"Connection timed out"... the hell does that mean?

[Kimarous]

While I have a perfectly fine internet connection for my household across several computers, I keep having internet difficulties for my PS3. I tried switching from wireless to a LAN cable to fix things, but the change has been minimal at best. What seems to be the main issue, however, is, according to various disconnect messages I receive, "my connection has timed out". What does that even mean? Can I fix this in any way? I'm getting really sick of being disconnected after nearly every individual match...

 

[Continuity]

could be your router struggling to cope with all the traffic when populating a server list... just a guess.

 

[The Maddest March Hare]

As far as I'm aware, when your console wants to connect to a network it sends a request and waits for a confirmation which allows it to connect. If the request isn't answered within a given timeframe, the system requesting the connection will assume that the receiver is offline and cancel the request.

It could mean that the server at the other end of the network is offline for some reason (or in this case just overloaded?), or that you have a faulty connection from your console to the house network. Also make sure your router and console are compatible.