Wi-Fi speed throttling on my laptop while other devices getting full

[John000987]

I’m only getting around 10% of my Wi-Fi speed, even though my other devices and laptops can easily access the full speed without any issues. The only time I can actually experience my Wi-Fi’s full potential is when I connect through an Ethernet cable.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @John000987 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Thanks for explaining the issue so clearly—it’s understandably frustrating when your laptop underperforms on Wi-Fi while everything else flies. Since Ethernet gives you full speed, we can rule out your internet connection and focus on the wireless adapter and settings on your laptop.

Let’s walk through a focused path to restore full Wi-Fi performance:

Step-by-step actions to resolve Wi-Fi speed throttling on your HP laptop

1. Check Wi-Fi adapter connection speed

• Press Win + X > Task Manager > Performance > Wi-Fi
• Look at the Link Speed (e.g., 72 Mbps, 866 Mbps)
• If it’s unusually low, the adapter may be locked to a slower band or protocol

2. Switch to 5 GHz band (if available)

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Hardware Properties
• If connected to a 2.4 GHz network, switch to the 5 GHz version of your SSID
• 5 GHz offers higher throughput and less interference

3. Update the wireless adapter driver

• Open Device Manager > Network adapters
• Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter > Update driver > Search automatically
• If no update is found, visit the HP support page for your model:
  HP Software and Driver Downloads
• Download and install the latest Intel or Realtek wireless LAN driver

4. Disable power-saving features for Wi-Fi

• Go to Control Panel > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings
• Expand Wireless Adapter Settings > Power Saving Mode
• Set both On battery and Plugged in to Maximum Performance

5. Forget and reconnect to your Wi-Fi network

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks
• Select your network > Forget
• Reconnect and re-enter the password

6. Run HP’s Diagnose & Fix tool
This tool checks for adapter conflicts and resets network settings:
Diagnose & Fix – HP Support

Let me know how the speed looks after these steps. You’re doing everything right by isolating the issue early.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye