Windows 8 wifi randomly disconnecting

Gargalhar

Member
Member
Messages
20
I recently purchased a new desktop computer which had windows 8 pre-installed. I was somewhat enjoying it (hating everything about the changes from windows 7) and then my wifi would disconnect every few minutes. I used windows update and installed all new updates (which takes a long time with random wifi disconnects) and it still had no help. I went to the website of the wifi driver and downloaded + installed the most recent drivers. The disconnects became slightly less frequent.
My computer is an Acer AME600-EB388.

I have googled around quite a bit trying to find a solution but none would work for me. I have checked the power settings and made sure they weren't set to shut off.
Please help me.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Have you tried using a different wireless channel? The 2.4ghz frequency can be very crowded in some areas which can cause frequent disconnects unless a clear channel is used.

The Xirrus WiFi inspector is good for scanning the wireless landscape in your area so as to make an informed choice on which channel to use.

If you can post a screen shot of the Xirrus read out here I can take a look at it. :)
Wi-Fi Inspector | Xirrus
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
Ok as I suspected, pretty much everyone around you is using channel 6, that combined with your rather weak signal strength seems to be causing problems maintaining a reliable connection.

In your case you should go into your routers set up page for wireless, change the channel to 11 "save settings" for now and see how that works for you. You can access your routers set up page at 192.168.0.1
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
I couldn't find how to change the channel on my first go and I hit something wrong I guess and now I can't connect to that connection at all. I might just take windows 7 off my moms computer and install it to this one. I had no problems using windows 7 wirelessly and I'm very unimpressed with windows 8 it's rediculous.

EDIT: Turns out I accidently reset my password for the connection. I will try changing the channel if I can figure it out.
EDIT: I managed to change the channel but it will take a few minutes before I can comfirm whether ot not this was a successful choice. I also have to go to work soon so if I do have problems they may not be posted for up to 6 hours.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
With the signal strength hovering in the yellow the connection may not be very reliable.

Can you test it out by moving closer to the router to see if connection strength is the problem or not?

If you can post a screen shot of the ipconfig/all from this machine it may be helpful. :)

Keep checking the Acer site, maybe they will post a new driver.
Download
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
With the signal strength hovering in the yellow the connection may not be very reliable.

Can you test it out by moving closer to the router to see if connection strength is the problem or not?

If you can post a screen shot of the ipconfig/all from this machine it may be helpful. :)


Keep checking the Acer site, maybe they will post a new driver.
Download


Hi there
I doubt if it's a driver problem -- Wifi either works or doesn't work --if it works at all then a driver isn't the problem.

What you need then to try is get a Wifi EXTENDER --this will boost the signal and swamp any interference from neighbours etc.
Costs about 55 EUR in Europe or much cheaper if in Asia.

A 5 GHZ transmitter and receiver is better - but if your problem is a weak signal then you will most definitely need an extender -- and for 801-n routers I don't think there are many extenders yet that handle this at 5GHZ --the 2.4 GHZ extenders are common enough.

Ensure also that your Wifi receiver -- you are probably using a USB device if it's on a desktop type computer - is not stuck into a USB slot stuck between large chunks of metal -- use a decent USB2 "extension cable" and plug the USB receiver into it well away from the actual Computer case -- this could also easily solve your reception problem --cheaper than buying a wifi extender - but you run the risk of if it doesn't work you've wasted your money on a piece of cable you won't use.

In areas with a lot of wifi traffic congestion it's best if at all possible to connect your computer to your router via a LAN cable --these can give you speeds potentially of 1 GB/s. !!

Cheeers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
With the signal strength hovering in the yellow the connection may not be very reliable.

Can you test it out by moving closer to the router to see if connection strength is the problem or not?

If you can post a screen shot of the ipconfig/all from this machine it may be helpful. :)


Keep checking the Acer site, maybe they will post a new driver.
Download


Hi there
I doubt if it's a driver problem -- Wifi either works or doesn't work --if it works at all then a driver isn't the problem.

What you need then to try is get a Wifi EXTENDER --this will boost the signal and swamp any interference from neighbours etc.
Costs about 55 EUR in Europe or much cheaper if in Asia.

A 5 GHZ transmitter and receiver is better - but if your problem is a weak signal then you will most definitely need an extender -- and for 801-n routers I don't think there are many extenders yet that handle this at 5GHZ --the 2.4 GHZ extenders are common enough.

Ensure also that your Wifi receiver -- you are probably using a USB device if it's on a desktop type computer - is not stuck into a USB slot stuck between large chunks of metal -- use a decent USB2 "extension cable" and plug the USB receiver into it well away from the actual Computer case -- this could also easily solve your reception problem --cheaper than buying a wifi extender - but you run the risk of if it doesn't work you've wasted your money on a piece of cable you won't use.

In areas with a lot of wifi traffic congestion it's best if at all possible to connect your computer to your router via a LAN cable --these can give you speeds potentially of 1 GB/s. !!

Cheeers
jimbo



Just remember that were dealing with people who don't even realize there are two different frequencies and it's unlikely that any of them has the 5ghz NIC or the dual band router they would require.

I won't get into the fact that the 5ghz band won't do anything for signal strength and in most cases it won't go through walls nearly as well as the 2.4ghz band will. And despite what you seem to think, installing updated drivers can make a huge difference in connection quality, it's not just on or off as you seem to think.

I'd also sell someone a dedicated Access point over one of those so called wireless extenders any day but I'm not really here to sell stuff.

You should also be aware that with the new 80211ac 1.3 GB/s wireless connections are possible. Of course they cheated here and are simply bonding up to 8 channels together in the 5ghz band.

From my point of view, this dodgy connection has more to do with signal strength and channel selection than anything else, one problem you can fix, the other signal problem, not so much you can do, unless something moves closer or someone installs hardware.

With 6 people using the same channel in his area the Op had no chance of obtaining a reliable connection. This is why I told the Op to change channels and move closer to the router. I won't be changing my opinion on this anytime soon. ;)
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
Idk if I am the "Op" but I'm using a desktop with a built in wifi card or whatever it's called (obviously not smart with computers). The thing is, with my old computer that is generally not as good as this new one the wifi worked just fine and it's placed in the same spot this one is in now. My connection is at 4 bars (idk how reliable that is to you) so it seems that the wifi in this computer is stronger than my old one (old one had 2 bars but I could still get around 80ping in CS, CS:S etc.) My own opinion is that the drivers for my wifi card are not updated as much as they can be by the developers for windows 8. I am highly considering going back to windows 7 as it's better, to me, in each way.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Signal's in the yellow can go either way from what I've seen, I can't see the bars but it seems like 4 would be enough.

I would definitely try changing to wireless N on the router and you may need to make changes in the wireless profile for Windows 8.

Wireless G is really old school, I wouldn't expect it to work very well with Windows 8. ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
How do I change to wireless N? And I just found out that my router has a firmware upgrade from Nov. 1 2012 that I'm going to do once I get a wired connection (in approx 40 mins). I'm hoping this could fix something.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
How do I change to wireless N? And I just found out that my router has a firmware upgrade from Nov. 1 2012 that I'm going to do once I get a wired connection (in approx 40 mins). I'm hoping this could fix something.

You will see the setting on the routers wireless set up page at 192.168.0.1, use the manual wireless set up. Although it looks like you are using the N setting now, the 802.11n Only setting may work better than the mixed setting.

I would have to update the firmware at the very least.

And change channels to 11 or 1 is important.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
Alright I'll try this as soon as I get to my wired connection (I heard a failed upload for the firmware update could cause problems)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Could I please get a reply? I'm seriously getting angry that after updating my routers firmware it no longer connects to the Internet
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Okay, so, the router is now connecting to the internet properly but this has not fixed my problem. It's actually made the problem worse. I am now disconnecting in intervals less than a minute long. I need some ****ing help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I found windows 8 does not seem to connect to channels 1 or 13, despite another wireless network analyzer, inSSIDer(TM) from Metageek, showing that the signal was fine. It also showed that a lot of local Wireless routers were hopping around the channels in realtime, competing for airspace.

Screenshot (26).pngScreenshot (27).pngScreenshot (28).png

I therefore changed to a fixed channel. I find channel 5 to be good.

I also changed the security down from WPA2 to WPA. I think that this reduces some computation and transmission of encrypted data.

It seems that in some urban communities, so many people are using wireless 802.11 b/g/n routers that their signals are subject to interference from others around them, and the best solution is to go back to wired ethernet. People perceive this as a Windows 8 problem, whereas it just represents the growing number of wireless networks in use - people also use their old wireless routers to extend the range of their signal, which adds to more interference in the local area.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP COMPAQ Presario CQ57
    CPU
    AMD E- 300 APU with Radion HD Graphics 1.30GHz
    Motherboard
    inbuilt
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio on-board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    notebook
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST9500325AS
    Google drive 15GB
    Skydrive 25GB
    BT Cloud
    PSU
    external 20v
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    pretty good
    Keyboard
    inbuilt
    Mouse
    touchpad
    Internet Speed
    BT Infinity Unlimited - 80 up 20 down =70/16 really
    Browser
    Chrome Canary usually
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    no Start menu modifications
    Upgraded with no issues to 8.0 and to 8.1
I called tech support for my router and they basically told me to change to channel 9 which worked for an hour and then I got constant drops. Changed my connection to WPA and dropped in undera minute. I think this must be windows 8 since my windows 7 computer connects just fine from the exact same spot, both desktops. I don't wanna pay a bunch of money buying windows 7 and I don't wanna spend a bunch of money buying an extremely long ethernet cable. Any way I can fix this?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I called tech support for my router and they basically told me to change to channel 9 which worked for an hour and then I got constant drops. Changed my connection to WPA and dropped in undera minute. I think this must be windows 8 since my windows 7 computer connects just fine from the exact same spot, both desktops. I don't wanna pay a bunch of money buying windows 7 and I don't wanna spend a bunch of money buying an extremely long ethernet cable. Any way I can fix this?

From everything you have said here, your router seems to be the limiting factor for obtaining a reliable connection with Windows 8 so upgrading the hardware is a good solution for your problem.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
Back
Top