Why did my router start dropping my connection when I upgraded?

[Jiggalopuff]

Hai Guyz,

 

About a month ago, I upgraded from Windows7 to Windows 8.1. The reason I did this was because my laptop got a nasty virus which pretty much kept it from starting up. When I had Windows 7, my wireless connection almost never dropped. However, when I upgraded to Windows 8.1, it drops constantly, at least once an hour, making online gaming practically unplayable. My router is less than 10 feet from my laptop. And I live in a barracks(meaning that there are about a dozen other networks within range). On another note, I have a dual-band Netgear router, and I have tried updating the firmware, but to no avail. Downgrading back to Windows 7 isn't an option, and I am not sure if buying a new router would solve my issue. Is there anything else I can try?

[obobski]

Not to state the obvious, but at 10ft is there any reason you can't just buy a 15-20ft Ethernet cable? (In fact, is there any good reason you aren't doing this from the beginning?)

 

Anyways, to the specific problem - have you checked to ensure that the drivers for your laptop's WiFi controller were properly re-installed, and then check for updates? Have you ensured Windows itself is updated?

[sssSami]

In the 2.4 GHz band, there are about 14 channels (depending what country you live in), but only like 3 or 4 different channels which isn't colliding with each other. If a few networks withing range of each other are on colliding channels, they'll barely work at all, just be real slow and/or unstable.

 

You could try using an app on your phone to find a spot with as little interruptions as possible. There's an app for Android named WiFi analyzer you could use, and probably something similar for iPhone.

[yudhi108]

Hai Guyz,

 

About a month ago, I upgraded from Windows7 to Windows 8.1.

 

well, win7 to win8.1 is NOT an upgrade for a desktop. I had win 8.1 pro installed on my pc for about 6 months. it's just not as solid as win7 altho i love some of the features of 8 like built in virtual drives and the faster boot time, the way it handles multiple download, and downloading in general. but win7 is more solid and stable. i decided to forgoe the things i like about win 8.1 for the stability of win7 a couple months ago, and I'm so happy i changed back to win7.

[Jiggalopuff]

So an update. I downloaded the original drivers from the Asus website. Apparently when I installed Win8 all my drivers got replaced. This has solved my issue.