WiFi adapter recommendations

[BrutnellBoy]

For the people that don't want to read a whole paragraph: I'm looking for recommendations on pci-e WiFi adapters! Thanks.

 

 

Hello! I've been having constant issues with WiFi on my build. The issue has carried across multiple windows installs and multiple networks/routers. My last solution was a usb WiFi adapter but it drops the connection (or so it seems) every minute or two. Windows shows it is still connected to the network but no traffic seems to move. Downloads will fail, websites won't load, games disconnect and constant ping tests fail until about 30 seconds later when everything works like normal again. I resorted to sharing the WiFi from my phone over usb hotspot which works perfectly but isn't ideal. My next idea is to try a pci-e WiFi adapter and see how that goes so I am asking for any recommendations on those as there are so many out there. 

I should also add no my mobo doesn't have WiFi built in and yes ethernet would be amazing but I won't be able to run a cable through the ceiling until probably next year so that's out of the question for now.

 

If you did read this far, fair play to you and thank you in advance for any suggestions

 

Specs:

Ryzen 5 3600

MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk 

Gigabyte RTX 4060

16GB Corsair Vengeance

800W PSU

[Falcon1986]

20 minutes ago, BrutnellBoy said:

My last solution was a usb WiFi adapter but it drops the connection...

Make and model?

 

Have you evaluated if the problem is due to factors not related to the adapter?

[BrutnellBoy]

From what I have learnt trying things, the usb port doesnt matter as it does it connected to any port I try.

As I mentioned windows has been installed multiple times and still the same outcome.

My current method of internet is my phone connected to the wifi and sharing it to the pc over usb hotspot and that works absolutely fine.

Can you suggest anything I should try?

[Falcon1986]

28 minutes ago, BrutnellBoy said:

Can you suggest anything I should try?

Simple things:

1. Placement/obstruction - Placement behind a PC where there is a lot of clutter and the whole metal PC case can obstruct reception. Either plug in via a front port or use an extension cable to mount higher.
2. Distance/attenuation - The further from the wireless source, the weaker the signal gets. Objects in between (e.g. floors, walls, etc.) also weaken the signal on top of this. WiFi at elevation is also not good since most wireless routers/APs are omnidirectional (stronger in a horizontal/radial orientation; quickly dies above and below). Do any of these things apply to your situation?
3. Interference - Whether it's from your neighbour's WiFi or other sources of electromagnetic interference (e.g. fridge, Bluetooth, cordless phones). You can run WiFi Analyzer (see Windows/Android app store) to figure out how strong the signal is where your PC is located and if there are any overlapping broadcasts from your neighbours. Post screenshots of your 2.4GHz and 5GHz analyses.
4. Wireless router/AP configuration - At further distances, it's better to try 2.4GHz even if it's slower than 5GHz. However, you might encounter interference, since everyone's wireless router blasts out a 2.4GHz signal. You can also narrow the bandwidth of your own broadcast from 80MHz to 20/40MHz, which will limit maximum speed, but might improve on range.

 

29 minutes ago, BrutnellBoy said:

 

On a hub? No. Directly attach to its own USB port if possible, preferably not a shared interface.

[BrutnellBoy]

The router is directly below the room the pc is in, when the screenshot was taken the adapter was plugged into a front usb port.

These screenshots are taken with my phone placed next to the pc, I will update tonight with results from the pc.

The weird part is I've recently moved house so new internet provider/router and the issue was the same at my last place but I was able to use ethernet there 

[Falcon1986]

1 hour ago, BrutnellBoy said:

I will update tonight with results from the pc.

That is preferred. USB WiFi adapters can be limited compared to PCIe alternatives and what your phone sees.

 

1 hour ago, BrutnellBoy said:

The router is directly below the room the pc is in...

Just to clarify: is your WiFi's SSID the one with the strongest signal (highest amplitude)?

 

While being directly above the router isn't ideal, sometimes you're in the right location to still get a decent signal.

[BrutnellBoy]

Yes sir, I should have added that in the reply my SSID is "Your Face" xD.

I'm just about to fire up the PC and then I will post my results 

[BrutnellBoy]

1 hour ago, BrutnellBoy said:

 will post my results 

uploaded are a wifi analyzer result, and also a speed test on usb hotspot on my phone vs the wifi adapter. And just to be clear, my phone is sharing the wifi not my data connection, although it is connected with wifi 6.

 

[Falcon1986]

15 minutes ago, BrutnellBoy said:

uploaded are a wifi analyzer result, and also a speed test on usb hotspot on my phone vs the wifi adapter. And just to be clear, my phone is sharing the wifi not my data connection, although it is connected with wifi 6.

And analysis when connecting on 5GHz?

[BrutnellBoy]

On my network both 2.4 and 5GHz seem to be combined, some devices connect on 2.4 and some connect on 5. I might have a look and see if I can separate them both to different SSIDs 

[Falcon1986]

2 hours ago, BrutnellBoy said:

On my network both 2.4 and 5GHz seem to be combined, some devices connect on 2.4 and some connect on 5. I might have a look and see if I can separate them both to different SSIDs 

WiFi Analyzer outputs different graphs based on the frequency it's analyzing. Are you sure you used the correct WiFi Analyzer app?

 

Your previous screenshot showed a pure 2.4GHz analysis because you can only see channels 1-14. There should be a toggle in the interface to switch to the 5GHz view.

 

Looking at what your phone was able to detect, it seems like your 2.4GHz spectrum is crowded as expected. Whoever is broadcasting 'House WiFi' obviously doesn't care about neighbours since they're using a 40MHz bandwidth. This wide on 2.4GHz is asking for interference. There's not much you can do about this; perhaps configure your router's radio to use channel 1 at 20MHz on 2.4GHz.

 

Your 5GHz analysis is interesting. Your router seems to be using a 160MHz broadcast that predominantly overlaps the DFS range. Because most USB WiFi adapters tend to have hardware limitations, they rarely can "see" DFS channels. Furthermore, if they could see it, this segment of the 5GHz spectrum overlaps with weather radar and satellite communication use. As a result, your WiFi can be temporarily interrupted if these broadcasts are common in your area. You need to configure your router's radio to use a narrower channel width (80 or even 40MHz), which will sacrifice on overall throughput, and try using one of the upper 5GHz channels (149-165). It would have been nice to see that far to the right on your analysis to see if any neighbour is broadcasting that high.