I have an Aorus motherboard with built-in Intel Wi‑Fi 6E AX211, but its 2.4 GHz performance is poor because my Wi‑Fi 7 router is downstairs and this computer has to remain upstairs. I installed a TP-Link PCIe wireless adapter with two antennas, which seems to provide a stronger connection. However, Windows keeps using the internal Intel adapter by default. When I disabled the Intel device in Device Manager, the TP-Link adapter stopped finding my network.
How can I properly disable the built-in Wi‑Fi and get the TP-Link card working reliably? Windows now shows what appear to be two entries for the same network, one on the internal adapter and another on a connection labeled Wi‑Fi 3. I would also appreciate suggestions for improving speeds and stability, since poor performance is affecting Zoom calls.
2 Answers
For better performance, first check which band the TP-Link card is actually using. If the router’s 5 GHz signal reaches upstairs reliably, it will usually be much faster and less congested than 2.4 GHz. If 5 GHz is too weak, 2.4 GHz may be more stable but can suffer from interference from neighboring networks and household devices.
Install the latest TP-Link driver, position both antennas away from the back of the computer, and use the antenna extension base if one was included. Make sure the antennas are firmly attached and spaced apart. You can also try different 2.4 GHz channels in the router settings, although the router’s automatic channel selection may already handle this.
First, make sure the correct TP-Link driver is installed and that the card is compatible with your version of Windows. You can disable the built-in adapter without removing anything: press Win+R, enter ncpa.cpl, and press Enter. In the Network Connections window, right-click the Intel wireless connection and choose Disable. Leave the TP-Link connection enabled. This is often preferable to disabling the device in Device Manager because the adapter and its driver remain available if you need to troubleshoot.
The two entries you’re seeing are probably separate network interfaces. The original Wi‑Fi entry is using the motherboard’s Intel adapter, while Wi‑Fi 3 is likely the TP-Link card. Once the Intel connection is disabled, Windows should use the TP-Link automatically. You can also forget and reconnect to the network from the TP-Link connection if it does not appear immediately.
That helped clarify it. The main connection was using the internal adapter, while the network shown on Wi‑Fi 3 was using the TP-Link card. I’m still trying to figure out how to improve the speed and stability, since Zoom calls sometimes have problems.
For Zoom, consistency matters more than the maximum speed shown in a test. Run a speed test while the call is having trouble and check latency or packet loss, not just download speed. If the signal is weak upstairs, moving the antennas higher or using a wired access point, mesh node, or Ethernet-over-power solution may help more than changing Windows settings.