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Wireless adapter randomly stops working

Anonymous
2022-07-31T03:33:18+00:00

At seemingly random times, my wireless adapter will just stop working. I cannot view available wireless networks, and the Wi-Fi properties in Network and Internet Settings simply aren't there. I CAN see the wireless adapter in Device Manager, where it has a yellow triangle indicating there is a problem.

I cannot determine when this happens. It seems to happen regularly when I play Horizon Zero Dawn (which is weird, because it's not an online game), but it happens at other times too. Often, once it happens once, it will keep happening for a while—sometimes hours. Once I fix it, it will often not happen for days, then it will start happening again. Sometimes once it happens and I manage to fix it, it will happen again the next day when I restart my computer or boot it after Hibernating.

What I have tried:

  • Network Troubleshooter. It always suggests I do a Network Reset (requiring computer restart). This sometimes works but usually does not.
  • Restarting the computer. Sometimes this works. Sometimes not.
  • Windows Update. This has never made any noticeable difference.
  • Unchecking "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" on the wireless network adapter.
  • Updating BIOS firmware. This seemed to work when I did it, but the problem happened again later.
  • Disabling/enabling the wireless adapter in Device Manager. Sometimes this works, but mostly it doesn't. Sometimes, it will work on the 5th or 10th try, even though it didn't work all the times before it. Sometimes when it works, it will only work for a short time before the problem recurs.
  • Uninstalling/reinstalling the wireless adapter from Device Manager. Same as disabling/enabling the wireless adapter.
  • Updating the driver for the wireless adapter. It seemed to work for a while, then the problem recurred.
  • Doing an in-place Windows Repair. This seemed to work for a while, then the problem recurred (notably, it recurred a few days later when I played Horizon Zero Dawn for the first time after the repair).

DETAILS

OS: Windows 11

Laptop: Asus ROG Strix Hero III G531GW

Network Adapter: Intel(R) Wireless-AC 9560 160MHz

Network Adapter Driver: 22.0.0.6 (currently, but I have had more recent drivers installed as well, and the problem still occurred)

I'm at a loss now, and I'm worried it might be a hardware problem. (Though the fact that it works most of the time suggests it's not, and all the Googling I've done on the topic suggests it's a software issue as well.) Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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3 answers

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-09-11T09:25:17+00:00

    It took me a while, but I did find a replacement, swapped the WiFi adapter myself, and tested it out over the course of a couple of weeks. Replacing the WiFi adapter hardware appears to have solved the problem so far.

    However, I also found a workaround here in case it helps anyone else. TL/DR: I changed the Frequency Bandwidth of my wireless network from 80 MHz to 40 MHz. While it did not solve the problem entirely, it did cause the problem to occur far less frequently—enough so that I could work.

    30+ people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2022-07-31T05:32:34+00:00

    If the problem occurs intermittently it can easily be a hardware issue. The more the device is in use and gets hotter the more likely it is to fail. I suggest you obtain an internal or external replacement adapter and see if the problem persists. You can use that opportunity to get a newer adapter or even buy the exact same one. You can pick up that exact adapter for around ~$10. The newer internal adapters can be found for around ~$20 to $40.

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2022-08-01T08:01:54+00:00

    I was hoping to avoid operating on my laptop, but you're right. I have to try it. Once I find a replacement, I will post back here with the results.

    5 people found this answer helpful.
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