My Lenovo Legion Pro 5 16ARX8 keeps dropping its Wi‑Fi connection after about a minute. Once it disconnects, I usually have to wait several minutes or restart the laptop before it will reconnect. Other devices stay connected normally, and the laptop has the same problem even when I'm sitting less than a foot from my Spectrum Wi‑Fi 6E router. It also disconnected the same way at a coffee shop, so it may not be specific to my home network. Ethernet works normally at around 500 Mbps down and 50 Mbps up. I've already forgotten and re-added the network, installed Windows updates, and updated the wireless drivers. A repair shop claimed to remove viruses and repair corrupted files, but didn't provide much detail. What should I test next? I need a reliable connection for remote work and would also like to use the laptop away from my desk.
4 Answers
Because Ethernet works and the same Wi‑Fi failure occurs at home and in public, focus on the laptop rather than signal strength. In Device Manager, uninstall the wireless adapter and select the option to remove its driver if offered, then install the correct WLAN driver for the exact Legion model from Lenovo’s support page. Also check whether the adapter is set to prefer a specific band, and temporarily test 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz instead of 6 GHz. If the adapter still disconnects after a clean driver install, a failing Wi‑Fi card or antenna connection becomes much more likely.
The repair shop’s description is too vague. If they found malware or corrupted system files, they should have identified what they found and explained what was repaired. Back up your important files, check the drive’s health with a SMART utility, and run Windows’ system checks such as DISM followed by SFC. If those show serious problems, a clean Windows reinstall may be worthwhile, but I’d test the Wi‑Fi under Linux first so you don’t wipe the system without knowing whether it will help.
Since this happens on multiple Wi‑Fi networks, the router is probably not the main issue. I’d test the laptop with an Ubuntu live USB without installing anything. If Wi‑Fi stays stable in Linux, the problem is likely Windows, a driver, or a network-related background service. If it also drops in Linux, suspect the laptop’s wireless card or its hardware. You can also check the adapter’s properties in Device Manager and disable power-saving options, then try the latest driver directly from Lenovo rather than relying only on Windows Update.
That makes sense. I didn’t realize testing from a live Linux USB could separate a Windows problem from a hardware problem. I’ll try that before reinstalling Windows.
For immediate work reliability, keep using Ethernet or a USB Wi‑Fi adapter as a temporary workaround. A separate adapter is also a useful diagnostic: if it stays connected while the built-in adapter fails, the internal card or its driver is the likely culprit. Since the laptop is still portable, replacing the internal wireless card may be possible, but confirm compatibility with the model first.
I’ll try the Lenovo driver and the different band settings. Since it fails at a coffee shop too, I agree that changing router settings alone probably won’t fix it.