# Please Help! Sudden Drop in WiFi connection on PC only



## lemoncarbonate (Sep 29, 2021)

Like 2 days ago my PC wifi connection suddenly went bad. I thought it was because of latest windows update, but after I uninstalled all the updates, the problem still remains.

*Problems: (all happen on my PC only, the same devices that connected to the same network in the same room are fine)*
1. Google search and youtube load veeeeery slowly
2. Intermittently losing internet connection.
3. Intermittently disconnected from wifi, or still connected to wifi but says 'no internet', even with almost full signal.
4. Signal drop only to 1 bar (happened before too, but never affected the speed this much. Phone and laptop in the same room are fine.
5. As I'm writing this, speedtest on my PC says 0.19Mbps download, while on my phone says 42Mbps, and I am disconnected from network multiple times.
6. Can't reconnect to the same network it disconnected from. Slow reconnecting.

*What I have tried *(I don't have much knowledge in networking, so just basic stuff)
1. Restart the router
2. Uninstall windows update
3. Restart PC
4. Adjusting antenna on both router and wifi card

*Others:*
1. My work laptop connection is fine
2. My iPad, and phone connection are fine, when I'm losing internet connection I tried to load website from my phone, and it loaded quickly. 

Wifi card: *TP Link TL-WDN4800 *(PCIE). bought 2017, no new driver, last official driver was 2014 
Router: *Asus RT AC58U*, bought 2019.

*Please help me troubleshoot:*
1. Is it possible that my Wifi card is dying? It is still working fine and detected in my hardware configuration. I don't want to rush buying a new one and still having the same problem afterward.
2. Is windows update is at fault here? Previously I had windows update destroyed my wifi connection, but I uninstalled all recent updates after March 2021, except some that is can't be uninstalled.
3. Or is it something else?

Attached is my windows update history right now.
current version: *Windows 10 Pro 64bit 10.0.19041 Build 19041*

If my wifi card is dying, I'm planning to buy *TP Link Archer T6E*. Any recommendation will be appreciated.

Thank you in advance!


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## Jetster (Sep 29, 2021)

Couple of things to try. If you're on the 5.0 switch to 2.4. Try disabling the nic then re-enable it. I don't think your card is dying


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## joemama (Sep 29, 2021)

Maybe try reinstalling your card's driver?


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## lemoncarbonate (Sep 29, 2021)

Jetster said:


> Couple of things to try. If you're on the 5.0 switch to 2.4. Try disabling the nic then re-enable it. I don't think your card is dying


How do I do that? Honestly I'm not savvy in networking and wifi things. Thank you.



joemama said:


> Maybe try reinstalling your card's driver?


Forgot to mention, I already did, but doesn't repair anything. The latest driver was also from 2014 lol.


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## Jetster (Sep 29, 2021)

Lower right wifi right click you should have both 2.4 and 5.0. Try 2.4

To disable the adapter. Search ethernet settings, change adapter options on the right. Right click and disable, then enable


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## lemoncarbonate (Sep 29, 2021)

Jetster said:


> Lower right wifi right click you should have both 2.4 and 5.0. Try 2.4
> 
> To disable the adapter. Search ethernet settings, change adapter options on the right. Right click and disable, then enable


Thanks. I'm already on 2.4 (please see attached). Did not see any options to change. I also googled how to change it, but it doesn't seem applicable to my card.
I disabled and re-enabled the wifi too, but still having trouble, even for posting this reply.

In task manager, it looks like it's not receiving or sending any data at all. the graph is totally flat or low when I tried to opening web or running speed test.
Now it's disconnecting every few seconds and having trouble to reconnect.

This has never happened before 2 days ago. Something is clearly wrong but I don't know what it is.


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## Jetster (Sep 29, 2021)

Sorry I didn't check your adapter. Get an AC wireless adapter. The one you have is a N900. Even a USB one would be better than what you have

The TP Link Archer T6E would be fine or the Archer T3U

Keep in mind, if its on another floor, or far way get one with an antenna


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## Mussels (Sep 29, 2021)

I mean... have you checked the wifi aerials are intact and not damaged?

Google fu shows it's an Atheros AR9380

Try this generic 2019 driver?
Qualcomm/Atheros Wireless Lan Drivers Version 10.0.3.462 WHQL (station-drivers.com)


I recall BS with another adaptor like this from TP link (look it may even be the same card) where i had to change an advanced option to force it to 5GHz, to get full speeds when my 2.4 and 5ghz shared an SSID name, and then swap it back to auto if i wanted 2.4 to work


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## lemoncarbonate (Sep 29, 2021)

Jetster said:


> Sorry I didn't check your adapter. Get an AC wireless adapter. The one you have is a N900. Even a USB one would be better than what you have
> 
> The TP Link Archer T6E would be fine or the Archer T3U
> 
> Keep in mind, if its on another floor, or far way get one with an antenna


No worries. So is this N900 likely an old and bad model? 
It was working fine until 2 days ago. Well if I recall again, it did disconnect from network several times before, but it has never been this severe.

Thank you for the recommendation, I'm on another floor, I'll definitely need one with antennas. 



Mussels said:


> I mean... have you checked the wifi aerials are intact and not damaged?


Are those the antenna thing on the back of the card? nothing is damaged in particular.


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## Jetster (Sep 29, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> No worries. So is this N900 likely an old and bad model?
> It was working fine until 2 days ago. Well if I recall again, it did disconnect from network several times before, but it has never been this severe.
> 
> Thank you for the recommendation, I'm on another floor, I'll definitely need one with antennas.
> ...


802.11 N was always notorious for drops if its on another floor. AC is a game changer. But both need to be AC


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## P4-630 (Sep 29, 2021)

Get an 802.11ac router and get one of these:









						USB-AC68｜Adapters｜ASUS Global
					






					www.asus.com


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## Jetster (Sep 29, 2021)

P4-630 said:


> Get an 802.11ac router and get one of these:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


He's got a *Asus RT AC58U *MU-MIMO just an N adapter


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## Mussels (Sep 29, 2021)

Just avoid the old TP links, they're super cheap around here and often passed off very fast due to terrible drivers

Edup is also a cheapo brand, but this is an intel chipset (and a stupidly fast one, at that)

Amazon.com: EDUP PCIe WiFi 6 Card Bluetooth 5.1 AX 3000 Mbps AX200 Dual Band 5.GHz/2.4GHz

bluetooth requires a USB header on mobo, totally optional


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## micropage7 (Sep 29, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> Thanks. I'm already on 2.4 (please see attached). Did not see any options to change. I also googled how to change it, but it doesn't seem applicable to my card.
> I disabled and re-enabled the wifi too, but still having trouble, even for posting this reply.
> 
> In task manager, it looks like it's not receiving or sending any data at all. the graph is totally flat or low when I tried to opening web or running speed test.
> ...


just to check what setting that you run? 20mhz or 40 mhz on 2.5 ghz?


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## lemoncarbonate (Sep 30, 2021)

Thank you for all your replies and help. 
Update: last night my wifi was weirdly working fine, I saw 999ms ping drop for few seconds multiple times in game though (usually around 90-150ms), and youtube buffers occasionally.
And now as I'm typing this, my connection also seems fine. I did not make any change in setting or setup.
But just in case the same problem may happen again anytime in crucial time, I need to take precaution.

Edit: I retract my word. I lost connection when I tried posting this reply.



Mussels said:


> Google fu shows it's an Atheros AR9380
> 
> Try this generic 2019 driver?
> Qualcomm/Atheros Wireless Lan Drivers Version 10.0.3.462 WHQL (station-drivers.com)
> ...





Mussels said:


> Just avoid the old TP links, they're super cheap around here and often passed off very fast due to terrible drivers
> 
> Edup is also a cheapo brand, but this is an intel chipset (and a stupidly fast one, at that)
> 
> ...


Thank you, I'll try the new driver. I'll be sure to check how recent it is before buying new card. I did not think that far when buying this WDN4800 back in 2017.



micropage7 said:


> just to check what setting that you run? 20mhz or 40 mhz on 2.5 ghz?


How to check? Supposedly at 2.4GHz.



Jetster said:


> 802.11 N was always notorious for drops if its on another floor. AC is a game changer. But both need to be AC


Will there be any significant improvement if I use both AC? I had RT AC58U as router. I mean improvement in terms of such ping, stability, etc. Router is on first floor, my PC is on 2nd floor.


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## eidairaman1 (Sep 30, 2021)

Make sure the wifi adapter and router are not obstructed by enclosures.

I prefer antennas with flex wire so it can be moved out from back of case.


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## lemoncarbonate (Sep 30, 2021)

eidairaman1 said:


> Make sure the wifi adapter and router are not obstructed by enclosures.
> 
> I prefer antennas with flex wire so it can be moved out from back of case.


Hi, it's never been obstructed by anything. The router has been in the same open position forever (1st F, I'm on 2nd F)
My wifi card has antennas on the back of my case, I suspected at first that my aluminum case could become an obstruction, but it has never been a problem for over 4 years.


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## Mussels (Sep 30, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> Thank you for all your replies and help.
> Update: last night my wifi was weirdly working fine, I saw 999ms ping drop for few seconds multiple times in game though (usually around 90-150ms), and youtube buffers occasionally.
> And now as I'm typing this, my connection also seems fine. I did not make any change in setting or setup.
> But just in case the same problem may happen again anytime in crucial time, I need to take precaution.
> ...


Best idea for now is to find a cheap wifi 6 like the intels, because you simply know those chipsets are newer

You could tell how fast the connection is from windows, and that would give us plenty of info as to its connection type (450Mb or under, probably 2.4Ghz. Locked to 65 or 150, and we know its lower bandwidth, etc)


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## eidairaman1 (Sep 30, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> Hi, it's never been obstructed by anything. The router has been in the same open position forever (1st F, I'm on 2nd F)
> My wifi card has antennas on the back of my case, I suspected at first that my aluminum case could become an obstruction, but it has never been a problem for over 4 years, until 3 days ago.



Make sure wifi router is on 2nd floor.


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## Mussels (Sep 30, 2021)

eidairaman1 said:


> Make sure wifi router is on 2nd floor.


That might not be possible. He could obviously circumvent the issue with homeplug (ethernet over power), new wifi adaptor, really long cable, or a bunch of other alternatives - the goal is fixing the wifi adaptor that did work and now doesnt


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## Jetster (Sep 30, 2021)

Could also be interference from other 2.4 devices on the same channel. But changing to an AC network adapter should fix it
I know my old N router would not even reach upstairs back room. AC does with both 2.4 and 5.0


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## lemoncarbonate (Sep 30, 2021)

Mussels said:


> Best idea for now is to find a cheap wifi 6 like the intels, because you simply know those chipsets are newer
> 
> You could tell how fast the connection is from windows, and that would give us plenty of info as to its connection type (450Mb or under, probably 2.4Ghz. Locked to 65 or 150, and we know its lower bandwidth, etc)


I saw some generic unbranded or unknown brand of Intel AX200 Wifi 6, quite cheap, same price as  TPLink Archer T6E, but I dont know if it can be trusted for long term..



eidairaman1 said:


> Make sure wifi router is on 2nd floor.


Unfortunately, it's not possible to move it to 2nd floor 
As I said, it's been fine since 2017, the problem occurred just very recently, which I'm trying to figure it out.



Jetster said:


> Could also be interference from other 2.4 devices on the same channel. But changing to an AC network adapter should fix it
> I know my old N router would not even reach upstairs. AC does with both 2.4 and 5.0


That's good to know. I'll be sure to take AC when I end up buying a new one.

I'm trying some generic drivers right now, if it doesn't work maybe I have to assume my wifi card is failing.


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## phanbuey (Sep 30, 2021)

what helped me for my laptop was setting the band in device manager to one band -- that got rid of my drops.


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## Mussels (Sep 30, 2021)

phanbuey said:


> what helped me for my laptop was setting the band in device manager to one band -- that got rid of my drops.


i needed to do that for my two atheros devices as well, it was an issue a W10 update introduced at some point (pretty sure i mentioned this earlier, may have been another thread)


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## lemoncarbonate (Oct 1, 2021)

Update: Hey guys! So I bought the Archer T6E, swapped it, installed the driver, and unfortunately the problem still exists 

I rarely get disconnected anymore, but I'm still getting random speed drop.
Here you can see my phone on the left and my PC on the right.
Both are connected to the same network. My maximum speed is around 45Mbps, I'm pretty happy with 25 on 2nd floor. 20-30 Mbps is what I usually got before.

1. I did the test both separately and at the same time. Both are showing almost the same result, 20 something on phone, and 0,5-2 on PC.
2. Signals are strong. I doubt signal was the issue.
3. VPN is off when testing.
4. Not only the speedtest, the actual speed is also slow.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY WIFI?? I'm so frustrated.
Will a clean install help? It's the last thing I want to do because I have many softwares installed...

Additional info: I don't know if this matters or not, but apparently only my download speed is affected, the upload speed mostly stays the same (see 2nd attachment)


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 1, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> I saw some generic unbranded or unknown brand of Intel AX200 Wifi 6, quite cheap, same price as  TPLink Archer T6E, but I dont know if it can be trusted for long term..
> 
> 
> Unfortunately, it's not possible to move it to 2nd floor
> ...


Replace the wifi adapter then.

I was a Home Network Technician for AT&T in 2013.



Mussels said:


> i needed to do that for my two atheros devices as well, it was an issue a W10 update introduced at some point (pretty sure i mentioned this earlier, may have been another thread)



Atheros have been troublesome in the past.


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## lemoncarbonate (Oct 1, 2021)

eidairaman1 said:


> Replace the wifi adapter then.
> 
> I was a Home Network Technician for AT&T in 2013.



I already did today, check out my previous reply.  But the problem remains.. this is so frustrating. 
Do you have any idea what the cause is?


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## Shrek (Oct 1, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> Hi, it's never been obstructed by anything. The router has been in the same open position forever (1st F, I'm on 2nd F)



The problem may be the 2.4 band getting more and more crowded; tip the antenna horizontal so it beams vertically.


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 1, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> I already did today, check out my previous reply.  But the problem remains.. this is so frustrating.
> Do you have any idea what the cause is?


Router


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## phanbuey (Oct 1, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> Update: Hey guys! So I bought the Archer T6E, swapped it, installed the driver, and unfortunately the problem still exists
> 
> I rarely get disconnected anymore, but I'm still getting random speed drop.
> Here you can see my phone on the left and my PC on the right.
> ...



Set the band to G. try again.


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## P4-630 (Oct 1, 2021)

How many people are using it? Because I see your download speed with the new router varies as well.


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## Jetster (Oct 1, 2021)

You have something interfering. You may need to do a clean install. Try killing some processes . Ctrl / Alt / Del   Task Manager

It use to have good speed right?


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## Logan7 (Oct 1, 2021)

I had an issue in the past sort of like you are describing, drove me nuts for a while.

Going to paste what I wrote in another thread a few weeks ago:


> Open Command Prompt, type "ipconfig" and hit enter. Take note of the Default Gateway IP address.
> Then type "ping (default gateway) -t"
> 
> The time should be very short, mine is 1-2ms and I'm not very close to the router.



This is a sample of what mine looked like when I had this problem:


> Pinging 192.168.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
> Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
> Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=568ms TTL=64
> Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
> ...


So every other ping would start from ~1000 ms and decrease and then essentially reset.
It had something to do with the WLAN AutoConfig service constantly pinging or searching for a connection or something.
The solution was to run WLAN Optimizer (https://www.martin-majowski.de/) in the background to prevent it from doing this.

So try the ping test and see how it comes out.


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## Mussels (Oct 2, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> I already did today, check out my previous reply.  But the problem remains.. this is so frustrating.
> Do you have any idea what the cause is?


You changed to another card that uses the same drivers, so therefore the same settings

Show the connection speeds from windows, and check if you're on 2.4 or 5GHz


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## lemoncarbonate (Oct 2, 2021)

*SOLVED!!*

Apparently *a botched windows update installation* is the main cause. I said it the first post that this issue started after I updated windows to the latest version available right now.
Then I uninstalled the update, and the issue persisted. It seems like both the installation and uninstallation were botched.

So, I uninstalled all 2021 update, and redownloaded all update which was a painful process with 0.5-4 Mbps speed. I let windows did a priority update. After update, all problems are gone, connection is stable now. I now see significant improvement in signal reception and speed with the new AC1300 adapter.

This speed was impossible from my pc before with N900 adapter.







I HATE YOU WINDOWS!!!
On the positive side, I have a new AC adapter which is an upgrade, and I learned a few new things.

Thank you so much to @Mussels, @Jetster, @eidairaman1, @Logan7, @phanbuey, and all other contributors in this thread for the advices.  I really appreciate your advice and knowledge.

Cheers!
Lemon


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 2, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> *SOLVED!!*
> 
> Apparently *a botched windows update installation* is the main cause. I said it the first post that this issue started after I updated windows to the latest version available right now.
> Then I uninstalled the update, and the issue persisted. It seems like both the installation and uninstallation were botched.
> ...


Its why i refuse w10.


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## lemoncarbonate (Oct 2, 2021)

eidairaman1 said:


> Its why i refuse w10.


I just wish they didn't force unwanted updates and let us decide, not just postponing unwanted updates.


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## phanbuey (Oct 2, 2021)

Awesome man! great work.


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## Mussels (Oct 2, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> I just wish they didn't force unwanted updates and let us decide, not just postponing unwanted updates.


snag some ISO files for offline updates/downgrades, i have a external SSD using ventoy so i can down or up grade at any time, if things go wrong (i've been pretty lucky)


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## Ferd (Oct 2, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> I just wish they didn't force unwanted updates and let us decide,


I don’t like W10 either, but what you want is possible.

you can even do system updates without updating drivers , which I think is the reason you had these issues , windows 10 probably found a new driver for your network adapter and installed it during sys update :










you can copy the hardware id of the device you don’t want win 10 to update and paste it in the table in last pic , i always do this for my gpus, network adapters and audio drivers and it works ....


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## lemoncarbonate (Oct 2, 2021)

Ferd said:


> I don’t like W10 either, but what you want is possible.
> 
> you can even do system updates without updating drivers , which I think is the reason you had these issues , windows 10 probably found a new driver for your network adapter and installed it during sys update :
> View attachment 219157
> ...


I see, so you can do that, thank you, I'll try this method out.


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## delshay (Oct 2, 2021)

lemoncarbonate said:


> *SOLVED!!*
> 
> Apparently *a botched windows update installation* is the main cause. I said it the first post that this issue started after I updated windows to the latest version available right now.
> Then I uninstalled the update, and the issue persisted. It seems like both the installation and uninstallation were botched.
> ...



OK. But I would have tried windows online validation first. This feature is mostly useful for those user(s) that like to overclock & currupt they system files.


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## P4-630 (Oct 2, 2021)

delshay said:


> OK. But I would have tried windows online validation first. This feature is mostly useful for those user(s) that like to overclock & currupt they system files.


You mean, CMD sfc /scannow


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## delshay (Oct 2, 2021)

P4-630 said:


> You mean, CMD sfc /scannow



Windows 10 online file checker see this link ( 3 is the important one in the link) Using System File Checker in Windows 10 (microsoft.com)


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## P4-630 (Oct 2, 2021)

delshay said:


> That's for windows 7 users



It's also for windows 10, I have used it before on 10.

From your link:


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## delshay (Oct 2, 2021)

P4-630 said:


> It's also for windows 10, I have used it before on 10.
> 
> From your link:
> 
> View attachment 219167



No, use step 3. It check your files LIVE online just like you validate your games files online.  ..Step 4 can be skipped. It's more useful if you don't have internet connection.

EDIT: Don't forget to manually restart your computer after validation.


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