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Netgear A7000 blows up my wifi connection everytime there is a Windows 11 update
I did a search on this topic, then a general scan of the threads and did not see it. Which was a surprise. I am using an A7000 on a rather simple Dell desktop that is in a separate building than our house where a TP-Link router runs off cable internet. The A7000 gets its best signal off an intermediate TP-Link access point, on the 5 channel. When it works it works very well.
But, with a previous computer running Windows 10, and this one running Windows 11, every time there is an operating system update it shuts off the A7000 and restoring it can take a great deal of time because of how slowly Windows 11 (or 10) recovers from crashes or sudden shut-downs )when I get tired of waiting 20+ minutes for a repair or reboot). I discovered that after an update and a loss of wifi if I tried to open the Network and Internet page on the Control Panel I often simply could not until the A7000 was unplugged! After that point I could plug it back in and activate it by changing the Adapter Settings.
After a particularly bad episode this week I started using a cheap Trendnet 4 antenna adapter and Windows 11 seems much happier with it. But now I have a 50-60mbps connection instead of the 230 mbps connection the A7000 gave me.
Has anyone else had these problems, which I feel are mostly due to some strange thing in the vast, bloated architecture of Windows 11 rather than the A7000? Any ideas on a fix before I buy a higher specification TP-Link adapter? The A7000 has the most recent driver.
I have not used a card adapter because my main office computer is in a building quite a distance from the router, hence the use of a WAP in between. I have installed many cards in the past, including wifi and bluetooth cards, but not when distances like this were involved. Will a high end card outperform a usb adapter of A7000 grade? If so, I"m willing to try that route and bypass Windows 11's usb controller, etc.
Hard to tell without trying it. My experience is not with a long distance wifi link.I am sitting under the router and use them to play around and to get the PC on the same wifi network as my mobile devices.
I can't see how a USB adapter can be any better than a decent PCIs card and an external antenna. I have a WavLINK in one PC and something called a Ziyituod in another. The second one is much cheaper. Both do 6 GHz (6E), but that might not interest you given the range issue. They also do Bluetooth, but that us via a USB header on the motherboards.
The WavLINK has the advantage of a separate antenna, while the other one has screw on attachments for the back of the PC.
I can't see how the WiFi performance of these things will differ much. I suspect that they have similar chipsets. But the killer could be that the PCIe cards avoid Windows and its dreaded USB drivers.
But, with a previous computer running Windows 10, and this one running Windows 11, every time there is an operating system update it shuts off the A7000 and restoring it can take a great deal of time because of how slowly Windows 11 (or 10) recovers from crashes or sudden shut-downs )when I get tired of waiting 20+ minutes for a repair or reboot).
Any idea what goes wrong in Windows?
I haven't seen any issue like that. But I don't use a USB dongle. I went for a Wifi6 PCIe card in my PC.
Re: Netgear A7000 blows up my wifi connection everytime there is a Windows 11 update
I don't know what is happening in my Windows 11, but I did buy a TP-Link Archer adapter and also had trouble with it. That one actually shut off my wifi on installation and had very spotty 5 band connectivity once I got the networking software fixed. so I am returning it. At this point I think the networking software in the operating system is corrupted. I have run the System File Checker, it found problems and corrected them, but I still cannot get a stable connection with the A7000 or the TP-Link adapter. Before, the A7000 or the operating system would crash only after an OS upgrade. Now, the only adapter that works well and reliably is a relatively simple Trendnet adapter with four large antennae.
I have not used a card adapter because my main office computer is in a building quite a distance from the router, hence the use of a WAP in between. I have installed many cards in the past, including wifi and bluetooth cards, but not when distances like this were involved. Will a high end card outperform a usb adapter of A7000 grade? If so, I"m willing to try that route and bypass Windows 11's usb controller, etc.
I have not used a card adapter because my main office computer is in a building quite a distance from the router, hence the use of a WAP in between. I have installed many cards in the past, including wifi and bluetooth cards, but not when distances like this were involved. Will a high end card outperform a usb adapter of A7000 grade? If so, I"m willing to try that route and bypass Windows 11's usb controller, etc.
Hard to tell without trying it. My experience is not with a long distance wifi link.I am sitting under the router and use them to play around and to get the PC on the same wifi network as my mobile devices.
I can't see how a USB adapter can be any better than a decent PCIs card and an external antenna. I have a WavLINK in one PC and something called a Ziyituod in another. The second one is much cheaper. Both do 6 GHz (6E), but that might not interest you given the range issue. They also do Bluetooth, but that us via a USB header on the motherboards.
The WavLINK has the advantage of a separate antenna, while the other one has screw on attachments for the back of the PC.
I can't see how the WiFi performance of these things will differ much. I suspect that they have similar chipsets. But the killer could be that the PCIe cards avoid Windows and its dreaded USB drivers.
Re: Netgear A7000 blows up my wifi connection everytime there is a Windows 11 update
It sounds like you're dealing with a frustrating issue with your Netgear A7000 USB WiFi adapter after Windows updates, which is a common problem where updates interfere with network drivers. First, even if you have the most recent driver, check the Netgear website for any beta drivers or additional updates that may not have come through Windows Update. Disabling power management for the adapter can help, so go to Device Manager, find the A7000, and uncheck the option to allow the computer to turn it off to save power. Performing a network reset may also resolve connectivity issues; you can do this in the Network & Internet settings. Ensure your system is fully updated, as Microsoft often releases fixes in subsequent updates. If the driver isn't performing well under Windows 11, try running it in compatibility mode for Windows 10 by adjusting the properties of the driver installation file. Additionally, using a different USB port, preferably USB 3.0, might help. If these steps don't resolve the issue, considering a different adapter, like the TP-Link one you mentioned, could be a worthwhile investment for better stability and performance. If problems persist, reaching out to Netgear support for further assistance is a good idea. Good luck!
