Intel AX211 Location Aware Regulatory in EU

[quadra]

Hallo,

I have Dell Latitude 5550 with Intel AX211 Wifi 6E card with latest BIOS and Intel Wifi driver (24.10.0) installed, 6 GHz works intermittently.. I noticed, if AX211 detects more than 8-9 APs with country code SK at boot, it is enabled and working without any problems.. otherwise, only 5 GHz is enabled.

The rest of APs (about 20) are with NL or EU country code (they are ISP cable routers from UPC/Liberty Global company with hardwired CC setting).

My AP I'm connecting to has correct SK country code set and other WIFi clients (with Broadcom, Qualcomm or MediaTek WIFi chipset) are connected in 6 GHz reliably every time.

As the European Union has authorised lower 6 GHz band (5945–6425 MHz) in all member states starting December 2021, I don't see the reason why you are blocking it at the driver/firmware level (as it's the same in WIndows or Linux), as all neighbour APs have EU country codes (no US or some other region), it seems your LAR logic is incomplete/broken.

[JedG_Intel]

Hello quadra,

Thank you for posting on Intel Community Forum

To address the issue effectively, kindly share the information below.

1. Did you perform clean installation of the latest driver 24.10.0?

2. When 6GHz fails to enable, what country code does the AX211 report in Device Manager properties?

3. At what exact AP count threshold does 6GHz stop working? (You mentioned 8-9 - is this consistent?)

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

I look forward to your response.

Best regards

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[quadra]

1. Yes, I uninstalled from device manager and deleted driver/inf files so the card has no drivers installed (unknown PCI device in Network adapters) then ran 24.10.0 installer from your website.

2. Where I can find it? I don't see it in AX211 driver options.

3. It seems if 7 or lower, it's disabled, 8 or more and 6 GHz is enabled and working all day until reboot/shutdown, see attached screenshots from WinFi monitor app.

4. Yes, it was factory installed, no changes.

[JedG_Intel]

Hello quadra,

Thank you for sharing all this information. I also sent you an email to get the System Support Utility. This report will allow me to have a better understanding of your system configuration and components. Please check your inbox at your earliest convenience.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[quadra]

Hi Jed,

I replied to your email with attached log.

Thank you.

[JedG_Intel]

Hello quadra,

Thank you for attaching the report. After reviewing it, I would like to share a few recommendations that may help address the issue. Please refer to the steps outlined below.

1. Update BIOS to latest version 1.20.0

2. Install the latest OEM wireless driver 23.160.0.4

3. Follow the Recommended Settings for 802.11ax Connectivity

4. Check the Advanced Intel® Wireless Adapter Settings

If the issue persists, kindly provide the Event Logs and verify the status of the WLAN_AutoConfig service.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Best regards

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[quadra]

Hi Jed,

1. Updated BIOS to 1.20.0

2. Downgraded to Dell OEM wireless driver 23.160.0.4

3. Yes, they are set according your recommendation

4. Checked

Windows WLAN_AutoConfig service is running and set to Automatic.

No change with older OEM driver, as I have now only 6 neighbour APs with SK country code (rest are circa 15 APs with EU country code), I am connected to 5 GHz as expected.

[JedG_Intel]

Hello quadra,

Thank you for trying the recommendations. Since the issue persists, I will continue investigating further. I’ll get back to you as soon as I have an update or if I need additional information.

Best regards

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JedG_Intel]

Hi quadra, 

I'm getting back in touch to gather a bit more information that will help us move forward with the investigation. Could you please provide the details below?

• Are you able to connect to the 6 GHz band when using a mobile hotspot only?
• When you mentioned that 6 GHz is disabled, does this mean the 6 GHz network is not appearing at all, or does it appear but you're unable to connect? (If it appears, do you receive any error messages?)
• Are you using WPA3 when trying to access the 6 GHz network?

I look forward to your response,

Best regards

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[quadra]

1. Yes, when 6 GHz band is enabled by your driver/LAR, as you see in screenshots from WIFI analyser I sent earlier, 6 GHz is enabled only when there are 8 or more surrounding WiFi networks with SK country code

2. 6 GHz band is completely disabled, I only see/connect to 2.4/5 GHz networks

3. Of course, WPA3 is mandatory for WIFi 6E/7.. I have one SSID for 2.4/5/6 GHz with WPA3 Personal.

My current workaround is, I set up WiFi hotspots on two iPhones (which are set to SK country code}, so I get 8 WiFi networks with SK country code detected, then boot up the notebook and 6 GHz band is enabled and working until next reboot/shutdown (I can stop iPhone hotspots right away after booting up, as it seems LAR detection is at boot/WiFi driver initialization stage)

[JedG_Intel]

Hello quadra,

Thank you for providing the additional information I requested. I also appreciate you sharing the workaround you're currently using. I’ll continue investigating this on my end and will update you as soon as I have more information.

Best regards

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JedG_Intel]

Hi quadra,

I’m reaching out to share the results of our investigation. After reviewing the case, it appears there may be a system restriction or configuration issue specific to the OEM device. Based on the troubleshooting steps performed, we were able to confirm that the wireless adapter itself is not the source of the problem.

At this point, it would be best to contact Dell support for further assistance, as they are equipped to address OEM‑related configuration issues. It may also be helpful to reach out to AP for any additional insights.

With this in mind, I will now close this inquiry. If you have other questions or concerns, please submit a new inquiry as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best regards

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician