The Wi-Fi power setting that may be adversely affecting your internet gaming speeds is applied by default in Windows. This setting can be found in the Properties of your specific network adapter and enables Windows to turn off your Wi-Fi adapter to save power. To turn off this Wi-Fi setting, you need to:
- Type “Device Manager” into the Windows search bar.
- Navigate to “Network adapters” and expand the section.
- Right-click on your network adapter’s name.
- Click Properties.
- Click Power Management.
- Uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save Power.”
- Click OK to save the settings.
While this setting really should only turn off your network adapter when your computer goes idle, some Windows users have reported regular connection interruptions that stop after the setting is turned off. Why does that happen? There may be a certain set of circumstances involving your router that cause Windows to incorrectly believe that your computer is idle, which could lead to connection interruptions while in a game. If you are having trouble figuring out what your Wi-Fi network adapter is named, go to Control Panel, All Control Panel Items, and then Network Connections. Your Wi-Fi adapter will be active with green bars.