[SOLVED] Dorm Ping Spikes

[TheOliveDolphin]

Hi all,
I'm currently in college atm and my dorm room has constant ping spikes with the school's wireless network. Going wired is not an option as ethernet is not available in the dorms. I've ran several ping tests and the spikes seem to be sequential (every 30 seconds or so). The up and down speeds are pretty good and my wireless access point is right outside of my room. I've also tried disabling network auto search in windows but that did nothing. The WiFi also seems to cut out randomly at times and I can only fix by removing and putting back in my USB NIC. Could it be that my USB NIC is just bad? (it was cheap, like $30 on amazon: TechKey ac1200). Please help!

Edt: I also get the ping spikes on my phone and laptop, idk what to do. It makes gaming unbearable.

 

[Ralston18]

Does the following link show your wireless adapter?

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-1200Mbps-TECHKEY-Wireless-Network-300Mbps/dp/B07J65G9DD

Double check that the wireless network adapter's are truly up to date. Download via the manufacturer's website.

Another easy thing to try is to put the USB wireless NIC on the end of a USB extension cable.

Using an extension cable will permit you to move the antenna up and away from the back of your computer.

Note: USB cable length is limited to about 15 feet (5 meters) but sometimes just a couple of feet's distance will make a difference in wireless performance. Get away from, for example, an aluminum wall stud so commonly used these days....

Another thing you can do is to keep feeling the USB adapter. The adapters are made as cheaply as possible and can fail fairly quickly. One sign of failure is that the adapters get very warm and even hot.

Carefully feel the adapter on a regular consistent basis. Determine if the spikes correspond with the temperature.

You can also use Resource Monitor to observe your computer's performance. Look for some 30 second pattern.

Task Manager and Process Explorer may likewise catch some repeating action.