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Ethernet loss of service

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Ethernet is the fastest, most stable and most secure method of connecting to the internet, but sometimes the connection can be broken. This can be down to a temporary problem on your device, or occasionally an issue with the port in your room. In this article are some steps you can follow on your device to try and fix a loss of service, and details on how to contact us should it not be resolved.

Troubleshooting steps

Before starting, you should try double-checking you have the same problem in a different browser, if you have one installed.

First, you can reinstall the software that handles your device’s Ethernet connection:

  • For Windows:

    Press and hold the Windows key (Windows or Windows) and press the letter "R" > In the box, type "ncpa.cpl" and press Enter > In this new window, right click the Ethernet/Wired network connection and select Properties > Select Configure, then go to the Driver tab > Click Update Driver > Select Browse my computer for driver software > Select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer > There will be compatible drivers shown here. There may be a few. If there are any with Microsoft in the name, try to avoid them. If they have dates on them, select the latest, otherwise select any > Click Next > Once it’s installed, restart the computer.

  • For Apple Mac:

    Click the Apple icon and select System Preferences > Select Network > Select Ethernet, then click the '-' minus symbol. This will immediately remove the Ethernet option from the list > Click the '+' plus button, and select Ethernet from the Interface drop-down menu. The Service Name will be default > Click Create, then Apply in the bottom right > If connected to a network, the adapter should then pick up an IP address.
    If it does not, go back to System Preferences > Select Network > On the left, Select Ethernet, then on the right click Advanced > Go to the TCP/IP tab > Click 'Renew DHCP Lease', then retest your connection.

Next, you can check that your device is configured to take an IP address from our network, and isn’t still using the one from your home network:

  • For Windows:

    Press and hold the Windows key (Windows or Windows) and press the letter "R" > In the box, type "ncpa.cpl" and press Enter > In this new window, right click the Ethernet/Wired network connection and select Properties > Click and highlight 'Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)' from the list > Click Properties > Ensure the only filled circles in this window are 'Obtain an IP address automatically' and 'Obtain DNS server address automatically'.

  • For Apple Mac:

    Click the Apple icon and select System Preferences > Select Network > Select Ethernet on the left, then click Advanced on the right > Go to the TCP/IP tab > Next to Configure IPv4, make sure it is set to 'Using DHCP' from the drop-down menu.

You can also try clearing your browser's cache. How to do this differs between browsers, but generally you'll find it in the Browsing History section of the settings. 

Certain Antivirus programs are incompatible with our network, as they block our ability to assign your device an IP address. We have found AVG and Avast to be best suited. You should run a full Anti-virus scan on your device, and if possible make sure the software is fully up to date.

Similarly, sometimes your device's firewalls may be blocking our network from assigning an IP address. Try temporarily disabling them and retesting the connection.

  • For Windows:

    Press and hold the Windows key (Windows or Windows) and press the letter "R" > In the box, type "Control Panel" and press Enter > In this new window, click System and Security > Click Windows Firewall > On the left, click Turn Windows Firewall on or off.

    You may find a message telling you that these settings are being controlled by a vendor application. This means your Anti-virus includes its own Firewall, and you will need to turn it off through the software's settings.

  • For Apple Mac:

    Click on the Apple icon > Select System Preferences > Select Security and Privacy > Select the Firewall tab at the top > Click Turn Off Firewall.

If disabling the firewalls does help, please remember to re-enable them before you use any other public network.

Lastly, you should also make sure your device is free from any viruses or malware. Any free Anti-Virus software will work for this, such as AVG Free or Avast.

 

Contact the ServiceDesk

If the issue persists, we will need to speak with you in order to work out the best way to improve the connection. You can either call us on 0333 123 0115, or alternatively you can email us some information, and we’ll contact you.
First, we need to you capture some data from a laptop or desktop when the connection is not working.

For Windows:

  1. Press and hold the Windows key (Windows or Windows) and press the letter "R" > In the box, type "ncpa.cpl" and press Enter > In this new window, right click the Ethernet/Wired network connection and select Status > Select Details > Copy the IPv4 Default Gateway.
  2. Next, press and hold the Windows key (Windows or Windows) and press the letter "R" > In the box, type "cmd" and press Enter > In this new window, type "ping (paste (Ctrl+V) the IPv4 Default Gateway here)" -n 6 > Press Enter.
  3. Once it's finished, do the same again, but this time write 8.8.8.8 instead of the IPv4 Default Gateway.
  4. Take a screenshot of all this information.

You should end up with something like this:

 

The below instructions will create a report that will tell us about your device, and will help us identify any configuration issues and trace your issue on the network:

  1. Press and hold the Windows key (Windows or Windows) and press the letter "R" > In the box, type "cmd" and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter at the same time > A black window will appear. You may receive a pop up notification asking you to allow the program to make changes. As we are not actually making any changes, only obtaining information, click Yes.
  2. With Command Prompt open, copy the below commands one at a time (by highlighting, right-clicking and selecting Copy), then change to the Command Prompt Window and press Ctrl+V to paste them.
  3. Once a command line is pasted, press Enter (the next line will be blank, this is normal). Please do this for the two commands below:

    netsh wlan show interfaces > "c:\interfaces.txt"
    ipconfig /all > c:\ipdetails.txt

  4. Next, find the files you have just created:
    • For Windows 10: Right click the Start menu> Open File Explorer > Find This PC on the left-hand side > Click Windows (C: ).
    • For Windows 8: From the Desktop view,Right click the Start menu> Open File Explorer> Find This PC on the left-hand side > Click Windows (C: ).
    • For Windows 7/Vista: Open My computer > Find and doubleclick Local Desk (C:) on the left.

Find two text files (interfaces.txt and ipdetails.txt) here.

For Apple Mac:

  1. Click the Apple icon (top left) > Select System Preferences > Select Network > Select Ethernet on the left, then click Advanced on the right. > Go to the TCP/IP tab > Copy the Router Address.
  2. Do a Spotlight search (cmd ⌘ + space) for Network Utility, and open the application > Go to the Ping tab > Type the Router Address, enter a number of 6 pings, then click Ping > Take a screenshot (shift + cmd ⌘+ 4) of this information.
  3. Once it's finished, do the same again, but this time enter 8.8.8.8 instead of the Router Address.

You should end up with something like this:

 

The below details are unique to your device, and will help us identify any configuration issues and trace your issue on the network:

  1. Click the Apple icon (top left) > Select System Preferences > Select Network > Select Ethernet on the left and then click Advanced on the right.
  2. On the Hardware tab, please give us the MAC Address.
  3. On the TCP/IP tab, please give us the IPv4 Address and the Router Address.
  4. On the DNS tab, please give us the DNS addresses.

    Please Copy all this information and Paste it into a TextEdit document, then save it with the title DeviceDetails.txt.

Next, consider the following questions:

  • Has the connection ever worked without issue?
  • If so, when did this issue start?
  • Have you tried another Ethernet cable?
  • Are you using any personal networking equipment e.g. a router or switch/splitter?
  • Does your device work without issue on the port in another room?
  • What happens when you're disconnected? Does your computer show any warnings or messages over the network icon? 
  • Are you being shown any warnings or messages from your operating system or within your internet browser?

Please send these screenshots as attachments, along with the answers to the above questions in an email to us, and we will endeavour to get in touch as soon as we can. Alternatively, you can contact us using the form below, and send the attachments when prompted later on. You must include either your Username or Account ID in the email.

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