I bought a TP-Link Archer T3U AC1300 USB WiFi adapter on Amazon. It would take several minutes after booting Windows to connect to my WiFi access point (Netgear Nighthawk AC19000 R7000). The connection would also randomly drop out, and I would need to unplug the WiFi dongle or reboot the computer to restore the connection.
I made sure my drivers were updated, tried different USB ports, etc. In the end the only -- and final -- solution was to configure the device in control panel to only use the 5GHz protocols.
It now connects immediately upon booting Windows 10, and the connection is perfectly stable!
Go to Control Panel > Network Connections, then open up the TP-Link adapter Alternatively you can use the new Win 10 way of right-click the tray icon > Open Network & Internet Settings
- Open the Adapter
- Properties
- Configure
- Advanced tab
- Wireless Mode
- Select "IEEE 802.11ac"
Close all the windows with OK or Close buttons
Choosing "ac" will restrict the USB WiFi adapter to only using 5GHz frequency band, and ignoring the 2.4GHz band. This solved my problem.
