Intel(R) Ethernet Controller (3) I225-V PCIe NIC Slow download speed

[ATerani]

on 8/1/2022, I Installed this NIC (https://a.co/d/cICdXsS) in my home computer, got the drivers from windows update for it automatically and it started working as expected with both upload and download speeds running around 2.2Mbps. A few days ago I noticed a decrease in performance and after running some tests, it was clear that the download speed is now fluctuates only between 300-900Mbps but the upload is still at its expected 2.2Mbps pick. Spent the last two days trying to troubleshoot this to no avail. This seems to be a common issue with this card/chipset but none of the half baked solutions I found online worked for me. Tried upgrading and downgrading to different versions of the driver from Intel's web site (manufacturer's driver is a link to Intel's site as well) and also modified some advanced settings of the card based on different forum suggestions but none of it made any difference.

I'm attaching the SSU result here hoping you can shed some light on why the sudden change and how to fix it.

I appreciate your help in advance. 

Thank you,
Amir-

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Amir,

Thank you for posting in Intel Ethernet Communities. 

We are sorry to hear that you are encountering speed issue with your Intel(R) Ethernet Controller (3) I225-V PCIe NIC. Please check following details for the information we request that would help in checking your query. 

1. First, we would like to educate you about our support for Original Equipment Manufacturer(OEM) controller. We'd like to set your expectation that we have a limited support for OEM and it would be best if you can also get in touch with NIC manufacturer for further support since they have customized drivers and software to enable or alter features on your card. They are in best position where you can seek assistance so you don’t lose features or customizations of the Ethernet Adapter.

2. You mentioned that at first, you are getting both upload and download speed around 2.2Mbps. We would like to clarify if you mean 2.2Gbps since you mentioned that download speed was now dowmgraded around 300-900mbps and upload speed is still the same? 

3. We noticed that your system comes with Intel(R) Ethernet Connection I217-V. With this, we would like to check if you are having similar issue in regards to upload and download speed of your Internet connection?

4. Is there any software or hardware changer prior to issue since you noticed that the issue occurred after few days of purchase?

Looking forward to your reply. 

We will follow up after 3 business days in case we don't hear from you.

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[ATerani]

Thank you Crisselle for your reply.

-In regards to the card's OEM support, unfortunately it seems to be non-existent. The only thing I could get from them was a driver download link to intel's website. So we are on our own. 

-As for my typos, you are correct, those were meant to be 2.2Gbps. sorry, my bad.

-The i217-V is the onboard 1Gig NIC for my motherboard and works fine but it caps at its 1Gbps limit. Hence, having to upgrade it and add the i225-v PCIe card to get the 2.5G performance. I disabled the onboard card in Windows' device manager so it would be out of the equation. 

-To my knowledge, nothing was changed. My only suspicion was windows update automatically updating the driver, but I manually installed several, both older and newer, driver versions and the result stayed the same. Windows update still updated the older versions shortly after.

This is the speedtest result from when I installed the card:
https://www.speedtest.net/result/13488806270

And this is now, which is similar to what I've been getting for the past week or so
https://www.speedtest.net/result/13578177257

It fluctuates between 300-900Mbps and never breaks the 1Gig download barrier anymore while other machines on the same network pass their 2Gig speed.  

Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated. 

Thank you,
Amir-

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Amir,

Appreciate your swift and detailed response.

Can you try the steps from link below and check if it will help resolve the issue. Although the article is for I219-V, this is also applicable to Intel® Ethernet Controller I225-V.

Intel® Ethernet Connection I219-V Unable to Reach Gigabit Speed

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000058667/ethernet-products/gigabit-ethernet-controllers-up-to-2-5gbe.html

Please be reminded that we are only doing our best effort support since you are using an OEM. We highly suggest contacting the OEM in case that issue still occurs.  In some cases, reinstalling the Operating system fixes the issue, you may also do this but this will take time and effort and doesn't guarantee resolution.

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Should there be no response from you, I’ll make sure to reach out after 3 business days.

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[ATerani]

Hi Crisselle,

As I mentioned before, there is no hope in getting this level support from the OEM.

I tried all the items in the link you sent with no luck. But for what it's worth, I did reboot my computer into safemode with networking and didn't have any performance issue there! Here is the speedtest result from safemode:

https://www.speedtest.net/result/13583422652

So If you have any suggestion on how to find the culprit in Windows/Driver software, I'm all ears.

Thank you,
Amir-

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Amir, 

Thank you for trying out the recommendations and we are sorry that it didn't help fixing the issue. 

In regards to the OEM, we sincerely apologize for the confusion. We understand that there seems to be no way to contact and identify the manufacturer of the card. 

Can you try a clean driver installation on your Intel(R) Ethernet Controller (3) I225-V PCIe NIC. On step 8, you may consider skipping this first and let your system use the in-box driver. If issue still occurs, you may try installing latest driver from Intel or the one that is included on your NIC. 

Clean Driver Installation Guide for Intel® Ethernet Connections

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000058304/ethernet-products.html

Please also check if the issue would still occur while the antivirus firewall is turned off. If it fixes the issue, this could be related to antivirus software that is having an issue with the drivers. We highly recommend that you contact the antivirus software manufacturer for further assistance.

Looking forward to your reply. 

We will follow up after 3 business days in case we don't hear from you. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Amir, 

Good day!

Please be informed that we escalated this request to our engineer to check if there is any further recommendation. Please see below details for their feedback. 

You may contact the manufacturer via link below. There is a chat support in the link that you may use for further assistance.

https://zexmte.com/ 

Unfortunately, this is a 3rd party manufacturer and we have limited support. We understand that this is an Intel Ethernet controller that's embedded with Zexmte adapter but it would still be best for you to get in touch with the manufacturer for further support since they have customized drivers and software to enable or alter features on his system. They are in best position where you can seek assistance so you do not lose features or customizations of the Ethernet controller. 

Looking forward to your reply. 

We will follow up after 3 business days in case we don't hear from you. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Amir, 

I hope you are doing good!

This is just a follow up to check if you read our previous update. If yes, please confirm and let us know if you are able to follow our recommendation and contact your manufacturer for further support. In case you need additional assistance on this matter, please let us know and we will be glad to be of help. 

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Should there be no reply, I’ll make sure to reach out after 3 business days.

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[ATerani]

Hi Crisselle,

Yes, I have tried contacting the manufacturer. As expected, their online chat doesn’t seem to have anyone available on the other end. I tried their support email which got a reply after 3 days with a general setting suggestion which I said I’ve already tried and haven’t heard back anything after that yet. I tried purchasing an original Intel i225-T card but no one seems to have it in stock at the suggested retail price. I thought the fact that my card works fine in the safe mode would open some doors to troubleshoot this further but I unless you have any other suggestion, I think my next option would be to purchase a a Realtek card. Unfortunately the reviews on that is also not very good. That was the reading I went with the Intel chipset to begin with.

Thank you,
Amir-

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Amir, 

Thank you for the reply.

We are sorry to hear that you are not getting much of help from your manufacturer.  

Just to confirm, are you able to perform clean driver installation as per our previous advise?

Can you try a clean driver installation on your Intel(R) Ethernet Controller (3) I225-V PCIe NIC. On step 8, you may consider skipping this first and let your system use the in-box driver. If issue still occurs, you may try installing latest driver from Intel or the one that is included on your NIC. 

Clean Driver Installation Guide for Intel® Ethernet Connections

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000058304/ethernet-products.html

Please also check if the issue would still occur while the antivirus firewall is turned off. If it fixes the issue, this could be related to antivirus software that is having an issue with the drivers. We highly recommend that you contact the antivirus software manufacturer for further assistance.

Awaiting to your reply. 

We will follow up after 3 business days in case we don't hear from you. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[ATerani]

Hi Crisselle,

Yes, unfortunately the issue persists even after a clean driver installation.

Thank you,
Amir-

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Amir, 

Thank you for the swift reply and we are sorry to hear that clean driver installation didn't help resolving the issue. 

We will try to re-escalate this request to our engineers to check if there is any further recommendation. We'd also like to set your expectation that we cannot guarantee anything. We will get back to you as soon as possible but no later than 3 business days.

Hoping for your kind understanding.

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Amir, 

Thank you for your kind cooperation on this matter. 

Unfortunately, our engineers have nothing to add on this request as we already provided out best effort support on the third party Ethernet adapter. The manufacturer is still in best position where you can seek assistance so you do not lose features or customizations of the Ethernet controller. 

Please accept our sincerest apologies for the delay and inconvenience that this has caused.

We will now close this request. Feel free to post a new question if you may have any other inquiry in the future as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Thank you for taking the time in reading this message and may you have an amazing week ahead!

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel Customer Support