Unstable WiFi - Possibly a hardware issue

[Adze]

Hi. I've recently been having some problems with my wifi in my Envy 750-411. For a while, it's been very spotty, sometimes working perfectly and sometimes being slow enough to be unusable.

So about a week and a half ago, I got a new hard drive and when I went to install it, I accidentally knocked out the two black wires that connected to the wireless card (since the second SATA port was conveniently behind 60% of the wires in my PC), which completely disabled the wifi on my system. I opened my PC and managed to reconnect the wires, which restored my internet access, but since then I've been having the stability issues I mentioned.

I'm wondering if any of you know what could have caused this problem. I'm personally wondering if I could have put the wires on the wrong connectors and they should be switched. I couldn't find any way to distinguish between the two, so I just kind of guessed which went where.  Could it be that it would work normally if I switched the wires? I'm willing to do it, but connecting them in the first place was pretty arduous, so I'd like some confirmation before going at it.

If that isn't the issue, could it be something else? And if so, is it something I can fix with basic tinkering or settings changes? Unfortunately my warrantee just recently expired (of course), so I'd rather not take it to a technician if I can help it.

I'd greatly appreciate any help. I do a lot of things that either require or strongly benefit from a constant internet connection, so the instability I'm dealing with is making things quite difficult for me. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer me.

Some potential relevant info:

Aside from the additional hard drive, the hardware in my system is unchanged.

Adapter drivers are up to date (according to DriverEasy)

Internet worked fine before initially knocking out the wires.

All core drivers and software is in its most updated state.

If there's any other info you need, please let me know and I'll provide it ASAP.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

There is a main and auxiliary antenna terminal on the wifi card, and there is a main and auxiliary antenna.

On notebook PCs' the antennas are usually color coded (black and white for example), but not always.

There could be some signal degradation if the main antenna is placed on the aux terminal or visa versa.

Could be is the operative phrase.  No guarantee that switching the wires would make a big difference, and since there are no detailed service manuals for your PC, there is probably no way to tell which wire is which.

And you are quite right.  Attaching those things is a real pain in the neck, and the antenna ends are delicate and can break off easily.

However...if this just started happening right after you knocked off the antenna connections, it is possible the wires are crossed.

I would also suggest you follow the antenna leads to where they are attached to the case, and make sure the connection didn't break off on those ends.

What model wifi adapter does your PC have, and the driver version and date? 

I'll see if there is a driver update from HP that is newer than what you have on there.

Let's see if there is an updated driver that may fix the problem before you start tinkering inside there again.

[Adze]

Thanks for the reply.

Those two black wires feed up into the top of my case. I can't access the place they're connected. I'm sure the top of the case can be removed so I can check, but I see no obvious way to do so (no screws or latches that I can see to pop that section of the case off). If I do end up switching the wires, I'll look into it a little more. I'll have to remove things from my PC to even get at the wireless card, so might as well take it apart a little more.

My wireless card is an Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168. Driver version is 19.51.8.2 and the date is Oct 25, 2017.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Most likely if the leads aren't hanging very slack from where they are attached to the case, they are probably OK.

The wires are so thin, most likely if they were broken, they would have fallen inside the case.

There is a newer driver (20.10.2), but I doubt that will make a difference.  You have nothing to lose by trying it at this point.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27309/Wireless-Intel-PROSet-Wireless-Software-and-Drivers-...

[Adze]

The link you provided says my wireless adapter drivers are up to date and it's my bluetooth driver that's out of date. I installed it anyway because there's no point in having out-of-date drivers. I doubt it'll do anything.

Unless you have any other ideas, I'll see if I can switch the wires on my card and pop the top of my case to see if maybe they just got slightly dislodged and I can secure them with some tape or putty.

Right now, my internet seems to be doing pretty well, but there's no saying it'll stay that way. If by some miracle it does, I won't question it, but if it doesn't I guess I'll just open up my PC again.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hopefully it will continue to work satisfactorily.

I don't have any other suggestions for you to try.

If you want to update the BT driver, here is the link to the lastest one...

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27391/Wireless-Intel-Wireless-Bluetooth-for-Windows-10?pro...

[Adze]

I'd just like to say that this issue is now fixed. Turns out, those two little wires did actually have to be switched. I did that and my wifi has been absolutely stellar since. Better than before actually. Thanks for your help and I'm glad this is done with.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.