Ethernet problems

[d.seddon]

About 5 or 6 days ago, I found that my ethernet first went on and off and cut out quite a lot. Now it doesn't work at all, though my wifi does - but is not as good as the ethenet.
I've tried all the generic fixes - mostly several times:
cables, switching PC and modem on and off, resetting adapters, going into Commandprompt as admin and running all the various commands, various trouble shooters. You name it - all the stuff that they tell you to do when you search Google for "ethernet not working, but wifi is," "how to solve DNS, ethernet, IP problems" etc
At this stage, I am pretty sure that it is my AVAST that is causing the issue.
Some pointers - AVAST tells me the name of my wifi, but says Ethernet is an unidentified network (it never used to be). It seems to default regularly to untrusted and I have to set it to trusted - and then it often sets back to untrusted etc.
I've constantly had "ethernet doesn't have a valid IP configuration" no matter how many times I manually adjust the settings or run command prompt, troubleshootter etc. I've added IP addresses, messaed around with IP4 and IP6...nothing.
I've had DNS messages too, but much less so.
VPN doesn't make any difference whether it's on or off, although just once a day the the ethernet appears to come on then shut off - not sure really as the settings still say unidentified network
My ethernet plug and sockets all grow with green lights, other devices work.
Which browser I use makes no difference.

I'm tempted to do an AVAST reset, but am wary of what that may do.

All suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated.

Mnay thanks in advance.

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

Not sure why you're blaming AVAST for this - I'd leave it alone until you've ruled out more obvious causes.

Have you tried editing your router settings to turn wi-fi off?

Unless your router has a wi-fi on/off switch you might need to logon as admin (using your browser's IP address) to do that.

The IP address is usually something like 192.168.1.1 with the unique to the router's password (not the wi-fi password) which will likely be marked somewhere on the router. If not it could just be "admin".

Whether that will help you identify the cause of the problem I don't know but if the problem remains you know it is most likely something to do with the ethernet connections.

My suggestion then would be to replace the ethernet cable to your router with a good quality STP (Shielded Twisted Pair), short as possible one as the first step. If you have a spare LAN port on your router I'd try swapping to that too.

That, at least, will help rule out a physical problem with the ethernet connections.

Are you 100% sure the green LED is meant to be green? Some internet sites assumes green is the universal colour for the fastest speed 1000Mbs (gigabyte) and amber is up to 100Mbs. Other state the colour is just an indication of connectivity: green for connection detected and amber/flashing for sending/receiving data.

The truth is there is no universal convention, it is down to the individual motherboard/PC manufacturer. For instance Gigabyte motherboards show green for the initial connection during boot but should swap to amber for 1000Mbs and that will blink during data transfer. If it stays green that means it is 'only' 100Mbs or less.

So check that and if it should be amber rather than green for 1000Mbs then it might well be the ethernet cable or its connection to the router or PC has deteriorated or failed for some reason. That is what happened on one occasion to me and simply replacing the cable fixed the problem.

 

[d.seddon]

Thank you for that.

I'll try it.

if it works, I'll let you know.

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

Hope it is something as simple as that; good luck.

[d.seddon]

Hi,

Ok, I've upgraded all the cables and it still won't work.

I get these messages after running troubleshooter:
AVAST secure line VPN Network Cable unplugged (which is isn't but it may mean something else?)
Ethernet Unidentified network GBE Family Controller (Ethernet doesn't have a vaild IP configuration).

I could go back to your first suggestion unless you have other thoughts.

Many thanks,

David

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

I was hoping it was something simple but obviously not.

But I'm at a loss to know what to suggest you do next as the last time I came across a problem anything like this, on another forum, it was just a cable issue. However this time it must be something else.

But in this case if you search here or Google: "AVAST secure line VPN Network problems" you will find similar reports of much the same thing you've described which suggest AVAST VPN may be to blame. It is the fact that it only affects your cabled network and wi-fi is working OK, that doesn't match the other reported internet connection problems attributed to AVAST VPN.   

This thread:-

https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=249393.0

seems relevant, apart from that, and has some suggestions about other things to try too.

[d.seddon]

Thanks, I had a look at the thread and swithced to VPN mimic, but no change.
The other 2 things I can do are:
1. Ring BT Internet and ask them
2. Uninstall and reinstall Avast

Having said that, currently, the wifi is working very fast and maybe I should just settle for that.

Many thanks for your help and suggestions.

[Cluster-Lizard2014]

Keep checking this thread because I'm sure that somebody else here will post with some additional ideas or information.

Sorry I couldn't be more help.

[d.seddon]

You tried and I am grateful for that.  It's hard to know what may and may not work, but it's all worth a go.

Thanks

[DavidR]

Whilst I know this is very generic and not specific a search on - https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Ethernet+problems

This is one of the first hits - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fix-ethernet-connection-problems-in-windows-2311254e-cab8-42d6-90f3-cb0b9f63645f
In the topic that "Cluster-Lizard2014" https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=249393.msg1647985#msg1647985 - although an old topic (and the UI may have changed somewhat) did you try the settings in that post  ?

I use BT Internet, but I don't use a VPN so I don't see any issues.

[d.seddon]

Well, I've messed around with various Avast settings including the ones mentioned in that article and eureka, the ethernet is now working...as it happens not quite as fast as the wifi (but not much in it), but has slightly less latency issues. I am not sure which of the changes was the key one becuase I just ended up changing a lot of settings to private etc.  I think going from public to private was the main thing, but I'm not sure what else was involved.

Anyway, thanks all!  I appreciate the help and maybe this will help someone in the future.

I am using a powerplug system, so maybe if I got a newer version rather than my BT500gb ones, my BT superfast broadband will improve further via ethenet/powerplug. Considering a TP 1300, for instance.

[DavidR]

I think switching from public to private could certainly help, as there would essentially be less interrogation by Avast.

It can be a bit of a guessing game when you change a lot of settings as to which one made the greatest difference.