I recently bought my son a PC for Christmas, but I'm having trouble with the WiFi dongle; it keeps disconnecting. The motherboard doesn't have built-in WiFi, and our main router is downstairs, so a wired connection isn't feasible. I'm looking for any advice or solutions to improve the connection. Thanks!
6 Answers
You might want to invest in a mesh WiFi system and connect the PC through one of its nodes. Otherwise, a PCI-E WiFi card is a solid upgrade since USB dongles often don’t perform well.
If you're relying on a USB WiFi adapter, they can be pretty unreliable. I recommend getting a decent PCI-E WiFi card instead. Alternatively, you could drill a hole to run an Ethernet cable from the router. That’s what I would do!
Consider using decent powerline adapters along with an Ethernet card if your house's electrical wiring is up to date; it can work surprisingly well for connecting your PC to the network without messing with WiFi.
Since the Ethernet connection isn’t an option, you need to boost your WiFi signal or enhance your PC's WiFi capabilities. You can buy a better router, use a WiFi extender closer to your PC, or go for a reliable PCI-E WiFi card. Moving the PC closer to the router might help you identify if that’s the main issue.
We have an Asus router WiFi 6, and while our phones get a great signal in the room, the dongle still loses connection.
You should check if your PC has an available PCI-E slot and consider installing a WiFi card there. It might sound complicated, but there are tons of tutorials online to help you out. If you don’t want to open it up, you could also just run a long Ethernet cable from downstairs; it’s pretty affordable! Good luck!
Sure, I understand the terms.... this is my last resort for help!
I've noticed that if I plug the USB dongle directly into the back of the PC, it tends to disconnect often. Try using an extension cable or connecting it to a front USB port instead; that worked for me!
Thanks for the suggestion!