Ubuntu 21.10 on AMD laptop. Wifi stops working when I connect an external USB connected spinning HDD

I get all my internet thru a 4G wifi hotspot with a sim card installed. No cable. No modem. No fiber. No satellite. No router. Just the hotspot.

Laptop wifi stops working when I connect an external USB connected spinning HDD. Started happening about 2 or 3 weeks ago, maybe longer back. Has now gotten much worse. Any ideas about possible causes and solution?

Same issue when I try to connect to the hotspot on my Android phone.

Forum search and google search didn’t reveal anything relevant.

I saw this article (it’s for a guy running Windows 7 but it sounds very similar). The suggestion was that the USB device is causing interference due to improper shielding. Does your laptop have a metal body? Is there a way you could try a different USB cable?

My guess is the USB drive is pulling too many amps and undervolting the same lane your wifi card is on.

You could try different USB ports because they can be on different lanes or using an externally powered USB extension to plug your USB HDD into.

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Yep. I’m thinking that this is a power issue. My 2 cents.

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Actually I am using an externally powered USB hub. A nice Anker unit with a rather chunky power brick.