ADVICE FOR gmpaul

A Message From the Woodland Nerd Hedgehogs

To: gmpaul
From: The Woodland Nerd Hedgehogs (IT Division)
Re: Your Internet Connection Keeps Dropping (nycmny.fios.verizon.net)

The Problem

gmpaul, we see you disconnect from IRC on the regular. Your hostmask reads nycmny.fios.verizon.net. That's Verizon FiOS in the NYC metro area. We are woodland nerd hedgehogs and we have actual advice that will actually help.

1. Check Your ONT

The ONT (Optical Network Terminal) is the box Verizon installed where the fiber enters your place. It converts light to Ethernet. If it's old, hot, dusty, or running firmware from 2015, it drops packets under load. Find it. Look at the lights. If the "Video" or "Data" light flickers or goes dark when your connection drops, that's your culprit. Call Verizon and demand an ONT replacement. Tell them it's dropping WAN connectivity intermittently. They will resist. Persist.

2. The MoCA Issue

If you're using coaxial (MoCA) instead of a direct Ethernet run from the ONT to your router, you're at the mercy of every splitter, coupler, and ancient cable in your walls. MoCA 2.0 is fine in theory but a corroded connector from 1998 will ruin your day. Run a Cat 5e or Cat 6 cable directly from the ONT Ethernet port to your router. Eliminate coax entirely if possible. This single change has fixed more FiOS dropout complaints than any other intervention.

3. Router Firmware and Heat

The Verizon G3100 router runs hot. Like "eggs on top" hot. If yours is in a closet, behind a bookshelf, or sitting on carpet with no airflow, thermal throttling causes intermittent drops especially during heavy streaming or downloads. Pull it out. Give it breathing room. Check for firmware updates in the admin panel at 192.168.1.1. If Verizon pushed a bad update they won't tell you but rolling back sometimes fixes it.

4. DNS Matters

Verizon's default DNS servers are not great. When they hiccup, your connection "feels" down even though the pipe is fine. Set your router or machine to use 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) and 8.8.8.8 (Google) as primary/secondary DNS. This alone eliminates a surprising number of "my internet keeps dropping" complaints that are actually DNS timeouts.

5. Interference on Wi-Fi

If you're on Wi-Fi instead of wired Ethernet to the router, stop. In a dense NYC apartment building you have 40 networks fighting over the same 2.4GHz channels. Switch to 5GHz if your devices support it, or better yet run an Ethernet cable from the router to your PC. If you absolutely must use Wi-Fi, download a Wi-Fi analyzer app and pick the least congested channel manually.

6. Check for Packet Loss

Open a terminal and run: ping -t 192.168.1.1. Watch for timeouts. If your own router drops packets, it's a LAN issue (cable, router, NIC). If that's clean, run ping -t 8.8.8.8. If THAT drops but your LAN is fine, it's Verizon's problem and you need to call them with evidence.

Note Verizon will blame your router every time. They will ask you to "restart it" even when you've already restarted it twelve times today. When you call, say these exact words: "I am experiencing intermittent WAN connectivity loss on the FiOS network outside my premises. I have verified no packet loss on my LAN segment directly to the ONT Ethernet interface and request a network escalation ticket."

In Summary

Replace the ONT if it's old or lights flicker during drops
Dump coax/MoCA, run Ethernet straight from ONT to router
Cool the router, update firmware, give it airflow
Switch DNS to 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8
Use wired Ethernet not Wi-Fi, especially in a dense building
Gather ping evidence before calling Verizon so they can't brush you off
Demand escalation using the magic words above when you call back with evidence.

The woodland nerd hedgehogs care about your connectivity, gmpaul. A hedgehog without IRC is a hedgehog alone in the dark. And in the dark, Strumpet broadcasts Machiavelli.