Unreliable Bluetooth Audio on Dell Latitude 5440 w/ AX211 Intel wireless

[TomMK]

Hi - I am having an issue with bluetooth audio devices on my new Dell Latitude 5440 with Intel AX211 chip. After boot, they generally work for a while but after an hour or so they begin to malfunction. Sometimes the microphone stops working or sometimes it is the speaker. I use a Poly V5200 headset and Bose NC700 headphones. The other night connected both and when I toggled back and forth sound would only be heard from the Poly V5200 even though the Bose NC700 would show as active. Tonight I started playing a video and could hear audio from the Bose NC700s then when switching to a new video the audio cut out and refused to play from the headphones from any app. The only way to fix the problem is to either reboot the PC OR run the Intel driver installer and choose the repair function then turn bluetooth off and back on. 

This problem is VERY frustrating to say the least. I can pair these devices with my phone or Mac and do NOT have these issues. I've attached the SSU.txt for your review. Thanks!

[IsaacQ_Intel]

Hello @TomMK

Thank you for posting on the Intel️® communities. We would be more than glad to help you with your issue.

In order to have a better understanding of your issue, please provide me with the following:

1.      Is this the original adapter that came pre-installed in your system, or have you changed/installed a new adapter recently?

2.      Can you provide more details about the specific symptoms when the Bluetooth audio malfunctions? For example, do you receive error messages, experience sound distortion, or notice any specific patterns of failure?

3.      Does the issue occur with other Bluetooth devices, or is it specific to the Poly V5200 headset and Bose NC700 headphones?

4.      Are there any particular applications or scenarios where the Bluetooth audio issue seems to occur more frequently?

5.      Have you tested these Bluetooth devices on other computers to see if the problem persists, or is it limited to your Dell Latitude 5440?

6.      Have you consulted Dell's official support resources or forums to see if other users have reported a similar issue with the Dell Latitude 5440 and its Bluetooth functionality?

7.      When you run the Intel driver installer to repair Bluetooth, does it provide any error messages or information about what might be causing the issue?

8.      Can you describe the specific sequence of actions or usage scenarios that consistently lead to the Bluetooth audio malfunction, or is it seemingly random?

9.      Is Bluetooth visible in device manager?

Best regards,

Isaac Q. 

Intel Customer Support Technician

[TomMK]

1.      Is this the original adapter that came pre-installed in your system, or have you changed/installed a new adapter recently?

Yes - this is the original adapter and is built-in to the PC.

2.      Can you provide more details about the specific symptoms when the Bluetooth audio malfunctions? For example, do you receive error messages, experience sound distortion, or notice any specific patterns of failure?

Audio input, output, or both stop working on one or more bluetooth audio devices. Sometimes I do see a message in MS Teams when this is happening that my audio device has stopped working. Once my browser crashed whenever trying to play an Amazon prime video while connected to one of the audio devices when the output was not functioning.

3.      Does the issue occur with other Bluetooth devices, or is it specific to the Poly V5200 headset and Bose NC700 headphones?

I've tried this with the V5200, NC700, as well as Apple Airpods. All will have the same symptoms but if I have multiple devices connected, sometimes one will work while the other does not.

4.      Are there any particular applications or scenarios where the Bluetooth audio issue seems to occur more frequently?

No - see #8 for more detail.

5.      Have you tested these Bluetooth devices on other computers to see if the problem persists, or is it limited to your Dell Latitude 5440?

Limited to the 5440. These work great on other devices.

6.      Have you consulted Dell's official support resources or forums to see if other users have reported a similar issue with the Dell Latitude 5440 and its Bluetooth functionality?

I have an open case with Dell and so far they have not been able to help. My system is fully patched using the Dell Command Update tool.

7.      When you run the Intel driver installer to repair Bluetooth, does it provide any error messages or information about what might be causing the issue?

No messages relating to the problem are shown. I suspect the problem resolves because the bluetooth adapter is somehow reset as part of the repair.

8.      Can you describe the specific sequence of actions or usage scenarios that consistently lead to the Bluetooth audio malfunction, or is it seemingly random?

This seems to happen after the PC has been running for a while. Sometimes more noticeable after I've left the PC unattended for some time. FYI my PC is set such that it does not go to sleep while plugged in.

9.      Is Bluetooth visible in device manager?

Yes, always.

[IsaacQ_Intel]

Hello TomMK

I trust this message finds you well.

I wanted to follow up on the matter of your previous inquiry. Have you had the opportunity to review our prior communication?

We are eager to receive your response to the queries we presented concerning your Bluetooth-related concerns with the Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (Gig+).

If you still require further assistance, please do not hesitate to inform us. Otherwise, we will proceed to close the thread.

Best regards,

Isaac Q.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JamesA]

Hi @IsaacQ_Intel,

We have a number of the same Latitude 5440 devices running the Intel AX211 chip where we are experiencing very similar audio issues with Bluetooth devices to the OP.

Personally I have temporarily solved this by purchasing a third party USB Bluetooth device and disabled the onboard Intel Bluetooth, re-connected all of my devices and my audio problems seem to have vanished.  More testing is needed before this can be considered conclusive though.

For reference I have tried a number of troubleshooting steps and was running the latest driver BT-22.250.0-64UWD-Win10-Win11 from your downloads site as that was newer than the one being offered by Dell Downloads. None of which resolved my issues.

I have posted now so you don't close the thread whilst I attempt to respond in more detail to the specific questions you asked of the OP as I think we both may be trying to solve the same problem.

Kind Regards

[Alberto_R_Intel]

JamesA, Thank you for posting in the Intel® Communities Support.

Please submit your inquiry on a new thread, the reason for this is that every scenario is different even if the same product is being used, so for us to better assist you and in order to try to fix the problem, please create a new thread:

https://communities.intel.com/community/tech

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Alberto_R_Intel]

TomMK, Thank you very much for providing that information.

Based on the information shown in the SSU document, we can confirm that the wireless driver version currently installed on your computer is 192.168.4.1 and the Bluetooth driver version is 10.0.22621.1555.

For this scenario, it is important to mention that we always recommend to install the wireless driver provided by the manufacturer of the computer, since that driver was heavily customized by them to work with your specific platform.

I looked on Dell's website and they actually do not have drivers for Windows* 11. The Operating System was not officially validated by them to work with your machine, so the source of the problem could be related to that since there are no drivers tested as compatible with Windows* 11:

https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/latitude-e5440-laptop/drivers

Even though the Intel® wireless drivers are generic, for testing purposes, please try a clean a installation of our latest Intel® wireless driver version 22.250.1.2, following the instructions in the links below:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/19351/windows-10-and-windows-11-wi-fi-drivers-for-intel-wireless-adapters.html?wapkw=ax211 

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000022173/wireless.html

And then, please install our latest Bluetooth driver version 22.250.0.2:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/18649/intel-wireless-bluetooth-for-windows-10-and-windows-11.html?wapkw=ax211

We also recommend to get in contact directly with Dell support to make sure the latest BIOS version is currently installed on your device or to gather the instructions on how to update it:

https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us

Once you get the chance, please let us know the results.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[TomMK]

Hi,

I'm a little confused by your analysis. I am on a Latitude 5440, not an E5440. There are indeed drivers available for Windows 11 certified y by Dell. 

In addition, my bluetooth and wireless drivers are already at the latest that you suggest. See the screenshots below:

[TomMK]

Here's a link to the drivers page of my specific model. 

Support for Latitude 5440 | Drivers & Downloads | Dell US

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Hi TomMK, Thank you very much for your response and for sharing those screenshots.

Yes, you are absolutely right, let me apologize for that, I was looking at a different model number. And yes, Windows* 11 is officially validated and supported by Dell for your system.

Since the problem remains after installing our latest Wireless and Bluetooth drivers, we will do further research on this matter to try to find a possible solution for this scenario.  But, before we do that, I checked Dell's website for the drivers listed as available for your machine. In this case, it is important to mention that, even though this scenario is related to the Bluetooth feature, we suggest to install the wireless driver first and then the Bluetooth driver after that. Based on that, just to confirm:

Did you test Dell's wireless driver version 22.230.0.8, A34:

https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-cr/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=tfr62&oscode=w2021&productcode=latitude-14-5440-laptop

And also Dell's Bluetooth driver version 22.230.0.2, A30:

https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-cr/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=gn38x&oscode=w2021&productcode=latitude-14-5440-laptop

Please test those drivers and if you already did and the issue remains, let us know as well, so we can continue providing you with further technical assistance on this matter.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[TomMK]

Thanks Albert. I will downgrade my drivers to the versions Dell has posted. I had only upgraded the drivers on the Intel site in hopes to fix this problem. In addition, a Dell technician is scheduled to replace my wireless card tomorrow or Monday.

[TomMK]

I just downgraded to the Dell drivers and rebooted my machine. I was still able to reproduce the problem by following these steps:

1. Boot PC

2. Log in

3. Connect with my Poly V5200 via bluetooth

4. Open MS Teams and join a new teams meeting

5. Leave the meeting

6. Open Edge and play a youtube video with the audio set to the V5200

7. Connect my Bose NC700s and switch the audio to them. The audio continues to come out the Poly Device

8. Turn off the Poly V5200. Audio only comes out the PC speakers even when set to the NC700s

9. Turn off the Bose NC700s and stop the video

10. Turn on the Poly V5200 and join a new teams meeting. Get an error that says the Microphone is not working.

[Alberto_R_Intel]

TomMK, You are very welcome. Thank you very much for letting us know those details.

We are sorry to hear the problem persists after testing the drivers provided by Dell. Even though those drivers are older than the ones on our website, since they are customized by Dell, we always recommend to install them and test them. Thank you also for sharing the steps that led to this issue that allowed us to confirm that there should not been any inconvenience while using those Bluetooth devices.

Perfect, it is great to hear that a Dell technician is scheduled to replace your wireless card, indicating that they considered that the reason why there is an unreliable audio functionality while using the Bluetooth feature is actually related to a hardware problem with the wireless card itself. By replacing it the problem should be fixed and the Bluetooth option should work with no problem after that on your platform.

Just to confirm, would you like for us to keep the case open for you to share the outcome of replacing the wireless card or do you agree for us to close this ticket?

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Hello TomMK, I just wanted to check if Dell was able to replace your wireless card and if you still need further assistance on this matter from our side?

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[TomMK]

Hi,

Unfortunately, the replacement card did NOT solve the problem. I also completely reinstalled windows 11 again and yet the problem still remains. Finally, I tried another headset and still have the issue. I believe this to either be a driver or a hardware flaw. 

On JamesA's suggestion I installed a third-party ASUS bluetooth adapter and disabled the intel bluetooth. This completely solves the problem but is not a permanent solution. What else can be done to address the concern?

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Hi TomMK, Thank you very much for providing those results.

It is unfortunate to hear that the issue remains after the wireless card was replaced by Dell. 

Based on that, we will do further research on this matter to confirm if there is a way for us to try to fix this problem. As soon as I get any updates, I will post all the details on this thread.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Hello TomMK, I just received an update on this matter.

While we are still working on this scenario, we just wanted to confirm:

When did the issue start? 

Was this problem present in previous Intel® driver versions? You can find previous driver versions in the links below:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/19351/windows-10-and-windows-11-wi-fi-drivers-for-intel-wireless-adapters.html?wapkw=ax211

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/18649/intel-wireless-bluetooth-for-windows-10-and-windows-11.html?wapkw=ax211

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[TomMK]

This has always been an issue with my PC since I received it this year in Aug. With the recent reformat I am running the Dell-approved driver v22.250.0.2 and still face the same problem. Is there an even older driver that I should try?

[n_scott_pearson]

I would also ask what version of the driver does Dell make available - and (supposedly) fully validated with this system - and whether this version exhibits similar issues.

...S

[Alberto_R_Intel]

TomMK, Thank you very much for your response.

I will double-check if there is a specific driver version for you to test and provide a response as soon as possible.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[TomMK]

One clue I just discovered is that devices that are both headsets and streaming audio tend to cause the problem. If you disable the headset or streaming profile on the device or in the windows settings for Bluetooth services for that device it seems to work consistently. Not a great solution as then you have a headset with poor audio or headphones that can’t take calls.