My desktop has an RTX 5070, an i5-14400F, and a B760M-C motherboard with built-in Wi‑Fi. I'm using the included screw-on antennas, pointed generally toward the router, which is somewhere in the attic. My iPhone 14 gets roughly 400 Mbps in the same area, but the desktop manages only about 3 Mbps—and sometimes drops to around 100 Kbps. Ethernet works perfectly at around 800 Mbps to 1.5 Gbps, but I can't use a cable right now. The computer is relatively new, so I'm wondering whether the problem is the antennas, Wi‑Fi settings, or the motherboard's drivers. What should I check?
3 Answers
The antennas can affect reception, especially with the router above the computer. Dipole antennas radiate strongest out from their sides and weakest from their tips, so if the router is upstairs, positioning the antennas horizontally may work better than pointing them straight up. Also check that both antenna connectors are firmly attached and that the internal antenna leads haven’t come loose. Still, antenna placement alone usually wouldn’t explain such an extreme speed difference if the signal is otherwise strong.
First determine whether the problem is weak reception or a driver/controller issue. In Windows, look at the Wi‑Fi connection details and check the signal strength, link speed, frequency band, and whether it’s connected on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. Since the computer is far from the router but nearby devices perform well, updating the built-in adapter’s driver is the most sensible first step. A quality USB Wi‑Fi adapter is another option if the internal adapter remains unreliable; you can disable the built-in one through Device Manager after installing the replacement.
Since other devices get normal speeds from the same location, the internet connection and router are probably fine. Check the exact Wi‑Fi adapter listed in Device Manager and install the current driver from the motherboard manufacturer. Depending on the board revision, it may use an Intel, Realtek, or MediaTek adapter, so make sure you download the matching version. In this case, updating the motherboard and Intel network drivers fixed the issue.
That solved it. I had to download a few motherboard drivers along with the newer Intel Wi‑Fi driver, and everything is working normally now.