Intel AC7260 limited access after sleep

[MZ4]

Hello,

I have Intel AC7260 and there is a problem: after every wake from sleep mode i have limited access and no connection to the Internet. I can't ping router and any device in the network... Sometimes helps to reconnect but most often I need to reboot :/ Can someone help me please?

[GGros1]

I have been following this thread since early July as originally had same problems with not waking from sleep and random drops. I have an Asus 301LA with Windows 8.1, 64 bit OS. Luckily by removing Intel's excess ProSet and going with bare drivers only with the latest driver 17.1.0.19, I resolved the issues with waking after sleep and random drops, however, what is really strange is that the drivers seem to self-corrupt after a few days (don't know how else to describe what happens). Let me explain. I removed all versions of drivers going through various iterations in Device Manager till I got to the Microsoft drivers. From here I loaded the latest Intel drivers and it worked like a charm, super fast, no connection issues after waking and no drops. The problems I am having now is that after 3 or 4 days use, it progressively slows for loading pages in the browser (requiring multiple loads of page to get it to load) to a point where it becomes too frustrating so I remove drivers and load again. This brings the card back to being super fast, functioning according to its sales propaganda, web pages loading super fast. What is also strange is that when the card is not working properly, if I test download/upload speeds it still registers what it usually does on my home system, but it takes me a while to load the page to run the test. Even when the card is working properly, ping testing sites or my router (50 cycles for example), there will always be 2 or 3 super long lags and the rest good.

Is anyone else experiencing such random "self-corruption" issues which a reload of drivers sorts the issue for some days?

[SMons2]

I suffered from that issue when I was on 17.0.6 (which for around four weeks was trouble-free; no drop-outs or wake issues, though with the occasional throughput variance). Then the driver just died. The card would see wireless networks, but when I tried connecting to them, it was stuck on 'identifying'. Rebooted the NUC (with which I use the 7260AC), and the card simply disappeared from Device Manager.

At this point I was thinking hardware failure. As a trouble-shooting step, I ended up uninstalling 17.0.6 and reinstalled an older driver (16.10 because of the relatively positive comments here). Rebooted after the uninstall of 17.0.6, and rebooted after installing 16.10. Card appeared, but still stuck on 'identifying' with wireless network connections. Reboot the NUC again, and again the card disappears.

So reluctantly, installed 17.1.0 (the latest) and that's now working fine. Pretty much the same experience to 17.0.6 for me before that borked out. Been using it now for a good two weeks without issue. It works when waking, it's fast, but like 17.0.6 it has a random throughput issue at times (ping tests to the wireless router show 1ms one occassion, then 'Request timed out' the next instant, before showing 1ms the next entry; COMPLETELY random...)

My feedback with Intel's drivers is they're good when they work. But they're absolute nightmares when they don't.

As it stands, there is something wrong with Intel's wireless division. They've had similar issues since back the 6k series cards, so since over two years ago. I'm not too sure if there is a hardware / design flaw. Some people here suggest as such, but I'm hunching on the fact that this seems to be a software-side issue. I mean the card works perfectly fine for weeks at a time. And when it works, it's perfectly acceptable.

[DKimb]

I haven't seen this type of degeneration on my system. It either works or doesn't work. The current working configuration has remained stable for 5 or 6 days with no problems waking from sleep.

D

[GGros1]

Thanks Dilburt. I find it very strange and assumed thing either works or doesn't as you say but it always connects from sleep, I never get disconnects but it just slowly degrades and becomes sluggish day after day, that is why I said self-corrupting, but that makes no sense. Reinstall of drivers and it is as good a new. It would really be good for Joe_Intel or anyone from Intel to chip in here but they have been shockingly silent for quite some time on this thread. I am at a loss to as what to do, except having the driver handy on the desktop and when it slows too much, reload and voila, back to normal!

[MNich3]

Still going strong on 16.10.0.5.

The error doesn't occur as long as U-APSD is disabled on newer drivers, or not available on the older drivers.

I guess it's obvious this is the problem with the Windows 7 drivers anyway.

[PDavi5]

I'm still experiencing problems with the wifi randomly not working when resuming from sleep as of the latest 8/20/14 drivers. It gets stuck on "attempting to authenticate" and fails to connect to any wireless network. Disabling and re-enabling the adapter or restarting the computer seems to get it working again.

I've already had Lenovo replace the wifi card once. So I know the problem is inherent in the hardware itself or the drivers.

This is absolutely ridiculous. This crappy wifi adapter has basically turned my $2000 tricked out Thinkpad T440p into a paper weight. Fix your terrible drivers intel or issue a recall. This kind of nonsense is the sort of thing people start class action lawsuits over. A laptop with an unreliable wifi adapter may as well be a brick. Why did you clowns release this card in this state when it was so clearly not ready for prime time?

Normally I have good experiences with Intel products. But the AC 7260 is probably the worst piece of junk you guys have produced since the GMA900 that couldn't run Aero.

[BB4]

I have a T440p and it works fine after I figured out the tweaks.

Read this:

[SMoss]

GattoNero, thanks for your help - I seem to have reliable re-connects after sleep with v16.10.0.5 (Dell M3800 Win 8.1 64nit) at 802.11n. Unfortunately not getting better than 4mb down, where I was seeing anywhere from 14mb (g) to 60mb (n) with the many v17 driver versions, but they would not stay up. I agree with your assessment, the Intel drivers for the AC 7260 are a mess, and it should not depend on the AP. iPhone, Android, iPad and 3 other laptops have no issues with my APs.

[BB4]

And yet I am beginning to think that it may indeed depend on the AP, at least to some degree. There are so many and so many configurations, so how would one ever know. But with all other variables (apparently) equal, that some adapters still can't seem to deliver up to spec suggests something on the modem/router side.

I think for sure that dual band is a must, even it it's not AC but only N. The encryption algorithm also matters, I think. WPA2-AES rather than TKIP. I've also found that I was able to eliminate bluetooth-related disconnects, another issue with these cards, by specifying channel 1 on the 2G band.

These devices take some tweaking. It isn't just plug-and-play, although it should be by now in terms of drivers on Intel's side. But the adapters have to talk with other machines and that might be where a lot of the disconnect lies, no pun intended.

[SMoss]

I totally agree the AP is likely a factor, but we are all on maybe 5 different APs in a week, between the home & office, McDs, Hotspots, airports, etc, It is not acceptable for Intel even to suggest to upgrade our APs as a workaround, let alone a solution.

[PDavi5]

I use an Asus Dark Knight RT-N66U at home. But I experience issues connecting to wifi when resuming from sleep on all APs.

And the Dark Knight is not a crappy router. Many consider it the best consumer level N router ever made.

[BB4]

Did you try what I linked to you for your T440p?

(Writing to you from a T440p at 750Mbps that just woke up.)

[PDavi5]

I've reinstalled Windows 7 Pro x64 multiple times. Tried pretty much every driver from Intel and Lenovo. Lenovo even replaced the motherboard and wifi antennae, along with replacing the wifi card. Nothing helps.

The AC 7260 is just a piece of crap. It shouldn't be this hard to get a brand new, state of the art wifi adapter working correctly. Intel needs to fix its sh*t.

I guess a lack of competition from AMD in recent years has made them complacent, and now they're releasing junk.

[BB4]

And yet mine works as expected on the same platform.

Did you compare your adapter and router settings to mine? Did you try the 16.6 driver?

[SHaig]

@joe_intel @kevin_intel

I got referred here by the ILW driver team (they don't do Windows )

Laptop: Dell Inspiron 15

BIOS: A08

Using the latest 17.0.6.1 driver.

Windows 7 + all updates.

When the adapter dies upon resuming from sleep, I sometimes can see the SSIDs around, but can't connect to them. I'm happy to help out in debugging this - and I've given the ILW guys quite a bit of testing / feedback in the past...

Feel free to PM or email me directly...

[EWein]

For what it is worth I upgraded to 17.0.6.1 and its not fixed but things have changed. Now at least when it comes out of sleep most of the time its disconnected vs Limited Connection, now the card is brain dead I can not reconnect to anything however, right clicking on the Intel WiFi icon in the tray and selecting "Reset ProSet" seems to do the trick for me every time now. It is still a very sad existence to live in but at least its quicker then rebooting (its all about contrast).

[BB4]

Well, they do have 17.1 out now.

Still waiting for someone to chime in with any success on that one.

FYI, I'm using driver 16.6 and my card is working fine. That's an October, 2013 driver. Yep.

[SMoss]

I reported my experience with v17.1 on 27 August. No luck for me. It did connect after sleep for a couple of days, and then back to No Network Connection. The Limited Connection notification has gone away, but this is just more frustrating since you have to pop a browser window to see you have no connection. It would also only connect at 802.11g and maxed out at 14mb.

v16.10.0.5 Win 8.1 64bit connects reliably out of sleep, and at 802.11n, but I cannot get more than 4mb download where I had seen 14 to 60mb with some of the v17.0 drivers.

So still limping along here. It is not fixed.

[BB4]

Steve, try 16.6.

[PDavi5]

Having to use hacks and workarounds and old drivers on a brand new top of the line wifi card is totally inexcusable. Intel needs to fix this ASAP or replace these cards with something that works.

But I'm starting to think it may take a class action lawsuit by everyone who got screwed by buying a laptop with this piece of junk to get intel to wake up to reality.

[BB4]

Or, you can just use a previous driver and have a working card. Driver version isn't as important as driver functionality. Since we don't really know what they do to the driver with each iteration of it, the version number becomes irrelevant at some point.

Got one that works? Use it and quit updating it just because there's a new release.

Also, router settings also play a role with keeping a connection and the quality of the connection.