Wifi works on laptop but not on PC

[samaritan123]

As the title says, my wifi works perfectly on my laptop but not on my PC. I can get it working for 5 minutes then it disconnects again. I unplug and plug back the wireless usb and it works ok for 5 min then stops again. I've tried tons of solutions I found online but none of them work. I've updated the wireless usb drivers, have a brand new usb, my pc is 5 meters from the router but it still does not work as it should. What is the issue with my PC?

 

[VirtualLarry]

This, sadly, is NOT uncommon, with cheap USB wifi adapters.

Spend a little more, get a better-quality name-brand USB adapter, or do more research on well-reviewed cheapo ones, and get a *USB extension cable*, so you can plug the adapter into the extension, and then wave it around until you get a good signal.

Or, you could troll ebay, and buy some "high power USB wifi" adapters, and use one of those.

I've got some "X-Media 300Mbps High Power Wireless-N USB2.0 Adapter" units, cost me around $20 shipped each on ebay from PremierTek's online store.

I've got a friend using one of these to connect to a neighbor's wifi two stories up. Although, that hasn't been without problems also.

If your PC is 5 meters from the router, why not run an ethernet cable?

Or, get an AC (AC1200 or bertter) router, a decent one, and then get a wireless AC1200 or better "media bridge", and connect your PC to the media bridge.

I'm doing something similar right now. I've got an AC68R/U as my main router (AC1900), and I've got a TrendNet AC1200 Wireless AP, in Client Bridge mode, connected to my wireless router. My LAN in the other room is connected wired to a gigabit switch, and then from the switch to the AC1200 AP Client Bridge.

I will say, though, that I also have some PremierTek 8812AU RealTek-chipset USB3.0 AC1200 adapters, that work pretty well with an AC1200/1900 router. They cost $20-25 from PremierTek's ebay store.

Edit: Failing all of that, it could just be a USB power issue with your PC, and you would be better-off getting a USB3.0 or USB2.0 powered hub, to plug into your PC (data connection), and then plugged into the wall (for power). I use those as well.

Edit: And if your current USB adapter is a "nano" wifi adapter, those almost universally suck, and can burn out easiy due to extended usage, like music streaming.

I will vouch for the PremierTek PT-8812AU adapters, they don't burn out due to music streaming. They're also more than two inches long.

 

[samaritan123]

First of all thanks for this awesome reply.

I don't (think) I have a cheap one, it was was around 30$ and it's brand new, supposedly an updated model - but that's what they always say. The usb is D-Link DWA-127 plugged into usb 3.0.

X-Media might be a good solution but I'm not sure if it's worth ordering it, since I'm not sure the usb wifi is the problem. I know I had the same problem couple years ago, but it was a different usb wifi. (sadly I have no memory of how I fixed it)

As for the ethernet cable, it's a bit complicated - I don't really wanna get into that now, although if nothing else works I'll need to try that.

But as far as I can tell from your answer the problem is most likely in the adapter? Do you recommend PT-8812AU over X-Media? I'd like to fix this without buying anything else but it looks like that's not an option.

 

[JackMDS]

Find a 3FT USB Extention cable and use it to put the D-Link up above the system free from obstructions.

BTW - "30$ and it's brand new", are nice words but the D-Link is N 150 (technology from at least 5 years ago).

 

[AnonymouseUser]

There are two revisions of that adapter, and revision A doesn't have Windows 10 drivers. Of course you didn't mention which OS you are using, so just throwing that out there.

There may be a conflict with USB 3.0, so try a different USB port (preferably USB 2.0) or go into the BIOS and enable "legacy" USB mode if it's available.

have a brand new usb,

Brand new USB what? Hub? Cable? Make sure it's plugged directly into the laptop.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Another possibility, is buy a cheap N or AC router, that supports WDS / wireless client bridging natively, or can be flashed to DD-WRT or Tomato. Those can often be cheaper than a purpose-built media bridge unit.