Reviewed by Router Setup Editorial Team Last reviewed:

A completely dead wired connection differs from a slow one. The key evidence is link light, negotiated status and whether the fault follows the cable, port or client.

First checks

  1. Check for link lights at both ends and reseat the connectors.
  2. Try a known-good cable and another router or switch port.
  3. Test the client on another wired network or use another client on the same cable.

How to interpret the result

If the problem follows the cable, replace it. If it follows one port, review port settings or hardware. If every LAN port fails while Wi‑Fi and the admin page still work, inspect router configuration and restart before considering reset. Managed switches may also have disabled VLAN or port profiles.

What this symptom usually does not prove

Do not confuse the WAN port with a LAN port; they can be physically similar but have different roles.

Escalate with useful evidence

Record which devices are affected, whether Ethernet and Wi‑Fi behave differently, the router or gateway status, and the exact time of the fault. This evidence helps distinguish a local client issue, radio problem, routing policy, upstream service fault or failing hardware.

Before a factory reset

Restart the relevant device first and save any ISP, Wi‑Fi, reservation, port-forwarding or mesh information needed to rebuild the network. A factory reset is a configuration-recovery action, not a universal diagnostic test.

Related troubleshooting

Safety: Do not share router passwords or remote-control codes to diagnose this symptom.