WiFi Drop Test

How the WiFi drop test works

Once a second, the test sends a tiny DNS-over-HTTPS lookup to Google's public DNS service and times the reply, falling back to Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 if Google can't be reached. It's the same measurement our 24/7 internet monitor uses. Every check is drawn as a coloured cell on the timeline: green when the connection answered normally, amber when it answered but took longer than half a second, and red when it didn't answer within two seconds or your device reported it was offline.

Consecutive red checks are counted as one drop, so a single 12-second outage counts once, not 12 times. At the end you get the number of drops, the longest one, the total downtime, your uptime percentage, your typical ping and the number of latency spikes. Spikes matter because they're what you feel on video calls as frozen faces and robotic audio, even when the connection never fully disconnects.

WiFi problem or internet provider? Run it twice

A single test tells you whether your connection is dropping. To find out why, choose where you are testing from before you start, then run the test a second time somewhere else:

• First run: your usual WiFi spot. The desk, sofa or room where the problem happens.
• Second run: next to the router, or on an Ethernet cable. Ethernet is the stronger comparison because it takes WiFi out of the picture completely.

The test saves each result in your browser and compares them. If the drops disappear next to the router or on a cable, the cause is your WiFi: range, walls, interference or the device's WiFi adapter. If the drops follow you to the router or onto Ethernet, the WiFi signal isn't the cause. Look at the modem, the router itself, or your internet provider's line. Our WiFi vs ISP guide goes through the other checks in more detail.

Common reasons WiFi keeps disconnecting

Weak signal and obstacles

Thick walls, floors, mirrors, fish tanks and large appliances all absorb WiFi. A connection that is fine in the same room as the router can drop every few minutes two rooms away. If the test only fails at your usual spot, move the router to a central, raised position, or add a mesh point or access point closer to where you work.

Interference and crowded channels

In apartments, dozens of networks compete for the same channels on the 2.4 GHz band, along with microwaves, baby monitors and Bluetooth. Switching your device to the 5 GHz (or 6 GHz) network, or letting the router pick a less busy channel, often stops drops entirely.

Power saving and drivers

Laptops and phones sometimes put the WiFi adapter to sleep to save battery, which can look exactly like a drop. On Windows, turn off "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" for the wireless adapter and update its driver. If only one device drops while others on the same network are fine, the device is the likely cause.

The router, modem or ISP line

An overheating or overloaded router, a modem that keeps resyncing, a loose coaxial or fibre cable, or a fault in your provider's network will cause drops on every device, wired or wireless. If the test shows drops on Ethernet, restart the modem and router and check the cables. If it carries on, start collecting evidence for your provider.

When a few minutes isn't enough

Some connections fail only in the evening when the neighbourhood is online, or once every hour or two. A 10-minute test can miss those completely. For intermittent problems, leave the free 24/7 monitor running: it records every outage with a timestamp and builds a shareable report. If you want to catch very short interruptions, see how to catch internet drops that last only a few seconds, and when you're ready to contact your provider, follow how to prove your ISP is unreliable. For a quick check of latency and jitter only, use the ping test.

Tips for an accurate result

• Keep this tab open and in front. Browsers slow down background tabs, and any time the tab spends hidden is shown as paused rather than counted.
• Plug a laptop in to power so battery saving doesn't switch the WiFi adapter off.
• Use the device that actually has the problem, in the place where it happens.
• Test at the time of day when the drops usually happen.

WiFi drop test FAQ

Why does my WiFi keep disconnecting?

The most common causes are weak signal where you are, interference from neighbouring networks, a crowded 2.4 GHz band, power-saving settings on the device, outdated WiFi drivers, an overheating router, and problems on your provider's line. Comparing your usual spot with a test next to the router or on Ethernet shows which side the problem is on.

How do I know if it's my WiFi or my internet provider?

Run the test at your usual spot and again next to the router or on Ethernet. Drops only at your usual spot mean a WiFi problem; drops in both places point to the ISP, modem or router.

How long should I run the WiFi drop test?

Ten minutes catches most frequent drops. Use 30 minutes if the drops are less frequent, and the 24/7 monitor for problems that happen at certain times of day.

Does the test keep running if I switch tabs?

Keep the tab visible. Background time is shown as paused and isn't counted as a drop. On phones, the test asks the browser to keep the screen on where supported.

What counts as a drop?

One or more consecutive checks that failed: an error, a timeout after two seconds, or the device reporting it's offline. Successful checks slower than 500 ms are counted separately as latency spikes.

Is my data sent anywhere?

No. The test only sends small DNS lookups to Google and Cloudflare to time them. Results stay in your browser unless you share them.