New HP laptop drops wifi constantly while on battery

[Invector]

Hoping one of you experts can help me with a problem that is driving me NUTS!

I recently purchased a new HP laptop that constantly drops wifi while on battery. No problems at all when plugged in.

I have tried every solution I can find on the internet and on this forum, but so far nothing has worked. 

I wish I could list all the fixes I've tried to save you some time, but I simply can't remember them all.

Any help you could give me would be MUCH appreciated!

Thanks!

[Betty0610]

@Invector

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

I'll be glad to help, however, to provide an accurate resolution, I need a few more details: 

Have you installed all available windows & HP updates to resolve this issue?

Did you try reinstalling the wireless adapter? (please do, if you haven't)

While you respond to that, here's what you need to do:

1. Remove All Barriers: Certain building materials can get in the way of weaker signals like Bluetooth. Metal, bulletproof glass, concrete and plaster are particularly bad, and marble, plaster and brick aren’t great easy. So if you’re really struggling with interference, your first step should be to move your Bluetooth devices away from these materials. That means no brick walls between you and your devices, and definitely no metal desks!
    
2. Change Router Channel: If you have an Apple router and you’re constantly getting interference with your WiFi, try rebooting it. Upon restart, the station will search for a new channel. Specifically, a different channel than the one your Bluetooth devices are using to communicate. If you don’t have an Apple router, you may need to instead go into your router settings and try changing the channel manually. Experiment with different channels to see which one works best.
    
3. Move Closer to Your Router: If you often find that you’re getting interference when talking on a wireless headset while on a WiFi call (you’ll know because you’ll hear static), try moving closer to your router. This will give you a more robust WiFi connection, so the Bluetooth frequency can’t overpower it.
    
4. Get Away From Microwaves and Fluorescent Lighting: Both emit frequencies of 2.4GHz, and moving away from them will distance you from the source.

That said, The best way to resolve the issue is by using the HP Guided Troubleshooter: 

https://hp.care/2JshaSG

(simply select your description of the issue from the bottom of the screen to gain access to the next set of steps that should resolve your concern).

Also, let's reinstall the battery drivers:

1) In the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager, and then select Device Manager from the list of results.

2) In Device Manager, expand Batteries.

3) Right-click on the Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery, and then select Uninstall device > Delete the driver software for this device check box > Uninstall.

4) Restart the computer.  

Let me know if this helps.

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution button, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Thanks!

Have a great day!

[Invector]

I appreciate the suggestions, but most don't apply, and except for the battery suggestion (which didn't work) I've already tried the others. And yes, I went completely through the HP guided troubleshooter.

Once again, I have absolutely no wifi problems as long as I'm plugged in. But as soon as I go on battery the wifi starts disconnecting. I reconnect and it will disconnect a few minutes later. This will happen over and over again as long as I'm on battery. As soon as I plug back in the problem goes away.

Any other suggestions? 

[Betty0610]

Let's try this: Go to Device Manager: selecting my network adapter and removing the tick next to "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"
Control Panel: creating a custom power plan and making sure the power saving mode for "on battery" is set to "Maximum Performance"
Disable USB selective suspend setting on battery because I use a USB wireless adapter.

If issue persists, open the Device Manager (Devmgmt.msc), find Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter in the Network adapters section and select Disable Device and/or delete (Delete) the device in the context menu.

After that you need to restart your computer and it should work fine on battery too.

Let me know if this helps.

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution button, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

[Invector]

Thanks again for the reply.

Unfortunately, almost everything you mentioned I've already tried. The only thing I haven't done on your list is to disable or delete the Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter, and that's because nothing like that shows up in my network adapter section. 

I hope you haven't run out of suggestions, because I'm about ready to swear off HP computers forever!

[Betty0610]

Does this happen only on a specific network or on all networks? Also, there might be chances we might have to reinstall the Operating System. 

Do back your data up.

Thanks 🙂

[Invector]

Haven't tried it yet on anything other than my home network, but my family has two other laptops along with multiple tablets and none of them have a similar problem. So I sincerely doubt it's the network.

As for reinstalling the operating system, I've been using computers since the late 80s, and in that time I've had numerous computer problems. On four separate occasions it has been suggested that I reinstall the operating system, and the success rate for that fix has been ZERO! All I got for my trouble was a great deal of inconvenience.

So I guess if that is your last suggestion I'll pass. 

After searching the internet for a solution, it's clear that this has been an ongoing problem for at least two years. HP should have fixed it by now. But like so many who have this problem have said, "they apparently don't care".

Please don't take my criticism personally as I know this is not your fault. You have just been trying to help and I very much appreciate it. Thank You!

But like I said, if reinstalling the operating system is your last suggestion, I think I'll just unload this laptop and buy a Dell.