Send files unpredictably across the network.
Send files unpredictably across the network.
I purchased an ASUS AXE5400 6E PCIe-E network adapter and connected it to my machine last night. It reports identical speeds during several speed tests conducted hours apart, even when using my USB Wi-Fi antenna. My iPhone consistently achieves 100-200 Mbps nearby. Any further suggestions? Otherwise, I might just rip up the carpet and install CAT6 cable along the baseboards. @Robchil tagging you too.
I tend to simplify details when helping to keep things broad and avoid confusion. What I omitted doesn't affect privacy concerns. Since the pictures don’t match your specific devices, it’s not helpful. If you share your Device Hardware IDs, we can determine the exact Realtek chip and find a recent driver.
Have you tried phone speed tests with the phone in the exact same position as your computer Wi-Fi card antenna? I'm guessing it's near the floor, on the back of the PC... two locations that are very-much not ideal for Wi-Fi reception. We can definitely do further testing/troubleshooting, but that's a great first sanity check.
I noticed your observation. The speed dropped significantly from the expected levels. It seems there’s a major difference between what you’re seeing and the performance you anticipated. I’m trying to understand what might be causing this issue.
Great! The simple solution was removed. No problem, we're fine. Check or install the newest driver for your Wi-Fi card. Open PowerShell and reset your Windows Networking Stack using the command: netsh int ip reset. Perform some speed tests with Internet Speed Test - Measure Network Performance | Cloudflare in PowerShell. In PowerShell, type the command to ping your local router (no internet needed) at 192.168.1.1 -t. I'm guessing this is the correct local IP. Let it run for a few seconds (about 30) and then press Ctrl + C to stop. It will show stats. You can capture the results with Shift + Windows Key + S and paste them here. If you see 'destination unreachable', it means the IP was wrong, so we can try again. Reboot to Safe Mode with networking and repeat the tests—see if performance improves.
Thanks for the feedback. The driver appears accurate. Your ping results after running the network stack command are noted. After rebooting in safe mode, networking failed completely—no connections, no network options visible even in system tray or settings. When you clicked on the globe, nothing appeared, and the network menu was blank. A speed test in normal Windows mode showed consistent results, suggesting the issue isn’t with your connection setup but possibly with driver configuration or a deeper system problem.
Well, aside from a few odd ping spikes, there doesn't seem to be a major problem between the router and the PC. SafeMode with networking probably didn't function because it failed to load the driver for your Asus Wi-Fi card. But the data could be helpful if you manage to get Wi-Fi working again. Try this: While in Safe Mode with Networking, open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, right-click the Asus Wi-Fi card and choose Enable. After that, reboot to normal Windows and run the following in PowerShell to check if speeds improve: netsh winsock reset. If that doesn't help, what does the DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth output indicate? Are you sure the old Wi-Fi adapter is removed or disabled in Device Manager? Make sure only the new Asus adapter is active—this issue (Wi-Fi icon problems or freezing) seems to be linked to the Asus card.
I attempted the safemode again. Despite it being already active, there was still a yellow caution triangle displayed. I searched for similar problems from others who faced difficulties connecting to wifi while in safemode with networking enabled. I tried various workarounds such as entering my pin before logging in and adjusting settings via services.msc for WLAN startup. However, nothing resolved the issue. Safemode still wouldn’t let me access wifi. Some suggested it might be due to a poorly coded wifi card driver preventing it from functioning properly. After rebooting normally, I ran the first troubleshooting command, but it didn’t improve speeds. Then I tried another command which reported no component store corruption and completed successfully. It appears my old USB wifi adapter was disconnected during the process. The wifi icon freezing issue hasn’t appeared on my ASUS card yet—it occurs sporadically, sometimes for a month or more. The speed problem remains when using the USB wifi extender instead of the ASUS card. Regardless of the device I use, speeds stay slow. I ran some speed tests on my computer and found 15-25MBPS, while my phone consistently outperformed them. For fun, I tested my phone next to the computer and it dropped to a mere 7MBPS. Almost thinking it might be related to the router?
Aaaah, good idea! It could be the router or some wireless interference—though less likely. Since your phone is a convenient test, please run the speed tests at https://speed.cloudflare.com/. Check if the issue lies with device location or if internet speed varies based on distance from the router. See if rebooting the router instantly improves speeds or not. List the number of wireless devices connected and their types on the D-Link router. Do you have any wired devices available for testing? We want to figure out whether it's a wireless problem, a Starlink issue, a router problem affecting all devices, a router issue only for wireless ones, or something else. Also, look for packet loss or jitter over 10ms in the Cloudflare results. Feel free to share the findings, just hide your IP address and the map in the top right if needed.
A brand new home constructed about a year ago, isolated from any neighbors (residing in the wilderness). I'm attempting to identify potential sources of interference. It isn't a smart-home setup—no Nest thermostat or wireless cameras. Just avoiding anything that could disrupt the connection beyond the Starlink router located roughly 60 feet away in the property. That unit is constructed mostly of metal and functions as a Faraday cage, which explains why it has its own router for internal internet access. You might still catch some signal from it outside, but not consistently reach my phone or computer. I'm open to exploring the interference angle if you suggest anything else that could be missed.
I have a basic NAS connected via a Raspberry Pi and an external hard drive running OMV. Interference seems unlikely (in my mind). I ran speed tests on my phone at the same spot as the computer.
Results to note:
1) My iPhone received only 11-30 Mbps, with 73ms latency and 15ms jitter, plus 2% packet loss.
2) The computer with an ASUS Wi-Fi card showed similar slowdowns (15-30 Mbps), though it was also testing at 73-90 Mbps.
3) Another PC connected via Ethernet to the router achieved 30 Mbps download and 9 Mbps upload, with 37ms latency and 9ms jitter, 1% packet loss. It rarely exceeded 60-80 Mbps under good conditions.
Testing near the router produced no noticeable difference compared to being close to a Windows 10 PC. Restarting the router had minimal effect. Most connections stayed idle, except for one device (3-6 users at a time).
Regarding your questions:
- Tonight’s performance isn’t typical; usually I see better speeds.
- The numbers are consistently poor across all devices and locations.
- My experience suggests Starlink is likely the culprit, though other factors could play a role.
I appreciate you taking the time to explain this thoroughly. You're doing great work.