Wi-Fi Problems

[LindaH]

A couple of days ago, I upgraded my phone to the Samsung Galaxy S10+.  I use my phone as a hotspot and when I turned on the hotspot for the S10+, I noticed that the Wi-Fi strength meter fluctuated from full bars to zero bars.  Thinking it might be the phone, I tried DH's phone and my tablet.  Same result with both devices.

So, thinking it might be the Wi-Fi driver on my computer, I looked up what to do about it and found instructions on how to reinstall the Wi-Fi driver in Windows 10 found at https://www.intowindows.com/how-to-reinstall-the-wireless-wi-fi-driver-in-windows-10/.  I followed all the instructions and installed the new driver that I found at Dell's website.  I'm able to get online, so I did the install correctly, but it hasn't solved my problem...the Wi-Fi meter still fluctuates from full bars to zero bars!

Now I'm stumped and don't know where to go from here.  Any suggestions as to what my next step should be?  Hopefully, I don't need a new computer...I don't need to spend the money right now as we've just bought 2 new AGM batteries for the motorhome and the dogs go in tomorrow for dental (which may or may not be expensive) and, otherwise, the computer is working just fine.

[pjstough]

While waiting for the smart people to respond, I will say I doubt you need a new computer.  The worst would be a new wi-fi adapter.  Is it possible to look at the wi-fi signal coming into the computer?  That may give you an indication of where the problem lies. It may be that the wi-fi you are connected to is the problem, and not your computer.  Also, it may help if you posted what app you use to connect your hotspots to your computer. It may be need to be updated.

[LindaH]

6 hours ago, pjstough said:

The worst would be a new wi-fi adapter.

I'm assuming my computer has an internal wifi adapter, since the only equipment I have is my phone and my computer.  If it needs to be replaced, that's not something I would do myself since it would require opening up the back of the computer.  I could take it to a computer repair place and have them do it if that's the problem.

6 hours ago, pjstough said:

Is it possible to look at the wi-fi signal coming into the computer?

Is there another place to look for this other than the signal meter at the bottom of the screen?  All I have there is a series of bars similar to what you'd see on a phone, but no numbers of any kind.

6 hours ago, pjstough said:

It may be that the wi-fi you are connected to is the problem, and not your computer.  Also, it may help if you posted what app you use to connect your hotspots to your computer. It may be need to be updated.

The wifi I'm connected to is from my phone's hotspot.  But it does the exact same thing whether I'm using my phone's hotspot, my tablet's hotspot, or DH's phone's hotspot (the latter two of which I've used before without a problem).  I find it hard to believe that all 3 devices' hotspot capabilities have suddenly gone bad.

I do not use an app for connecting the hotspots to the computer...the hot spots come directly from the phone to the computer.

[pjstough]

I believe I was confused as to how you connect. You connect the computer to the hotspot on the phone? If the hotspot on the phone varies in signal strength, even before you connect the computer to it, the problem is not the computer, but either the wifi broadcast or the phone.

[hatrack]

It does sound like the wifi adapter on you pc is going bad. I had a tablet pc that the wifi adapter was going bad I bought an external usb wifi adapter (@ 10-20 dollars) on amazon and disabled the internal one and my signal problems went away. Hope this helps.

[trailertraveler]

1 hour ago, LindaH said:

I'm assuming my computer has an internal wifi adapter, since the only equipment I have is my phone and my computer.  If it needs to be replaced, that's not something I would do myself since it would require opening up the back of the computer.  I could take it to a computer repair place and have them do it if that's the problem.

Rather than replace the internal adapter, you could get a USB external adapter. I often use a Nanostation to connect to Wifi hotspots. It has a good quality antenna, sensitive receiver and high power transmitter. It connects to the computer or a router by ethernet cable.

[LindaH]

2 hours ago, pjstough said:

You connect the computer to the hotspot on the phone?

Yes, via wifi, not a cable.

2 hours ago, pjstough said:

If the hotspot on the phone varies in signal strength, even before you connect the computer to it, the problem is not the computer, but either the wifi broadcast or the phone.

I doubt the problem is the phone since the same thing happens with all 3 devices...and 2 of the devices I've used as hotspots with this computer before without a problem.

[LindaH]

1 hour ago, hatrack said:

It does sound like the wifi adapter on you pc is going bad.

 

1 hour ago, trailertraveler said:

Rather than replace the internal adapter, you could get a USB external adapter. 

OK, sounds like the wifi adapter is the problem.  I'll look for an external one tomorrow.

Thanks everyone!

[RV_]

Linda,

Do your laptop and tablet have their own cell connection or do they all get their Internet signal from your new cell phone? I would accept the idea of a new adapter for the computer if the computer operated as the hot spot.

No it is your phone if they all connect via the phone. And if your phone's hotspot radio were defective or a hotspot setting is wrong, that would account for all devices getting their WiFi from the phone having the same fluctuations.

I just got new phones for us Monday and today we finally got the full upgrade to Android 9. Lots of settings changed and many Apps are no longer compatible with the new Z3s. It took four full days for our phones to be stable and fully updated.

Before you spend money on an adapter for anything take your phone to the store you bought the phones from. Is your phone on Verizon or AT&T? What plan is your phone on within that service. Does it have limits for Hotspot use, and if so, what are they.

Does your laptop and tablet have their own cell connections? If not, your phone had Hotspot radio issues and may need replacement under warranty. Do you still have the old phone? If so call your service and switch it over to be the active one and see if that solves the problems.

Let us know the answers to the above and we can help.

[Bill Joyce]

In many laptops the wifi module is a small plug in unit inside that is easy to find and get to if you take the bottom off the laptop. You might be able to unplug and plug it back in and see if that fixes the problem.  

[LindaH]

On ‎4‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 9:06 PM, RV_ said:

Linda,

Do your laptop and tablet have their own cell connection or do they all get their Internet signal from your new cell phone? I would accept the idea of a new adapter for the computer if the computer operated as the hot spot.

No it is your phone if they all connect via the phone. And if your phone's hotspot radio were defective or a hotspot setting is wrong, that would account for all devices getting their WiFi from the phone having the same fluctuations.

I just got new phones for us Monday and today we finally got the full upgrade to Android 9. Lots of settings changed and many Apps are no longer compatible with the new Z3s. It took four full days for our phones to be stable and fully updated.

Before you spend money on an adapter for anything take your phone to the store you bought the phones from. Is your phone on Verizon or AT&T? What plan is your phone on within that service. Does it have limits for Hotspot use, and if so, what are they.

Does your laptop and tablet have their own cell connections? If not, your phone had Hotspot radio issues and may need replacement under warranty. Do you still have the old phone? If so call your service and switch it over to be the active one and see if that solves the problems.

Let us know the answers to the above and we can help.

We have 6 devices:  2 smartphones, 1 Verizon tablet that has its own cell connection, a 2nd tablet that doesn't, and 2 computers (mine and DH's, neither of which have their own cell connection).

Both phones and the Verizon tablet can be used as hotspots to get the 2nd tablet and both computers online.  The problem with *my* computer was the same regardless of which of those 3 devices I was using as a hotspot, so the problem was NOT with my new phone.  In fact, this morning, I used DH's computer and had absolutely no problems getting online with it using my new phone as a hotspot.  So that says to me, that the problem is with MY computer, not the phone.

I went to Best Buy this morning and purchased a WiFi adapter.  Disabled the internal one on my computer, and installed the new USB WiFi adapter.  Voila!  It works like a charm...problem solved.

As a side note, I had been noticing over the last few months that web page loading seemed a lot slower than it used to be and sometimes the WiFi signal strength meter wasn't at all bars (although I never noticed it going down to zero).  I never really gave much thought to it, but now I realize that the internal WiFi adapter on my computer must have been slowly degrading over that period and finally was about to give up the ghost entirely.  Even when I had full bars on the WiFi signal strength meter, getting a page to open was becoming harder and harder.

[RV_]

Aha, Gotcha now Linda. Thanks for clearing that up. I missed that the tablet had its own cell connection in addition to the two phones. Buying a USB adapter is the easiest for sure.

I'm just glad you got it working again.