Two complaints sound similar but have different roots. The first: the internet is slow but always connected. The second: the internet drops for a few seconds and recovers on its own, repeatedly, all day.
This article covers the second. For the first, see the guide to slow Wi-Fi.
Step zero: narrow the problem down
Before changing anything, answer these two questions. The answers determine half the investigation.
Are all devices affected?
If only one device drops while the others are fine, the cause lies with that device. Jump to the section on problems on the device side.
Does a cabled connection drop too?
Connect a laptop to the router's LAN port with a cable, then run a continuous ping to
8.8.8.8. On Windows: ping 8.8.8.8 -t. On macOS or Linux:
ping 8.8.8.8.
Let it run for ten minutes. If "Request timed out" appears repeatedly even over cable, the problem is not Wi-Fi, it is the router or the service from your provider.
Cause 1: DFS channels and radar
This is the cause most often missed, because the symptom is odd: the 5 GHz connection drops for about a minute, then recovers on its own, with no clear timing pattern.
Some channels in the 5 GHz band are shared with weather and aviation navigation radar. A router using one of those channels must stop transmitting the moment it detects a radar signal, then move channel. During that process every device disconnects.
Homes under a flight approach path or near a weather radar station experience it most.
How to check: look at the 5 GHz channel your router uses. Channels 52–64 and 100–140 are DFS channels.
The fix: lock the router to a non-DFS channel, 36, 40, 44, or 48. The downside is that these are busier, because every router uses them by default. In exchange, your connection stops dropping without warning.
Cause 2: channel contention
In flats or dense housing, dozens of networks share the same air. If your router and your neighbours' all widen the channel to 40 or 80 MHz on 2.4 GHz, collisions are close to guaranteed.
The symptom: the connection stutters repeatedly, particularly at busy hours, and worse on 2.4 GHz.
What you can do:
- Lock 2.4 GHz to channel 1, 6, or 11, do not leave it on automatic
- Set the 2.4 GHz channel width to 20 MHz, not 40
- Move whichever devices can manage it to 5 GHz
A Wi-Fi analyser app on Android can show which channels the neighbours use. Pick the emptiest of the three main channels. The frequency bands are explained in the guide to 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz.
Cause 3: problems on the device side
If only one device misbehaves, these three are the usual causes.
Wi-Fi adapter power saving
Windows switches off the Wi-Fi adapter by default when it considers it idle. On some adapter and driver combinations, it fails to wake properly.
Open Device Manager › Network adapters › right-click the Wi-Fi adapter › Properties › Power Management tab, then untick "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".
Drivers that are outdated, or too new
Windows Update sometimes installs a generic driver that replaces the laptop manufacturer's one. Download the official driver from the laptop manufacturer's site, not the chipset maker's.
Randomised MAC addresses
Modern phones use a different MAC address for each network for privacy. Some implementations rotate that address periodically, and on certain routers this makes the device look new and prompts a reconnection.
If the drops follow a fairly regular pattern, try switching this off for your home network only: on Android it is "Randomized MAC", on iOS "Private Wi-Fi Address".
Quick test: borrow another phone and leave it connected for a few hours. If that phone has no trouble in the same place, the cause really is your device.
Cause 4: an overheating or ageing router
The symptom builds gradually: fine at first, then after a few hours powered on it starts stuttering, and recovers after being switched off briefly.
A router is a small computer with no fan. Put it inside a closed cabinet, stacked on top of a set-top box, or in direct sunlight, and its temperature rises and the processor throttles.
Check by touching the casing. Warm is normal; too hot to hold comfortably is not.
What to do: move it somewhere open, do not stack it, and make sure the vents are clear. If it is still the same afterwards and the router is over five years old, it is most likely simply time to replace it.
Cause 5: a problem at the provider
If the cabled test also drops, the investigation moves outside the house.
What to gather before contacting customer service:
- Note the times over several days. A pattern repeating at the same hour suggests network congestion; random timing suggests a physical fault.
- Run
ping 8.8.8.8 -tand save a screenshot when the timeouts appear. - Check whether the drops coincide with heavy rain. That points to an outdoor cable joint taking in water.
- Look at the modem's indicator lights when it happens. Lights blinking or changing colour indicate the provider connection dropping, not Wi-Fi.
Records like these get your report handled far faster than simply saying the internet keeps dropping.
The short order of checks
| Order | What to check | If confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whether all devices are affected | No → check that device |
| 2 | Test over a LAN cable | Drops too → router or ISP |
| 3 | Whether the 5 GHz channel is DFS | Yes → move to 36–48 |
| 4 | 2.4 GHz channel congestion | Congested → lock to 1, 6, or 11 |
| 5 | Adapter power saving | On → switch it off |
| 6 | Router temperature | Hot → move it, give it airflow |
| 7 | Router firmware | Outdated → update it |
Work through them in order and change one thing at a time. Changing three settings at once and then feeling an improvement tells you nothing about which one worked, and when the problem returns, you start from nothing again.
Frequently asked questions
Why does it only drop on one device?
If every other device is fine, the problem is with that device, usually the Wi-Fi adapter driver, a power-saving setting, or an adapter starting to fail. Check the device side before touching the router.
How often should a router be restarted?
A healthy router needs no scheduled restart. If the connection only recovers after a power cycle and that repeats every few days, it is a symptom, usually overheating, memory filling up from faulty firmware, or hardware simply ageing.
Does weather affect Wi-Fi?
Wi-Fi inside the house is barely affected by weather. What is affected is the connection from the house to the provider, particularly on wireless links or copper cabling whose joints take in water during heavy rain.
How do you tell a Wi-Fi problem from an internet service problem?
Connect a laptop to the router with a LAN cable. If the connection still drops over cable, the problem is with the service or the router. If it is steady over cable, the problem is in the wireless network.
