Overview
Wi-Fi drops for a few seconds several times an hour, Teams calls stutter, and Outlook flips between connected and disconnected — but other devices in the building seem fine.
Likely cause
- Weak signal — too far from the access point, or through too many walls.
- The laptop is clinging to a distant access point instead of switching to a nearer one.
- Windows power management switching the wireless adapter off to save battery.
- An outdated or mismatched wireless driver.
- Channel congestion on 2.4 GHz from neighbouring networks and other equipment.
Step-by-step
Step 1 — Confirm which network you're actually on
Click the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar. Make sure you're on the office network — not a guest network, a phone hotspot, or a neighbouring business's open Wi-Fi.
Step 2 — Check whether it's the PC or the network
If a phone standing in the same spot holds a steady connection, the problem is the PC. If everything in that area struggles, it's coverage.
Step 3 — Stop Windows powering down the adapter
Open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, right-click the Wi-Fi adapter → Properties → Power Management, and untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
devmgmt.mscThis one setting fixes a large share of laptop drop-outs.
Also set the power mode to Best performance while plugged in.
Step 4 — Update the wireless driver
Get the driver from the laptop manufacturer's support site for your exact model — not from a generic driver utility. Restart afterwards.
Step 5 — Forget and rejoin the network
Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks, select the network, choose Forget, then reconnect and re-enter the password.
Step 6 — Renew the network configuration
From an elevated Command Prompt:
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdnsStep 7 — Reset the network stack
A network reset removes all saved Wi-Fi networks and VPN profiles.
Have the Wi-Fi password and VPN details to hand before you run it.
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip resetRestart the PC, then reconnect to the network.
Step 8 — Look at coverage and radio bands
Use the 5 GHz network where possible — it's faster and far less congested, though it doesn't travel as far. If one area of the office is consistently poor, you need another access point rather than more troubleshooting.
2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz
| 2.4 GHz | 5 GHz | |
|---|---|---|
| Range | Longer, passes through walls better | Shorter, weakens through walls |
| Speed | Slower | Much faster |
| Congestion | Very congested | Usually clear |
| Best for | Printers, far corners, IoT devices | Laptops, video calls, day-to-day work |
Expected result
A stable connection through a full working day, with no drop-outs during video calls and no repeated Outlook reconnects.
Troubleshooting
Still stuck?
If you'd rather not work through this yourself, CYBER904 can take it from here. Reach the team directly during business hours and we'll get it sorted.