Wi-fi signal suddenly becomes weak after an update that windows gave secretly

Question

So i js opened my pc on like november 2025 around that but when i look at the wi-fi signal its on 1 bar and then recently went to 2 bar both which is very weak, ive downloaded back my antenna driver, restarted many time, edited the start on HKEY to 3 already, did almost everything but still cant seem to figure it out. Any help?

Answer 1

i think i get why its on 20mbps earlier because i js realised it was 2.4ghz earlier but still tho it still didnt fix the other 2 wifi, I'll brb to put the pc back at its place and the difference ill update later

I'm back and as you know it got so bad 2.4g went from 20mbps to 0.40mbps and i cant even connect to 5g anymore. So any recommendation?

Thank you for letting me know.

That likely happened because when your PC moved farther from the router, it switched to 2.4 GHz, since that travels farther but is much slower. 5 GHz is faster, but it needs a stronger signal and closer distance.

If you’re usually near the router, your PC should stay on 5 GHz for better speed and stability.

To prioritize the 5 GHz band in Windows, open Device Manager > Network adapters, right-click your Wi-Fi adapter, choose Properties, then go to the Advanced tab. Find Preferred Band, and set it to Prefer 5 GHz band.

That should help your laptop stay locked onto the faster band whenever it’s available.

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Also, I highly suggest testing with an Ethernet cable, even just temporarily. A wired connection is the most stable and fastest option. It will also confirm if the issue is only with Wi-Fi or with the PC/network in general.

Answer 2

I think im around 5-10 metre away from the router i believe and a wall is blocking it, and sadly i also dont have Ethernet cable since it would be a hassle to link up my router 5-10 metre away to my pc i dont exactly know if its my pc problem or windows problem but basically i had to use hotspot in order to get 5 bar

Thank you for letting me know.

The weak signal could be worsened by the obstruction, especially with the built-in antenna.

If possible, even just temporarily, connecting your PC with an Ethernet cable directly to the router would be the fastest way to see if your PC can get full speed. This would help us confirm whether it’s strictly a Wi-Fi issue or something with Windows/driver.

Even a short test with a long cable (or moving the PC closer) can give us a clear answer.

Meanwhile, you could still try network reset and other steps I mentioned earlier, these sometimes fix post-update Wi-Fi problems without extra hardware.

Answer 3

Thank you for trying those steps and letting me know.

If you haven't already, please try running DISM and SFC command to automatically repair and restore any potential system file issues: Steps 2 to 5 can be found here: https://support.microsoft.com/windows/using-system-file-checker-in-windows-365e0031-36b1-6031-f804-8fd86e0ef4ca

After running DISM and SFC command, restart your PC and monitor if issue persists.

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If issue still persists, please report this through the Feedback Hub app. Feedback directly from affected devices helps Microsoft investigate and fix the issue in future updates. Be sure to include: Your PC model, what feels slow, and that the issue started after KB5077181.

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Uninstall the update (if performance is severely affected)

If the slowdown is persistent and making the device hard to use, you can temporarily remove the update:

• Go to Settings > Windows Update > Update history
• Select Uninstall updates
• Find KB5077181, uninstall it, and restart

This can help confirm whether the update is the direct cause.

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I really hope this information is helpful! Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Answer 4

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

To help narrow down the issue:

1. Are other devices on the same Wi-Fi getting normal speed and full signal bars?
2. Did this start right after a specific Windows update, or did it happen randomly?
3. Are you using the built-in motherboard antenna, and is it firmly connected at the back?

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In the meantime, if you haven’t already:

If you have any VPN, try disabling it temporarily and see if that makes a difference. You can check by going to Settings > Network & Internet > VPN or looking for a VPN app running in the background.

Forget and reconnect to your Wi-Fi network

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks.
• Find your current Wi-Fi network and click "Forget" next to it.
• Restart your main router/modem, then reconnect to the Wi-Fi and enter the password again.

Flush the DNS cache:

• Press Start and search for CMD.
• Right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
• In the Command Prompt, type the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each and wait:

ipconfig /flushdns

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

netsh winsock reset

• Restart your PC and check if the issue persists.

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If the issue persists, please provide more details by answering my questions.

Click "Add comment" below to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.