Ok, so the thing is that even after so much advancement in making as much effort as possible to go wireless, it turns out that cable still works better. But that won’t stop your Ethernet cable connection from going haywire every now and then.
If even after connecting your Ethernet cable, you have no access to the internet, allow us to show you the best ways to sort this issue out.
CONTENTS
Let’s Go with the Basics First
- Check, if the power’s out or something. See, if the cables are connected properly with everything they need to be connected with. Are the lights on the router/modem blinking? Try using the other port for ethernet. Everything cool? Ok, then.
So, now that the basic solutions are no help to us, let’s delve deeper and see if any of the following solutions are working. Hopefully, you won’t need to buy a new cable or call your ISP people or something.
- Check Ethernet Situation (Turn Off Your Wi-Fi)
Ok, know that this step is NOT going to help you in a direct way. It is only going to tell you where the problem lies. See, if you have both – Ethernet cable connected and Wi-Fi turned on. Your device will automatically give priority to the cabled one.
Turn Wi-Fi off and see if there is still connectivity showing. This will tell you whether there is a fault in the cable or in your connection.
Then, we can take appropriate measures.
- Try Restarting Your Computer (And Your Router)
Ok, so do this
- Turn off the device first
- Then, turn off the router and the modem, and remove them entirely away from the power source
- Cool, now leave them be like that for a few minutes
- Reconnect all of them back to the power source and turn them back on
- See if you now have internet access
- Broken Cables!
It seems pretty simple but hang on, let’s just try this – check if the cable is broken. Change the primary cable with another one, and see if that one is working. You might not have a spare one on hand, but if you do, then absolutely try that first.
Recommended reading: What is RG6 Coaxial Cable Used For? A Detailed Guide to RG6 Coaxial Cables
Try having those special routers installed – those with special switches just for the purpose of checking on faulty cables.
- Bad Router, Bad, Very Bad Router!
Ok, so here’s a very weird situation – some routers just disconnect the access to the internet to wired connections randomly Restart yours, and see if your internet is back. Consider buying a better router if this one doesn’t work.
- Ethernet Enabled
Check if this thing is enabled or not.
(Windows)
- Type ‘Network Connection’ in the search bar
- Check the Ethernet Status
- If it is disabled, right-click on it
- Pick Enable
(macOS)
- Click on the Wi-Fi icon first
- Go to Network Preferences
- All the wired and wireless networks shall be displayed
- Check if Ethernet is disabled
- Enable it
- Unidentified Network
Enabling the Ethernet didn’t work? Maybe your device doesn’t recognize that network for some reason. That can happen in Windows, but you can fix it easily:
- Go to Network Connection
- Right-click on Ethernet Network
- Click Disable and then Enable
- This should fix this particular issue and may bring back your internet access
- DNS Settings
If your DNS settings are messed up, then man, that needs to be taken care of ASAP. Also, before changing these settings to public servers, try writing the original server address somewhere safe in case you want to revert back to them.
(Windows)
- Click on Win key with R key, simultaneously
- Now, type ‘ncpa.cpl’ and hit enter
- Right-click on whatever network connection you are using (Ethernet or Wi-Fi) and select Properties
- Double Click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
- Make sure that both, obtain an IP address automatically and obtain DNS server address automatically are selected. Then, hit OK (skip this part if they already were)
- If this doesn’t work, then select Use the following DNS server addresses. Now, set the server addresses to Google Public DNS Server Addresses (8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4)
- Hit OK and see if this does the trick
VIDEO TUTORIAL – How to Change DNS Server in Windows 10
(macOS)
- Apple Menu > System preferences > Network
- If the lock icon is well, locked then click on that to make changes, when prompted to authenticate it, enter the password
- Select the proper connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
- Hit Advanced
- Select DNS tab
- Tap on (+) to add or replace with Google IP addresses
- For IPv4 it’s 8.8.8.8 and/or 8.8.4.4
- For IPv6 it’s 2001:4860:4860::8888 and/or 2001:4860:4860::8844
- Click OK > Apply
VIDEO TUTORIAL – How to Change DNS Server on macOS
- Reset Your Network Settings
This tip is basically like kicking your TV and seeing it work again somehow. Let’s do this then
(Windows)
- Press Win key with R key
- Type in ‘cmd’ and then, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter
- Enter these commands
Ipconfig /flushdns
Ipconfig /renew
Ipconfig /registerdns
- Close the window now, and restart your computer
(macOS)
(Method #1)
- Go to System Preferences > Network
- Select your connection
- Click on the (-) icon
- Click on Apply
- Now, click on the (+) icon and then re-add your selected connection
(Method #2)
- If the first method hasn’t worked try this slightly harder one
- Turn off Wi-Fi
- Click GO > Go to Folder
- Enter /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/ in that text field and hit Go
- Select these five specific files
com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
com.apple.network.identification.plist
or
com.apple.network.eapolclient/configuration.plist
com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist
NetworkInterfaces.plist
preferences.plist
- Backup all five files on desktop if you want
- In their original location, right-click on files and select Move to Bin
- If it asks for a password to delete, enter your password
- Restart Mac and turn your Wi-Fi on
- VPN
Try using some recognized VPNs. They can automatically connect you to their VPN servers while also providing you with great privacy and anonymity.
- Check (and maybe update) Your Drivers
Drivers are updated automatically, but if you want to make it sure by your own hands, then do this
(Windows)
- In the taskbar, inside the search box, type device manager and select Device Manager
- Look for Network Adapters, and select your Ethernet adapter from the list.
- Go to the Driver tab, and click on Update Driver
- Select Search Automatically for updated driver software
- Hit Update Driver
- If you can’t find any through this method then you will have to search for the right driver on the manufacturer’s website and follow their instructions
VIDEO TUTORIAL – How to Update Ethernet Driver in Windows 10
(macOS)
- Go to System Preferences > Software Update
- Any available updates shall be present here if you lack any
- Disable Any Security Software
If you want to go there, then try going there. it’s one of the things that sometimes block internet access, so we are listing it here. Here’s how to disable the security:
(Windows)
- Go to Windows > Settings >Privacy & Security > Virus & Threat Protection > Manage Settings
- Switch off the Real-Time Protection
(macOS)
- Go to the spotlight search box
- Type down the antivirus name you want to turn off
- The icon will now display on the screen
- Click it to go to the program’s interface
- Search for ‘Stop/Disable/Turn Off’
- Click that
- If asked, confirm the prompt
If Neither the Ethernet nor the Wi-Fi Gives You Internet Access!
Yep, that happens sometimes, let’s see what causes this and how to fix that in the easiest terms –
- The most common reason could be a botched internet configuration. To fix it, you must have the router’s interface or its app and the ISP-provided username and password. Go to the Quick Router Setup (or something similar). Here you’ll be able to re-run the initial configuration wizard, using proper info. Once you finish the process, you may gain access to the internet.
- If there is a problem inside your modem, then you can’t do much besides restarting the modem. If you think this needs more than that, contact your ISP for support.
- Your machine could be added to the blocklist of your router. Don’t sweat upon it, it could happen for weird reasons. Just access the interface of the router, select the device that is blocked from the list and select Remove device from Blocklist
- There is a Parental Control enabled! Access the router app, and then either disable the scheduled internet access or remove your device from the list.
A Few More Tricks to Sort out the ‘No Internet Access Despite Ethernet Connected’ Issue (Mac Only)
Renew Your Lease
- Restart Mac.
- Go to System Preferences > Network
- Click USB 10/100/1000 LAN connection from the left panel.
- Click the (-) icon in the bottom left and then hit Yes.
- Now disconnect the Ethernet cable from your Mac, and then reconnect it.
- Click on the (+) icon now and select the interface as USB 10/100/1000 LAN from the drop-down menu.
- Enter your service name and tap on Create.
- Now, go to the Advanced tab and select TCP/IP.
- Click on the Renew Lease button.
- Hit Apply. This should work. If it doesn’t…
Renew Your Lease, Again
- Go to System Preferences > Network
- Create a new location and delete every connection except for the Ethernet one
- In the Advanced section, under TCP/IP, select Renew Lease again
- This should now work. If it doesn’t…
Network Diagnostics
- Go to System Preferences > Network
- Click upon Assist Me and go to the Diagnostics Section
- On Network Diagnostics, you can verify your Ethernet connection
- Through this, you can resolve your issues automatically
- If there is a connection issue, follow the instructions on the screen
- If it still doesn’t work, maybe try resetting the router
In Conclusion
I came into this tech world keeping a ‘hackerman’ persona in my head, fancying helping my country and defeating evil communism by adding 1GB of RAM against China or something.
Didn’t know most of it was just readjusting cables and clicking on all tabs one by one to see if things now work or not, it’s not that adventurous as movies have made us all believe.
Anyway, if you have no internet access despite your Ethernet cable being connected to your computer, these were all the simple steps a regular person like you and me could have taken. If none of these steps work, you may have to call professionals to seek the problem out.
Hey, I’m Jeremy Clifford. I hold a bachelor’s degree in information systems, and I’m a certified network specialist. I worked for several internet providers in LA, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Seattle over the past 21 years.
I worked as a customer service operator, field technician, network engineer, and network specialist. During my career in networking, I’ve come across numerous modems, gateways, routers, and other networking hardware. I’ve installed network equipment, fixed it, designed and administrated networks, etc.
Networking is my passion, and I’m eager to share everything I know with you. On this website, you can read my modem and router reviews, as well as various how-to guides designed to help you solve your network problems. I want to liberate you from the fear that most users feel when they have to deal with modem and router settings.
My favorite free-time activities are gaming, movie-watching, and cooking. I also enjoy fishing, although I’m not good at it. What I’m good at is annoying David when we are fishing together. Apparently, you’re not supposed to talk or laugh while fishing – it scares the fishes.
