Intermittent connection to wired ethernet

[steve_4802]

Hi All,
I've recently joined the Linux Mint community with a dual install on a Macbook Pro 15inch Retina Late 2013. All so far is going swimmingly, except for Ethernet connectivity. This is rather important to me as I don't use wifi at home (though, I was happy to see that's working well when I tested it).

Both my work Windows machine, and my Macbook in MacOS High Sierra recognise the internet via wired Ethernet immediately upon connection. However, when in Linux Mint (after the default install last night) the connection appears intermittent. Problem is as such:
1. Plug in ethernet (via apple ethernet to USB adaptor)
2. Get the network symbol with three computer (squared) in the tray on the bottom left, but
3. Typically the computer 'squares' are blacked out, not white as it is once internet is active.
4. Sits without connection indefinitely saying 'connecting'.

What's interesting is this is intermittent. If I connect, it usually wont work but sometimes will. It usually goes like this:
- connect - if works, great! If not;
- unplug and replug in, may work and if so great! If not;
- unplug and replug in, may work and on and on we go.

If I do this it works about 1 in 10 times. Sometimes in the first three goes, but at times I could do this every few seconds for 30-40 times before it gets a connection and my three little computer 'square' mates light up white.

This morning, to better appreciate the issue I bought the Linux Mint Macbook to work and plugged in via my company's office connection. Works perfectly every time and I'm using the same Ethernet adaptor.

So I suspect it's something with my home network setup and the interface with my Linux Mint laptop settings. I'm not very techie, just an average block. Details:
- My internet is provided by Launtel service provider
- I have NBN provided as fibre to the node and comes into the house, therefore, on the regular copper line.
- I use a ubiquity EdgeRouter (the 5 port one I think, I'm not at the house right now to check)
- That then goes via wired ethernet to any number of connection points in my walls at home (I recently put Ethernet through the entire house - yay me)
- No wifi AP in the house. I only know Wifi works as I tried hotspotting via my ipad, just as a test to see if it works with my new linux install.

Given it always eventually finds the connection, and when it does it's very stable without drop-out, could it be something with IP addresses? As I said, seems about 1 in 10 times that it works. I vaguely recall something about dynamic vs static IP addresses (or MAC addresses?) when I setup the router last year. As I said, I'm not techie, but I'm an (structural) engineer and with help can usually fumble through something. I just do it so infrequently that any prior router learnings would've been from years prior and I don't retain the info.

For your info, I'm moving over to linux as a test to try and ditch apple. I'm not with Google anything and would like the same for Apple. Great devices, but for me it's a privacy thing as a matter of principle. I'm looking to work with Linux Mint initially and get (non-google) android phones for my wife and I, grapheneOS looks worth a go so I've a Pixel 3 in the mail. If I can get all that working I'll then buy a 2nd hand thinkpad and look to move to PureOS on this dedicated single boot machine. If the experience is good after living with this test for a year or so, I'll finally look to a Librem laptop and call it quits at that. For now, it's Mint and living with it all. I played with Ubuntu for about a year a decade or so ago so I have a feel for what I'm getting into. At the time, the iphone syncing and lack of apple compatibility and MSoffice stability was what drove me away then. Now, I'm more committed to just ditch apple and I've a work laptop with MSoffice where I need it.

Thanks and advance,
Steve

[hglee]

Hi All,
I've recently joined the Linux Mint community with a dual install on a Macbook Pro 15inch Retina Late 2013. All so far is going swimmingly, except for Ethernet connectivity. This is rather important to me as I don't use wifi at home (though, I was happy to see that's working well when I tested it).

Open a Terminal window (Ctrl-Alt-T), then copy-and-paste the following command...

Code: Select all

nm-connection-editor

In the Network Connections window, double-click on the name of your wired connection under Ethernet.

Under the General tab, put a checkmark on Connect automatically with priority -999. Deselect All users may connect to this network.

Save settings, and reboot. This may be enough to get you connected.

You might also try, under the IPv6 Settings tab, to change Automatic to Disabled.

[steve_4802]

Hi, thanks for the replies.
I just wanted to post a reply to say this has since been rectified. How... I'm not sure.

Weirdest thing, after two days following the LinuxMint installation it was only intermittently connecting as described. That is the moment I posted this forum request; on the day I was connected to my work office network (where it was working connecting faultlessly - it was only my home network initially that was the problem). Then I went home after connecting to the work network and tried again, before making any changes or interrogating my connection setting further.... and it worked every time. And has worked every time since.

I updated video drivers during that day but that shouldn’t have altered anything for networking. To be sure I rolled back the Nvidia video driver and it still connected perfectly. So not driver upgrade related.

Somehow, it would seem, connecting to the alternate network changed something and put it on the straight and narrow without further to do. Win!

Computers eh.

If I have any further issues I'll start with:
- Connecting directly to the modem, to take the router out of the mix and isolate that it's a router or laptop issue, then;
- progress with the other recommendations listed in the replies.

At present I don't seem to be having any problems. I've even re-installed the OS at one point and it didn't seem to phase it. It's worth pointing out my home directory is separate to the system directory so any settings stored in home would've been retained during the re-install of Mint.

Thanks again.

[GELvdH]

Please mark the original post as (Resolved).