I'm living in a master-lease apartment near my college and don't have access to Ethernet. My PC is on the third floor, and I'm not sure where the building's Wi‑Fi access point or router is located. I'm using the basic Wi‑Fi adapter and antennas included with my ASUS motherboard. The connection can reach around 60 Mbps when it works, but every few minutes it drops to nearly zero or completely disconnects. My PC usually shows only one bar of signal. Would upgrading the adapter help, or is there a better way to improve the connection without wasting money?
2 Answers
Before replacing the whole Wi‑Fi adapter, try improving the antenna placement. Extension cables for the antennas can let you move them to a more open location, ideally closer to where the access point is. A stronger adapter may not help much if the signal is being blocked by floors and walls.
First, figure out where the building’s Wi‑Fi equipment is located. Since your speed is reasonable when connected but falls to zero, the main issue sounds like a weak or unstable signal rather than the adapter’s maximum speed. Once you know the direction of the access point, use antenna extension cables and position the antennas with fewer obstacles between them and the source.
That makes sense. Speed and latency are usually fine when the connection is working; the problem is that it keeps fluctuating and sometimes reaches zero.