How to Troubleshoot Odd Periodic Internet Connectivity Breaks?

[Curmudgeon10]

I've got a five month old HP Pavillion Desktop, connected to my network via ethernet through a Powerline adapter. I use several of these on my home network, one for the PC, and two others to connect WAPs.

While I haven't kept an exact log of events, I'd say once or twice an hour, the PC loses internet connectivity for one to three minutes. It will always come back online if I do nothing.

Here's what I've done so far to try and narrow things down that might be the problem:
a) Tried different browsers. Doesn't matter
b) Looked to see if the problem is network wide, i.e., shows up on other devices connected via the WAPs. It doesn't.
c) Logged into the router to check for a history of outtages. There aren't any.
d) Viewed the data in Device Manager for the Network Adapters for anomalies. None reported.
e) Noted Windows 11 status of my connection during outages: it reports "connected."

I seem to be being steered toward the PC as the issue, but I'm not sure how to proceed. Any ideas?

 

[RMinNJ]

PC is ethernet and disconnecting? Could your powerline adapter be failing? Try swapping it with your other ones. I kno2. Othing about those but ethernet short of having a bad cable, port, NIC, is pretty reliable.

 

[tgl]

TBH, I'd bet first on the powerline adapters as the locus for trouble. Is this PC using a different adapter from your non-troublesome machines? Is that adapter on a different power circuit from the others? Maybe there's a poor physical connection between circuits, or the adapter itself is faulty.

And, as @RMinNJ says, don't rule out faulty cable or faulty ethernet port on the PC. I wasted quite a bit of time just this past weekend on what turned out to be an ethernet cable that I hadn't inserted quite all the way . Still, powerline has a reputation for flakiness, where normal ethernet cabling does not.

 

[Curmudgeon10]

PC is ethernet and disconnecting? Could your powerline adapter be failing? Try swapping it with your other ones. I kno2. Othing about those but ethernet short of having a bad cable, port, NIC, is pretty reliable.

I've ordered another adapter. I could swap, as you suggest, but once I get everything working on my network (which is the case now, except for the PC interrupts), I never mess with it. I'll report back on results in a few days.

 

[Curmudgeon10]

Based on two days experience with the new Powerline adapter, I'd say that was the problem. I first began using these in my house about two years ago, and they solved a lot of problems I was having with WiFi. But, in those two years, two of them have failed. That shouldn't happen.

Thanks to those who made suggestions to check that.