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USB wifi won't always connect, plus other associated weird issues
Hi all,
My first post, so be gentle.
I use a USB wifi adapter. I tried cabled with a powerline (TP Link) adapter, but the speeds were atrocious (we're talking KB/s here...) so I switched to a USB adapter. Nothing special, rated up to 150Mbps on the N band.
All was well until one day it wouldn't connect. Just got 'unidentified network' and a 169 IP address (when using DHCP). So I restarted and it came back up. Then it did it again a few days later. So I restarted again, back up. And again, so this time I just disabled / reenabled the wifi and that worked. For a time, anyway. Eventually it got to the point that it would either not connect or would connect to the home network and then fall off it again randomly. Like it would be fine one evening, and would fall over several times the next.
After a bit of reading I switched the wifi channel and powered off the TP Link adapters. This seemed to have a positive effect, for a while anyway, but then the problem crept back.
So I ditched the USB adapter and tried another. Different manufacturer but still 150Mbps N band. This worked and all was well. For about 2 months anyway, as a few weeks ago it fell over again (unidentified network). So I disabled and reenabled and it connected back almost instantly.
The thing is, just as with the first USB stick, it just gets worse over time. To start with there were no dropouts or connection issues. Then when one did happen a simple reenable would fix it. Then after a while I'd have to disable / reenable more than once. Or I'd have to set a static IP. Then after a time even those failed. And this pattern is starting to happen again with the new USB adapter.
I struggle to put into words how utterly infuriating it is. I have nearly smashed my keyboard many times because it makes no f***ing sense!!!
Why does it drop out in the first place? There's nothing in the event logs and sometimes I am the only one even using the internet.
Why can it not then reconnect? The router hasn't moved and the PC hasn't moved...so wtaf?
Why does the problem start slowly and then get more pronounced as time goes by? This evening, for example, I have had to restart once, reenable twice and then set a static IP. And then reset back to DHCP when that failed. Only then did it connect to the home network.
One interesting thing is that often, but not always, once I set a static and then reset back to DHCP and then check the adapter properties the correct gateway address is in there but greyed out. No other IPs, just that one. What does that mean?
And half the time this happens the bloody thing can't even ping the gateway! Yet it will still show as connected to the home network.
I am getting extremely f*cking annoyed with it as I cannot see any logical reason why (when all other things are equal) this problem isn't there, then it is occasionally there but is easily fixable, then it's more often but still fixable, then it's quite often and the fix is not guaranteed to tonight where I have spent nearly 20 minutes f*cking around with it before it eventually deigned to reconnect for me.
It's as if the USB adapter is 'wearing out' or something. The one I was using previously got to the point where it just would not connect...having been absolutely fine for several years prior.
For information, no other wifi devices in the house have this issue. Well, not that I have noticed. My wife's new(ish) laptop has no issues. My really old (first gen i5) laptop has no issues. Mobile phones have no issues. Christ, even the printer has no issues.
But my f*cking PC? Well something about it has issues.
Any thoughts out there? I can't keep replacing USB adapters every time one decides it's going to play silly b*ggers for no apparent reason.
Cheers
Brett.
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