Frequent drops usually stem from weak Wi-Fi, drivers or OS faults, router load, power settings, or interference—tackle each fix below.
Internet keeps dropping on my laptop: quick wins
Start with fast, low-risk steps that often clear flaky links. Stand near the router, then reboot the laptop and the router. If the signal bars jump and the link holds, you just beat range or congestion. If not, keep going.
Quick checks and what they tell you
| What you try | What it shows | Next move |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle Wi-Fi off/on | Adapter resets and renegotiates | Note if stability returns even briefly |
| Forget and re-join network | Clears bad credentials or profiles | Re-enter password and test again |
| Test a phone hotspot | Rules out your ISP and router | If hotspot is stable, tune the home network |
| Plug Ethernet, if possible | Bypasses wireless entirely | If wired is solid, focus on Wi-Fi causes |
| Try 5 GHz then 2.4 GHz | Band choice affects range and noise | Pick the band that holds steady where you sit |
| Sign out of VPN | VPN clients can drop idle links | Reconnect later with split-tunneling if needed |
Signal and interference basics that cause drops
Wi-Fi strength falls with walls, floors, metal, and distance. The 2.4 GHz band reaches farther but attracts noise from gadgets. The 5 GHz band carries less household noise but fades quicker through brick or concrete. If the router sits in a corner, coverage forms lopsided “hot” and “cold” zones. Move the router high and central, keep clear air around it, and reduce overlap with nearby networks by choosing a cleaner channel.
Kitchen gear, baby monitors, cordless phones, and festive lights can bruise 2.4 GHz links. When a microwave runs, a weak 2.4 GHz link can hiccup. Switching your laptop to 5 GHz or relocating the router often stops that stutter. Routers with dual-band radios let you keep both bands available, so devices near the router use 5 GHz while far rooms fall back to 2.4 GHz with steadier bars.
Channel width matters too. On 2.4 GHz, set 20 MHz to reduce clashes with neighbors. On 5 GHz, 40 MHz or 80 MHz can improve throughput when the air is clean. If your router supports auto channel selection, verify it actually lands on a quiet channel; manual picks often beat auto in dense apartments.
Why my laptop internet keeps disconnecting during calls
Live video adds steady uplink traffic and triggers quality checks on the app. Any dip in signal or a short DHCP lease refresh can bump you from the room. Reduce strain by pausing big downloads, closing cloud backups, and moving other devices to the guest network. If your router supports Smart Queue Management or QoS, give video and calls a higher class so Wi-Fi bursts from TVs and consoles don’t trample packets mid-sentence.
Pick one SSID per band when possible. Band-steering bugs can flip a laptop between bands mid-call and cause a brief stall. Create separate names like “Home-2G” and “Home-5G”, then join the one that holds best in your spot. If your mesh system roams you between nodes too aggressively, lower the roaming aggressiveness in the client or turn down the node that pulls you away from the closest unit.
Windows fixes that stop Wi-Fi dropouts
Update the adapter and reset the stack
Install the latest driver from your laptop maker or the adapter vendor, then run the built-in network reset. This refreshes drivers, clears stale configs, and rebuilds key services. After the reboot, re-join Wi-Fi and test a long video stream. If a recent driver caused trouble, roll back one version and retest.
Some chipsets expose advanced properties such as roaming aggressiveness, transmit power, and preferred band. Set roaming to medium, transmit power to high, and preferred band to 5 GHz when you sit close to the router. If your router runs DFS channels on 5 GHz and your laptop keeps dropping, shift the router to a non-DFS channel and try again.
Stop aggressive power savings
Windows can cut power to the Wi-Fi chip to save battery. In Device Manager, open your adapter’s Properties, Power Management tab, and uncheck the option that lets the computer turn off the device. In Power Options, set Wireless Adapter Settings to “Maximum Performance” on battery and plugged in.
Renew IP and DNS
Open Command Prompt as admin and run ipconfig /release, then ipconfig /renew. Follow with ipconfig /flushdns. If dropouts stop, the issue was a stale lease or resolver cache.
Step details live in Microsoft’s guide to fixing Wi-Fi in Windows. See the official steps and match them to your build.
macOS fixes that stop Wi-Fi dropouts
Use Wireless Diagnostics
Hold the Option key and click the Wi-Fi icon to open diagnostics. Save a report, let the test run, and apply the tips shown. If you see band or channel warnings, change the router settings and retest.
Reset known networks and renew DHCP
In Network settings, remove old networks, then add the current one again. Click Details and choose Renew DHCP Lease. Restart the Mac, then run a long call as a test. If you use VPN software, launch it only after the captive portal or welcome page has loaded on public Wi-Fi.
Update macOS
System updates often include Wi-Fi fixes for chipsets and power handling. Install pending updates, then test again. If a new major version started the trouble, check the adapter vendor for updated kexts or drivers.
Apple documents these steps in the Wi-Fi help pages. Open Apple’s Wi-Fi troubleshooting for current guidance.
Router settings that steady flaky links
Pick the right band and channel
Use 5 GHz for busy rooms and video calls near the router; use 2.4 GHz for distant corners. On 2.4 GHz, prefer channels 1, 6, or 11 to avoid overlap. Many routers pick a crowded channel at boot, so run a quick scan with a phone app and change to a cleaner one. Reboot the router after saving.
Update firmware and disable weak options
Log in to the router and check for firmware updates. Turn off WPS, set security to WPA2 or WPA3, and disable remote admin from the internet. Create a guest network for visitors and IoT devices so chatter cannot swamp your work laptop.
Place the router away from thick metal, large mirrors, and motors. Keep it off the floor and clear of the microwave line-of-sight.
More placement tips and interference examples are listed by the UK regulator. Read Ofcom’s Wi-Fi guidance and apply the same ideas at home.
Security apps, VPNs, and captive portals
Firewall suites, endpoint agents, and VPN clients can reset adapters, block renewal packets, or kill idle tunnels. Pause the app and test. If the link steadies, add your Wi-Fi SSID to the app’s trusted list, enable split-tunneling, or update the client. On hotel and café Wi-Fi, sign in to the captive portal first, then start the VPN.
If your company pushes always-on VPN, ask the admin for an exception on your home SSID during calls. That one change often ends random drops caused by idle timeouts.
Power, heat, and USB devices
Low battery can trigger aggressive power cuts on radios. Charge the laptop above 20% and retest. Heat also degrades radio links. Make sure vents are clear, avoid blankets, and remove thick shells around USB Wi-Fi dongles. Unplug noisy USB 3 hubs near the adapter, as they can radiate in the 2.4 GHz range. If Bluetooth audio crackles and Wi-Fi drops at the same time on 2.4 GHz, move the mouse dongle and USB hub to the far side of the laptop or switch the network to 5 GHz.
When the modem or ISP is the real cause
If every device drops, the Wi-Fi isn’t the only suspect. Check the modem’s signal and uptime, then reboot the modem and router in that order. If logs show frequent re-syncs, call your provider and share timestamps. Ask for a line test and fresh firmware on the modem. If your provider-supplied router keeps crashing, put it in bridge mode and run your own router behind it.
Check for splitters, kinked coax, loose wall plates, and tired phone-line filters. Swap the cable between modem and router. If a neighbor’s construction or power work lines up with outages, mention that pattern when you call support.
Pick a path based on your symptom
| Symptom | Likely cause | Try this first |
|---|---|---|
| Drops only when moving rooms | Weak signal or bad band choice | Switch bands, move router, add a mesh node |
| Drops at set intervals | Short DHCP lease or router reboot | Renew lease, update firmware, extend lease time |
| Drops on battery, not on AC | Power saving on adapter | Set adapter to maximum performance |
| Drops on one SSID only | Bad profile or band steering bug | Forget and re-join, split SSIDs per band |
| Drops on public Wi-Fi | Captive portal or VPN clash | Sign in first, then enable VPN |
| Drops during microwave use | 2.4 GHz interference | Move to 5 GHz or relocate devices |
Simple logs and tests that give clear answers
Watch packet loss and latency
Run a constant ping to the router and another to a public DNS. If the router ping drops while the DNS ping holds, the Wi-Fi hop is clean and the outage sits beyond the LAN. If both drop, Wi-Fi is the issue. Paste the results into a note so you can compare runs after each change.
Scan nearby networks
Use a phone app to list channels and signal strength. If three neighbors sit on your channel, shift yours away. If your 5 GHz coverage is thin, add a second access point or a mesh node instead of cranking transmit power. Stronger power can add noise for others and still won’t punch through concrete.
Check the event logs
On Windows, Event Viewer and the WLAN report reveal disconnect codes. On a Mac, Wireless Diagnostics saves a report with timestamps. Match those times to router logs to see if lease renewals, DFS moves, or restarts line up with your drops. If you keep seeing the same minute gap before each drop, suspect a lease time that is too short.
Final checks and next steps
Keep the router firmware current, use WPA2 or WPA3, and set a strong admin password. Separate smart bulbs and cams on a guest network so updates and chatter don’t crowd your calls. If you still see drops after the steps above, swap in a known-good router or a USB Wi-Fi adapter for a day. A stable day on a different radio or router points to hardware.
For placement and interference tips, the Ofcom guide is handy. For Windows and Mac steps, the vendor pages linked above stay current. Small changes in band, channel, drivers, and power settings fix most laptop dropouts without replacing gear.