Summary: Network adapters often try to detect the network speed for you. This can cause problems if both sides are trying to auto-detect at the same time.
Why does my network connection drop every so often?
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There are many possible reasons so I'll focus a common one: confused network auto-speed detection. Most contemporary network cards, hubs, and routers attempt to automatically determine the speed of each network connection. Sometimes they get it wrong.
Most home and office networks run at either 10 or 100 megabits per second (mbs). Just how the network devices tell the difference varies from one device to the next. Most will also monitor the speed continuously just in case it changes. That means that if the device is going to make a mistake it could happen at any time. And that can look like anything from really poor network performance to a previously working network connection suddenly dropping.
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Let Me Show You... |
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Click the image above for a short video showing how to turn off network auto-speed detection. (Windows Media 9 format, 379,388 bytes.) |
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I'd Like Your Comments: let me know if you find the video above useful, or if you have suggestions to make this technique more helpful. Thanks! |
The most common auto-detect confusion happens when the devices at both ends of a network connection are trying to auto-detect at the same time. The detection mechanisms can actually conflict with each other and cause one side to get it wrong. It's not as common but the detection algorithm can also be affected by the actual data going across the wire, or electrical noise.
In most cases, especially on a small business or home network, you know what your network speed is and the autodetect functionality is unnecessary. It's typically easy to turn off auto-speed detection on your network card and that's often a good step to take when analyzing network problems.
You'll first need to know what speed the connection should be at. That's usually the fastest speed supported by your computer and the device at the other end of the network cable it's plugged into. If your computer is connected to a router that router's documentation should tell you. If you're connected directly to a DSL modem the speed is typically 10mbs. If you're not sure, select 10mbs as most faster devices are also auto-detecting and will match your selection.
The specific settings for auto-detection will vary slightly based on the manufacturer of your network card. Fortunately the location of those settings is consistent and the terminology used is fairly common.
To turn off network speed auto-detection:
- Select Network Settings, either from your Start menu or from within Control Panel.
- Right click on the connection that corresponds to your network card, and select Properties.
- In the dialog that results, click on the Configure... button immediately below the "Connect using..." item that shows your network card.
- In the dialog that results, click on the Advanced tab.
This is where things vary based on your network card. In the left-hand list will be a series of properties that can be adjusted. Look for a setting similar to "Speed", or "Link", or perhaps "Media Type". Click on that, and the right-hand "Value" dropdown list will probably have something similar to "Auto". If you click on that drop-down list and options include entries that look like "10mbs", "100mbs", and so on, you've found the right item. Change the setting from auto by clicking on the specific speed you've determined you want the network card to run at, and press OK (If the setting also includes a full/half duplex selection, full is normally correct.)
Windows XP will apply your setting change immediately. Other versions of Windows may require that you reboot for the change to take effect.
Article C1869 - December 14, 2003
Help!
My company just went with VoIP and it is a great money saver as well as the features you get are great.. Here is the problem...
We have a VPN with a location in Ohio and one in Minnesota. The OHIO location is working 100%, no problems and we have a Cisco 1841 Router. At the minnesota location, we have an ASA-5505. Now here is the kicker.
In Minnesota, while we were testing with the connection coming into our modem from our ISP, we have 7MB DSL/1.5UP and the connection came in from the modem to the Edgewater Router. From there due to we were testing, it went into the WAN port on the Cisco ASA-5505, and then from there it went from the LAN port on the ASA to a 3-com Switch. All is showing at AUTO NEGOTIATE we are running at 100MB FULL everywhere. Then of course the PCs hook into the SWITCH.
Here is the problem now... We ran this way for well over a month testing our VOIP phone they gave us, however, it was just hooked directly into the EDGE and not through a PC on the network as the setup is now. ALL WORKED GREAT! no drops in connectivity.
NOW, here is the setup with the VOIP PHONES on the network in MN.....
The DSL comes into the WAN on the EDGE, PORT 1 of the EDGE hooks into the CISCO ASA-5505. Port 2 of the EDGE hooks into the 3-COM SWITCH and the EDGE is DHCP ENABLED as well. The Cisco is not DHCP Enabled as we had a problem with it attacking itself with a LAND ATTACK. Anyways, so we have so far DSL to EDGE, EDGE to SWITCH and then EDGE to CISCO to SWITCH as well sorta like in a circle.
All pcs on the network are statically assigned. All phones get DHCP settings from the EDGE. The PCs are told to go through the ASA and the phones obviously go through the EDGEWATER VOIP ROUTER. The connections on the PCs look like clockwork they BLIP for a second, long enough to get our AS.400 connection back to OHIO to drop and have to reset. THE PHONES ARE NOT AFFECTED. We have tried everything to fix this and TO ME, it looks like a TIMER is resetting the connection every 4 hours.. Our VOIP provider says the EDGE has no timers enabled for resetting anything and our CISCO has been working fine as well. This dropping only started when we hooked the EDGE to the CISCO and to the SWITCH along with the CISCO hooked to the edge and the switch as well..
ANY HELP IN RESOLVING THIS would be GREATLY APPRECIATED. Its causing a lot of headaches due to our MN location uses CLIENT ACCESS from IBM on their PCs to connect to our AS400 in OHIO via TELNET port 23 connection TCP. THANK YOU.
Tech Admin in Ohio
Posted by: A new VoIP Phone Business Customer at March 27, 2009 12:06 PMadministrator@josudacorp.com
I had the same issue.... except I turned the "roaming aggressivenes" setting on my wireless adapter to "low".
I'm back to reliable high speed now.
Posted by: Skipper at October 29, 2009 4:28 PMThanks, this thread was very helpfull for me, now my Internet connection is stable!
Posted by: BATJA at December 17, 2009 6:50 PMI made the changes as above and my internet was fine for 2-3 days then it started to cut out again. Not as often but it's still annoying. So far when I've restarted, it seems to be OK until the next day and we go through the process again. What's happening? It's driving me insane.
Posted by: Lea Reyes at January 17, 2010 7:42 PMHappened on both Linksys and NetGear rounters. Has CONTINUAL network connection loss - every few minutes, which is why I went from Linksys to NetGear. Seemed I had to replace the Linksys every couple of months.
Anyway, after spending dozens of hours researching and seeing that this is a fairly common problem, I tried about everything. Then one day I read something about the router being too close to our furnace, water heater and incoming phone and cable lines - so I moved the router to another part of the house and, knock on wood, it has been several weeks with no network connection loss.
Don't waste your money with support until you have tried the above test. Just move your router away from anything the Might have radio waves involved!
Hope this helps~~~~~
Posted by: Brian at February 19, 2010 8:20 AM