My PC has started experiencing severe, intermittent latency spikes over the last few days. When I ping targets from Command Prompt, the response time is usually around 1–100 ms, but it occasionally jumps to 500 ms or even 3,000+ ms. Roblox has become nearly unplayable on this computer, while the same game works normally on my iPhone, tablet, and Oculus headset.
The spikes also happen when pinging my local gateway at 192.168.0.1, so I suspect the problem is somewhere between my PC and the router rather than with the game servers. I use Wi‑Fi instead of Ethernet, and my computer is connected on the 2.4 GHz band using 802.11n on channel 1.
My system has a Ryzen 5 5600G, 16 GB of RAM, an ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS AC-HES motherboard, Windows 11 Home 64-bit, and a Realtek 8821CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E adapter. I'm not very experienced with PC troubleshooting, so I'd appreciate practical steps to determine whether this is caused by the adapter, its driver, wireless interference, or something else.
3 Answers
If you have access to an Ethernet cable, connect one end to a LAN port on the router and the other to the PC’s network port, then repeat the same gateway ping test. If the wired results stay stable while Wi‑Fi still jumps into the hundreds or thousands, that strongly points to wireless interference, the adapter, or its driver. Avoid Wi‑Fi repeaters while troubleshooting because they can add delay and make instability worse.
Your adapter is currently using 2.4 GHz 802.11n, which can be especially vulnerable to interference. Try switching the router to a less crowded 2.4 GHz channel, preferably channel 1, 6, or 11 after checking which is least congested. Also update or reinstall the Realtek wireless driver from the motherboard or system manufacturer, and disable any Wi‑Fi power-saving option in Windows so the adapter doesn’t enter a low-power state during use. Temporarily disconnecting unnecessary wireless devices can help with testing.
Because the spikes occur even when pinging 192.168.0.1, the game itself probably isn’t the main problem. The first thing to test is the Wi‑Fi connection. A wired Ethernet connection is the most reliable option for gaming and would quickly confirm whether the wireless link is responsible. If you can’t run a cable, connect the PC to a 5 GHz network instead. The 2.4 GHz band is more prone to congestion from nearby networks, Bluetooth, smart-home devices, and other interference. Your adapter supports 5 GHz, although your router may need separate names for its 2.4 and 5 GHz networks.
I don’t currently have a 5 GHz network. When you say to use a cable, do you mean connecting the PC directly to the router with an Ethernet cable?