Have you ever noticed that your internet connection briefly goes down in the middle of the night? Many users suspect a malfunction – but often it is due to what is known as a forced DSL disconnection.

What does DSL forced disconnection mean?

DSL forced disconnection used to be an automatic interruption of the internet connection every 24 hours. It served to reassign IP addresses and store connection data (CDR). Users then had to dial in again.

Forced disconnection used to be necessary because DSL connections were often billed based on usage. Today, flat rates are standard – at easybell, there is no longer any forced disconnection.

Why does my router still disconnect?

Many routers, such as FRITZ!Boxes, are factory-set to disconnect once a day. The reason for this is that it is assumed that a forced disconnection will occur. To ensure that the 24 hours do not expire in the middle of the day while someone is using the internet, the connection is proactively disconnected every night at the same time.

This is no longer necessary today, and we recommend disabling this feature.

Deactivate automatic disconnection

  1. Call up the user interface of the FRITZ!Box by entering fritz.box in the address line of your browser.
  2. Enter your device password if necessary
  3. Use the menu to switch to the entry Internet → Access data
  4. Further down, expand the menu item "Change connection settings"
  5. Remove the checkmark from "Move forced disconnection by provider to the time between"
  6. Click "Apply"

From now on, the DSL connection will be permanently online.

Attention!

If the connection is lost at different times, we recommend reading our article on internet connection interruptions.

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Created on: 20. October 2025