Network Connectivity Troubleshooting: No Internet, Slow Speeds, Dropouts and More

Quick explanation: Network connectivity problems are anything that stops a device from reaching the internet or other devices reliably: no connection at all, slow speeds, dropouts, delay, or websites that won’t load. This guide explains each type in plain English and shows simple tests that tell you where the problem is.

Try these first: restart the device, then restart your router or internet box (unplug it for 30 seconds). Check whether the problem happens on one device or on all of them, and on Wi-Fi only or on a wired connection too. Those two answers narrow things down quickly.

How to find where the problem is

Work from your device outward. Each test tells you which part of the path is failing.

ipconfig

Note the Default Gateway address (often 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1). That’s your router.

ping 192.168.1.1

Replace the address with your own gateway. If this fails, the problem is between your device and the router. If it works, test the internet:

ping 1.1.1.1

Internet not working

What it looks like: nothing loads, apps say “no internet,” or the Wi-Fi icon shows a warning.

• Check the lights on the modem, ONT or router. A red or blinking “Internet,” “WAN,” “PON” or “LOS” light usually means the provider’s signal is down.
• Check the cables between the provider’s box and your router, and from the router to your device. A port with no light usually means no connection.
• Run the two pings above. Gateway fails: local problem (cable, Wi-Fi, router). Gateway works but 1.1.1.1 fails: the router or the provider. Both work but websites fail: see DNS problems.
• Check your provider’s outage page or app before changing settings.

Slow internet speed

What it looks like: pages load slowly, video buffers, downloads take much longer than usual.

• Test on a wired connection first. Wi-Fi speed depends on distance, walls and interference, so a wired test shows what your internet actually delivers.
• Compare with your plan. Wired results somewhat below the plan speed are normal. Results far below it on a wired test point to the router, the cable or the provider.
• Check the device’s link speed. A computer connected at 100 Mbps can never test faster than about 95 Mbps. See Ethernet drops from 1 Gbps to 100 Mbps.
• Look for heavy users on the network: backups, game downloads, cloud sync or cameras uploading video.

Get-NetAdapter | Select-Object Name, Status, LinkSpeed

Intermittent connectivity

What it looks like: the connection drops for a few seconds or minutes, then comes back. Video calls freeze. It’s hard to catch because it comes and goes.

Run two continuous pings at the same time, one to your gateway and one to the internet. When the drop happens, see which one fails.

ping -t 192.168.1.1

ping -t 1.1.1.1

• Both fail: the problem is between your device and the router (Wi-Fi, cable, switch port).
• Only the internet ping fails: the router’s internet connection or the provider is dropping. Check the router’s log for WAN disconnects.
• Write down the times. A pattern (every afternoon, when the microwave runs, when a device turns on) is often the biggest clue.

Packet loss

What it looks like: choppy calls, robotic voice, games lagging, while websites seem mostly fine. Some data simply doesn’t arrive.

ping -n 100 1.1.1.1

ping -c 100 1.1.1.1

Check the summary line. Any regular loss to your own gateway is a local problem worth fixing. To see where along the path the loss starts, use:

pathping 1.1.1.1

Some routers along the internet path deliberately ignore ping, so loss shown on one middle hop but not on later hops is usually not a real problem. Loss that starts at one hop and continues to the end is meaningful.

DNS problems

What it looks like: the internet is connected, but websites won’t load or say “can’t be reached.” DNS is the phone book that turns website names into addresses. If ping 1.1.1.1 works but ping example.com fails, it’s DNS.

Full step-by-step guide: Websites won’t load, but the internet is connected (DNS problems).

DHCP problems

What it looks like: a device connects but says “No internet access,” “Limited connectivity” or “Self-assigned IP.” DHCP is the service, usually in the router, that hands out IP addresses automatically.

• Check the device’s address. An address starting with 169.254 means it asked for an address and got no answer.
• Request a new address with the commands below.
• If many devices fail, the router’s DHCP service may be off, or its address pool may be full. Check the DHCP settings and the list of connected devices in the router.
• On business networks with VLANs, the switch or firewall may need a DHCP relay (“ip helper”) to reach the DHCP server.

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

sudo ipconfig set en0 DHCP

IP address conflicts

What it looks like: Windows warns about an IP address conflict, or one device keeps losing its connection when another device turns on. Two devices are using the same address.

• The usual cause is a device with a fixed (static) address that falls inside the router’s automatic DHCP range.
• Fix it by setting that device back to automatic, or by giving it a DHCP reservation in the router, or by moving static devices outside the DHCP range.
• To see which device answers at an address, check the router’s client list, or look up the hardware (MAC) address:

arp -a

Network latency

What it looks like: everything works but feels delayed: lag in games, people talking over each other on calls, slow response when clicking. Latency is the time a message takes to travel there and back, shown as time= in ping results.

• Compare wired and Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi adds delay, especially with a weak signal.
• Test while the connection is busy. If ping times jump a lot during a large download or upload, the connection is overloaded (often called bufferbloat). Some routers have a quality-of-service or “smart queue” setting that helps.
• Check the path with tracert (Windows) or traceroute (Mac) to see where the delay starts.

tracert 1.1.1.1

traceroute 1.1.1.1

How to confirm it’s fixed

• The gateway and internet pings both reply with no loss over a few minutes.
• A wired speed test is close to your plan, and Wi-Fi is reasonable in the rooms you use.
• For problems that come and go, monitor for at least a day before calling it fixed.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my internet say connected but nothing loads?

Usually DNS isn’t answering, or the router has lost its internet connection while your device is still connected to the router. Ping your gateway and 1.1.1.1 to tell which.

What does a 169.254 address mean?

Your device asked for an IP address and got no answer from DHCP. Restart the router, then renew the address. If it keeps happening, check the router’s DHCP settings.

Is Wi-Fi or my internet provider the problem?

Test on a wired connection. If wired is fine and Wi-Fi isn’t, it’s a Wi-Fi problem. If wired is also bad, it’s the router or the provider.

How much packet loss is normal?

On your own network, there should be essentially none. Regular loss to your own gateway is worth fixing.

Sources

• Microsoft Learn: ipconfig, ping, tracert and pathping command reference
• Apple Support: network diagnostics on Mac
• IETF RFC 3927: IPv4 link-local (169.254) addresses

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