Desktop USB WiFi underperforming compared to other devices

alexsoregan

Prominent
Sep 17, 2017
3
0
510
Hi,
I've just recently built a brand new ryzen desktop that has been working flawlessly, except for one major annoyance: the WiFi, irrespective of what USB WiFi device is plugged in, will only work at a snail's pace, compared to all my other devices.
I've done loads of Googling and troubleshooting - Google didn't yield much info that I didn't already know - signal strength is ok, no major interference, etc.

Here's the info I've gathered so far:
-The WiFi adapter that I'm using (TP-Link Archer T2U) is not faulty. I have done speedtests on both my desktop and laptop using this adapter, and when using it on my laptop (win7), I will get about 5x faster speeds.

-The location of the adapter is also not the problem. I have plugged the adapter into every USB port, both 2.0 and 3.0, aswell as plugging it into a USB hub and moving it around the room, and speeds remain the same (i.e awful).

-I have used my Android (which is also getting better speeds) as a WiFi bridge to my Desktop, and it is perfectly happy to provide high speed internet to the Desktop - so the problem is only occurring when a dedicated USB WiFi adapter is being used

-The only thing that I can think is causing the problem is drivers. Now, I've tested this adapter on my laptop without doing any manual driver updating, and I've gotten speeds of about 20-30MbiPS. Doing similar tests on my desktop yields results of about 4-5MbiPS.
Updating the drivers on laptop does not change the Download speed. (Here's where things get fishy) When I tried to update drivers on my desktop (win10), it actually caused my desktop to bluescreen, which required a system restore (I've tried updating drivers twice, same results both times), so obviously, the latest drivers are not a possibility on my desktop system.

So what do you guys think? Is this a driver issue? Or is this a much more deep-rooted problem, possibly with a faulty Mobo? Any insight is appreciated, as my desktop is absolutely top-notch for everything else, making slow internet a real kick in the ass.
 
Solution
Hi,

I had exactly the same problem as you describe. I had put together a new Ryzen setup and everything worked great but WiFi would either not connect at all or if it did, the speeds were abysmally slow. I tried 3 different mainboards and 2 different WiFi dongles (that worked absolutely fine when plugged into other computers) but the problem would remain the same. At this point I am very sure that it is in fact an architectural problem or design flaw in the Ryzen chips that have USB controllers built into them.

Google for Ryzen/Zen USB problems and you will find lots of people having the same issues and even statements from AMD admitting to USB problems with their Ryzen chips. I think it's ridiculous they sell these chips...

alexsoregan

Prominent
Sep 17, 2017
3
0
510


As explained above, the device is a TP-Link Archer T2U, and probably isn't faulty, as I've tested it in other machines which gave perfectly good speeds.
Again, my hunch is that this is a driver issue, however the latest TP-Link drivers cause my OS to blue-screen, so I'm forced to use the latest Windows drivers instead.

 

Bacongaming14

Commendable
Feb 6, 2017
55
0
1,660
just buy another that one is pretty cheap but dont spend like 40 and above because again like you said the drivers aren't good...and the stick isnt supported by windows 10 so thats probably the reason since it gets better on ur win7 laptop
 

vonrichthofen1911

Prominent
Dec 30, 2017
1
0
520
Hi,

I had exactly the same problem as you describe. I had put together a new Ryzen setup and everything worked great but WiFi would either not connect at all or if it did, the speeds were abysmally slow. I tried 3 different mainboards and 2 different WiFi dongles (that worked absolutely fine when plugged into other computers) but the problem would remain the same. At this point I am very sure that it is in fact an architectural problem or design flaw in the Ryzen chips that have USB controllers built into them.

Google for Ryzen/Zen USB problems and you will find lots of people having the same issues and even statements from AMD admitting to USB problems with their Ryzen chips. I think it's ridiculous they sell these chips knowing that there are serious issues with them. One can only hope that AMD will fix these issues eventually through a BIOS/Microcode update for the current generation of Ryzen chips but I wouldn't bet on it...
 
Solution

Bacongaming14

Commendable
Feb 6, 2017
55
0
1,660

I don't think amd sold the cpu knowing that their is a problem. And why does everyone hate amd i mean you said you wouldn't count on ryzen chips to be fixed and you complain about it but don't you have a ryzen chip.
 

alexsoregan

Prominent
Sep 17, 2017
3
0
510
Picking vonrichtofen's answer as the best solution, as I'm pretty sure it is just a design flaw.

Bacongaming, I honestly found your answer to "just buy another that one is pretty cheap" insultingly lazy, which is why I didnt even merit it with a response at the time. First of all, it doesnt answer the problem, just bypasses it. Second of all, I've never once heard of a windows 7 compatible device *not* working on Windows 10. It doesnt advertise Windows 10 support because the marketing team put the print together before Win10 was out, pretty obvious if you ask me,

To any future doods looking for an answer to a similar problem, you have two options. Suffer, or get a mid-range PCI WiFi adapter that doesnt use USB, or you could follow my bandade solution of just tethering your phone and using its WiFi signal instead.