THE COMPUTER THREAD

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I'm having an odd problem where every so often (sometimes more frequently), my internet connection isn't working on my laptop. The wifi symbol is there, but it's not connected. I have to Disconnect and then check the Connect Automatically again, it's says No Internet for a second or two and then it connects and works good. It does this every time, so I don't think it's my wifi router. I figured it was my laptop wifi driver.
According to my Wifi Settings it is using: Realtek RTL8723DE 802.11b/g/n PCIe Adapter
When I try to update the driver it says the best driver for that device is already installed.
Oddly, when I go to Device Manager Network Adapters it also shows two others:
Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #3

Those Microsoft adapters are hot-spots that windows can create to let devices connect to your laptop and share it's internet connection.  Unless you turn on that feature they are inactive.

Got to "settings" "network and internet" "Manage Known Networks" and see if you have a bunch listed.   Try removing auto-connect from all the others except your home and see if that helps.  On my old laptop I found I had to delete all the others to get it to always auto-connect at home.  Basically if I moved to a part of the house with weak signal it would go looking for other networks, so only having the one stopped it from doing that.  Not a great solution if you bring your laptop to various locations you want it to connect to.

[Darth Geek]

I'm having an odd problem where every so often (sometimes more frequently), my internet connection isn't working on my laptop. The wifi symbol is there, but it's not connected. I have to Disconnect and then check the Connect Automatically again, it's says No Internet for a second or two and then it connects and works good. It does this every time, so I don't think it's my wifi router. I figured it was my laptop wifi driver.
According to my Wifi Settings it is using: Realtek RTL8723DE 802.11b/g/n PCIe Adapter
When I try to update the driver it says the best driver for that device is already installed.
Oddly, when I go to Device Manager Network Adapters it also shows two others:
Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #3

Those Microsoft adapters are hot-spots that windows can create to let devices connect to your laptop and share it's internet connection.  Unless you turn on that feature they are inactive.

Got to "settings" "network and internet" "Manage Known Networks" and see if you have a bunch listed.   Try removing auto-connect from all the others except your home and see if that helps.  On my old laptop I found I had to delete all the others to get it to always auto-connect at home.  Basically if I moved to a part of the house with weak signal it would go looking for other networks, so only having the one stopped it from doing that.  Not a great solution if you bring your laptop to various locations you want it to connect to.

Thanks, I can look into that. But when it gives me problems connecting it is still in the same place, I haven't moved it.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I'm having an odd problem where every so often (sometimes more frequently), my internet connection isn't working on my laptop. The wifi symbol is there, but it's not connected. I have to Disconnect and then check the Connect Automatically again, it's says No Internet for a second or two and then it connects and works good. It does this every time, so I don't think it's my wifi router. I figured it was my laptop wifi driver.
According to my Wifi Settings it is using: Realtek RTL8723DE 802.11b/g/n PCIe Adapter
When I try to update the driver it says the best driver for that device is already installed.
Oddly, when I go to Device Manager Network Adapters it also shows two others:
Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #3

Those Microsoft adapters are hot-spots that windows can create to let devices connect to your laptop and share it's internet connection.  Unless you turn on that feature they are inactive.

Got to "settings" "network and internet" "Manage Known Networks" and see if you have a bunch listed.   Try removing auto-connect from all the others except your home and see if that helps.  On my old laptop I found I had to delete all the others to get it to always auto-connect at home.  Basically if I moved to a part of the house with weak signal it would go looking for other networks, so only having the one stopped it from doing that.  Not a great solution if you bring your laptop to various locations you want it to connect to.

Thanks, I can look into that. But when it gives me problems connecting it is still in the same place, I haven't moved it.

Do you see networks from neighbors that are fairly strong?

Windows has done stupid things with wi-fi in the past so I wouldn't be surprised if it's looking for a network it thinks can do a better job than the one you want it to connect to.  I remember a bunch of years ago when I had to use wi-fi for my desktop during downloads the speed would drop to zero for a few seconds every few minutes, seems that windows was doing a search for new networks every few minutes and that didn't get fixed until several updates later. 

[Darth Geek]

I'm having an odd problem where every so often (sometimes more frequently), my internet connection isn't working on my laptop. The wifi symbol is there, but it's not connected. I have to Disconnect and then check the Connect Automatically again, it's says No Internet for a second or two and then it connects and works good. It does this every time, so I don't think it's my wifi router. I figured it was my laptop wifi driver.
According to my Wifi Settings it is using: Realtek RTL8723DE 802.11b/g/n PCIe Adapter
When I try to update the driver it says the best driver for that device is already installed.
Oddly, when I go to Device Manager Network Adapters it also shows two others:
Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #3

Those Microsoft adapters are hot-spots that windows can create to let devices connect to your laptop and share it's internet connection.  Unless you turn on that feature they are inactive.

Got to "settings" "network and internet" "Manage Known Networks" and see if you have a bunch listed.   Try removing auto-connect from all the others except your home and see if that helps.  On my old laptop I found I had to delete all the others to get it to always auto-connect at home.  Basically if I moved to a part of the house with weak signal it would go looking for other networks, so only having the one stopped it from doing that.  Not a great solution if you bring your laptop to various locations you want it to connect to.

Thanks, I can look into that. But when it gives me problems connecting it is still in the same place, I haven't moved it.

Do you see networks from neighbors that are fairly strong?

Windows has done stupid things with wi-fi in the past so I wouldn't be surprised if it's looking for a network it thinks can do a better job than the one you want it to connect to.  I remember a bunch of years ago when I had to use wi-fi for my desktop during downloads the speed would drop to zero for a few seconds every few minutes, seems that windows was doing a search for new networks every few minutes and that didn't get fixed until several updates later.

Hmm, that is an interesting idea. Does kind of sound like what I am experiencing. I recall there being a lot of other wifi signals it listed when I look at it.  I will have to check for that when I am back home later.

[Darth Geek]

Do you see networks from neighbors that are fairly strong?

Windows has done stupid things with wi-fi in the past so I wouldn't be surprised if it's looking for a network it thinks can do a better job than the one you want it to connect to.  I remember a bunch of years ago when I had to use wi-fi for my desktop during downloads the speed would drop to zero for a few seconds every few minutes, seems that windows was doing a search for new networks every few minutes and that didn't get fixed until several updates later.

There are several other strong wifi signals in the list. So how do I get it to only use the one I want and not to search?
Also, I did have Hotspot 2.0 on, whatever that is, so I turned it off.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Do you see networks from neighbors that are fairly strong?

Windows has done stupid things with wi-fi in the past so I wouldn't be surprised if it's looking for a network it thinks can do a better job than the one you want it to connect to.  I remember a bunch of years ago when I had to use wi-fi for my desktop during downloads the speed would drop to zero for a few seconds every few minutes, seems that windows was doing a search for new networks every few minutes and that didn't get fixed until several updates later.

There are several other strong wifi signals in the list. So how do I get it to only use the one I want and not to search?
Also, I did have Hotspot 2.0 on, whatever that is, so I turned it off.

I thought they had fixed that, only thing I can think of is to go to "Manage Known Networks" and see what's listed there, turn off auto-connect for all but the one you are currently on and see if that fixes it.  Last resort would be to delete or forget all other networks listed except the one you want to connect to.

[Darth Geek]

Do you see networks from neighbors that are fairly strong?

Windows has done stupid things with wi-fi in the past so I wouldn't be surprised if it's looking for a network it thinks can do a better job than the one you want it to connect to.  I remember a bunch of years ago when I had to use wi-fi for my desktop during downloads the speed would drop to zero for a few seconds every few minutes, seems that windows was doing a search for new networks every few minutes and that didn't get fixed until several updates later.

There are several other strong wifi signals in the list. So how do I get it to only use the one I want and not to search?
Also, I did have Hotspot 2.0 on, whatever that is, so I turned it off.

I thought they had fixed that, only thing I can think of is to go to "Manage Known Networks" and see what's listed there, turn off auto-connect for all but the one you are currently on and see if that fixes it.  Last resort would be to delete or forget all other networks listed except the one you want to connect to.

I went to Manage Known Networks and there was a list of four networks. There was no option for auto-connect. So I told it to forget the other three and I only kept the one I am using. We'll see if that helps.

[Darth Geek]

Removing the other networks didn't have an effect. And I also disabled the permission to turn off the adapter to save power. Still having the issues! 

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Try rebooting your router, maybe it's dropping the connection?  Are you using 2.4GHz or 5GHz WiFi?  If you are using 2.4GHz make sure your router isn't set for 40MHz bandwidth, when I was in my apartment if I ever tried to use 40MHz it would constantly drop it's connection.  By law a router has to drop down to 20MHz if there are lots of channels being used nearby, so forcing it to only use 20MHz stops it from constantly doing that.  Also if you have lots of strong signals nearby don't use auto-channel assignment on the router, pick a channel manually so the router doesn't keep changing the channel.  5GHz avoids all those problems but has shorter range through walls.

On the PC I'm out of ideas, other than using device manager to delete the network adapter and tell it to also delete the drivers, then let windows re-install the drivers.  But that is risky if you don't have a 2nd computer available to download drivers in case windows doesn't recognize the card when it reboots.  It also sounds like a windows problem so forcing a driver re-install probably won't fix it. 

[Darth Geek]

Try rebooting your router, maybe it's dropping the connection?  Are you using 2.4GHz or 5GHz WiFi?  If you are using 2.4GHz make sure your router isn't set for 40MHz bandwidth, when I was in my apartment if I ever tried to use 40MHz it would constantly drop it's connection.  By law a router has to drop down to 20MHz if there are lots of channels being used nearby, so forcing it to only use 20MHz stops it from constantly doing that.  Also if you have lots of strong signals nearby don't use auto-channel assignment on the router, pick a channel manually so the router doesn't keep changing the channel.  5GHz avoids all those problems but has shorter range through walls.

On the PC I'm out of ideas, other than using device manager to delete the network adapter and tell it to also delete the drivers, then let windows re-install the drivers.  But that is risky if you don't have a 2nd computer available to download drivers in case windows doesn't recognize the card when it reboots.  It also sounds like a windows problem so forcing a driver re-install probably won't fix it.

I have rebooted the router already.
It is 2.4 GHz.
I have no idea what you are talking about the bandwidth, the router is from my internet supplier and I don't do anything with it other than pug it in. And it's the same router I've been using for years. Plus my phone connects to the wifi as well and I don't have this issue with it.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Try rebooting your router, maybe it's dropping the connection?  Are you using 2.4GHz or 5GHz WiFi?  If you are using 2.4GHz make sure your router isn't set for 40MHz bandwidth, when I was in my apartment if I ever tried to use 40MHz it would constantly drop it's connection.  By law a router has to drop down to 20MHz if there are lots of channels being used nearby, so forcing it to only use 20MHz stops it from constantly doing that.  Also if you have lots of strong signals nearby don't use auto-channel assignment on the router, pick a channel manually so the router doesn't keep changing the channel.  5GHz avoids all those problems but has shorter range through walls.

On the PC I'm out of ideas, other than using device manager to delete the network adapter and tell it to also delete the drivers, then let windows re-install the drivers.  But that is risky if you don't have a 2nd computer available to download drivers in case windows doesn't recognize the card when it reboots.  It also sounds like a windows problem so forcing a driver re-install probably won't fix it.

I have rebooted the router already.
It is 2.4 GHz.
I have no idea what you are talking about the bandwidth, the router is from my internet supplier and I don't do anything with it other than pug it in. And it's the same router I've been using for years. Plus my phone connects to the wifi as well and I don't have this issue with it.

2.4GHz WiFi has 2 modes of operation, 20MHz and 40MHz bandwidth, 40 being faster but uses 2 channels, so they put in the standard that if the router sees lots of other routers in the area it will drop down to single channel so there is less interference. 

If a neighbor got a more powerful router it may be making yours do stuff it wasn't doing before, I've always bought my own routers vs. renting because I have full control over all the stuff it does.

If you can use your phone for a long time without it occasionally dropping back to cellular data then it's probably the PC and not the router. 

I wonder if there was a windows update that reintroduced that issue I was seeing years ago.  I remember for probably 6 months I had a cable on the floor running from my router in my living room to my PC in the bedroom, so it was annoying enough to make me do that.

Does the gateway from your ISP not have 5GHz or is it the laptop that doesn't have it?  I replaced the module in my old laptop so it could do 5GHz, it was a pretty easy part to swap out, looks similar to a memory card but has the little connections for the antenna wires.  Only costs $20-$30.

[Darth Geek]

If you can use your phone for a long time without it occasionally dropping back to cellular data then it's probably the PC and not the router. 

Does the gateway from your ISP not have 5GHz or is it the laptop that doesn't have it?  I replaced the module in my old laptop so it could do 5GHz, it was a pretty easy part to swap out, looks similar to a memory card but has the little connections for the antenna wires.  Only costs $20-$30.

My phone seems to be fine, so It's likely my laptop. And I'm pretty sure my router does have 2.4 and 5 GHz signals but my laptop can only detect the 2.4 GHz one. My laptop is pretty old, it might be time to replace it anyway.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

If you can use your phone for a long time without it occasionally dropping back to cellular data then it's probably the PC and not the router. 

Does the gateway from your ISP not have 5GHz or is it the laptop that doesn't have it?  I replaced the module in my old laptop so it could do 5GHz, it was a pretty easy part to swap out, looks similar to a memory card but has the little connections for the antenna wires.  Only costs $20-$30.

My phone seems to be fine, so It's likely my laptop. And I'm pretty sure my router does have 2.4 and 5 GHz signals but my laptop can only detect the 2.4 GHz one. My laptop is pretty old, it might be time to replace it anyway.

Another option would be to get a USB WiFi dongle that can do 5GHz, I see tons of them on Amazon for around $20.

[Darth Geek]

If you can use your phone for a long time without it occasionally dropping back to cellular data then it's probably the PC and not the router. 

Does the gateway from your ISP not have 5GHz or is it the laptop that doesn't have it?  I replaced the module in my old laptop so it could do 5GHz, it was a pretty easy part to swap out, looks similar to a memory card but has the little connections for the antenna wires.  Only costs $20-$30.

My phone seems to be fine, so It's likely my laptop. And I'm pretty sure my router does have 2.4 and 5 GHz signals but my laptop can only detect the 2.4 GHz one. My laptop is pretty old, it might be time to replace it anyway.

Another option would be to get a USB WiFi dongle that can do 5GHz, I see tons of them on Amazon for around $20.

Something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-1200Mbps-TECHKEY-Wireless-Network-300Mbps/dp/B07J65G9DD/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=V04BSTON9GQY&dchild=1&keywords=usb+wifi+5ghz&qid=1619142794&sprefix=usb+wifi+5%2Caps%2C545&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExV08wQjBTOTRHN1FCJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjg4OTcxMk9UUlhKQklGTk01VyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDc5MDgxMVhHTEJWSVlBQzlSMSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[MartyS (Gromit)]

If you can use your phone for a long time without it occasionally dropping back to cellular data then it's probably the PC and not the router. 

Does the gateway from your ISP not have 5GHz or is it the laptop that doesn't have it?  I replaced the module in my old laptop so it could do 5GHz, it was a pretty easy part to swap out, looks similar to a memory card but has the little connections for the antenna wires.  Only costs $20-$30.

My phone seems to be fine, so It's likely my laptop. And I'm pretty sure my router does have 2.4 and 5 GHz signals but my laptop can only detect the 2.4 GHz one. My laptop is pretty old, it might be time to replace it anyway.

Another option would be to get a USB WiFi dongle that can do 5GHz, I see tons of them on Amazon for around $20.

Something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-1200Mbps-TECHKEY-Wireless-Network-300Mbps/dp/B07J65G9DD/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=V04BSTON9GQY&dchild=1&keywords=usb+wifi+5ghz&qid=1619142794&sprefix=usb+wifi+5%2Caps%2C545&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExV08wQjBTOTRHN1FCJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjg4OTcxMk9UUlhKQklGTk01VyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDc5MDgxMVhHTEJWSVlBQzlSMSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Yes, that one should work, check to see what ports on your laptop are USB 3, even my 11 year old HP laptop has 2 of them so you should have at least one.  Even if you only have USB 2 it should still work, depending on how fast your internet plan is you might not even need USB 3 speed.