I often leave my Mac for some time to do assorted tasks. When I return and log into the screensaver, I can't visit my homepage, Google, because the Ethernet connection has disconnected, requiring a few minutes to reestablish DHCP before I can Google again. Is there a way to keep the Ethernet connection alive while my computer idles?
I'm using Mac OS X 10.8.4 Mountain Lion x64;
on a 2013 MacBook Pro 15";
with an official Apple Mini DVI to Gigabit Ethernet adapter;
plugged into a good cat5 cable.
Best Answer
I had similar problem with the wifi I use.
It would disconnect me after certain time of inactivity.
So when downloading big stuff it would disconnect me, unless I was active on the computer/web.
To prevent wifi been disconnected during long downloads or me not interacting with it:
In Terminal I entered following:
That would send a ping to Google than wait 600 seconds to send another ping and on and on...till I hit the control-C to stop it.
That will tell wifi I am active so it will stay up all the time.
The 600 sec (10 minutes) is a choice, and it worked for me. In my case it was the WiFi service provider that cut me off after been inactive for a while.