So I've had this issue with my laptop's network card (Ralink RT3290) where everyone around me can get on the WiFi that's not that far away while I can't because I have less than 5 bars of reception.
This issue is so weird because I've had it through Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 and with numerous versions of drivers and numerous access points. What's even weirder is that a friend of mine who has the Intel i3 version of my Intel i5 HP ProBook 4540s can connect with relatively more ease than me. It is really irritating that I always need to plug my phone and connect to the access point then enable USB tethering to be able to connect to any WiFi (thankfully my room is really close to the router)