Wi-Fi vs. Cable Internet: Which is better?

Here's the transcript of my chat with tech support:

Me:
Hey, you guys activated my high-speed service today, but my laptop won't pick up the signal. My phone finds it just fine. Up until now, my laptop was connecting to the Wi-Fi at home without any issues, and now it sees about 20 different networks nearby—just not mine. The technician claimed it’s a driver issue, but I've already installed the latest version. If it were the drivers, I wouldn't see any networks at all, right? And if it were the router, my phone wouldn't find it either.

Support:
Following up on your report, we ran a signal diagnostic on the modem and didn't find any irregularities.
We adjusted some settings on the router interface that might have been causing the trouble.

Walls and certain electronics (like your TV, cordless phone base, or microwave) can "choke" the Wi-Fi signal and weaken the connection. Without obstructions, a standard USB adapter or laptop should grab a decent signal from about 30 feet away. When using wireless, the antenna strength on your device (laptop or USB adapter) also plays a big role.

Please try testing the connection again and let us know if you're still having trouble.

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The laptop is sitting literally three feet from the modem.🙂 Since the laptop is four years old, is there a chance it doesn't support the "/n" standard?

Check which channels the other Wi-Fi networks are sitting on nearby, then just grab an empty one. Once you've done that, try connecting again. Also, maybe the driver isn't playing nice with your OS... worth checking that too.