“Why does my internet go out at night?” is a commonly asked question due to high internet traffic and other reasons, and people like you struggle to figure them out. This article will cover all the likely reasons for your internet outage, along with all of their technical and non-technical aspects.
Furthermore, there will be a detailed explanation of their corresponding solutions as well for you to try out. You can fully trust this article to find out exactly what is wrong with your internet.
Contents
Why Does My Internet Go Out at Night?
Your internet goes out at night due to a number of reasons:
- The peak of the internet traffic in your surroundings.
- Multiple systems are connected to the internet
- Heavy-use appliances connected to the same electrical socket.
- The presence of certain wireless devices can hinder internet signals.
- Windows Clock is losing track of time.
- The internet service is simply insufficient for your needs.
– Internet Rush Hour
It is a prevalent phenomenon that causes an internet outage and is common for cable users. This is because they share the bandwidth of their internet package with each other as its subscribers in their surroundings. This increases the internet traffic at a certain time which further decreases the speed of the connection. That certain time is usually at night when everyone is home, during which anyone connected to that network faces frequent internet disruptions and outages.
This impact of bandwidth sharing on internet connection is frequent at night as it is the usual recreational time for people. Almost everyone prefers to be on their mobile phones, laptops, or TVs, and the use of the internet is very overloaded. Outages are likely if the people in your surroundings, like neighbors, heavily consume the internet. Whereas wireless interference can also happen due to the usage of the same wireless frequency by you and your neighbors.
– Connection of Multiple Systems With Your Internet
Your neighbors may, after all, not be at fault for your internet outage. Heavy usage of the internet by members of your household or any other place can also be a reason. This is because the network connection of their multiple systems with your WiFi access can severely limit the bandwidth performance of your internet.
It can happen due to a large number of people with numerous devices connected to your router. This overloads the router as its access points (devices) go over the limit.
– Heavy Use Appliances Connected to the Same Electrical Socket
In addition, your internet can also go out if your router is connected to the same electrical socket as your heavy-use appliances. Such appliances can include a dryer, microwave, or an AC unit that can cause outages at a certain time, such as night.
Heavy load on an electrical socket can result in a short electrical surge or failure. A short surge or failure for milliseconds even can turn your router off. As a result, the router taking some time to restart itself can be misinterpreted as an internet outage.
– Electromagnetic Fields of Wireless Devices
Apart from overloading the electrical socket, the electromagnetic fields produced by certain wireless devices can also be a reason why your internet doesn’t work during the day. These devices can include cordless phones, remote controls, Bluetooth-enabled TVs, and other smart appliances. Their electromagnetic fields can interfere with the internet signals around you and even cause your network to drop.
– Windows Clock: Lost Track of Time
If this problem persists only on your PC, the Windows Clock of your system has likely lost track of time. This can happen due to the manual selection of a wrong time zone or insertion of a wrong time. It can cause your Windows to return to that wrong time whenever you attempt to restart it at night.
– Insufficient Fulfillment of Your Internet Needs
Lastly, your internet package may be simply insufficient to fulfill your internet needs. Even though it is less likely, a defective infrastructure or low coverage can still cause your internet to go out at night. The internet speeds may not match your requirement as they can be throttled at night due to a traffic overload.
How To Fix Your Internet From Going Out at Night?
You can prevent your internet from going out by changing to another channel/frequency and getting a connection with higher bandwidth. In addition, separating the power supply of the router is another measure that can be attempted. Whereas repositioning the router, synchronizing the Windows clock, and setting up a new provider are secondary options that can also be tried.
– Changing the Internet Channel or Frequency
The interruptions between internet signals can be avoided by changing to a different internet channel or frequency. It can facilitate a reduction in the competition that goes on at night for internet connection between you and your neighbors.
With this, high internet traffic can be managed, and a poor connection can be prevented. You can even complete your important tasks at night that require a stable and fast speed.
– Upgrading to a Higher Bandwidth Connection
For this, you must first test your connection by disconnecting every Internet-based device near you during an internet outage. If your internet is restored with this measure, you require an internet connection with higher bandwidth than the current one.
For example, a 2.4 GHz bandwidth enables internet speed up to 600 Mbps, whereas you can easily get up to 1000 Mbps with a 5 GHz bandwidth. Keep in mind that a dual-band router is a prerequisite for a bandwidth upgrade of your plan.
– Separating the Power Supply of Your Router
For this, you can set up a separate electrical breaker for your router. Its cord can also be extended so that it can be transferred to a separate power supply in another room.
Apart from this, monitoring your surge protector or splitter is also essential. Power flow to the router can be disrupted due to a bad power conditioner.
– Repositioning the Router
You can implement this option if the WiFi signal is disrupted by the electromagnetic fields created by the usage of any wireless device close to the router.
The router can be placed on any elevated surface or repositioned in another room to avoid those interrupting fields. On the other hand, you can even try shifting those wireless devices to other places that can potentially disrupt the internet connection.
– Synchronization of the Windows Clock
The Windows clock on your PC has to be synchronized if it has lost track of time. This solution is exclusive for an internet outage on your PC only. For that, you have to go into Settings and select a valid time zone for your area.
– New Internet Service Provider
It is time for a new provider if none of the above solutions work or your current internet package is simply insufficient for your requirements. You can upgrade to a better internet plan by selecting a more suitable provider for you that has no data limit for its consumption.
For this, you can check out other viable types of connection like DSL or fiber optics. It is improbable that you experience disrupted connection, especially with fiber optics. You can have fun at enhanced speed in high internet traffic at a peak hour as well.
FAQ
1. Why Does My Internet Keep Disconnecting at a Certain Time?
Your device may be too far from your router for a stable internet connection. WiFi signals can get disrupted and cannot reach your device properly due to possible obstructions in the way. You can check the WiFi signal meter on your device to find out the areas with enough weak signals for possible disconnection.
2. How Do You Know if Your Router Needs To Be Replaced?
You may need to set up a new router if the lifespan of your current one has gone over five years and it becomes hot over time. This is also suggested if your internet speed is getting worse day by day with growing disruptions in the connection.
Conclusion
This article covers the likely reasons that lead to an internet outage at night and the possible solutions to them.
Let’s quickly revise the important points for you to keep in mind:
- Internet rush hour is a common reason for disruptions in the internet connection and is caused by subscribers of the same internet package who share its bandwidth.
- Other multiple systems connected with your Internet router can also cause an outage by limiting the bandwidth performance of your package.
- By changing to a different internet channel or frequency, you can reduce the competition between you and your neighbors that causes the internet rush hour, especially at night.
- You can upgrade the bandwidth of your internet package with a dual-band router if multiple systems have to be necessarily connected to your router.
- There is always an option to completely change your internet service provider if none of the potential options work for your internet outage at night.
You can always check back to this article to see which solution works for you.