topic Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem in Wireless

Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

MRenn1 — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 17:47:48 GMT

Recently Purchased a Dell laptop that came with the Dual band-AC 3160, and it's getting super slow Download speed

When i look at the Wifi connection i have full signal and have 65Mbps but i have super slow internet still. I have 3 other laptops that have no issue over the Wireless network.

If i connect using a ethernet cable i have no issues what so ever.

Wireless Adapter

C:\Windows\system32>netsh wlan show drivers

Interface name: Wi-Fi

Driver : Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160

Vendor : Intel Corporation

Provider : Intel

Date : 12/8/2014

Version : 17.13.11.5

INF file : C:\Windows\INF\oem195.inf

Files : 3 total

C:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS\Netwbw02.sys

C:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS\Netwfw02.dat

C:\Windows\system32\drivers\vwifibus.sys

Type : Native Wi-Fi Driver

Radio types supported : 802.11b 802.11g 802.11n 802.11a 802.11ac

FIPS 140-2 mode supported : Yes

802.11w Management Frame Protection supported : Yes

Hosted network supported : Yes

Authentication and cipher supported in infrastructure mode:

Open None

Open WEP-40bit

Open WEP-104bit

Open WEP

WPA-Enterprise TKIP

WPA-Enterprise CCMP

WPA-Personal TKIP

WPA-Personal CCMP

WPA2-Enterprise TKIP

WPA2-Enterprise CCMP

WPA2-Personal TKIP

WPA2-Personal CCMP

Open Vendor defined

Vendor defined Vendor defined

Authentication and cipher supported in ad-hoc mode:

Open None

Open WEP-40bit

Open WEP-104bit

Open WEP

WPA2-Personal CCMP

IHV service present : Yes

IHV adapter OUI : [00 80 86], type: [00]

IHV extensibility DLL path: C:\Windows\System32\IWMSSvc.dll

IHV UI extensibility ClSID: {1bf6cb2d-2ae0-4879-a7aa-a75834fbd0e3}

IHV diagnostics CLSID : {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}

C:\Windows\system32>

I'm using a D-link 628 with Firmware of 1.25

Here are my System Information

I'm Really at a loss for why the wireless card is crapping out

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

AAlex33 — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 20:51:51 GMT

Hi Epic,

Looking forward myself to see how Intel could release such a piece of c**p.

I have 3 wireless routers/ap's in my home :

Linksys e3200

tp-link mr3420

and an Edimax AP .

Except Linksys one, none of them work with this Wifi Card in 2.4 band.

My laptop is a Toshiba Click 2 L30W.

Symptoms :

high latency > 1000 ms with lan equipments. Internet is higher.

extremely low bandwidth < 0.5 Mbps

icmp ping loss

when connected to one ap, all other wireless clients connected to same ap fail to work (all have the same problems as above ) as somehow this adapter is messing up the wirelss radio of router/ap

OS of problematic laptop : windows 8.1

Wireless clients disconnected from same AP : Iphone, Android phone, Win 7 laptop,

I tried :

Several other tp link routes (two neighbors )

Messing with Adapter Options: I turned them all on/off and made combinations. Used all modes for wireless : a,b,g and combination of those

Updated to latest drivers

Tried to downgrade to all previously released drivers

My laptop is a convertible and I cannot open the case to change it. I am stuck with this piece of s**t.

My output is the same as yours for netsh wlan show drivers .

Nothing works !!!!I am not investing in 5 GHz band just because Intel tries to force me by releasing buggy products. Please fix Intel !

If this is not fixed soon, I am going to get my money back from Toshiba.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

tvete — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 01:57:20 GMT

It could be that it's driver issue on Windows 8.1 and default power plan settings. I myself have upgraded my laptop to Windows 8.1 but I had to set some power saving options such as link state power management to off or else it does slow down to < 1 Mbps on me at some point where I never experienced this behavior on Windows 7.

This also happens about once a week before overriding the pci express power saving. Since then it doesn't happen. It might be due to fast startup or hybrid shutdown. BTW, I'm running 16.8.0.6 drivers just like what it was on windows 7. 17.0 drivers crippled WiFi performance with UAPSD options to me.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

AAlex33 — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 08:43:55 GMT

Hi Veterans,

Thanks for the answer.

What I did in more detail :

Tried all 17.x drivers.

I disabled UAPSD on all drivers, did not helped.

I am experiencing the problem with my Laptop plugged in to power outlet in Maximum Performance power plan.

I disabled Allow this device to be turned off to save power .....

Unfortunately I do not have the possibility to install Win 7 but I never had this problem o other Intel chips in Win 7.

I indeed use hybrid shutdown, but I also restart my laptop at least once each 2-3 days. I also did full power off and restarts when tested different solutions.

Will try to mess a bit more with link state power management and 16.x drivers.

Thanks,

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

AAlex33 — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:46:14 GMT

Pcix power ....no go .

Tested 16.8 driver, the same.

Here are the drivers I tested

So having a router that works, I manage to find some clues about my statement that this is a piece of garbage :

Just bought a new router Asus RT53.

Tested it from 1 M from laptop and all is fine.

Tested it from 3 M and a concrete wall and all is fine

Tested it from 6 m and two walls and all is bad. The exact same symptoms as before described in my original post.

This happen at a signal of - 65 DB with 4 lines of signal.I believe now there is some problem with radio.or internal antena .I cannot think of something else.

5 Ghz works just fine though .....2.4 band is the problem.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

tvete — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 01:07:07 GMT

People have reported issues when signal gets below -65 db for more than a year ago. See the topic from Sony here: http://community.sony.com/t5/VAIO-Hardware-Networking/New-Sony-Vaio-Pro-Wifi-Issue/td-p/143557/page/169 [New Sony Vaio Pro] Wifi Issue! - Page 169 - Sony's Community Site

Mine can still transfer at 70 Mbps on 5 GHz 802.11ac @ -79 db but only around 10 Mbps at -75 db. 2.4 GHz gets only 1.5 Mbps at -82 db in my case but 5 GHz starts to drift from being disconnected/connected at that signal.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

ahayw — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 22:16:48 GMT

I've jost got a TP-link Archer C7 ac1750 and the speed and reception has tripled!!! I think its something to do with the ac-3160 will not connect on N, rather the a/b/g which is slower and less reliable. though i am waiting for confirmation on that.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

jbenavides — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 01:45:28 GMT

We are sorry about the connectivity issues presented in your systems when connected to Wireless N networks.

Here are some recommendations that can help improve the functionality of the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 adapter. I noticed in your posts that some of these may have been applied already, but this is to summarize a few possible actions.

- Make sure you use a current driver for the adapter. The first option should be the OEM (PC manufacturer) version, as second option you can use the generic driver from https://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProdId=3776 Intel Download Center, version 17.14.0 was released recently.

- Keep the firmware of the access point up to date, as this may prevent communication problems with the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 adapter.

- Apply the configuration mentioned in the advisory "http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/sb/CS-030709.htm?wapkw=wifi+recommended+settings What are the Recommended Settings for 802.11n Connectivity?"

- Additionally, if you are not using Wireless AC, you can disable some settings that are not required when using Wireless-N (This will block AC features).

HT mode: HT mode

U-APSD support: Disabled

- Disable the Bluetooth radio in the system and check if the connection improves (this may prevent interference when operating in 2.4 Ghz band). This can be done from Device Manager or with a switch in your computer if it is available.

- Check your Windows power plan, and set the wireless adapter to Maximum performance when plugged in and on battery.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

AAlex33 — Sat, 07 Feb 2015 09:05:33 GMT

Hi and thanks.

Just finish trying all your suggestions....again with new driver. Absolutly no improvements.

My main concern is stii why this adapter breaks all other connections to the routers when connecting ? This is unacceptable.

I would expect if a client has a problem with router connectivity then.....only that client to be affected.

When I connect to 2.4 GHz band, my phones, my tv's my other laptops get incredible slow speeds, packet loss etc. It's something that this adapter does to routers that messes them up .I've extended my search to several other routers and I found that only Linksys and Cisco are not affected by this problem in 2.4 GHZ band wireless N .Edimax,TP_Link , Asus and D-Link (tested about 6-7 models of my friends and neighbors ) all stop working when connecting via wifi using this adapter.Again....only N .

I do not believe that PCIE Power Management and Laptop Power management or BT has something to do with this. I even tested two routers in a totally free interference 2.4 GHZ env.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

jbenavides — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 01:50:26 GMT

Hello Sylver_One

It is not normal for a single device to affect the rest of the network devices in the way you noticed.

It would be good to check with your PC manufacturer for system updates, like BIOS and drivers for wireless adapter as well as chipset and other components.

You could also confirm that the wireless routers have the most recent firmware version available from the vendor.

Also, confirm if your PC has any 3rd party software that may be sending unusual traffic to the network. Check for computer viruses, network monitoring tools (sniffers), network drivers, VPN, etc.

If the issue persists, let us know, as we would like to get more details about model and versions of the devices involved.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

AAlex33 — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 07:22:52 GMT

Hi and thanks for the suggestions.

My devices are :

Laptop where 3160 adapter is used : Satellite Click 2 L30W-B-104 lastest bios/firmware (L30)

Routers :

Linksys E3200 firmware version : 1.0.05 . - Latest

2.4 GHz N - works with no problem

5 GHz N - works with no problem

Asus RT53U - Firmware Version:3.0.0.4.376_3754 - Latest

5 Ghz N - works with no problem

2.4 GHz N - breaks radio, high latency, low bandwidth, breaks other clients

TP-Link TL-WR1043ND - firmware TL-WR1043ND_V2_140613 - Latest

2.4 GHz N - breaks radio, high latency, low bandwidth, breaks other clients

TP-Link MR3420 v2 - firmware 3.15.9 Build 140912 Rel.35984n - Latest

2.4 GHz N - breaks radio, high latency, low bandwidth, breaks other clients

And an old Edimax AP

2.4 GHZ wireless G - breaks radio, high latency, low bandwidth, breaks other clients

Indeed what you say makes sense. However, all my routers work in an AP mode, an are connected to a linux machine that holds my nat, firewall and DHCP. I have some dlna services, filesharing ....but nothing fancy. I tried to capture using TCPDUMP on linux to see if there is some unusual traffic, but nothing.All is legit.

I turned to Intel since I have this problem and was running latest software/drivers/bios my vendor is providing.

I would rule out viruses, since 5 GHz band looks unaffected.

Let me do some screenshots or a video, and show better what is happening.

Cheers,

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

jbenavides — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 01:03:18 GMT

Sylver_One, we are really interested in resolving your issue.

Please check your private message.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

MTeso1 — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 00:33:41 GMT

Hello Jonathan, I am also having problems with this wireless adapter on my brand new LG ultrabook. It's very frustrating to buy an ultrabook and then find I'm connecting to the internet through wifi at 0.5mbps when everything else in the house connects at around 14mbps. It also drops connection randomly. I have tried downloading your latest driver software and also rolling back the driver to no avail. I have tried it on 2 different routers with the same result.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

jbenavides — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 01:45:17 GMT

Hello jimmymoguls,

In previous posts of this discussion, you can find additional recommendations that may help with connectivity issues, uninstall and reinstall of the drivers (OEM and generic versions) is one of the first actions to take.

Applying all the recommended WiFi settings should be the second step.

Additionally, you may test with different configurations for Authentication methods, Bluetooth, power plan, firewall, Anti-virus, etc.

Let us know if you get better results with those actions, or in case you need more information about them.

If the issue persists, we would like to have the details of your system (PC model, OS, wireless adapter and driver, router model and firmware, etc).

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

MDavi24 — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 18:33:46 GMT

I am also having connection problems with the AC 3160 that affects my router. I purchased 2 Lenovo laptops in December, both with AC 3160 wireless cards. Both laptops experience frequent dropouts. I've updated the driver several times from 17.0 to 17.14.

Whenever the dropouts occur, the Windows WLAN-Autoconfig Event Log reports Event 11004 MsmSecurity "Wireless security stopped". My router (Asus RT-N66U) then reports, "eth1: received packet with own address as source address". If I move the laptops to the 5GHz channel, the router reports: "eth2: received packet with own address as source address". If I put one laptop on each channel, router reports error messages on both channels. So, the problem follows the laptops. At times, the error messages flood the router, and the router reboots.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

MTeso1 — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 20:09:21 GMT

After some experimentation I've found that I get full speed from the router when I am right next to it but it drops right down when I move to the next room. 3 other laptops and 2 phones are still at full wifi in the room next door. So it seems to be a reception issue. Power settings for the adapter are max in windows for plugged in and unplugged by the way.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

jbenavides — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 21:48:31 GMT

Please apply the recommendations in the post from Jan 30, 2015 5:45 PM. It contains many troubleshooting steps that have helped resolve connectivity issues for other customers.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

DCald1 — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 23:16:00 GMT

I have the exact same issue with the WiFi card, and I have been playing with the same stuff. Did you get a useful response or a fix yet? I'm getting ready to look into replacing the card to see if it fixes the issue... unless it ends up being a problem with the antenna.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

ICher2 — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 08:00:51 GMT

Hello.

I`ll share some of my experience, I hope that it resolves the problem for you as it did for me.

Few days ago I purchased a Lenovo Z50-70 which unfortunately comes with the above wifi module. What I experienced was sudden drops in connection speed and increased latency (which effectively meant that for brief periods of time I had no internet), and also I noticed that after that the DW speed was quite slow.

I`ve read practically everything said for this wifi and I found this particular article from MSI useful :http://www.msi.com/pic/faq/10015790@2014-1114-0153-309200@faq_0000000001178_en.pdf http://www.msi.com/pic/faq/10015790@2014-1114-0153-309200@faq_0000000001178_en.pdf (hope I dont breach terms of forum, as I admit, I havent read them). The problem with this devices appears on both windows 7 and 8 (tested with 64bit). Applying the solutions provided by MSI made absolutely no difference for me...until I turned of the Bluetooth (which apparently uses the same 2,4Ghz antena), and then the miracle happened. I got steady download speed of 4,3-4,8MB/second (I have 50MBIT internet connection).

Unfortunately this solution brings down the max speed to about 65mbit, because that`s a limitation of the 20Mhz channel, and it will also not help for all that have 5Ghz routers.

Re: Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

kkay — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 05:16:51 GMT

[SOLVED - FINALLY!!!] I HAVE FOUND A SOLUTION!! Don't be intimidated by all this writing, it is just to help people understand.

Quick Description of My Problem:

I have the Intel AC3160 internet adapter and i have been having connection issues with it ever since i bought my new laptop. I had tried all fixes on the internet and everything that intel's support sites have told me, but it was to no avail. At home, my internet adapter would drop the signal randomly or every 10 minutes or so of light internet use. When I would click on the Wi-Fi bars in the bottom right corner of the screen it would usually say "no connections available" just after my laptop dropped the wifi signal that i was connected to. So then i would have to disable and reenable the AC3160 internet adapter driver or restart my whole computer in order for the adapter to find any wifi signal at all. I did notice that my adapter would give me this problem very often on my home WIFI network, but would usually work fine on my university's wifi or at the local coffee shops. I finally found this fix after a year of screwing with settings and technology, but I am relieved to say i have found a relatively simple fix (hopefully this works for you all as well)!

Here is my computer build (incase you are curious, or just a stalker)

Windows 8, 64-bit

Processor: intel i7-4510U

RAM: 8GB, with AMD Radeon R9 M275 - 2GB dedicated graphics

And this semi-poop internet adapter - Intel AC3160 internet adapter

Here is the 2 step fix.

Step 1: Change some settings

Settings for this adapter's driver is located at: (Control panel > Hardware and Sound > Device Manager > Network adapters > Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless - AC3160> right click this and hit properties > click the "advanced" tab and this is where your driver settings are located
My internet adapter settings on the AC3160 driver:

802.11n Channel Width for 2.4GHz - - - - - - - - - -[AUTO] > (My router only has a 2.4GHz Channel)

802.11n Channel Width for 5.2GHz - - - - - - - - - -[AUTO]

Ad Hoc Channel 802.11b/g - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [1]

Ad Hoc Qos Mode - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [WMM Disabled]

ARP Hoc offload for WoWLAN - - - - - - - - - - - -[Disabled]

Bluetooth(R) AMP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Disabled] > Disabled because i don't use Bluetooth devices w/ laptop (these devices may interfere w/ wifi signal)

Fat Channel Intolerant - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Disabled]

GTK rekeying for WoWLAN - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Enabled]

HT Mode - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [VHT Mode]

Mixed Mode Protection - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [CTS-to-self-Enabled]

NS Offload for WoWLAN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Disabled]

Prefered band - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [No reference] > You can change this to help get rid of interference, but you might be safer leaving it like this

Roaming Agressiveness - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [2. Medium-low] > Or you can try changing this down to [1. Lowest] to help prevent disconnecting from wifi

Sleep on WoWLAN Disconnect - - - - - - - - - - - - [Disabled]

Transmit Power - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [5. Highest] > THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!! Put it to highest!

U-APSD support - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Disabled]

Wake on Magic Packet - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Enable] this is the default >(this is up to you)

Wake on Pattern Match - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Enable] this is default setting > once again, this one's up to you

Wireless Mode - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [6. 802.11a/b/g] > (this is most likely the best option for this one

So these driver settings above are what i have currently, however, you can play around with these settings and see what works. ALSO, my driver version is 17.0.5.8 (Date: 6/18/2014). There is a newer version of the driver available but i found that the new version was even worse connection than the old one, at least to me. If you already updated to the new driver and things looked worse, you can roll back the driver easily under driver settings.

STEP 2: What was missing from all other help pages on the internet:

After changing all the settings above, I was still getting signal dropouts. It was less frequent than before but nonetheless still annoying as all hell. It turns out, it wasn't just the AC3160 Adapter's fault, your modem or router is part of the problem!!!! But no worries, this is a simple fix.

If you live in an apartment (or area with homes close enough together where there are probably a lot of wifi signals bouncing around) you probably have this problem: When there are many modems/routers sending out a wifi signal on the same wifi channel (aka frequency) some internet adapters get very confused and drop the signal. The Intel AC3160 is one of these adapters...

Here's what to do:

Find out what channel (frequency) your modem is broadcasting on. (mine was on channel 11 by default) You will need some sort of small, software to do this I used Nirsoft's WifiInfo View and it worked great. (don't worry its free and can probably fit on your flashdrive)
Find out how many routers/modems in your area are broadcasting on that same channel (there were about 14 other modems on this cannel, that was obviously an issue)
Pick a channel with a lower number of signals broadcasting on it. (I chose channel 7 because there was only 1 other modem broadcasting on it)
A DETAILED VERSION OF THIS can be found on this great how to: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/21132/change-your-wi-fi-router-channel-to-optimize-your-wireless-signal/ Change Your Wi-Fi Router Channel to Optimize Your Wireless Signal
You are good to go! But if you are still having issues or you connection is slow, keep repeat these steps and try another channel (trial and error). (Example: if channel 7 was giving me slow internet speed on my laptop, I would have picked another cannel with the fewest number of signals on it and tried that one)

Granted Intel's AC3160 should work without you having to change a router setting, so as a customer I am too disappointed at Intel.

But since this is real life and technology is evil and stupid at times, you may just have to change a router setting. After doing this fix, I have not experienced a signal drop since (I am very happy)!!!!! I really hope this helped the rest of you. Happy Halloween!

-The Kittens.

Disclaimer: I do not guarantee that this fix will ...