CXFTEOXK 1300Mbps Dual Band Wireless USB WiFi Adapter

A storm came through and caused intermittent internet connection issues for a few days with several devices in our home. While all else seemed to recover, my PC did not. I continuously reset router, computer, adapter, etc., without any change. I could connect for about 10 minutes then continuously break. After some research, decided to try a wireless adapter to boost my signal, before shelling out a large sum for a tech to examine my PC for issues. I am glad I did. It was basically a plug and play. Set up was incredibly easy and connection instant. I have not lost connection since I attached it to my PC. I have only used it for 12 hours (shipped next day), but highly recommend it.

The WiFi adapter for my PC works. My old d-link can only get me 1 bar and internet always disconnects. Now with this new adapter I was skeptic at first, because how can this small thing be so affordable but also good? But now I am able to watch high quality videos with no lag or delay, streams, and able to download large files with no disruptions. Mind you I’m maybe 50 feet from my router.

The only thing frustrating is setting it up, and they provide CD and instructions which is nice. But it took some time to set it up correctly, find the correct network for this adaptor but once you figure it out it works beautifully and wonderfully. I recommend it to anyone not willing to buy something expensive in best buy.

Reception in my office is horrible. I do occasional tele-health sessions that would freeze or drop. I installed this little gizmo. It was pretty simple to install (and I’m no tech wizard). The reception improved from 2-3 bars to a full 5. Very impressive. Well worth the investment.

TLDR; Don’t buy this garbage, buy an Intel AX200 or Intel AX210 wifi chip, or buy a USB adapter from a more reputable company.

So when I ordered this product eons ago, it already had some slight issues. First, you need a disk drive to install the relevant drivers onto your machine. Don’t have one? Sucks! Because good luck finding the correct drivers online that won’t cause your network to continuously crap out/not connect at all. You can visit the Realtek website, but why on EARTH would you subject yourself to such torture? The site needs a desperate facelift from Dr. California and is practically unnavigable. Moreover, how are you gonna visit the website WITHOUT WIFI? You can’t, so now you’re stuck with your feelings and the stupid disk.

Now, you may be saying “My computer DOES have a disk drive, so what does it matter?” Oh believe me, you’re still not out of the woods. You slap the disk in and your eyes are met with a PUTRID sight: an outdated group of files with pretty awful drivers preloaded. Since you already spent some money on the product, you decide to run the install wizard anyway and… ladies and gentlemen, we have wifi! For now.

So you’ve now installed the “””proper””” drivers and you have this annoying little networking program running minimized in your taskbar. Not a care in the world. You might even use this thing for a couple weeks, maybe MONTHS before you notice a problem. Well, during this time, you might end up chucking that disk. Oh boy, I hope you didn’t! Because THAT probably could’ve saved you at a later time. Though I wouldn’t know, because, well, I chucked the disk. Now then, let’s get into the meat and potatoes of this pain-gumbo, because this is where it gets juicy.

So by this point, you may notice that your adapter starts to tweak out like a relapsing spice addict. You’ll probably notice your wifi disconnecting and reconnecting rapidly until it just DIES and remains disconnected. Oh dear, could my router be the problem? Looking for answers, you pull out your phone and look into your issue, only to notice your phone is connected to wifi still. You didn’t use data. Huh??? So it’s the computer’s fault? Time to research!

Now, if you search up something like “Windows 10 wifi keeps disconnecting,” oh boy! PREPARE TO BE STUNLOCKED TRYING TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM ALL DAY. They will have you flush your DNS, reset your router, enable a bunch of settings on your PC, update your drivers (good luck, it’s impossible!), etc etc etc to zero avail. And when it comes to those drivers… oh boy. I don’t even think the adapter knows what drivers it needs to function; the cursed device has an identity crisis no matter WHAT drivers you install.

By now, you’re probably wading in a pool of your own sweat, tears, and other excrement, shook with frustration and defeat; nothing you tried worked. Because of this, you leave the stupid thing alone and come back a few days later. Magically, upon your return: what’s this??? It works now! Remember when I said “FOR NOW” a little earlier? Guess what! RUN THAT BACK, TURBO! Don’t expect this thing to just fix itself overnight. 8 different times I have encountered this problem, and I still have no idea how I fixed it. My guess? I PROBABLY didn’t and the adapter just decided to do its job for once. Hooray. I knew this was a problem with the adapter because ALL of my other devices worked fine, and upon getting a new PC and slapping this thing into it, viola! PAIN. Inescapable, unfathomable, unrelenting PAIN.

The problem persisted on the new PC after having the adapter plugged in for like a week. Up until this point I knew the adapter sucked but I didn’t think it was the sole issue. I only started connecting the dots after my new PC started facing this problem for literally the THIRD time. I’ve only had it for a month and some change. The adapter just kept having this problem more and more frequently; something tells me it was losing its will to push on. Don’t worry though, your suffering is only temporary! BECAUSE THIS ADAPTER WILL MAKE YOU LOSE YOUR WILL TO LIVE AS WELL.

So, what’s my advice? How does one fix this problem? The answer is, you don’t. You don’t fix the problem. You don’t buy this adapter. You don’t repair the trauma if you’ve already had to go through this. You don’t ever stop having the nightmares. If you have a PC with an empty PCiE slot: buy an Intel AX200 or AX210 wifi chip, plug it into your motherboard, and forget about it. If you have a compatible laptop you can do the same with some extra headache and steps. Aren’t that tech-savvy? Look up what adapters to get before you buy them. Don’t cheap out on your wifi adapter because you see 4 stars and happy grandmas who neglected to update their reviews/probably don’t even know what’s causing their wifi problems.

If you’re gonna continue using a USB wifi adapter, find some reputable ones. Otherwise like I said, get you that Intel AX200/210 instead. This product is the ultimate baitswitch. Cheap price, cheaper drivers, and it works when you first get it. Don’t expect it to work fine forever though, and don’t expect anything you find online to fix your problems when you encounter them. The problem is the adapter. Avoid buying this like a pothead avoiding his problems and smoking away his pain. Love yourself, man. This isn’t the way to do that.