AX1650 not connecting at 802.11ac stuck at 802.11a

[JoeG1]

Good morning.

Brand new Dell XPS 15 laptop with the Intel Killer wireless card AX1650s installed.  Updated to the latest Killer suite and driver version 22.90.0.5   The PC is running Windows 11 with latest updates installed.  The wireless will not connect to the 802.11ac network, it only will connect using 802.11a.    Wireless router is a Netgear R7000 running the latest firmware.   Other computers/phones in the house will connect at 802.11ac and get much better throughput using standard speedtest sites.   The new computer with the intel driver only reaches around 25 to 28 mbps throughput.  Obviously not a good situation.    Any ideas/thoughts on attempting to fix this?    I have tried reinstalling drivers, rebooting router, rebooting PC, etc.  the basic troubleshooting steps.   Thanks in advance.  

[David_G_Intel]

Hello JoeG1

Thank you for posting on the Intel️® communities. Please share with us the following information:

• Do you get any Bluetooth issues?
• What driver versions did you try?
• Is this issue happening at home, office environment or both?
• Have check with your system's OEM for validated drivers or support on known issues related to the symptoms experienced?
• Is this the original adapter that came pre-installed in your system or have you changed/installed a new adapter recently?
• Have you checked if this issue happens on different networks?
• Were you able to have you wireless connection in a normal/expected performance before?
• Have you installed any recent software or hardware in your system?
• What is the full model of the laptop?
• Did you use the laptop manufacturer drivers?

Regards, 

David G 

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JoeG1]

David,

Thanks for getting back to me quickly.  Here are the replies:

• Do you get any Bluetooth issues?
  • Not to my knowledge
• What driver versions did you try?
  • It had the original OEM version from June 2021 then installed the Intel version 22.90.0.5 dated Sept 2021
• Is this issue happening at home, office environment or both?
  • This is my son's new laptop, it is currently used at home and will used at college
• Have check with your system's OEM for validated drivers or support on known issues related to the symptoms experienced?
  • Dell drivers listed on their support page are older then the Intel driver, I installed the updated version from Intel Support page
• Is this the original adapter that came pre-installed in your system or have you changed/installed a new adapter recently?
  • original adapter installed in laptop
• Have you checked if this issue happens on different networks?
  • have not checked other networks, but as stated other machines on same network experience much better throughput
  • Example would be wife's laptop connecting using 802.11ac get close to 300 mbps throughput on a standard speedtest, son's new laptop connecting using 802.11a getting 28 mbps max throughput - same wireless network, same location in house tested, same testing suite used.
• Were you able to have you wireless connection in a normal/expected performance before?
  • First time using the new laptop, it performs normally but at much reduced speed, the driver only picks up 802.11a as the preferred wireless protocol at 5ghz.  The wireless router does support 802.11ac (netgear nighthawk model R7000 with latest firmware installed)
• Have you installed any recent software or hardware in your system?
  • fresh out of the box this was happening
• What is the full model of the laptop?
  • Dell XPS 15 - 9510 Laptop Windows 11 Home
• Did you use the laptop manufacturer drivers?
  • original OEM drivers were installed

FYI I am very familiar with wireless in general (I am a network security engineer for my company) and can help troubleshoot whatever is needed to solve this issue.   Could possibly be a handshake issue during the initial wireless setup phase, not sensing or allowing 802.11ac to be negotiated but settling for 802.11a.

Thanks.

Joe G.

[David_G_Intel]

Thanks for the update, to continue troubleshooting we need the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) results 

• Download the Intel SSU https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows- 
  • Open the application and select "Everything" click on "Scan" to see the system and device information. By default, Intel® SSU will take you to the "Summary View".  
  • Click on the menu where it says "Summary" to change to "Detailed View".  
  • To save your scan, click on "Next", then "Save".  

Please also make sure to try:

• Different channels.
  • Guide to configure Wi-Fi Channels and Channel Widths to Improve Network Connection
    • https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000058989/ethernet-products.html
• Recommended Settings for 802.11ac Connectivity
  • https://www.intel.in/content/www/in/en/support/articles/000024678/wireless.html
• Network reset.
  • Resetting Network Devices and Network Stack
    • https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000058982/ethernet-products.html

Regards, 

David G 

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JoeG1]

David,

Thanks for getting back to me.   Attached is the SSU report.  There is an error that keeps showing up:

5007 - TX/CMD timeout (TfdQueue hanged)

Any questions please let me know.

Thanks.

Joe G.

[David_G_Intel]

Thank you for the report, can you please confirm you tried the steps mentioned above?

Regards, 

David G 

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JoeG1]

Good morning and happy new year.    

Yes I checked the settings and verified.   Also keep in mind I have two other laptops that are working fine with the AP using 802.11ac and getting much better throughput.   

Did you see anything in the report?  Any updates I can try?

Thanks.
Joe G.

[David_G_Intel]

Happy new year @JoeG1

It's recommended testing a different network in this case since there is a window about incompatibility issues with that router. Also based on the SSU, the config mode is 802.11a/g and some other modes are 802.11ac, please confirm that everything is configured for AC connectivity.

Regards, 

David G 

Intel Customer Support Technician

[David_G_Intel]

Were you able to check the previous post? 

Let us know if you still need assistance.    

Best regards,  

David G.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[David_G_Intel]

We have not heard back from you, so we will close this thread. If you need any additional information, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.  

Best regards,  

David G. 

Intel Customer Support Technician