USB and wireless adapter mystery

I have a TP-Link wireless usb adapter with windows 8 64 bit on a desktop. I've had problems with the wireless adapter randomly dropping out, like twice a day on average. Sometimes more sometimes less.

The symbol with the signal strength would suddenly go grey and get a red X through it, even though I have 4 to 5 bars of strength. The only way I could fix it would be to pull it out and put it back in, and it would connect right away and work for awhile.

After dealing with this problem for 8 months, and tech support being no help, the problem got worse. I started getting huge ping spikes and internet drops. Three days ago I moved the wireless adapter onto my monitor and uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers for the wireless adapter. For these three days I haven't had any problems with it moved on to the monitor, but if I move it back down to the motherboard I start getting the crazy ping spikes and drops again.

I think this is a related problem. a couple months ago my mouse stated randomly messing up. Sometimes not reading my mouse movements for a few seconds, and it didn't show up on boot five different times, but showed up after reboot. I haven't had any problems with the mouse for the last three days.

Thanks for any help. I don't want to have to leave the wireless adapter on my monitor.

 

Is this a custom build, or an OEM PC (make, model, system details)?

The first thing I would recommend is updating your motherboard drivers.

The other thing I could suggest (if that doesn't work) is going into Device Manager, uninstalling the USB hub (you may have to uninstall them one by one), then reboot. If it is a driver issue, it could help. If it's a PCI bus/hub issue the problem most likely will persist. It seems likely it's hardware by description, BUT if you are using anything except Windows' Wireless Zero to connect to Wi-Fi, uninstall the connection software before you go chasing drivers. I have had multiple cases where it was software, not hardware.

 

It's a custom build. Intel DX58SO motherboard with a TP Link TL-WN722N Wireless adapter.

The motherboard drivers are up to date.

I uninstalled the USB hubs, and that did stop the ping spikes, but a couple hours later I got the grey and red X in the signal strength bar again. I am using Windows wireless Zero.

 

BIOS is usually an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of thing, but do you have the latest version flashed?

This board has had 14 updates, and the latest was released just a couple weeks ago.

 

I did the bios update. It was working for a few days and then got the grey and red X in the signal strength bar again.

 

Considering that you have successfully used another USB port on the monitor, I'm going to have to go with some type of hub/mobo issue. Have you tried a different WiFi adapter?

There is a possibility of malware, so if you could run a MalwareBytes scan that factor can be eliminated.

 

You may be right on the malware being the issue. I ran Malwarebytes almost two weeks ago and haven't had a disconnect since. The only problem I've been having is random high pings and packet loss while playing League of Legends.

 

If the problem continues and you've ruled out malware, you might want to consider replacing the wireless USB adapter.

Frequent dropouts and disconnects can be a sign the WiFi chip inside the USB stick is failing. Before replacing it, check user reviews on Amazon or Newegg to find the most reliable models. Also, be sure the model you choose specifically lists compatibility with Windows 8.

If the old one is under a year old and you have the receipt, you may be able to return it to TP-Link or the retailer for an exchange under warranty.

Hope this helps.