Internet periodically dropping?

[Jacob P]

This laptop is the only one affected in the household. Periodically, the wifi would drop out and would usually reconnect again. During that period the OS would still display the internet still is being connected albeit it is obvious that there is no wifi, as web pages are inaccessible.

[Barkley Hound]

That could be an indication that your router is dying. I had the same problem and had to replace it.
😻

[Boss]

Try Ethernet.

[tumbleweed_biff]

Being the only one affected, are others connected by WiFi or ethernet?

I have prepared a document on "Why your WiFi sucks and what to do about it." I hope you find the following helpful. If you have any comments or input, please let me know. My email address is public and I welcome comments.

Why my WiFi keeps disconnecting and Sucks:

The single biggest problem with WiFi connections is contention for the band. Most WiFi (802.11b/g/ and single band n) use the 2.4 gHz band. Not only is this the frequency of all your neighbors, but it is the same frequency as a host of other devices. Baby monitors, cordless phones, bluetooth devices, wireless keyboards and mice, wireless speakers on your stereo system, and microwave ovens just start the list. Many of these signals are intermittent making it dfficult to identify the culprit, particularly if the offender is a neighbor's device. This situation is substantially worse in apartment and townhouse settings where your neighbors are much closer.

Things you can do to improve your service:
A) Install antennas, directional or omnidirectional on your router or network card.
B) Counter intuitively … sometimes reducing the TX (broadcast) power on the router can improve your connection by reducing the area covered by the router which makes it less likely to run into other networks or other devices.
C) Increase the TX/broadcast signal of your router. Some routers have a setting which allows you to do this. If yours doesn't, consider upgrading the firmware of your router with DD-WRT or Tomato – assuming your router is compatible.
D) Block signals from other networks/devices: You can do this using something like heavy duty aluminum foil like you find in single use roaster pans you find at the grocery store. Place the foil between your router and any directions where you do not have devices. Example, your router is on the ground floor and you don't have any WiFi devices in the basement – put a layer of the foil under the router. This blocks other signals from getting to your router from that direction and reflects the signal from the router away from where you don't have devices in directions where you do, increasing the signal strength to those areas.
E) Upgrade your devices to dual band N and/or the new 802.11ac standard. Both of those standards use the 5 gHz band for which there is far less contention. The 802.11ac is commonly called Gigabit WiFi because of its near gigabit speeds. Any new devices you purchase should support these standards even if you don't have a router or other device that does so that when you do upgrade your router or other devices your recent purchases are ready to take advantage of it.
F) On older WiFi systems, if your devices support 802.11a then use that if possible. It is slower than N and AC, possibly even g (I forget the exact numbers) but it does operate in the 5 gHz band for which there is far less contention. Even being slower this will be an improvement over 2.4 gHz WiFi if you are having problems.

[Lynsey]

better to try ethernet