How to Fix Wi-Fi on Windows 10 and 11: 4 Wireless Adapter Settings to Test

I checked those claims against Intel's and Dell's documentation and Microsoft's troubleshooting guidance. Most of the advice holds up. A few parts are the author's personal experience rather than vendor-backed fact.

How to find the settings​

1. Press Win + X and choose Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapters.
3. Right-click your wireless adapter and choose Properties.
4. Open the Advanced tab.

Windows 11 also reaches the same adapter properties through Settings, under Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Hardware properties. Device Manager, Settings and Network and Sharing Center all lead to the same Advanced tab.

These are driver-dependent options, not universal Windows switches. Intel notes that certain properties may not appear depending on the adapter type, driver version or operating system. Dell's guidance makes the same point and says to re-check the settings whenever the wireless driver is updated. If an option is missing, you haven't overlooked a Windows toggle. Your driver simply doesn't expose it.

Preferred Band​

This setting biases the adapter toward one frequency band. Intel's documented choices are No Preference (the default), Prefer 2.4 GHz and Prefer 5 GHz. Intel suggests the setting for environments with nearby sources of interference, such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, access points or other client devices. Newer adapters may add a 6 GHz option, according to the MakeUseOf piece.

Dell frames it differently. It says the setting determines which band the card prioritizes when the router uses the same SSID for both bands. Dell recommends Prefer 5 GHz as a default for speed.

• Same name on both bands: the setting can matter, because Windows can't show you separate networks to pick from.
• Separate names per band: you can simply choose the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz network from the Windows Wi-Fi list, so the setting adds little.
• Rule of thumb: use 5 GHz when you're near the router and 2.4 GHz from a farther room, because 5 GHz usually loses strength faster through walls. This is general networking experience, not a guarantee. Test it in your own space.

Roaming Aggressiveness​

This one matters most if you have a mesh system or several access points. Intel says it changes the signal-strength threshold at which the adapter starts scanning for another candidate access point. The default is Medium, which Intel labels the recommended value. At the Lowest level the adapter scans only when the signal is very weak. At the Highest level it scans while the current signal is still good.

Intel also says to try other values if you need to, but to revert to Medium if nothing improves.

The vendors disagree on which direction to move:

• MakeUseOf's author raises the setting one step on a mesh network. He says laptops can cling to the first access point they joined while you walk toward a closer node.
• Dell's current guidance (last modified 7 May 2026) recommends Lowest or Medium-Low for stationary home devices. It says to use Medium only where you physically move between access points.
• Dell's guidance, as reported by MakeUseOf, is also summarized as "Highest" for slow or dropping Wi-Fi. That doesn't match Dell's current page, so don't take it as universal advice.

The setting to choose depends on whether you roam or stay put. A desktop-style laptop that stays on a desk gains little from aggressive scanning. A laptop that wanders between rooms on a mesh may gain a lot. Intel documents what the setting does, but it doesn't promise that a higher level fixes roaming delays.

Transmit Power​

This controls how loudly your adapter transmits. It is not the router's output. Intel's stated ideal is the lowest level that is still compatible with communication quality, which helps many devices coexist in dense areas. The catch is that lowering the transmit power reduces radio coverage. Highest is the default and suits environments with few other radio devices, where you want maximum performance and range.

• Large home or distant router: leave it at Highest.
• Apartment block with many overlapping networks: drop one step at a time and see whether stability improves.
• No improvement: put it back.

The MakeUseOf article says transmit power mostly affects uploads and video calls and does little for downloads. That is plausible, since your laptop transmits when it sends data. But Intel's page doesn't spell out that claim, so treat it as the author's reasoning. Dell lists Highest as its recommended value, so the vendors don't agree on this setting either. One community poster, whose advice is unofficial, also says maximum power can cost battery life on laptops.

MIMO Power Save Mode (SMPS)​

This power-saving feature lets the client keep one antenna in a receive-idle state. Intel's documented options are:

• Auto SMPS (default): the client decides.
• Dynamic SMPS: one antenna stays active, and the access point must send a request to wake the others before MIMO packets.
• Static SMPS: one antenna stays active, and the access point can't send MIMO packets to the client.
• No SMPS: all antennas stay active.

Intel says some legacy access points may not handle SMPS well. This can cause link-quality problems such as low throughput, and switching to No SMPS may work around it. So No SMPS is a targeted fix for a strong signal paired with strangely slow speeds on an old router. It is not a general speed boost. It also gives up some power saving.

Matching the symptom to the setting​

Change one setting at a time and note the original value. The author suggests waiting about a day before judging a change. That is his own testing habit, not a manufacturer rule, but it is sensible for intermittent problems.

Rule out the router first​

The headline's "stop tweaking your router" shouldn't be read too literally. Microsoft's Wi-Fi troubleshooting guide keeps router checks in the process, and they help you decide whether the laptop is really at fault:

• Try another device. Microsoft says that if another laptop or phone connects fine, the problem is likely your device. If several devices are slow, look at the router, modem or ISP instead.
• Ping the router. Run ipconfig to find your default gateway, then ping that address. Replies mean the link to the router works, and the problem may be the modem or ISP.
• Try Ethernet. If the ping gets no reply, Microsoft suggests connecting the PC directly to the modem with an Ethernet cable if you can. If that works, the Wi-Fi router is the culprit.
• Check for a filtered band. If your adapter supports a frequency but can't see the network, look on the Advanced tab for a Wireless Mode or Band property and make sure it allows that frequency.
• Turn off adapter power saving. Microsoft also lists unchecking "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" on the adapter's Power Management tab.

Microsoft treats Network reset as a last resort. It removes your network adapters and their settings, and reinstalls them with defaults. After a reset you may need to reconfigure VPN clients or Hyper-V virtual switches.

Bottom line​

The sound version of the MakeUseOf advice is narrower than its headline. When the trouble is specific to one PC, adapter properties are a reasonable place to test before changing the router. The options are driver-specific, and the vendors disagree on a few of them. The safest approach is to change one setting at a time, record the default, and revert if nothing improves. If your phone struggles just as much as your laptop, the adapter settings won't help and the router or ISP is the likelier cause.