My PC has had extremely slow Wi-Fi for about six months. In the same location, my phone gets around 200 Mbps, while the PC often gets less than 4 Mbps. The PC is roughly 7 meters from the router on a desk in a fairly open, unobstructed area. I've tried reinstalling and updating the network drivers, changing advanced adapter settings in Device Manager, and disconnecting and reconnecting the ASUS Wi-Fi antenna, but nothing has helped. The connection is now so slow that streaming music, watching live video, and opening work websites frequently lag or take a long time. What could cause such a large difference, and what should I try next?
3 Answers
The first things to check are the Wi-Fi adapter model and which band it’s using. Your phone may be connected to a faster 5 GHz or 6 GHz network while the PC is stuck on a slower or crowded 2.4 GHz connection. Check the adapter’s connection speed and band in Windows, and make sure the antenna is firmly attached and positioned away from the back of the case or other obstructions.
Even at seven meters, the PC could have a much weaker signal than the phone depending on the antenna position, the direction of the router, and whether the computer case is blocking the antenna. Try moving the antenna higher and into the open, rotating it, and testing right next to the router. If the speed improves there, the issue is signal quality or interference. A wired Ethernet connection or a good external Wi-Fi adapter would also be practical solutions.
The computer is on an open desk and isn’t directly blocked by anything, but I’ll test it closer to the router and reposition the antenna.
To separate a Windows software problem from a hardware or signal problem, boot the PC from a temporary Linux USB, such as Ubuntu or Fedora, and run the same speed test. If the speed is still around 4 Mbps, the antenna, adapter, or radio environment is probably responsible. If Linux performs normally, then focus on Windows drivers, network settings, or background software. Also compare the PC and phone on the same Wi-Fi band rather than assuming they’re using the same frequency.
The motherboard model is an ASUS TUF GAMING A620M-PLUS WIFI. The drivers have been updated several times, but Windows still seems to show an older driver date, so I may not be installing the newer package correctly.