Windows 8.1: WiFi dropping and/or "Limited"

I'm having the exact same problems after being nagged into installing 8.1 by WUpdate. I'm typing this sat next to my router plugged in with an ethernet cable trying to fix my wireless. Well done MS, slow clap for you

Not sure how to help you. Sitting closer to your router doesn't help limited connection issues as it isn't related to range or signal strength. There is a button on the original question to add that you have the same issue. Would you like to troubleshoot the issue?

I have been fighting with this issues for a couple of months now and have made some progress. Here is what I have done (I have an ASUS UX301LA, Windows 8.1):

• Got to your manufacturer site and download the latest 8.1 driver for your machine - mine was an Intel Wifi driver zip file - if you can't find one, try the intel site
• Go into your device manager, find the wifi device, right click, select properties - driver - uninstall. Do not check the box to delete the driver
• reboot
• Unzip the wifi driver package - for me this was an Intel driver, and it gave me the option to repair or uninstall - choose uninstall
• reboot
• run the wifi driver package again, It's an Intel wifi driver, this time choose install, then choose Custom
• Install the basic driver and also install the Enterprise LAN wifi driver

At this point I was finally able to hold a conection for a while, and able to wirelessly stream to my smart tv using WiDi without dropping the connection

BUT - Windows 8.1 still has another setting you have to tweak, by default it is set to disconnect the wifi if windows thinks you are not using it, which is often when you are, lol.

• Go to the wifi adapter, ie, right click on the wifi symbol at the bottom right of your task bar, choose Open Network and Sharing Center - Change Adapter Settings, right click the wifi - choose Properties - Click Configure, select the Power Management tab and uncheck the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"

From what I have read, I think I also have to go into the general power management settings and find a similar setting, but I haven't done that yet, ran out of time, this is a lot of work! But the above has made a huge difference so far.

Then I turned off Windows Updates, because the last time I did an update, the problem started again right away, and I had to do it all over again.

Don't allow computer to turn off adapter is the master setting. Is meant to block the wireless adapter from being incorrectly configured by the computer manufacture power setting. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2740020/en-us It is usually only relevant if the issues are when a computer is coming back from sleep.

Updated Driver

Before you installed the driver did you notice if the current driver was the same version or if you got a newer one?

Did this make the issue go away 100%?

Turning off windows update

First on the update section of your post. Turning off Windows update is not a good idea. Most of these updates are security related and the rest are bug fixes or enhancements. The rest are updates to things like Flash Player which has to be updated through Windows Update. 

Second, when you said, "[...] last time I did an update, the problem started again right away, and I had to do it all over again." Do you mean that the problem started again or that the problem started again and the settings reverted or the problem started again and the driver reverted?

Smart TV issue

You mentioned that updating the driver fixed some other issues such as it stopped dropping the wireless streaming to your Smart TV. Can you explain what was going on there; what type of error did you get? For example, did the TV or computer not see one or the other. Did you get a limited connection notification at the same time the TV connection stopped working? Can you get it to stream when you see the connection has a limited status?

Thanks for letting everyone the status and what you have been  ding trying to solve the issue.

My answers inside your below:

Don't allow computer to turn off adapter is the master setting. Is meant to block the wireless adapter from being incorrectly configured by the computer manufacture power setting. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2740020/en-us It is usually only relevant if the issues are when a computer is coming back from sleep.

This is obviously a software problem related to the OS and the drivers - the fixes I am trying are not about how things are "supposed" to work, because they are not working like that. It's more of an anything and everything approach.

Updated Driver

Before you installed the driver did you notice if the current driver was the same version or if you got a newer one?

Did this make the issue go away 100%?

I now have an Intel Pro/Set wireless icon in my task tray - I didn't have that before. After I reinstalled the driver in the 2-step fashion I described, it dropped the connection much less often, and held the WiDi for the first time ever, but still dropped the WiFi connection sometimes, just much less, so I started tweaking more settings in the adapter.

Turning off windows update

First on the update section of your post. Turning off Windows update is not a good idea. Most of these updates are security related and the rest are bug fixes or enhancements. The rest are updates to things like Flash Player which has to be updated through Windows Update. 

I could not care less. Windows 8.1 updates have caused me enough grief that I had to do full wipe and reinstall of the OS after having the machine for less than 4 months. My machine is working properly now, so I turned Updates off - I don't want it mucking with my machine anymore. If you surf around the web you'll see that people are having no end of grief from windows 8.1 updates these days. I'll take my chances on the security related issues. I'm running script blockers as well as anti virus and a VPN.

Second, when you said, "[...] last time I did an update, the problem started again right away, and I had to do it all over again." Do you mean that the problem started again or that the problem started again and the settings reverted or the problem started again and the driver reverted?

I didn't check, don't know.

Smart TV issue

You mentioned that updating the driver fixed some other issues such as it stopped dropping the wireless streaming to your Smart TV. Can you explain what was going on there; what type of error did you get? For example, did the TV or computer not see one or the other. Did you get a limited connection notification at the same time the TV connection stopped working? Can you get it to stream when you see the connection has a limited status?

Wireless streaming either connected then dropped a few minutes later, or didn't connect at all. Now it connects most of the time but is still a little buggy, but when it does connect (sometimes I need to remove the TV from Add/Remove Hardware, and reinstall it), it holds the connection now, with some lag.

Thanks for letting everyone the status and what you have been  ding trying to solve the issue.