AX201 Slow speed - some improvement when 802.11n/ac/ax disabled

[conorp19]

Hi there,

I have a new HP Spectre x360 14, with a AX201 network adapter. 

I've had connection problems from the start. I can get connection speeds of 40 mbps, but this then drops down to 2/3 mbps after a while. I can fix this by resetting my router, but this only lasts for a day, or when I restart/sleep the laptop, and then I'm back down to 2/3 mbps.

I have discovered that by disabling 802. 11n/ac/ax I can get consistently speeds of 19/20 mbps. However, it is annoying knowing that is possible to get the higher speeds of 40 mbps +. 

Is there a fix for this?

For background, I have several other devices in the house which regularly get speeds of 40 mbps, so I don't think location/proximity to the router is an issue. 

In an effort to be helpful, I have answered some of the usual questions asked in other threads: 

1. Run the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) and attach the report generated - attached 

2. Brand and model number of your router/modem. - plusnet hub one (UK)

3. Are you having issues with Bluetooth also or only Wi-Fi? - Just wifi. 

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

5. Were you able to have your wireless connection in a normal/expected performance before? If yes, did you make any changes before the issue started?  - It works as expected for a period, then connection drops. Only way to fix is to reset the router, but this only works temporarily. 

Thanks in advance, I really hope you can help, this has been driving me mad! 

Conor 

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello @conorp19

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities and for the information already provided, we really appreciate it.

In order to understand better this behavior could you please confirm some additional details?

1- Have you checked if this issue happens testing only the laptop and the router? (no other wireless devices connected to the wireless network during this test).

2- Based on the Intel® System Support Utility report (Intel® SSU), we noticed that the system is running driver version 22.20.0.6. Is this the original driver that came with the system from factory? Or is a driver you downloaded/updated either from HP* website or the Intel® website?

3- Please provide details on how you are monitoring/measuring the speed:

4- Checking on the Internet about the technical specifications for this router, we are not sure if we are finding the manufacturer website, but we see some websites saying that this router is not 802.11ax compatible (it seems it only supports dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4Ghz 802.11 b/g/n and 5Ghz 802.11 a/n/ac). Is this correct? If possible, could you please share a link as a reference?

5- If the previous point is correct, this could be a compatibility issue (also considering the only fix is to reboot the router). Have you checked with the router manufacturer for any recommendations regarding specific settings? For instance, trying different channels or different Wi-Fi modes or standards? Have you checked if they have/recommend firmware updates?

Please note that there seem to be similar reports about this hardware regarding speed issues. For instance this community thread*.

6- Is the behavior happening on both bands? 2.4GHz and 5GHz?

7- By any chance have you tested with another router to see if the behavior is different? For instance, a router that is AX compatible? Or maybe testing with a cellphone as a hotspot?

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[holsen]

I think I have solved this issue.  I changed several advanced properties for the AX201 Card in Device Manager as follows:
Windows Key + X >> Device Manager > Expand Network Adapters > Right Click Intel (R) Wi-Fi 6 AX201 > Properties > Advanced Tab

Then Set The Following Properties:
Property    Select >     Value
802.11 a/b/g                6. Dual Band 802.11 a/b/g
802.11n/ac/ax              2. 802.11ac
Channel Width for 2.4GHz    20MHz Only
Channel Width for 5GHz   20MZ Only

I have an AC Router so I chose 802.11ac for the 2nd setting.  If you have an n router select N

in early testing,  Running multiple streams with my new HP SPectre x360 doesnt cause drop outs anymore.     I hope this helps somebody.

[Giocalpal]

Hi Gentleman,

I try your tricks

802.11 a/b/g                6. Dual Band 802.11 a/b/g
802.11n/ac/ax              2. 802.11ac
Channel Width for 2.4GHz    20MHz Only
Channel Width for 5GHz   20MZ Only

Did you solved the problem using this setting?

Thank you

[holsen]

Hi. I did fix the problem, but changing those settings wasn't the answer.
I have an HP Spectre so the first thing I did was uninstall the HP Connection Manager Software. I then went into the device manager and deleted the all the current previous drivers for the ax201. I had to go through the delete process 5 times if I remember correctly because that's how many driver versions there were. Make sure to delete the driver and select the box that says delete software. Once I rolled back as far as I could go, I rebooted the PC and installed the latest driver and everything worked.

[Giocalpal]

So from PC Device Manager I have to unistall the driver more time, than I have to restart. Once Pc start cannot find the driver and via usb I have to install correct?

[holsen]

Download the latest driver first and remember where you saved it.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/130293/Intel-Wi-Fi-6-AX201-Gig- 

Then using device manager uninstal the drivers.   You'll see the driver version change each time you uninstal.  Keep going until the version number doesnt change anymore, then you'll know you've rolled back as far as you can go.

Restart

Install the new driver you downloaded earlier

[Giocalpal]

Which version of Windows 10 do you have?

I have Windows 10 20h2, it seems that it is due to missing option "Allow the computer to turn off the device to save energy"

This option is completly disappear.

Let me know thnx

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello conorp19

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you need further assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact us back if you have additional inquiries.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[holsen]

AndrewG_Intel

I know you addressed your reply to another user but 2 days later, I can tell you that my fix has not been a fix.  Everytime I open 2 browser tabs in any browser, they grind to halt.   I've been listening to the same radio stream for years on the same network, same router, same browser and same devices connected to the same network for years with out issue.  Now I'm contantly getting kick off the stream.  But not just the stream.  When setting up this new PC, just syncing my device to OneDrive cloud took more than 24 hours where previously I could do it in a matter of hours.  

The Problem is unquestionably this AX201 Card and the drivers.    What should be an upgraded laptop had been an expensive downgrade in performance for all things wireless.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello @holsen

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities and for your feedback.

We are sorry to know that you are having issues with Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201. However, since everyone's situation and environment are unique we kindly recommend creating a new thread to isolate your case and system configuration, please make sure you add the information of the system model and specs, detailed information of the problem that you are having, plus all the information that you have added to this thread, so we can get more information about the problem.

Thank you for your understanding,

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[holsen]

That makes sense.  I thought it was like a group forum.  Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.   In the meantime I think I fixed it today.   I deleted all the HP OEM connection management software, which on it's own had little effect, I then went through 4 rounds of deleting the drivers.   Rolled all the way back to driver 21.10.2.2 from 05-23-2019 and now have multiple streams running simultaneously and getting full upload / download speeds for the first time since this notebook came out of its box.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello holsen

Thank you very much for your response and we are glad to know that have found a fix for this behavior. Also, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, hopefully, it may help other users having similar behavior.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello conorp19

We have not heard back from you so we will proceed to close this thread now.

If the issue persists, we recommend checking this further with your computer manufacturer HP* Support and also with the router manufacturer since there are similar reports about this hardware regarding speed issues. For instance this community thread*.

If you need any additional information, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[conorp19]

Hi Andrew, 

Just to come back on this - I think I have managed to confirm that this was a problem with my router, which seems to have been fixed. Either way, thank you for your help! 

Conor