electrical panel last serviced? – MrDoom – 2014-08-09T20:21:08.683
@MrDoomBringer Not particularly old. twenty years or so. One of the endpoints is in my bedroom and the other one is in the dowstairs living room, which is about 10-15 metres in a straight line from one to the other. I don't know the last two questions, sorry – imulsion – 2014-08-09T21:03:56.220
How often are you being disconnected? Do you have any old CRT TVs (the deep ones, not flatscreens)? You said just a fridge, do you have any other large equipment plugged in anywhere? Any special electronics? Is anyone in your family an electrical engineer? Do the disconnects correspond with anything like this equipment turning on? Someone else running any kind of electric load? – MrDoom – 2014-08-09T21:27:01.630
@MrDoomBringer I'm being disconnected at random, for no apparent reason. The most powerful piece of equipment in my house is my PC, but my dad also has two large circular saws in the garage. The disconnections don't correspond to him using them however – imulsion – 2014-08-09T21:55:54.087
Interesting. The best idea I have is the electrical connections in your house are generating transient interference that temporarily interrupts your connection. The other thing you can try is getting a very long Ethernet cable and bypassing your adapters to see if it goes away. – MrDoom – 2014-08-09T22:17:45.463
@MrDoomBringer I should emphasize that my PC can still connect to the network, it just says it's an unidentified public network and that the network isn't connected to the internet. My laptop can still connect wirelessly without a problem, even when my PC says the network can't connect to the internet – imulsion – 2014-08-10T08:22:43.113
@imulsion Those messages are often misleading. Take a note of router's address when conection works (Network and Sharing Center -> Change adapter settings -> double click connection -> IPv4 Default Gateway, it will be something like 192.168.xxx.xxx or so, in general four dot-separated numbers). Then when connection fails press Win+R, type
cmd
, click OK, typeping [router's IP]
(eg.ping 192.168.1.1
) and press Enter. Let us know if it responds. – gronostaj – 2014-08-27T15:36:02.270I have exactly the same problem for 2 years now with the TL-PA2010PKIT. I have both powerlines connected on the sockets and they are on the same floor. They randomly disconnect exactly the way you described. I also tried to upgrade the firmware with no success. I would like to contact you in some way but I can't comment or p.m. you in any way to see if you found a solution. – Tasos – 2015-01-18T17:35:24.630
@imulsion what model do you have? – B T – 2015-06-20T19:37:38.240
@dr01 disabling the roaming sensitivity doesn't help?
– GAD3R – 2017-10-22T13:11:19.397