What should I do if my Internet from switch is unstable?

This article applies to: all TP-Link switches

There are many factors influencing the Internet stability of switch. Here, we will list some common factors in this article.

Step 1. Check power supply.

Non-original and unsuitable power supplies will affect the Internet stability. It is suggested to use original and suitable power supply.

Step 2. Check physical connection.

Loose Ethernet cable connection or bad port identification will cause unstable Internet. Sometimes the relevant port lights are not on. Using short, good quality cables and changing the cable to different ports can resolve this.

Step 3. Insufficient POE power supply. (Optional)

For some PoE devices, insufficient PoE supply will cause performance degradation and even network instability. Please check the PoE budget and protocol of PoE devices to select suitable PoE switch model. And make sure the PoE device can work properly with DC power.

Step 4. Check Internet source of switch.

When examining the stability of switch, please check the Internet source of switch first. Use a PC to replace the switch to perform the test, “ping 8.8.8.8 –t” command can help testing the external network connectivity, after running for a while, hit Ctrl+C to end this process.

Ping result analysis:

1) If the ping result shows that packets lost rate is not 0(0% loss) which means the external transmission of switch has some trouble. Please check router’s settings and contact ISP for assistance.

2) A successful ping result as below, it will show a response of "Reply from" followed by the IP address and “Lost = 0”, which means the Internet source of switch is stable. Then you can refer to Step 5.

Step 5. Check internal transmission of the switch.

Continuous ping command can help detect. Here is the instruction.

1. Connect two PCs to the switch by cable as above picture. And disconnect the PCs and the switch from anything else

2. Set up static IP Address for both PCs in the same local network, one as 192.168.1.100 and one as 192.168.1.200 for example(How to configure static IP on the computer refer to FAQ14.)

3. Use “ping IP –t” command to check connectivity. Ping command from PC1 should be ping 192.168.1.200 –t. After running for a while, hit Ctrl+C to end this process.

Ping result analysis:

1) If the ping result contains "Request timed out", “Destination Unreachable”, packets loss rate is not 0% etc, that means the internal transmission has some trouble. Please contact TP-Link support team and check warranty.

2) A successful ping for this case should be a response of "Reply from" followed by the IP address and “Lost = 0”.

If the problem still exists after the above troubleshooting, please contact TP-Link Support (Please sort out the troubleshooting you have done and provide screenshots of ping tests if possible so that we can troubleshoot for you more quickly).