A high-speed internet connection in today's time is essential to productivity in every walk of life. Whether it's browsing an online store or catching up with a friend over a video call, a fast and reliable internet connection is key to communication. It helps you do what you need and love to do online. In the US telecom industry, a name that has been popular among nationwide and localized service providers is AT&T. AT&T is known for providing America with affordable and reliable internet for more than 30 years.
With 21 service states, AT&T's high-speed internet is available to over 120 million people—giving them an opportunity to stay connected through the ups and downs. So when your AT&T internet keeps dropping every now and then, you must be able to underline the issue and have reliable solutions on hand to help you stay in the loop. All your internet connection problems are typically linked with the modem, router, your internet enables device(s), network settings, or corrupted files.
To fix your AT&T internet connection drops, it’s essential to understand the root of those problems first and foremost. Once you understand the cause of your AT&T internet connection drops, you no longer have to go through the pain of your game lagging or your Netflix show buffering every 2 minutes. With this handy guide, not only can you understand why your AT&T internet connection drops constantly, but learn how to fix such issues with relative ease.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Many factors could contribute to the lacking performance of your AT&T internet connection. It’s important to highlight those factors—before we see how to resolve the issues which may be causing your internet to disconnect and reconnect at random. Listed below are some of the most common reasons your AT&T internet keeps dropping.
AT&T’s contribution to setting a high service benchmark in the industry has been impressive. From unlimited access to Wi-Fi hotspots made available to AT&T subscribers on the go-to high-end internet equipment for in-home wireless networks, AT&T has always committed to keeping you connected 24/7 with what matters to you the most. However, at times, it may appear while you're connected to the network, you're not receiving a stable response.
This happens when a stable connection between the network and your device is not established. Such disconnects often happen due to wrong username/password combinations, connecting via the wrong or crowded Wi-Fi networks. Rare as it is, it may be that your internet connection requires a manual reset at AT&T’s end.
Frequent disconnects are often caused by a busy network. When multiple devices are connected to your in-home network, the chances of you receiving fast and stable internet are significantly low. Let’s say, all 5 devices in your house are using the internet for ultra HD gaming. Can you imagine the power each would need to juice up?
Moreover, an overload on the provider network can at times prevent the establishment of a stable connection. AT&T Fiber pledges 99% reliability at peak times and delivers too. But, you cannot rule out getting caught up with the 1% likelihood of facing a busy network. Or, the inevitable downside of being connected via copper lines in the “last mile”—which may dampen your high-speed AT&T internet connection at peak times.
One of the most common reasons your AT&T internet keeps disconnecting is weak network signals. The strength of your in-home Wi-Fi network signal determines the performance of your wireless connection. Lacking signal range is often the cause of an unstable internet connection. Maybe it’s your distance from the AT&T gateway device, or the obstruction in its way because of which your Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting. The use of Wi-Fi range extenders can help improve such AT&T internet connection drops.
If however, you are on AT&T wireless network, fixed or mobile, your device would tell you of the AT&T network signal strength—in most cases it is interference between you and the AT&T access point which may be responsible for the AT&T internet disconnect.
Your internet modem and router must be in perfect condition to work effectively. These pieces of equipment play a vital role in how your internet may perform. AT&T internet utilizes a variety of modem-combo wireless gateway devices, which are compatible with AT&T internet plans. And, the provider also takes care of any outdated or faulty equipment—you get an upgrade or replacement device if necessary.
Albeit AT&T rents out equipment from credible brand names in the industry, things can go wrong at times. Maybe when your AT&T internet keeps dropping, all you need to do is reboot your gateway device, or reconfigure its settings. It may also be so that the gateway needs a hard or factory reset—though that is a rather occasional occurrence.
Network adapters allow internet-enabled devices to connect with the internet or other device(s) over a Local Area Network (LAN). A wireless network adapter does the same job but over a wireless network. Network adapter drivers are auto-updated during routine system updates. But if your internet or Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting, it is worth checking for their status.
Remember, the network adapter must also be compatible with the gateway device you are using. If your gateway is up to date with prevailing networking protocols, but your network adapter is behind times, this may be the reason why your AT&T internet keeps going out. Also, your device could be running on a corrupted network adapter—making your AT&T internet connection drop constantly. An outdated and corrupted network adapter does more harm than good.
If your AT&T internet connection drops constantly, it's necessary to check the modem environment. When your gateway is surrounded by electronic gadgets, is placed low near the floor, or is not placed in a central location that is open and has good air circulation—it is possible that your AT&T internet keeps going out because of the poor environment gateway device is subjected to.
Moreover, Wi-Fi channel overlap can result in inconsistent connectivity. Wi-Fi channels are frequency bands through which your Wi-Fi networks send and receive data. Some channels are more susceptible to interference. Especially when many devices are communicating via the same channel. Or when devices from overlapping channels try to communicate with each other.
A bad modem environment can cause frequent disconnects. So it is essential you run a quick assessment of what surrounds your gateway device. And, also try to avoid using channels that are crowded or overlapping.
Most AT&T internet connection issues can be fixed with relative ease. All you need to do is identify the root cause. Once you do that, you only need to follow certain steps to fix the problem. Let’s take a look at some ways you can fix your AT&T internet disconnect.
Before we move onto suggested fixes for the AT&T internet connection drops, let us add—if you are using any of the following AT&T gateway devices, you can do a lot with ease via the FREE Smart Home Manager app.
AT&T Gateway Models | |
Arris NVG599 | Pace 5268AC |
BGW210 | Pace 5168 |
BGW320 | 2Wire 3600HGV |
Motorola NVG589 | 2Wire 3800HGV-B |
Pace 5031NV | 2Wire 3801HGV |
Your Smart Home Manager app is a free AT&T internet tool that helps you manage your in-home wireless network. You can personalize your home network across all devices from a single platform. Change your Wi-Fi network info, run a speed test, track data usage, implement parental controls, reboot your gateway, or run a network health check. Remember certain features may vary by the AT&T gateway model you are using.
Now, let us take a look at some easy fixes to help cure your AT&T internet connection drops.
Resetting network info on your phone or laptop, and restarting your internet-enabled device(s) does miracles at times. This simple trick can impact the ability of your device to establish a stable Wi-Fi connection. Try deleting your AT&T network from your Wi-Fi connections listing. And, restart your device(s). Then, reconnect by re-entering the network information manually. More often than not you will find your device remains connected to the AT&T internet without glitches.
As we said earlier, what's around your AT&T gateway significantly affects the performance of your connection. For the best experience, it's important to position your modem in a central location, which is high up from the floor level and is unobstructed—with minimal electronic gadgets or concrete walls surrounding it. Because even speakers placed in close proximity can significantly impact the performance of your AT&T internet connection. While power surges can also lead to gateway resets.
It is advisable to keep the modem 3 feet away from electronic gadgets. Place it on a hard and stable surface, in an area that is central to your house, and is well ventilated. Moreover, use a surge protector to avoid the device resetting. By saving your gateway device from unwanted signal interference, power-ups, and downs, and overheating, chances are you will be able to significantly improve your wireless experience.
You can take help from the Smart Home Manager to improve the performance of your Wi-Fi network, if you are using NVG599, 5268AC, BGW210, or BGW320 gateway device from AT&T. Go to Help in your Smart Home Manager app. And type in “Do I need Smart Wi-Fi Extenders?”. Then follow the prompts.
If you determine the AT&T Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting because the signal strength gets weaker as you move away from the gateway, the solution is simple. you can use Smart Wi-Fi Extenders—this will create a mesh network extending to more parts of your home, which may otherwise be just dead zones.
Your system needs to refresh every once in a while. A reboot flushes the limited device memory and resets pending tasks, and overall improves the performance of your internet connection. So, when you are dealing with an AT&T internet disconnect, rebooting your gateway device can do wonders.
There are two ways to go about it. You can either do it via the Smart Home Manager app or manually.
Restarting your Wi-Fi gateway almost always helps resolve most connectivity issues. If however, it doesn’t work, you can also try out a factory or hard reset. Remember, a factory reset will cause the device to return to its default state—customized Wi-Fi network info such as network names (SSID), passwords, static IP, etc. may be lost. In case a hard reset does not resolve the problem and your internet keeps disconnecting, the gateway device could be running on faulty components. Meaning you will have to access AT&T for tech support.
As pointed out earlier, an outdated network adapter is one of the top reasons your AT&T internet keeps dropping. You can check for the status of the network adapter in the Device Manager menu on Windows and System Preferences on Mac devices. Again, routine Windows and Apple updates usually take care of updating network adapter drivers as well. Just in case you find a discrepancy, you can visit the network adapter’s manufacturer website for the latest version, download it, and install it.
If only one of your devices is facing an issue while others have a stable AT&T internet connection, it is possible your device has undergone an update. Sometimes, following a system update devices tend to become problematic in terms of internet connectivity. Releasing the IP can help you get the internet back up and running smoothly.
Even if your system has not undergone an update recently, releasing your IP can ensure a glitch-free internet connection.
If any of the tips and tricks above fail to work, you can text myATT to 556699 and download the myAT&T app. You can use the app to troubleshoot the problem or schedule a tech appointment within a few minutes!
AT&T Fiber is a super-fast and powerful broadband provision by AT&T. If you’re not receiving your money’s worth, you are at a huge loss. AT&T Fiber is designed to run fast and smooth. So, if you face frequent disconnections, there must be something impacting its performance. Let’s take a look at what it can be:
Now that you know why your AT&T internet keeps disconnecting, and what you can do to fix it, we hope you’ll be able to use the knowledge to work your way out of random internet problems whenever they occur. Learning how to resolve minor internet connectivity issues is a survival skill these days. And helps ensure you are able to enjoy a smooth and fast wireless experience!
Your AT&T internet may be disconnecting because of weak network signal, unstable network connection, outdated hardware, busy network etc.