Laptop wifi issues

[NathanDsouza]

Hi, my dell laptop is experiencing wifi connectivity issues, it keeps dropping the connection for no apparent reason and i have to manually reset the wifi adapter in the settings, if someone could shed light on a solution, that would be great
 

Intel wireless AC 3160 btw

[glitchmaster0001]

did you update drivers for the wifi card? or if you want just go to your local frys or best buy and buy a cheap USB wifi adapter for $10

[Belgiangurista]

Well, those problems are sometimes hard to figure out just by asking on a forum. 50/50 chance I will be able to help you... here goes nothing:

 

- Were you doing ok before? has the problem suddenly come up? bad signals on modem (ISP) or Interference problem on 2.4GHz.

- You have an ac WiFi PCI-e card, good on you, but does the source (modem, router, ap, better not be using an extender ) supports 5GHz? WiFi N or AC? Interference problem on 2.4GHz. Split the SSID's: 1 for the 2.4, 1 for the 5.0GHz.

- When the laptop loses connection, do other devices like a Smartphone, tablet, ... keep their connection? Laptop WiFi card problem - PC-repair / external USB like mentioned above is the fix.

[NathanDsouza]

10 hours ago, glitchmaster0001 said:

did you update drivers for the wifi card? or if you want just go to your local frys or best buy and buy a cheap USB wifi adapter for $10

Ive updated all the possible network drivers

[NathanDsouza]

10 hours ago, macu said:

Using a external USB Wireless Adapter should do the Job. Quick and Dirty

 

You could also consider replacing your Notebooks Wireless Interface.
Or check/test if it really are Driver Problems (Can be "quite" complicated, depends on your knowledge and your patience)

I have tried that, seems to work okay, but i dont want to use up a usb port everytime i need to use the internet (pretty much all the time)
i also read that the adapter on these models of dell are quite loose, so i tried to secure everything, near the wifi card, but it hasnt solved anything

[NathanDsouza]

9 hours ago, Belgiangurista said:

Well, those problems are sometimes hard to figure out just by asking on a forum. 50/50 chance I will be able to help you... here goes nothing:

 

- Were you doing ok before? has the problem suddenly come up? bad signals on modem (ISP) or Interference problem on 2.4GHz.

- You have an ac WiFi PCI-e card, good on you, but does the source (modem, router, ap, better not be using an extender ) supports 5GHz? WiFi N or AC? Interference problem on 2.4GHz. Split the SSID's: 1 for the 2.4, 1 for the 5.0GHz.

- When the laptop loses connection, do other devices like a Smartphone, tablet, ... keep their connection? Laptop WiFi card problem - PC-repair / external USB like mentioned above is the fix.

The problem was pretty much when i got the laptop (like a month-ish back), ive ignored it because my finals are on right now and i dont want to really sit and work on it a whole lot,
my router is  a Netgear DGN1000, and on the box it says 802.11 b/g and no 5 ghz , so im not sure whether it supports either of your criteria
there are a lot of walls in between the router and the living room where i use my laptop, but even though the connection is a bit slow, it doesnt drop for anything else, my laptop is barely able to get 8-24 mbps (megabit) in the living room on a 100 mb (megabit) connection, that really should go that low

[Belgiangurista]

It's 90% sure your router. WiFi g only goes up to 54Mbs theoretically. When next to it, even half the speed is a succes. It's technology dating back from 2003. Win XP came out the same year.

 

There's probably nothing wrong with your laptop.

[NathanDsouza]

5 hours ago, Belgiangurista said:

It's 90% sure your router. WiFi g only goes up to 54Mbs theoretically. When next to it, even half the speed is a succes. It's technology dating back from 2003. Win XP came out the same year.

 

There's probably nothing wrong with your laptop.

yes, agreed, but the thing is that the speed on the laptop when checked on network adapter status, sometimes goes to 8 mbps, then will jump to 135 mbps, then in between, which i really dont get

[NathanDsouza]

4 hours ago, macu said:

I agree with this, and with many things going on in the 2.4GHz Band it would be easy to have connectivity problems.

 

All thought it seems a bit odd, the old b/g Standard should only affect your connectivity speed...

 

I often have the experience that "old" Wireless devices in the 2.4GHz work the most stable.

 

Do you have the same issue on other devices?

Do you have the same issue when your notebook connects to other wireless networks?

no other devices in the house apart from slow speeds, have network drops
yes, i have tried a wireless hotspot which easily reaches upto 50 mbit, that connection is dropped too, so im pretty sure its not the actual source thats at fault

[NathanDsouza]

1 minute ago, macu said:

What do you mean, you had a wireless Hotspot that had the same Problem?

 

It sounds a bit like there could be overlapping Wireless Networks.

You could install inSSIDer and show us a picture of your 2.4GHz Range.

 

Yeah i tried with one of em mobile hotspots. same issue, uh i have wifiinfoview, you want to see all the channels and stuff?