I had always relied heavily on my WiFi connection for work and leisure, but recently I encountered a frustrating problem. It all started when I decided to use my mobile hotspot to connect my Windows 11 laptop to the internet. I assumed it would be a straightforward process, just as it had been before. However, I was in for an unpleasant surprise. As soon as I turned on the mobile hotspot on my phone, my WiFi connection on my laptop started to drop intermittently. This issue was not just a minor inconvenience; it was severely affecting my productivity and causing a lot of frustration.
At first, I thought it might be a temporary glitch. I tried reconnecting to my WiFi network, restarting both my laptop and my phone, and even resetting my router. Despite these efforts, the problem persisted. I began to suspect that there might be a conflict between my WiFi network and the mobile hotspot. After some research and trial and error, I came up with a few potential solutions that worked for me, and I’m sharing them in hopes they might help someone else facing the same issue.
The first thing I decided to check was the network settings on my laptop. I went to the Settings app and navigated to Network & Internet. I checked the WiFi settings and found that there were some advanced options that I hadn’t explored before. One of the first adjustments I made was to change the power management settings for my WiFi adapter. I went to Device Manager, found the Network Adapters section, and right-clicked on my WiFi adapter. Under Properties, I navigated to the Power Management tab and unchecked the option that allowed the computer to turn off the device to save power. I had heard that this could sometimes cause connectivity issues, so I hoped this adjustment might resolve the problem.
Next, I considered the possibility of interference between my WiFi network and the mobile hotspot. I realized that when my mobile hotspot was on, it could potentially cause interference with the frequencies used by my WiFi network. To address this, I decided to change the channel on my WiFi router. Most modern routers have the capability to operate on different channels to reduce interference. I logged into my router’s settings page and changed the channel from the default one to a less congested channel. This adjustment could help minimize interference from other wireless devices, including my mobile hotspot.
While these changes made a difference, they didn’t completely solve the problem. My WiFi still dropped intermittently, although less frequently. I then turned my attention to potential driver issues. Outdated or corrupted drivers could be causing compatibility issues between my laptop and the mobile hotspot. I visited the website of my laptop’s manufacturer and checked for the latest drivers for my WiFi adapter. After downloading and installing the most recent driver version, I restarted my laptop and hoped this would fix the issue.
Another thing I tried was adjusting the network priority settings on my laptop. Windows 11 allows users to prioritize certain networks over others. I thought that if my laptop was prioritizing the mobile hotspot over my home WiFi, it could explain why my WiFi connection was dropping. To address this, I went to the Network & Internet settings again and looked for the option to manage known networks. I made sure that my home WiFi was set as the preferred network and that my mobile hotspot was listed as a lower priority.
After making these changes, I kept a close eye on my WiFi connection while using the mobile hotspot. For a while, things seemed to improve. My WiFi was not dropping as frequently as before, but I still experienced occasional interruptions. This led me to consider a possible issue with the mobile hotspot itself. I checked for any available updates for my phone and applied them. Sometimes, mobile operating systems have updates that fix bugs related to network connectivity.
Finally, I decided to test a different mobile hotspot app. Some apps might have better compatibility with Windows 11 or offer more stable connections. I downloaded and installed an alternative hotspot app on my phone and tested it to see if it made any difference. To my relief, this change resulted in a much more stable connection. It appeared that the app I had been using initially might have been contributing to the problem.
In conclusion, the issue of my WiFi connection dropping when I turned on my mobile hotspot was a multifaceted problem that required several approaches to resolve. By adjusting the power management settings for my WiFi adapter, changing the WiFi router’s channel, updating drivers, managing network priorities, and experimenting with different mobile hotspot apps, I was able to significantly improve my connectivity. While it took some time and effort to identify and implement the right solutions, the process ultimately restored stability to my WiFi connection and allowed me to work without constant interruptions.