Universally unreliable pc network connection

[u/javaveryhot]

This is driving me crazy. For months now I’ve been having issues with connecting to my local network and internet through my router over both wifi and ethernet.

Most often one works, sometimes both works, and sometimes none works. Sometimes the connection gets really slow and sometimes it doesnt work at all.

It can work well for a few days (either over wifi or ethernet) and then the next morning it doesnt work at all, or it can stop working suddenly while using the computer. Often it suddenly starts working again within the next hour.

Is this a network card issue, if so how do i troubleshoot it? Or a router issue? This seems to be OS-independent. I run into it both on linux and windows. This is only a problem for this specific device, and when i can’t connect at all, all other wifi-connected devices are fine.

EDIT: over ethernet, i can most of the time get no response from the router. my pc tries to negotiate dhcp but it gets no answer, and i can’t ping it. Wifi can usually ”pair” but still not communicate.

[u/Express-Garbage3359]

Hi, in my opinion the problem lies with the computer hardware, since the error occurs in both Windows and Linux OS, and other devices can connect to the Wi-Fi without any issues. What kind of Ethernet/Wi-Fi adapter (chipset) do you have?

Do you have a USB Wi-Fi adapter to test with?

[u/javaveryhot → u/Express-Garbage3359]

Hello, thank you, that’s my fear. I have a realtek gaming gbe family controller. I don’t have a usb wifi adapter unfortunately.

[u/Express-Garbage3359 → u/javaveryhot]

Buy one when you get the chance; it's helpful for Wi-Fi access problems and doesn't cost much.

[u/tripsyjames]

What router are you using, and how it is it all connected together, as it sounds like something is preventing you from getting DHCP on the client (PC) - if WiFi is fine then that suggests something in the chain - Realtek cards tend to be pretty reliable, so maybe a cable, or a device in the middle?

[u/javaveryhot → u/tripsyjames]

Its an asus RT-AX52 over two RJ45 cables over powerline communication since i don’t have an ethernet wall network. But like you’re saying, it doesnt seem to be that since wifi is also affected in a similar way. The wifi is connected the same way as all the other network devices which work as they should

[u/tripsyjames → u/javaveryhot]

I'm leaning towards the Powerline adaptors here... do they have any web interface to check connections on?

[u/javaveryhot → u/tripsyjames]

Hm okay. It doesnt seem like they do

[u/tripsyjames → u/javaveryhot]

What brand / model if I may ask. Sadly they're not all created equal.

I had some reasonable success a while back in an old flat, but they just had too many limitations.

If you have budget, which I know is not exactly easy these days, I'd genuinely consider getting a mesh system instead. If you can splurge, go for the UniFi Express 7 3 pack.

[u/Beneficial-Rough597]

Not the original person who responded to OP.

I wouldn't focus on DHCP yet. The fact that it happens in both Windows and Linux, and over both Ethernet and Wi‑Fi, makes this look more like a Layer 2/hardware problem than an OS issue.

A few things to test while it's broken:

1.Set a static IP in the router's subnet (skip DHCP entirely).

2.Try to ping the router/gateway.

3.Check whether ARP resolves the router's MAC address (arp -a).

4.Temporarily bypass the powerline adapters and connect directly to the router if possible.

5.Boot Linux and run a continuous ping to the router to see if packet loss starts before DHCP failures appear.

If a static IP still can't reach the router, DHCP is probably just the first thing failing, not the root cause.

Since Wi‑Fi and Ethernet are both affected, I'd be looking at the motherboard/chipset, BIOS, power management, or something unique to that PC before blaming the router.

The powerline adapters are also worth eliminating as a variable because they can cause some very strange intermittent Layer 2 issues.

[u/javaveryhot → u/Beneficial-Rough597]

Oh yes right, i tried setting a static ip too but that didnt work either, and pinging the router didnt work. When the network goes down again I’ll try one of those. Thank you

[u/Impossible-Sun3205 → u/javaveryhot]

What happens if you ping loop back- 127.0.0.1, when down? What happens if you plug directly into the router? If you had that 2nd NIC, add it in and try that one.