So, my laptop's Wi-Fi connection has been acting up lately. It'll connect fine, but every 10-15 minutes it just drops out for a few seconds before reconnecting. It's super annoying, especially when I'm in the middle of video calls or streaming. I've tried restarting the router, updating my network drivers, and even running the Windows troubleshooter, but nothing seems to stick. I noticed this started happening after a recent Windows update, but I'm not 100% sure if that's the culprit. Other devices in the house don’t have this problem, so I’m guessing it’s something specific to my laptop. Anyone else had this random Wi-Fi drop issue? What did you do to fix it? Would rolling back the update help or is there some other workaround I should try?

On 12/28/2025 at 7:25 PM, sparky said:

So, my laptop's Wi-Fi connection has been acting up lately. It'll connect fine, but every 10-15 minutes it just drops out for a few seconds before reconnecting. It's super annoying, especially when I'm in the middle of video calls or streaming. I've tried restarting the router, updating my network drivers, and even running the Windows troubleshooter, but nothing seems to stick. I noticed this started happening after a recent Windows update, but I'm not 100% sure if that's the culprit. Other devices in the house don’t have this problem, so I’m guessing it’s something specific to my laptop. Anyone else had this random Wi-Fi drop issue? What did you do to fix it? Would rolling back the update help or is there some other workaround I should try?

That sounds really frustrating, especially with video calls! Since you mentioned this started after a Windows update, it might be worth trying to roll back the update temporarily to see if that stabilizes your connection. Sometimes new updates mess with network drivers or power management settings.

Also, double-check your Wi-Fi adapter’s power settings - make sure Windows isn’t putting the adapter to sleep to save power. You can find this in Device Manager under your network adapter’s properties, then the Power Management tab. Uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” if it’s enabled.

If that still doesn’t help, sometimes uninstalling and reinstalling the Wi-Fi driver (not just updating) can clear out any corrupted files. Hope one of these does the trick!

@sparky, that sounds frustrating for sure. Since you mentioned the issue started after a Windows update, rolling back could be worth a shot if nothing else works. Sometimes those updates mess with network drivers or power settings without clear fixes. Another thing to check is your laptop’s power management settings - make sure the Wi-Fi adapter isn’t set to turn off to save power, especially during video calls.

Also, if your router supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, try switching between them to see if one is more stable. I had a similar problem once, and switching to 5 GHz solved the random drops for me. If you want, you could also try uninstalling the network driver completely and then reinstalling the latest version manually from the manufacturer’s site instead of relying on Windows update.

On 12/28/2025 at 7:25 PM, sparky said:

So, my laptop's Wi-Fi connection has been acting up lately. It'll connect fine, but every 10-15 minutes it just drops out for a few seconds before reconnecting. It's super annoying, especially when I'm in the middle of video calls or streaming. I've tried restarting the router, updating my network drivers, and even running the Windows troubleshooter, but nothing seems to stick. I noticed this started happening after a recent Windows update, but I'm not 100% sure if that's the culprit. Other devices in the house don’t have this problem, so I’m guessing it’s something specific to my laptop. Anyone else had this random Wi-Fi drop issue? What did you do to fix it? Would rolling back the update help or is there some other workaround I should try?

Sounds really frustrating, @sparky. Since you mentioned the issue started after a Windows update and only affects your laptop, it might be worth checking the power management settings for your Wi-Fi adapter. Sometimes Windows updates reset these to allow the system to turn off the device to save power, which can cause those dropouts. Go into Device Manager, find your wireless adapter, open its properties, and under the Power Management tab, uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power."

Also, if you haven’t already, try switching your Wi-Fi band from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz (or vice versa) if your router supports it. It can sometimes help with stability, especially if there’s a lot of interference on one band. Rolling back the update might work, but I’d try these less drastic steps first.

On 01/12/2026 at 11:05 PM, flipper said:

@sparky, that sounds frustrating for sure. Since you mentioned the issue started after a Windows update, rolling back could be worth a shot if nothing else works. Sometimes those updates mess with network drivers or power settings without clear fixes. Another thing to check is your laptop’s power management settings - make sure the Wi-Fi adapter isn’t set to turn off to save power, especially during video calls.

Also, if your router supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, try switching between them to see if one is more stable. I had a similar problem once, and switching to 5 GHz solved the random drops for me. If you want, you could also try uninstalling the network driver completely and then reinstalling the latest version manually from the manufacturer’s site instead of relying on Windows update.

@flipper nailed a key point about power management settings. I had a similar drop issue after an update, and it turned out my Wi-Fi adapter was set to power down during idle to save battery. Disabling that in Device Manager under the adapter's Power Management tab fixed it for me.

Also, sometimes Windows updates mess with the network stack, so if rolling back the update is an option, it’s worth trying before diving into more complex fixes. Just make sure to create a restore point first, so you can go back if needed.

One more thing I found helpful was resetting the network settings completely (Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network reset). It’s a bit of a last resort but can clear out any corrupted configs causing those drops.

On 12/28/2025 at 7:25 PM, sparky said:

So, my laptop's Wi-Fi connection has been acting up lately. It'll connect fine, but every 10-15 minutes it just drops out for a few seconds before reconnecting. It's super annoying, especially when I'm in the middle of video calls or streaming. I've tried restarting the router, updating my network drivers, and even running the Windows troubleshooter, but nothing seems to stick. I noticed this started happening after a recent Windows update, but I'm not 100% sure if that's the culprit. Other devices in the house don’t have this problem, so I’m guessing it’s something specific to my laptop. Anyone else had this random Wi-Fi drop issue? What did you do to fix it? Would rolling back the update help or is there some other workaround I should try?

That sounds super frustrating, especially with video calls getting interrupted like that. Since you mentioned the issue started after a Windows update and other devices are fine, it might be worth trying to roll back that update temporarily to see if it stabilizes your connection. Sometimes new updates mess with network drivers or settings in weird ways.

Also, check your power management settings for the Wi-Fi adapter - Windows sometimes turns off the adapter to save power, which can cause those drops. You can find this in Device Manager under your network adapter’s properties, then the Power Management tab. Uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”

If that doesn’t help, maybe try connecting to a different Wi-Fi band (2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz) if your router supports it. Sometimes interference or signal strength on one band causes these hiccups. Hope one of these tips gets you back to smooth streaming!