A friend received an older PC, which I factory-reset and set up. It connects to a phone hotspot without any trouble, but attempting to connect to his home Wi-Fi causes a watchdog error and crashes the computer. I reinstalled the Wi-Fi adapter driver from the manufacturer, tried another known-working adapter, changed the adapter to 2.4 GHz and older 802.11 modes, restarted the PC, and forgot and re-added the network, but nothing helped.
The PC is in an outside room several metres from the house, while the router is inside. The home network shows only about two bars, whereas the phone hotspot has a stronger signal. Both adapters support WPA2, so I'm wondering whether the router is using WPA3 or another security setting that the adapters cannot handle. Could the distance, walls, interference, or router configuration be causing this? I'd prefer to fix the existing setup rather than immediately buy another router or run Ethernet to the outside room.
3 Answers
Because the PC is crashing with a watchdog error rather than merely refusing the password, check the exact blue-screen error and look in Windows Event Viewer for the failing driver. Install the motherboard chipset and network drivers as well as the Wi-Fi driver, and check for BIOS updates. You can also test with the router’s 2.4 GHz network on a fixed channel such as 1, 6, or 11. If the PC still crashes beside the router after using WPA2, the problem is more likely a Windows, firmware, or hardware compatibility issue than the internet connection itself.
Check the router’s wireless security settings. Older adapters may not support WPA3-only mode, so set the network temporarily to WPA2-Personal or WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode and test again. Also make sure the router is broadcasting a separate 2.4 GHz network with a normal SSID. Since both adapters fail on this particular network, router compatibility is worth testing, but changing security will not solve a signal that is simply too weak.
The weak signal may be the main problem. Two bars through exterior walls and between buildings can be unreliable, and failed Wi-Fi negotiation can sometimes expose driver or firmware bugs badly enough to trigger a crash. Test the PC temporarily right next to the router. If it connects there, the issue is range or interference rather than the computer itself. A wired Ethernet connection, a properly placed access point, or a mesh node would be more reliable than a second random USB adapter.
The exact distance and the construction of the outside room matter a lot. Metal walls or roofing can block Wi-Fi especially heavily, so a stronger access point closer to the PC may be needed.
The fact that the hotspot works only proves the adapters can connect to that hotspot. It does not rule out incompatible encryption, channels, or weak signal conditions on the home router.