Constant connection dropping when gaming

[#1]

Afternoon.

New PC, prebuilt with an ASUS AC750 wireless adaptor installed. Connect fine to network and internet and when idle ping to google runs at a stead 8ms to 10ms. Speedtest on BTW shows 40 MBps DL speed and 20 MBps UL speed. I have full network signal strength everywhere in my home and the hub is plugged into my master socket (I haven't touched it since your engineer visited in August to fix a different issue).

When I load up any game, my connection drops. First to the internet and then sometimes to the network. If i successfully reconnect, ping bounces from normal to 3000ms before dropping again repeatedly. Essentially it makes my PC and broadband unusuable. To make matters worse, occasionally after battling with my connection for an hour or two it'll level out for a couple of hours and be fine. I would stress that this is the exception rather than the rule.

I've also had it disconnect when the phone rang, so I've unplugged my almost entirely redundant home phone.

I also find that my connection via my mobile phone is also patchy that if I don't want to be bothered by random drops in connection, I just turn wifi off and use my data.

I've tried many, many potential fixes but to list some:

- Conacting ASUS, they are unable to explain the issue

- Replacing the wireless network adaptor (with the same make and model)

- Rebooting plusnet hub

- Factory resetting the plusnet hub

- Splitting network to separate 5ghz and 2.4ghz

- Windows troubleshooter at various stages of connection drops

- Disconnecting other household devices from the network

- Updating to Windows 11

- Turning off firewalls/anti-virus

- Updating wireless adaptor driver

- Completing all Windows updates

- Updating sound, gfx drivers

- Updating BIOS

- Changing wireless channels

- Changing "wireless mode" setting in Windows

- Reinstalling my network adaptor

I have not tried an ethernet connection because it's not a plausible fix for me and in any event, I'd expect the hardware provided to me by my ISP to be compatiable with hardware from a major manufacturer like ASUS, so i need the wi-fi sorting as opposed to a general "plug it in" fix.

I suspect the problem relates to my router but can't be sure. Desperately want to resolve this.

[#2]

Thanks for your post @RichBarr and welcome to our Community Forums.

I'm really sorry to see you're having issues with your connection while gaming.

I've tested your line today and the tests aren't showing any issues with the broadband signal going into your router.

I doubt this is an incompatibility between your ASUS wireless adapter and the router. 

Personally and while this will get around any Wi-Fi issue rather than fix as you've suggested, I'd would always use a direct ethernet connection when playing games as it truly is the most reliable way to game. 

If that's not possible even to try and see if you are still having an issue as it'll start ruling things out to narrow down the cause for the problem, I'd ask have you tried connecting your PC onto the 5GHz? I can see all your devices are currently running off the 2.4GHz with none on the 5GHz frequency.

Also which games are you having issues with? Is this across more than one game?

[#3]

Thanks for the response G!

I've tried Dota2 and CS:GO but haven't installed anything else.

I would use ethernet if I thought I could but my PC is not close to my hub (which is next to the master phone socket).

I have tried the 5GHz too since I split them and I've observed my desktop being connected to both frequencies before I split them and had issues on both occasions.

[#4]

Thanks for getting back to me @RichBarr 

Bit of a difficult one  do you have (or know anybody with) a laptop you can download one of the games onto and plug into the router using an ethernet cable?

Also what firmware version is your router running on? You can find out by going to the hub manager at 192.168.1.254 and looking at the bottom of the page. 

[#5]

I'm on version:

Plusnet Hub One | Software version 4.7.5.1.83.8.289.1.3 | Last updated 12/10/21

Strangely, the past 36 hours have seen no issues despite them having been constant for 3 weeks or so. I'm not sure why but fingers crossed it stays this way.

Thanks for helping guys, even if it's a mysterious one!

Rich

[#6]

Definitely the latest firmware version so that won’t be it, but I’m glad to see things seem to have resolved themselves and your connection’s a lot better now. 

Aye fingers crossed it stays that way but let us know if you have further issues or there’s anything else you’d need help with.