Nowadays, more than ever, you are almost always connected to the Internet, when you are:

• working remotely or from an office,
• live streaming video,
• doing online gaming
• browsing social media.

When your Internet is dropping every few minutes, you may be wondering: "why does my Internet keep disconnecting?" Symptoms of unstable Internet connection include not being able to attend video calls or any type of streaming activity for that matter (because of buffering and dropped connections), losing the game you're playing and not being able to use any instant messaging app.

But what does it mean if your Internet keeps disconnecting? The causes for unstable Internet connection range from ISP issues to problems within your home, office or device. This article explains the most common causes for Internet disconnecting and how to fix and avoid them.

When you're seeing random Internet disconnects, one or more of the following may be happening:

1. Your wireless connection is too weak:
   • WiFi signal is not strong enough or you are near the edge of the WiFi coverage.
   • 4G / LTE / 5G cellular signal is not strong enough or  you're somewhere indoors and the signal has to pass through many walls / obstructions.
2. Overloaded network - there are many people connected to the same network as you - may happen in public places such as parks, stadiums, concerts, etc.
3. Wireless interference - there may be several WiFi hotspots using the same or overlapping channels or devices that can induce interference, such as microwave ovens, cordless phones or other wireless devices.
4. You have to sign in again to the network using a captive portal / login page - if you're using public networks (WiFi hotspots, hotel networks, etc.)
5. Router / modem or other networking equipment issues on your side, at home, in the office, with your MiFi device, faulty Ethernet cables.
6. Networking software issues - outdated or incompatible drivers.
7. Issues on the Internet service provider's side - temporary maintenance, outages, bad public WiFi hotspots with no working Internet etc.

We're assuming the Internet disconnects and it's not an app, platform or website issue. In some cases, your device may show it's connected (to WiFi, 4G / LTE / 5G or Ethernet), when in fact the Internet doesn't work, so it's as if it were disconnected.

If you know for sure the cause of your Internet continuously connecting and disconnecting, you should go to the corresponding step. If not, just follow the steps below. If one step doesn't solve the random Internet disconnects issues, try the next one.

Step 1 - Check for ISP outages in your area.

You can check that using your ISP's service status page (e.g. Comcast, Cox) or using websites such as downdetector.com. If there's an issue, contact your ISP.

Step 2 - Reconnect your computer or mobile device to the Internet

Sometimes you just need to unplug and plug the cable back to your computer or disconnect and reconnect your smartphone / tablet to WiFi or cellular data. This way, the device refreshes its connection and parameters and you may be able to fix the unstable Internet issue.

Step 3 - Move closer to the WiFi hotspot and minimize obstructions between you and the cellular tower

At home or in the office - get closer to the windows or go outside for better cellular Internet coverage. Move closer to your WiFi router.

In public areas - move around until you see an improvement in the WiFi / cellular signal strength.

In crowded areas - connect to a different WiFi hotspot or use the cellular network for Internet

Step 4 - Restart your device and networking equipment

Power cycle your computer, smartphone,  tablet or other device.

If you have access to those (at home or in the office) do the same with your modem / router, fibre optics media converter, switch and any other powered networking device.

Step 5 - Check to see if there's any wireless interference and fix it

As a rule of thumb, whenever possible, use the 5 GHz WiFi networks. Coverage is weaker than the 2.4 GHz, but the risk of interference is minimal.

Get a WiFi analyzer app for your computer, iPhone or Android mobile device. If the WiFi channels are overlapping or signal is too weak, you can try moving the router to a different place, set a fixed channel for your WiFi network and try a more narrow channel width.

Step 6 - Update your network drivers and firmware

Make sure your computer has the latest network drivers for Ethernet, WiFi and any cellular network adapters you may use. It's also advisable to update the firmware of your router / modem if you have access to those.

Step 7 - Connect to a different network

If you can choose between several ways of connecting to the Internet and one doesn't work, try another. Maybe the cellular connection will work better than WiFi.

Next steps after fixing the unstable internet issue

Hopefully one of the steps above did solve your Internet disconnecting problems. But what should you do next time this happens? Are you willing to waste time again, miss your video call, lose your audience over live streaming or lose the game?

Speedify is a fast bonding VPN that allows you to use all of your Internet connections at the same time, providing speed, stability and security. As long as you're connected to more than one ISP, your Internet will not keep disconnecting, thanks to Speedify's automatic failover protection.

Why does my Internet keep disconnecting? We covered the reasons above, but here's where Speedify really helps you avoid Internet connecting and disconnecting in the first place:

• when working remotely - attend online meetings and video conferences and stay in touch with your colleagues with peace of mind.
• when live streaming - Speedify actually prioritizes live streams over other types of Internet traffic. Your Twitch, YouTube or other streams are be protected from unstable Internet.
• when playing games online - you shouldn't lose the game because of an Internet glitch.