Series 9 NP900X4D has begun dropping internet a few times a day

Hello!

Since a few months my Swedish Series 9 NP900X4D (i5, 4GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, Win 8.1, which has worked impeccably for four years) has begun dropping the internet connection a few times a day. It happens both on Ethernet cable over homeplug, and on WiFi (I haven't been able to establish if it also happens when using only Ethernet cable). After a minute or so it comes back. I first thought it was the homeplug that was unreliable but since my partner tells me it happens also on WiFi it might be something else. It is my partner who is using the laptop most; I never have any issues on my Ethernet-cabled desktop (Win7/Linux Mint 18).

Is this a known issue with the network card or drivers, or can it be an update from Microsoft that has changed something? Or is it just a weird coincidence of weak WiFi signal, and bad homeplug reliability?

I'd be grateful for tips!

 

Does your homeplug system connect to the router using WiFi? In my experience the WiFi reliability of home routers tends to deteriorate after two or three years usage. The connection deteriorates long before it dies completely. It's not helped by these Samsung notebooks having relatively poor WiFi performance because the antennae are at the back of the chassis.

John

 

Sorry, I was unclear. No, the homeplug is wired only.

1st scenario: Netgear6300 router -> ethernet cable -> homeplug 1 -> electrical socket in then out -> homeplug 2 -> ethernet cable to Samsung's RJ45 adapter into laptop.
2nd scenario: WiFi only (as usual).
Connection drops occur in both scenarios.

 

Thanks for the clarification. Given that the problem affects both wired ethernet and WiFi then I don't think it's a driver problem (which would most likely affect one but not both). The first debugging step I would do is to reboot the router. Then I would try a different web browser (has the browser cache been emptied recently?). Also look at the power saving options (but normally these only apply to WiFi not wired).

John

 

Thanks for the suggestions, John! I will try them out and begin monitoring.