Ethernet Fails to Resolve DNS Causing Internet Outage But Connected to internet - Exactly 1 hour Every Day. WIFI works

burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 11:06
Last edited 26/08/2025 - 09:31

Hi all,

Asking the experts here. Thank you in advance for any tips/suggestions.

Everyday my Alienware's Ethernet loses internet connection for exactly 1 hour. This is despite the status says there is nothing wrong with internet and switching to Wifi actually brings back the internet but not Wired LAN. I have narrowed it down to DNS resolver issue and most likely to be LAN port issue (hardware) but what I don't get is why is it happening exactly 1 hour?

Have tried everything under the sun including:

FlushDNS/Release/Renew
Disabled Network Adapter and restarted
Stopped any KILLER services (My mobo is using Killer)
Changed DNS to 8.8.8.8 / 1.1.1.1 but did not change to Static IP.
Ping and Tracert Test. Ping and Tracert to www.theage.com.au came back with Unable to Resolve Target or Ping request could not be find host www.theage.com.au. When I restored WIFI, both Ping and Tracert worked.
Connection to router was refused (when LAN is working, router can be accessed. No block or access issue)

Have not yet factory reset the network card. Have a feeling it won't make a difference. Have not yet reset the router as WIFI works so doesn't make sense to reset the router.

Has anyone experienced the same thing?

Regards

UPDATE: 9.30am 26/08/2025.
This morning at 8.22am, straight after the computer was turned on, I experienced the same problem again. Now is 9.23am and the internet is back however, at 9.20am, it was still spewing DNS error (under 1 hour). With that little time left to collect as much as data as possible, I have done the following:

Win11 -> Right Click at the Ethernet Icon (bottom right), select Ethernet and Settings, Select Advanced Network Settings
Select Ethernet (Killer E3100G 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet Controller). Yours will be different. Click the down arrow next to this.
Drop down menu, choose View Additional Properties
On the DNS Server Assignment, click EDIT

Change from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual
IP4 -> ON
Preferred DNS = 8.8.8.8
DNS over HTTPS = On (Automatic Template)
DNS over HTTPS Template = autofill into https://dns.google/dns-entry
Fallback to Plaintext = OFF

Alternate DNS = 1.1.1.1
DNS over HTTPS = OFF

Click Save.
You may ask I have done that in Step 4 above and why this is now working. I have no idea to be honest but that is why I want to check again tomorrow or over the next 24 hours.

The moment that is done. A quick check to Ozbargain allows me to post this update. Additionally, I can re-access my router again but it's already 9.29am so I will update tomorrow if anything happens again.

One thing to note is that during the episode. Ping to 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1 remain working. Ping to my router EWS however yielded "Timeout".

Thank you everyone.

Computing

Comments

skid on 25/08/2025 - 11:12

Experienced similar and it is caused by the router firmware/configuration. My issue was with 2.4ghz wifi for 10mins every hour.

Try restarting the router to start off with.
- burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 14:57
  
  +1
  
  Thank you. Restarted the router and no impact. I will add that connection to the router (Nighthawk) 192.168.x.x was refused and when I swapped with another laptop with ethernet port, the LAN works. I think something is wrong with the PC itself. When the connection restored itself, I can reconnect to 192.168.x.x and the log showed up interesting things (DoS attack something like that but forums said they are false positives).
geek001 on 25/08/2025 - 11:13

+2

Is it the same time every day? If it is, did you check whether someone might have accidentally setup parental control on your router which blocks your LAN port MAC address use for 1 hour every day? :)
- burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 15:00
  
  Have checked with wife. Indeed, it actually started around the time my wife started the Parental Control via Nighthawk app. However, I have checked the access control (via the app) that my Wired LAN connection is ALWAYS ON and if that is to be true, then my WIFI would have been jammed as well. In this case, my WIFI still works while the LAN doesn't.
  
  The other thing to note is it used to happen around 11.30pm and would last for 1 hour till 12:30am. As of 2 days ago, it moved to around 9:42am to 10:42am. I actually noted down the actual time the episode started and finished. Today, it happened from 9:52am to exactly 10:52am. I even video-ed the moment the connection restored.
  - geek001 on 25/08/2025 - 15:51
    
    +1
    
    Ok, so not the same time every day. Usually, for parental controls to work(even on my TP link router), "devices" are picked up by the network card MAC address. So if you have 2 cards(the LAN card and the Wifi card) on your computer, each of those cards will have its own MAC address and may be picked up as 2 separate "devices" at the router. Make sure the ALWAYS ON setting is against your LAN card and not your Wifi card.
    
    To find the MAC address of your LAN card in Windows, press Windows Key+r then type in "cmd" and press Enter. When the cmd prompt appears, type in "ipconfig /all". Your LAN card should be listed under "Ethernet adapter Ethernet". Check that the "Always On" MAC address on the router app matches "Physical Address" under the "Ethernet adapter Ethernet" section.
    
    Also might worth turning off Parental Control on your router and then reboot your router and see if the problem goes away. If it doesn't, at least you know it is not the Parental Control. Good luck.
    - burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 18:26
      
      Thank you. I might ask to turn the Parental Control off but because it only happens 1 hour in a day, I will see the results the day after.
      
      MAC address for LAN (not WIFI) is confirmed to be the one ALWAYS ON.
ThithLord on 25/08/2025 - 11:14

+1

Is there some sort of Power Saving mode enabled in the advanced tab of the Network Adaptor?
- burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 15:00
  
  Already disabled. Apologies I should have mentioned it above.
Ynk on 25/08/2025 - 11:14

+4

You need to rule out if it's a DNS issue or network issue. The easiest way to do this is via your "Step 5" but you need to ping the IP address of the DNS resolver not a hostname. So rather than theage, just have a continuous ping going to 1.1.1.1 - If that gets packetloss or starts to timeout, you know there is a network issue. Have a second ping going at the same time to the local Alienware IP to determine if it's a WAN only issue or total loss.

I'm going to guess it's DHCP related, easiest thing to try is to manually set your client IP address and see if that resolves the issue.
- McFly on 25/08/2025 - 12:29
  
  +1
  
  Agree.
  
  OP says "I have narrowed it down to DNS resolver issue" but based on what they've said that's not really correct.
- burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 15:06
  
  I am leaning towards this (DHCP). I have tried earlier this morning to ping and traceroute (tracert) to a Superloop IP address (122.199.xx.x) and it worked during the episode.
  
  I might try to add -t tomorrow when pinging when it happens again around 9.50am so it will be obvious. I've downloaded WireShark and see if I get better reading of what's going on.
geekcohen on 25/08/2025 - 11:18
Changed DNS to 8.8.8.8 / 1.1.1.1 but did not change to Static IP.

This won't change your ISP IP or your local network IP, it will just change the DNS service that your device is using.

Not using your ISPs DNS is a good idea, use CloudFlare or Google.
geekcohen on 25/08/2025 - 11:19

Possible IP conflict?
- McFly on 25/08/2025 - 12:32
  
  +11
  
  For exactly 1 hour? (In this part of the country? Localised entirely within their kitchen?)
  - geekcohen on 25/08/2025 - 12:34
    
    Weird things do happen!
  - Chandler on 25/08/2025 - 12:46
    
    +1
    
    Yes.
    - McFly on 25/08/2025 - 12:46
      
      +6
      
      Steamed LANs.
      - flagger on 25/08/2025 - 15:42
        
        +1
        
        @McFly: It's a Ubiquiti dialect.
        
        McFly on 26/08/2025 - 01:24
        
        +1
        
        @flagger: Really? Well, I'm from Ubiquity and I've never heard anyone use the phrase 'steamed LANs'.
        D'oh!
        
        Chandler on 26/08/2025 - 14:33
        
        @McFly: Oh, not in Ubiquiti, no. It's an Omada expression.
        
        McFly on 26/08/2025 - 15:27
        
        @Chandler: I see…
        You know, this network issue is quite similar to the ones they have on non-Alienware devices.
        
        Chandler on 28/08/2025 - 13:59
        
        @McFly: Oh, no! Patented burningrage issues! Old Alienware recipe.
  - burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 15:08
    
    It is exactly one hour. I swear to God. I even video-ed it the moment it reconnected at 10:52am (started at 9:52am).
    
    The video is for Dell when they are replacing the mobo but I am not giving up yet.
mrshorty on 25/08/2025 - 11:24

Interesting - I had the same issue occur to my ethernet connected to the TV. Internet doesn't work during a particular time during the day but works fine in the evening!
MS Paint on 25/08/2025 - 11:26

-1

Factory reset everything. It's the only way. You'll probably just create more conflicts in the resolution process.
McFly on 25/08/2025 - 12:30

+1

Could try a live Linux run and see if it does the same thing.
BOGOF on 25/08/2025 - 12:33

+5

Same thing happened to me, but 4 evenings per week for 90 minutes.
Worked it out it was when MAFS was on. Now that is AI.
McFly on 25/08/2025 - 12:34

but did not change to Static IP.

Why not?

Connection to router was refused

What does that mean?
- burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 15:10
  
  Because despite of what I've done and documented here, I am actually a novice PC user so I am not confident doing beyond what I've done so far.
  
  Re: Connection to Router was refused.
  
  Pre 9:52am this morning, connection to EWS router (Nighthawk Web Server - equivalent to routerlogin) worked. At 9:54am, the error XX.X.X.X refused to connect appeared.
  - McFly on 25/08/2025 - 17:52
    
    Oh. Well, if you were a 'novice PC user' before this issue, you certainly aren't now!
    Setting manual IP is done with the IP assignment edit button just above the DNS one.
    A bit below it will show your currently assigned IP address eg. 192.168.0.40.
    Try setting your manual IPv4 to eg. 192.168.0.194 (just change the last number to somewhere between 20 and 200*, leave the first three sets of numbers as they are.)
    Subnet mask = 255.255.255.0
    Gateway = your router's IP address
    Preferred DNS = your router's IP address or a 3rd party DNS server
    Save, see if that helps.
    
    * There is a small chance you will choose an address already in use. You could check first by opening a terminal window and pinging it first. eg. _ping 192.168.0.123 and if it says "Destination host unreachable." then that IP is free (at the time at least.)
jv on 25/08/2025 - 12:38

+3

Exactly 1 hour Every Day.

Wait for daylight savings and it will go away…
- McFly on 25/08/2025 - 12:45
  
  +7
  
  Who says it won't go for two hours then.
  - jv on 25/08/2025 - 12:52
    
    +1
    
    😲
Chandler on 25/08/2025 - 13:02
As others have asked: is it the same time everyday, or just the same duration at some random time? And are we talking exactly the same time/duration every time, or just close to the same? And no other devices have any issue at this time?

Why suspect DNS if WiFi works?
Are both ethernet and wifi on your machine set to obtain settings (gateway, subnet, DNS) from DHCP, not manually configured?
When you're having the issue, does your adapter report an active connection (blinkenlichten)? Does ipconfig reflect what you'd expect (DNS, Gateway, etc)? Can you ping your router (gateway)?
Use another device to connect to the router's admin and check your machine's status on it's end.

As other's have suggested, some possible culprits:

Power saving

Parental controls

To extend on this: QoS / firewall settings

IP conflict

Consider sharing the (redacted; public IP) output from tracert here - could help nail down that it is a local not RSP issue (which is what I suspect, since WiFi works).

Is there any other hardware between your machine and the router? (i.e. PC > Router > NBN NTD; not PC > Switch > Router > NBN NTD)
- burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 15:14
  
  Used to be around same time. Around 11:30pmish. The last two days, it moved to 9:42am / 9:52am. Duration is always exactly 1 hour.
  
  Firewall was regulated by Norton360. Have tried deactivated Norton360. No impact. Not sure about IP conflict because this situation only started very recently and nothing have changed before.
  
  Connection path is NBN NTD -> Nighthawk -> PC. All Wired LAN. I confirmed when I removed the ethernet cable from my PC to my laptop, LAN works. It's definitely something with the PC.
adam on 25/08/2025 - 13:48

+3

Check the date and time settings on both your computer and router. Ideally have them auto-set and have the timezones correct.
- burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 15:20
  
  This is interesting. I will check it. There is an entry in router that said NTP sync but just now I just checked the router's time is synced with PC.
  
  The unfortunate thing is once the episode starts, I would lose access to the Nighthawk web interface so I cannot see live what the hell is going on. That's why I am downloading WireShark.
  - Cyterg on 26/08/2025 - 08:52
    
    Can you not access the Nighthawk web interface from your laptop/phone (over wifi) during the episode?
    - burningrage on 28/08/2025 - 14:04
      
      Can. But nothing in the logs were showing anything strange. The time was correct. I didn't see the NTP sync message.
interlocal on 25/08/2025 - 14:00

+1
To check it's DNS issue, do, as others said, ping IP address -
a. ping 8.8.8.8 to check connectivity to internet
b. if that fails, ping 192.168.1.1 (or what address your router is).
if 1a or 1b fails, then it's not DNS issue (or at least not only DNS). Then:

if it's exactly 1 hour - check if your router has parental control settings

Try to use another LAN port on your router
- burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 15:22
  
  Will do. I will do a more exhaustive test tomorrow.
  
  It is exactly one hour. I will document the start time tomorrow with video. I already have the reconnection video this morning. The router DOES have parental control settings but as I mentioned above, I have already ascertained my PC belongs to "ALWAYS ON" group (no pause) and if it was parental control, why the episode start/end time shifted?
  
  My PC only has 1 LAN port unfortunately. I could try using LAN to USB-C as an alternative.
  - interlocal on 25/08/2025 - 15:25
    
    2 - your router clock could be not synced, for example
    3 - I meant to change LAN port on router, not laptop
    some routers have system log in UI, try to check if yours have, and if there are any events at time when connection drops
    - burningrage on 25/08/2025 - 18:28
      
      3 - Sorry I misread your comment. Already tried moving the port my PC connection to another port (Aggregated port to Non-Aggregated Port) within my router.
jattsta on 26/08/2025 - 08:07

i would just go straight to updating/reuploading latest router firmware to start from a base line.
- CaptainSizzle on 26/08/2025 - 10:23
  
  This is the best advice in this entire thread.
- burningrage on 26/08/2025 - 13:52
  
  Nighthawk router is already at latest firmware.
  - CaptainSizzle on 28/08/2025 - 13:51
    
    And factory reset the router
burningrage on 26/08/2025 - 09:30

I will update this above but the suggestion by many of you folks (@geekcohen, @McFly, @interlocal in particular), have resolved this problem (at least for now) but I will need to make sure of it tomorrow if it happens again.

This morning at 8.22am, straight after the computer was turned on, I experienced the same problem again. Now is 9.23am and the internet is back however, at 9.20am, it was still spewing DNS error (under 1 hour). With that little time left to collect as much as data as possible, I have done the following:

Win11 -> Right Click at the Ethernet Icon (bottom right), select Ethernet and Settings, Select Advanced Network Settings
Select Ethernet (Killer E3100G 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet Controller). Yours will be different. Click the down arrow next to this.
Drop down menu, choose View Additional Properties
On the DNS Server Assignment, click EDIT

Change from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual
IP4 -> ON
Preferred DNS = 8.8.8.8
DNS over HTTPS = On (Automatic Template)
DNS over HTTPS Template = autofill into https://dns.google/dns-entry
Fallback to Plaintext = OFF

Alternate DNS = 1.1.1.1
DNS over HTTPS = OFF

Click Save.
You may ask I have done that in Step 4 above and why this is now working. I have no idea to be honest but that is why I want to check again tomorrow or over the next 24 hours.

The moment that is done. A quick check to Ozbargain allows me to post this update. Additionally, I can re-access my router again but it's already 9.29am so I will update tomorrow if anything happens again.

One thing to note is that during the episode. Ping to 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1 remain working. Ping to my router EWS however yielded "Timeout".

Thank you everyone.
burningrage on 26/08/2025 - 09:32

The question is whether it is a good idea to use Google as DNS resolver lol….

Advertising, spyware, and stuff. Google would practically know where you are going including reddit/github where "treasure troves" are aplenty.
- geekcohen on 27/08/2025 - 07:43
  
  +1
  
  The question is whether it is a good idea to use Google as DNS resolver lol….
  
  100%. Google / CloudFlare is better.
  
  For example, Starlink users using default DNS had issues accessing Kayo. Change the DNS to Google/CloudFlare, issue resolved! Kayo accessible!
  - burningrage on 28/08/2025 - 14:05
    
    Thank you. A bit more confident. So far it's day 2 and no more internet dropouts at certain time or certain duration is happening.
burningrage on 26/08/2025 - 10:06

At 9:50am, I switched back to Automatic DHCP and for that moment, it worked.

At 10.00am, the DNS error returns. I made sure this time just before I changed my DNS from Automatic to Manual, I went to www.theage.com.au, www.theaustralian.com.au, reddit.com, and youtube. All returned NO INTERNET.

At 10.04am, I changed my DNS back to the config above (8.8.8.8 / 1.1.1.1) and everything went back okay.

Still monitoring but if we blame it to Superloop, then why only this PC and not my other laptop? Still leaning towards faulty LAN port somehow.
- geekcohen on 27/08/2025 - 07:44
  
  If it was a Superloop problem, surely it would be impacting other customers?
  
  And is your other laptop 100% default and not using another DNS?
  - burningrage on 28/08/2025 - 14:07
    
    Now it is using 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1 as the DNS resolver. Day 2, no dropouts yet although oddly logging in the morning seems slightly slower than normal.
skillet on 26/08/2025 - 11:08

Download a copy of Linux Mint on USB boot, use it for a few hours see if it's same issue. If it's good then your Windows issue. If it's no good then either hardware issue or router issue.

In your Device manager, network adapters properties, advanced. Try disable energy saving, hardware offloads, disabling things one by one. Try installing previous version driver.
djathome on 26/08/2025 - 18:19

+2

Another thing to try to help understand better please when it isnt working.

Open a command prompt by clicking on start menu and type in cmd.
Hit the option for command prompt.

nslookup "enter"
theage.com.au "enter"

copy message replies please.
this should be using what you have set as dns or modem dns depending if /where it fails.

then type server 8.8.4.4 "enter"
theage.com.au "enter" and copy paste results.
Drop it into a word on notepad doc so you have a reference.

Take a peek at what you get when healthy and when its failed. may help us understand.

PM me if anything i have said doesnt make sense.

Edited: Adding link to what nslookup is to show it is a legit tool.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administrat…
- burningrage on 28/08/2025 - 14:08
  
  I will give it a try. I want to see when it is healthy and since now I can engineer a "DNS resolver error", I might try this and see the comparison
  
  Did this just now. No DNS error. Using 8.8.8.8 / 1.1.1.1 as DNS resolver. Internet working
  
  C:\Windows\System32>nslookup
  DNS request timed out.
  timeout was 2 seconds.
  Default Server: UnKnown
  Address: 8.8.8.8
  
  theage.com.au
  Server: UnKnown
  Address: 8.8.8.8
  
  DNS request timed out.
  timeout was 2 seconds.
  DNS request timed out.
  timeout was 2 seconds.
  DNS request timed out.
  timeout was 2 seconds.
  DNS request timed out.
  timeout was 2 seconds.
  *** Request to UnKnown timed-out
  
  server 8.8.4.4
  DNS request timed out.
  timeout was 2 seconds.
  Default Server: [8.8.4.4]
  Address: 8.8.4.4
  
  theage.com.au
  Server: [8.8.4.4]
  Address: 8.8.4.4
  
  DNS request timed out.
  timeout was 2 seconds.
  DNS request timed out.
  timeout was 2 seconds.
  DNS request timed out.
  timeout was 2 seconds.
  DNS request timed out.
  timeout was 2 seconds.
  *** Request to [8.8.4.4] timed-out
- burningrage on 28/08/2025 - 14:16
  
  Running the second time (the one above was the first time).
  
  C:\Windows\System32>nslookup
  Default Server: dns.google
  Address: 8.8.8.8
  
  theage.com.au
  Server: dns.google
  Address: 8.8.8.8
  
  Non-authoritative answer:
  Name: theage.com.au
  Addresses: 151.101.194.133
  151.101.2.133
  151.101.130.133
  151.101.66.133
  
  server 8.8.4.4
  Default Server: dns.google
  Address: 8.8.4.4
  
  theage.com.au
  Server: dns.google
  Address: 8.8.4.4
  
  Non-authoritative answer:
  Name: theage.com.au
  Addresses: 151.101.66.133
  151.101.130.133
  151.101.2.133
  151.101.194.133

Ethernet Fails to Resolve DNS Causing Internet Outage But Connected to internet - Exactly 1 hour Every Day. WIFI works

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