I built a PC with new components about eight months ago and installed Linux Mint after a failed Windows 10 installation. It worked normally with my previous internet provider, but after switching to a Sky router, the wireless connection began dropping about five minutes after startup. Initially, toggling Wi‑Fi off and on allowed it to reconnect, but now it repeatedly asks for the password and never establishes a connection. I have verified the password and tried forgetting and re-adding the network.
My phone's hotspot connects immediately and stays connected, so the wireless hardware seems to work. The issue appears specific to the home router. The signal indicators also change between connection attempts, although I'm not sure what those percentages represent. Could this be related to the router combining its 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks, band steering, or a compatibility problem with the 5GHz settings?
3 Answers
It could also be a 5GHz channel-width compatibility problem. Some routers enable 160MHz channels, while certain laptops and wireless adapters cannot connect to them properly. If the router offers channel-width settings such as 20, 40, 80, or 160MHz, try disabling 160MHz and using a narrower channel. Separating the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks can help as well.
The router may be using band steering, where the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks share one name and the router moves devices between them. Some wireless cards and drivers do not handle that well. Try splitting the bands into separate network names in the router settings, or configure the computer to use only 2.4GHz as a test. Also, listing the PC’s wireless card, Linux Mint version, and router model would help narrow it down.
Since the phone hotspot works consistently, the adapter is probably not completely broken. The difference is likely the router’s band, channel, security mode, or steering behavior rather than the password. Using 2.4GHz is a reasonable workaround; 5GHz can be faster, but 2.4GHz generally has better range and should still provide a solid connection if the channel is not congested.
That turned out to be the issue. The wireless card would not connect reliably to the router’s 5GHz band, so I configured the connection to use only 2.4GHz. It has been stable since then.