Low Wi-Fi Signal Pickup While Speed Test and Streaming

[Roland_Thawng]

While testing internet speed using Ookla, I noticed a significant discrepancy between two laptops placed side by side. My new HP OMEN 16, equipped with an i9-14900 processor, recorded download speeds of only 38 Mbps and upload speeds of 12 Mbps. In contrast, a Lenovo laptop (with i7- 11th Gen) in the same location achieved 158 Mbps download and 65 Mbps upload as screenshot inserted below.
I’m currently using mobile broadband Wi-Fi for outdoor streaming, and I’m concerned about the weak signal pickup on the HP OMEN.

I would appreciate any advice or recommendations to improve Wi-Fi signal strength and overall performance.
Thank you and best regards,

 HP OMEN 16

 Lenovo Legion

  

[VikramTheGreat · Accepted solution]

Hi @Roland_Thawng,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

Thank you for sharing the images of both devices, and I’m sorry to hear about the trouble you’re facing. This issue is most likely related to Wi-Fi signal reception or network adapter configuration.

Here are some HP-recommended steps to improve performance:

1. Check Wi-Fi Band

Make sure your OMEN is connected to the 5 GHz band, not 2.4 GHz:

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Properties.
• Look for Network Band. If it says 2.4 GHz, switch to 5 GHz via your router settings.

2. Update Network Drivers

• Open HP Support Assistant or visit the HP OMEN 16 driver page.
• Install the latest Intel or Realtek Wi-Fi drivers.

3. Disable Power Saving for Wi-Fi Adapter

• Open Device Manager > Network Adapters.
• Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter > Properties > Power Management.
• Uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”

4. Change Roaming Sensitivity

• Go to Device Manager > Network Adapter > Advanced tab.
• Set Roaming Aggressiveness to Highest.

5. Use External USB Wi-Fi Adapter (Optional)

If the internal adapter is weak, a USB Wi-Fi dongle with an external antenna can dramatically improve signal pickup.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!
 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,

VikramTheGreat

[Roland_Thawng]

Hi Vikram, Thank you so much for your advice. You are the real the great.

I managed to improve my Wi-fi signal reception much better than before, But it's still short of the level compared to that the other older brand which had the higher pick up strength.  

Please see the below attached herewith. 

I followed the steps as per your advice as follows:

1. Check Wi-Fi Band

Make sure your OMEN is connected to the 5 GHz band, not 2.4 GHz:

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Properties.
• Look for Network Band. If it says 2.4 GHz, switch to 5 GHz via your router settings.

I changed the Network Band to 5GHz

2. Update Network Drivers

• Open HP Support Assistant or visit the HP OMEN 16 driver page.
• Install the latest Intel or Realtek Wi-Fi drivers.  No need as current driver is the latest version

3. Disable Power Saving for Wi-Fi Adapter

• Open Device Manager > Network Adapters.
• Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter > Properties > Power Management.
• Uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.” yes, unticked it"

4. Change Roaming Sensitivity

• Go to Device Manager > Network Adapter > Advanced tab.
• Set Roaming Aggressiveness to Highest.  N.A

5. Use External USB Wi-Fi Adapter (Optional)

If the internal adapter is weak, a USB Wi-Fi dongle with an external antenna can dramatically improve signal pickup. NA

 

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @Roland_Thawng,

Thank you for sharing the screenshot and for the detailed update really helpful! I can see that after following the steps, your OMEN now performs much better than before, though still slightly behind the other laptop.

A couple of things you may still try to close that gap:

Additional Checks

1. Preferred Band Setting
   • In Device Manager > Network Adapter > Advanced, look for an option like Preferred Band.
   • Set it to Prefer 5 GHz (sometimes this forces the adapter to stay locked on the faster band).
      
2. Channel Width
   • In the same Advanced tab, set 802.11n/ac/ax Channel Width for 5 GHz to Auto or 80 MHz (if available). Wider channels allow faster speeds.
      
3. Router Placement & Channels
   • Make sure your router is using the least congested channel (you can check via router settings or apps like Wi-Fi Analyzer).
   • If the router is far, try adjusting the placement or angle of the antennas.
      
4. Windows Wi-Fi Sense / Background Apps
   • Turn off Wi-Fi Sense (Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi).
   • Disable heavy background apps during tests.
      
5. Firmware Update (Router)
   • Check if your router has a firmware update; sometimes, performance improvements come from the router side.

💡 If the difference still remains noticeable

• An external USB Wi-Fi adapter (with high-gain antennas) is often the simplest way to get stronger reception. This helps especially if the OMEN’s internal antenna design is less sensitive than the older laptop.
   

I hope this helps. 
 

Take care and have an amazing day!
 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,

VikramTheGreat