Member Avatar for paritycheck

Hi guys I have a weird issue here which seems to make little sense. We have a small network interconnected by a switch. However all of a sudden our internet seems to be dying out in a weird way. The internet would die out after 10 minutes of use although we can browse the network. We then turn the switch off and then on and its back to normal - but then after another 10 minutes its dies out again and we literally have someone turning the switch on and off every 10 15 minutes here :( what is the problem here I really need help on this. Please guys!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by sknake

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Generated

The pattern describes — the LAN still works while Internet access drops on a roughly 10‑minute cadence — points to a gateway- or periodic-network event rather than a generic client problem. Confirm topology (as asked): where are the modem and router in relation to the switch? That single fact changes which device to inspect first. Below are focused, non-destructive diagnostics to pinpoint the cause.

Run continuous tests that separate LAN vs WAN and name-resolution failures:

# Windows
ping -t <gateway-IP>
ping -t 8.8.8.8
tracert 8.8.8.8
arp -a

# Linux/macOS
ping <gateway-IP>
ping 8.8.8.8
traceroute 8.8.8.8
arp -n

Interpretation: if the gateway responds but 8.8.8.8 does not, the WAN or modem/router WAN session is dropping or NAT/DNS is failing. If the gateway itself stops responding while other LAN hosts stay reachable, the gateway device is likely crashing or losing routing state.

Isolation and targeted checks:

  • Remove all hosts from the switch except one and reproduce the fault; reconnect devices one at a time to find a trigger (rogue NIC, malware, P2P client or a device flooding ARP/traffic).
  • On the router/gateway UI check connection/NAT tables and syslog around the outage times; look for session exhaustion or WAN interface flaps.
  • If you have a managed switch, snapshot MAC/ARP tables and enable port mirroring to capture a short packet trace with Wireshark. Look for ARP storms, DHCP anomalies or repeated MAC moves/port flaps (STP reconvergence or loops).

Additions: capture timestamps of failures, router logs and a short pcap. If tests point to the gateway, try a direct connection from a single PC to the modem/router (bypassing the switch) and compare behavior. Firmware updates for the gateway/switch can fix periodic crashes, but only apply after you have logs showing that device as the suspect.

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Member Avatar for theorice

If this were a wired internet connection, I suggest you get back to your ISP who should be doing a technical check on it. I've seen ISP providers who boast of fast connections yet the reality is the exact opposite since they have been negligent in maintaining their cables. Let the ISP's personnel run you through what really is wrong, especially if your pc's have not stopped and it is only the internet connection that dies out every ten minute.

Member Avatar for crb3

You didn't say what switch hardware you're using. Some broadband routers have an overheating problem which looks like what you're describing: the router actually crashes from overheating. You might try clearing the space around the switch and around its power supply to ensure that both devices have good enough ventilation to throw off heat. Some people have gone so far as to point a small fan directly at their router just to keep their connection up. The posts where I read this also point out that, if WiFi is enabled, the heat is greater (and thus the crash comes sooner) because the wireless transmitter has additional heat to get trapped in that case; the more marginal the RF link between the router and the furthest computer using it, the sooner the crash, because the router has to turn up its transmitting power to maintain a solid connection despite distance, environmental barriers and ambient electrical noise. That's something else for you to check, if that's the kind of equipment you're using.

Member Avatar for ahihihi...

Uninstall the software and reinstall it if you have the disc... Most software that yo internet service provider is corrupt:)..If you don't have the disc you'll have to download.. (verizon issue? )

Member Avatar for sknake

Let me ask for clarification. You have a switch connecting your LAN and one of the devices hooked up to the switch is a router, correct? Or are we talking about a switch/router combination unit.

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