Why Does My Ps4 Continue to Drop Connections While in Gameplay

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I have been using my PS4 for about 6 years now, and while I was on a game of Fortnite with my friends, I suddenly started noticing lags and frameskips which are indications of a slow network.

Eventually, I got booted from the game and I checked my PS4 settings only to find everything working as it should.

To test my connection out, I tried downloading a game from the Playstation store and immediately noticed that my device would keep disconnecting from Wi-Fi.

This also made me realize that this is what caused the issues during the game.

After spending some time trying to figure out what was causing the issue and asking google all my questions, I eventually figured it was my roommate's router which happened to be on the same base frequency as each other and that was causing interference.

We quickly contacted our ISP and a technician was able to sort out our issue, but I figured that wouldn't always be the case.

If your PS4 keeps disconnecting from Wi-Fi, check to make sure there is no wireless interference, and if necessary modify your PS4 DNS settings. You can also set a static IP to keep a stable connection.

I'll also highlight a few other methods you can use to solve this problem.

Power Cycle your Home Network

If your PS4 keeps getting disconnected from your Wi-Fi, a good solution is to power cycle your home network.

This will help clear any unwanted temporary data and cache which will allow devices to have a more stable connection.

To power cycle your home network:

Disconnect all devices that are connected to your Wi-Fi.
If you have a router and modem combo, then simply turn off the device. If you have a separate modem and router, then turn off your modem for 3 minutes before powering off the router and disconnecting it from the modem.
Make sure to remove the battery backup from your modem if it has one.
For a router and modem combo, you can simply turn on the device.
If you have a separate modem, then power your modem first and let it boot completely.
Now, connect the router to the modem to finalize the connection and wait for it to boot.

You can restart your PS4 and connect to your Wi-Fi, which should connect properly now that it's been power cycled.

If your PS4 still keeps disconnecting, then keep reading.

Restart your PS4

One of the easiest methods when it comes to any device that may have issues is to restart the device.

You can do this by holding down the power button on the console itself for a few seconds till you hear a beep and the system turns off completely.

You can also turn the device off from the profile selection screen on the PS4.

Once your device restarts, you can try connecting to Wi-Fi again, and in most cases, it should work, but if it doesn't then one of the solutions below should definitely help you out.

Check Which Frequency Band the PS4 is on

Make sure your PS4 wireless frequency settings match your router.

You can check the frequency by:

Navigating to 'Settings'.
Click on 'Network'
Now press the 'Options' button on the controller to open up the frequency selection screen.

Select the right frequency, or if you are unsure whether PS4 works on 5GHz, leave it on auto.

Now your PS4 will be able to connect to your router depending on the wireless frequency it outputs.

Does PS4 Work on 5GHz Wi-Fi?

While the original PS4 model only supports 2.4GHz, both the PS4 slim and pro models support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

You can select the wireless frequency of your PS4 slim or pro from the network screen.

Simply press the 'Options' button on your controller to select the wireless frequency.

Quit and Restart your Game

Sometimes because of software bugs, the game you are playing might be causing the network issue.

In these cases, the best thing to do is restart the game.

If you have a digital copy then quit the game, restart the PS4, and start the game again.

If you have a physical copy of the game, quit the game and take the disc out of the device. Now restart the PS4 and once the device boots completely insert the disc.

Check if Something's Wrong With your ISP

If you suspect it's an issue with your Internet service provider (ISP), contact them to find out if your network is facing any downtime.

Additionally, you can also check with your neighbors who might be using the same ISP if they are experiencing any downtime.

If they are, then it might indicate some major issue or maintenance that needs to be addressed by the ISP themselves.

Reinstall your PS4 Game

During the installation process for games, there are chances of certain files being corrupted which can lead to unwanted issues during gameplay like your PS4 disconnecting from Wi-Fi.

In such cases, it's best to quit the game, uninstall the game and reinstall it from scratch.

Additionally, make sure you don't disturb the device or turn it off during installation.

This will almost always fix any corrupted files that occurred during a previous installation.

Check for Wireless Interference

Make sure there isn't any wireless interference coming in the way of your router and PS4.

A few signs that you may have wireless interference are:

Constant dips in speed and intermittent connections.
If one device draws in more bandwidth than others of a similar nature.
Unable to connect new devices.

You can overcome this by making sure that your router isn't on the same frequency as other devices.

Modify your PS4's DNS Settings

Another fix for dropped connections or speed issues is to change your DNS settings.

You can do so by following the steps below:

Navigate to "Settings" and select "Network".
Open "Set Up Internet Connection".
Select "Use a Lan Cable" preferably, else you can select "Use Wi-Fi".
Now choose "Custom" since we want to enter our own DNS settings.
Select the network you would like to use from the populated list.
Click on "Automatic" for IP address settings.
Check "Do not Specify" for DHCP Host Name.
Select "Manual" on DNS Settings.
Now, replace the Primary DNS values with 1.1.1.1 and Secondary DNS with 1.0.0.1 to use Cloud Flare DNS.
Or you can replace the Primary DNS with 8.8.8.8 and Secondary DNS with 8.8.4.4 to use Google's DNS.

Use both DNS settings to see which works best for your connection, and do not mix up the DNS (Primary DNS from Cloud Flare and Secondary DNS from Google).

Set a Static IP Address

By default, your PS4 IP address is dynamic, which means that every time you restart your router or PS4 a new IP address will be assigned.

This is generally fine, but in some cases, it might cause intermittent connection issues. You can overcome this by assigning a static IP for your PS4.

You can do this by:

Opening Settings >> Network >> View Connection Status.
Note down all the information you see here.
Go back to the Network screen and select Set up internet connection.
Select either Wifi or Lan depending on the connection type you are using.
Click on Custom >> Manual.
Enter all of the information you took down earlier, starting with IP address.
Finally, click next.

This will set up a static IP for your PS4 which should provide a more stable connection during gameplay.

Reset your PS4

If none of the methods above worked, then you can try resetting your PS4.

To reset your PS4:

Navigate to the 'Settings' menu.
Scroll down to 'Initialization' and click on it.
Now select 'Initialize PS4'.
Here you can select 'Quick' or 'Full' reset depending on your preference. It is recommended to do a 'Full' reset, although it may take some time.
Once you have selected the reset method, click on 'Initialize' and wait for the system to restart.

You will now be prompted to perform the initial setup and your device should work properly with Wi-Fi.

Contact Support

In the event nothing works, you can contact both Sony support as well as your ISP.

Contact Sony to check if there are any issues with the wireless receiver on the PS4 itself as it might be the cause for your dropped connections.

Similarly, your ISP can check to make sure your connection is working properly and there are no issues or scheduled maintenance downtimes planned.

Plug-In an Ethernet Cable

If the wireless issue continues to persist, then the best solution is to simply switch to a wired connection.

Plug an ethernet cable from your router into the back of the PS4.

Navigate to 'Settings' >> 'Network' and run the setup as you would for wireless, but select wired connection instead.

Select the default options and allow the device to connect to the router.

Once the connection is established, you can use your network without any of the drawbacks of wireless connections.

Incidentally, wired connections also provide a far more stable connection, so it's recommended if you stream as well.

Conclusion

While the PS4 can have a few issues when connecting to Wi-Fi, most of them can be solved with simple fixes.

Additionally, it's a good idea not to clutter the space in front of your router and PS4 as the more objects between the two devices, the longer and more intermittent the connection will be.

Finally, it's always a good idea to quickly check the status of the Playstation Network (PSN) to make sure it isn't down. If it is, then this causes issues with your PS4 while it is connected to the internet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of Wi-Fi does a PS4 have?

While the original PS4 supports Wi-Fi 4 protocol limited to 2.4GHz, the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro models support Wi-Fi 5 protocol with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bandwidths.

Does the PS4 Slim have built-in Wi-Fi?

All PS4 models have built-in Wi-Fi. The only difference is the speed and bandwidth capabilities between the original model and the slim/pro.

Does the PS4 use 2.4GHz or 5Ghz?

The original PS4 only supports 2.4GHz, while the PS4 slim and pro models support dual-band at 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

Is LAN faster than Wi-Fi on the PS4?

LAN is almost always faster on any device including the PS4. This is because the connection is far more stable and direct, unlike Wi-Fi.

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