Strange "No internet" issue after reboot on Mac Mini M2 Pro

[RetiredInFl]

This is strange. 90-% of the time when I reboot or power cycle My Mac Mini M2 Pro it comes back with "ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED" message when I go to a website. My MacBook Pro sitting right next to it is fine both ethernet and wifi. This has the 10Gbps internal NIC. Here is what I have done to try to figure this out:

#1) Same issue on both WiFi and Ethernet connections
#2). Normal (DHCP) IP addresses are assigned to both Ethernet and Wi-Fi while this is going on
#3) Tried different ports on router. Plugged the laptop cable into the Mini (same problem)
#4) Successfully connected to a Xfinity public wifi signal from nearby (probably next house). Same problem. Since I am actually connected, I would think I would have internet connectivity, but no.
#5) Connected to my cell phone as an access point. Same problem.

Did multiple power cycles, nothing helps. Disabled firewall, no help.

EVENTUALLY it starts working.
The above tests seem to 100% eliminate the router since the issue is the same with Cell Phone as access point and next door neighbor's public wifi

Could there be a setting causing this? I am a 1yr newbie when it comes to MACs but have been a quite knowledgeable PC & Windows user for probably close 40 years and pretty good with networking. This has me SMH.

Since both WiFI and hard-wire suffer the same problem not sure how it could be hardware (are both the WiFI adapter & ethernet adapter on the same chip?

 

[Bigwaff]

it comes back with "ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED" message when I go to a website.

You don't mention which browser... either way, uninstall any browser plugins or extensions first. If using Safari, try disabling system Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Private Relay

 

[Fishrrman]

Something you could try. I make no promises.

Go to the network settings panel.

Concentrate first on ethernet.
Click on the ethernet setting in the pane, then click the "-" button to DELETE IT.
Yes, delete it.
Close the system settings.
Power off -- ALL THE WAY off.
Reboot and get logged back in.
Go back to network settings -- there should be no "ethernet connection", because we deleted it.
Click on the "+" sign to create a NEW ethernet connection.

See if that works.
Try a reboot or two to see if "it sticks".

If that works, repeat the above sequence, only this time for wifi.

 

[RetiredInFl]

Something you could try. I make no promises.

Go to the network settings panel.

Concentrate first on ethernet.
Click on the ethernet setting in the pane, then click the "-" button to DELETE IT.
Yes, delete it.
Close the system settings.
Power off -- ALL THE WAY off.
Reboot and get logged back in.
Go back to network settings -- there should be no "ethernet connection", because we deleted it.
Click on the "+" sign to create a NEW ethernet connection.

See if that works.
Try a reboot or two to see if "it sticks".

If that works, repeat the above sequence, only this time for wifi.

Been there, done that. Been through that on Windows systems over the years. Happens about maybe 3 out of 5 times rebooting or power cycle. Strange. Starting to think maybe the internal NIC is the problem.

 

[RetiredInFl]

You don't mention which browser... either way, uninstall any browser plugins or extensions first. If using Safari, try disabling system Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Private Relay

Same with 3 different browsers. Chrome, DuckDG & Safari. Only one with any extensions is chrome. Happens with all 3 browsers. Private relay has been off since day 1. I even tried changing DNS from "default" from Xfinity to Google and Cloudflare.

 

[Ben J.]

I googled "ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED" and got this. Seems like solid advise. IHTH:

How To Fix the ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED Error (8 Ways)

The ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED error is a common issue related to your internet connection. Here are eight easy ways to fix the issue.

kinsta.com

 

[BotchQue]

How long has this been happening for you? I've been losing internet on all my devices/TV for an hour or two, every day for the last 3, 4 days; I figured it was a local server but your issues sound identical to mine.
Although if it WAS a nationwide issue, think it'd been mentioned on the news by now.
I like books.

 

[RetiredInFl]

I googled "ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED" and got this. Seems like solid advise. IHTH:

How To Fix the ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED Error (8 Ways)

The ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED error is a common issue related to your internet connection. Here are eight easy ways to fix the issue.

kinsta.com

Thanks, but I had read that article a while ago and it has nothing to do with my situation as in my case I can fully eliminate my internet provider because as noted in my OP that my MacBook, cell phoneS, iPad, streaming deviceS, security cams and every other device in my home works fine when the Mac Mini is not PLUS when I connect my Mac Mini to my cell phone as a hotspot it doesn't work either as well as when I connect to my neighbors open Xfinity Wifi hotspot. EVERYTHING works fine except the MacMini which does eventually start working again;

 

[RetiredInFl]

How long has this been happening for you? I've been losing internet on all my devices/TV for an hour or two, every day for the last 3, 4 days; I figured it was a local server but your issues sound identical to mine.
Although if it WAS a nationwide issue, think it'd been mentioned on the news by now.
I like books.

Only happens to my Mac Mini. Everything else continues to work fine when the MM is not so it's not related. Been happening on/off for probably a couple months or maybe longer since I don't restart my MM that often.

 

[Ben J.]

Thanks, but I had read that article a while ago and it has nothing to do with my situation as in my case I can fully eliminate my internet provider because as noted in my OP that my MacBook, cell phoneS, iPad, streaming deviceS, security cams and every other device in my home works fine when the Mac Mini is not PLUS when I connect my Mac Mini to my cell phone as a hotspot it doesn't work either as well as when I connect to my neighbors open Xfinity Wifi hotspot. EVERYTHING works fine except the MacMini which does eventually start working again;

What about antivirus, firewall, etc - points 4, 5, 6, 7 in the article?

Have you tried creating a new user on the mac? If that works, it'll tell you something about the cause of the problem.

 

[meson]

Try reinstalling MacOS. No need to do a full wipe and install from scratch. I’ve had similar issues in the past with my M1 mini and work issued M1 MBP. Usually it goes away after a software update. I suspect something gets corrupted in either software or firmware and then fixed when rewritten.

The most extreme case I had was when my work issued MBP completely lost the ability to connect. That one ended with them wiping and setting up the machine from scratch. Even with admin privileges, there was something in their profiles that prevented me from fixing the issue.

As always, make sure critical data are backed up before installing/wiping and installing.

Edit: What version of MacOS are you running? I recall several months ago that there was a version of iOS that caused interned issues similar to what you are experiencing. I had that one too. I just don’t remember if the analogous MacOS version had the same problems.

My mini is quite happy with the latest version of Sonoma. My external drives are staying connected better, internet connection works well, etc.

 

[RetiredInFl]

Try reinstalling MacOS. No need to do a full wipe and install from scratch. I’ve had similar issues in the past with my M1 mini and work issued M1 MBP. Usually it goes away after a software update. I suspect something gets corrupted in either software or firmware and then fixed when rewritten.

The most extreme case I had was when my work issued MBP completely lost the ability to connect. That one ended with them wiping and setting up the machine from scratch. Even with admin privileges, there was something in their profiles that prevented me from fixing the issue.

As always, make sure critical data are backed up before installing/wiping and installing.

Edit: What version of MacOS are you running? I recall several months ago that there was a version of iOS that caused interned issues similar to what you are experiencing. I had that one too. I just don’t remember if the analogous MacOS version had the same problems.

My mini is quite happy with the latest version of Sonoma. My external drives are staying connected better, internet connection works well, etc.

That was my next move. Running latest 14.4.1. Maybe I'll try a dev beta first before reinstalling. Maybe a new O/S load will kick it back in again. .

 

[RetiredInFl]

What about antivirus, firewall, etc - points 4, 5, 6, 7 in the article?

Have you tried creating a new user on the mac? If that works, it'll tell you something about the cause of the problem.

A/V, Firewall and all that "stuff" has been disabled. Dealt with TS'ing for dozens of years maintaining Windows systems but I will try new user but may just jump to reinstalling OS. Does MAC O/S's have a "safe mode" like WIN ? Only problem is this issue is intermittent so I really won't know if it is fixed or waiting to bite me again.

 

[niteflyr]

Start up your Mac in safe mode

Starting up your Mac in safe mode may help you diagnose problems with your Mac.

support.apple.com