Why does turning on my gaming PC knock out Wi-Fi for the entire house?
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MellowCactus47
I never had Wi-Fi problems before getting my first gaming PC. Now, whenever I start the computer, the connection either drops immediately or soon afterward, and every device in the house loses internet access until the PC is turned off. I'm not sure where to begin troubleshooting or which settings and hardware to check. The problem affects the whole network rather than just the computer.
Answers
First figure out whether only the 2.4 GHz band is affected or whether both 2.4 and 5 GHz go down. If it’s only 2.4 GHz, USB 3 devices, cables, or external drives near the router can cause interference, so try moving them farther away. Since your entire network dies, though, it may be worth checking for virtual network adapters or software such as Hyper-V or VMware that could be handing out conflicting IP addresses.
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Try removing the computer’s Wi-Fi adapter from Device Manager and selecting the option to delete its driver. Then use Device Manager’s Action menu to scan for hardware changes so Windows reinstalls it. You may need to enter the Wi-Fi password again afterward. If that doesn’t help, using Ethernet temporarily could help confirm whether the PC’s wireless adapter or driver is causing the problem.
MellowCactus47: I think my friends may already have tried reinstalling the driver, so I might need to figure out how to run an Ethernet cable across the house as a workaround.
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MellowCactus47: It takes down everything—every device works normally until I turn the PC on, then the whole connection stops.