Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6AX201 160MHz not seeing open network

[Javier-R]

I've come across an issue that I believe pertains to the Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6AX201 160MHz not being able to recognize an open network. 

We have several wireless networks at work, all configured with WPA2 except for one that is set for Web-Auth. I've found that my laptop is able to see each of the networks except for the one configured with Web-Auth.  At first, I thought maybe I was out of range or that the nearest AP was not broadcasting the specific network, but after asking other team members around me, I found that some could see it while others, like me, could not. I then confirmed that I was in the range of the network as my phone which sits right next to my laptop can see the network as well. 

Digging around, I found that those of us with the Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6AX201 160MHz network adapter are the ones that are experiencing the issue. Others who can see the network all have various other network adapters (Intel Wi-Fi 6AX200, Intel Wireless-AC 9260, Qualcomm QCA61x4A 802.11ac, etc). Is there a known issue that might pertain to my situation? 

I've checked for an update to my drivers but found I'm running the latest version: 22.150.0.3. Due to the fact that other devices can see the Web-Auth network, I know the network is configured properly and is working. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Jean_Intel]

Hello Javier-R,

Thank you for posting on the Intel️® communities.  

To have a better understanding of your issue, please provide me with the following:

• Do you receive any issues when you connect to the WPA2 network?
• Do you remember if this issue happened after a new Operating System update or Wireless driver update?
• Provide me with the model of the systems on which the issue is present.
• What Operating System version are you using?
• Is this the original adapter that came pre-installed in your system or have you changed/installed a new adapter recently?

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Javier-R]

• Do you receive any issues when you connect to the WPA2 network?

No issues with seeing or connecting to any of the broadcasted WPA2 networks.

• Do you remember if this issue happened after a new Operating System update or Wireless driver update?

The network in question was created for visitors to our company. Being an internal team member I don't connect to this and don't pay it too much attention until someone tells me they are having issues (in this instance). This is when I started investigating and came across my findings.

The issue persists on both Win10 and Win11 devices with the same network adapter. I did attempt to roll my driver back to the previous iteration, but this yielded no improvement in the issue. As far as I am aware, my laptop may never have been able to see this network.

• Provide me with the model of the systems on which the issue is present.

Dell Precision 5560 , Dell Latitude 5410, and Dell Latitude 7410

• What Operating System version are you using?

Windows 11 Enterprise (Build 22000.795).  Other laptops are running Windows 10 Enterprise (Build 10.0.19043.1826).

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

This is the original adapter pre-installed on my laptop. Others experiencing the issue have confirmed that this is the original adapter as well.

[Jean_Intel]

Hello Javier-R,

Thanks for your response. The information provided has been useful.

There are two different types of drivers, generics provided by Intel and Equipment Manufacturer drivers, that are customized to work with each specific system. The best thing to do is to use the drivers provided by the system manufacturer (OEM) or through Windows Update to eliminate the potential impact caused by loading non-custom drivers. To do so, our recommendation is to perform a clean installation of the latest wireless driver from Dell:

• Download and save the driver 

• Dell Precision 5560
  • https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/precision-15-5560-laptop/drivers
  • Dell Latitude 5410
  • https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/latitude-14-5410-laptop/drivers
  • Dell Latitude 7410
  • https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/latitude-14-7410-2-in-1-laptop/drivers

• Disconnect the unit to the internet.

• Uninstall the Wi-Fi driver.

1. Go to Device Manager.

2. Expand the Network Adapters category.

3. Right-click your Intel Wireless Adapter and choose to uninstall it.

4. Make sure the option to Delete the driver software for this device is selected.

5. Repeat steps A through D until the option to Delete the driver software for this device is greyed out.

• Restart your computer.

• Install the driver downloaded before

• Locate the driver you downloaded. Right-click the file you downloaded, and select the option to Run as administrator.

Also, Intel’s generic graphics drivers are intended for testing. If you want to try them out using the following link:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/19351/windows-10-and-windows-11-wi-fi-drivers-for-intel-wireless-adapters.html

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Jean_Intel]

Hello Javier-R,

I hope you are doing fine.

Were you able to check the previous post?

Let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards,

Jean O. 

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Javier-R]

I've performed the steps you provided on my laptop this morning, but I'm still unable to see the one network configured with Web-Auth. I tried using both the Dell drivers and the generic Intel graphics driver, both yielding the same result. I am able to see all other networks still.

I'll have our other team members attempt the same steps on their machines when they are in the office.

[Jean_Intel]

Hello Javier-R,

Thank you for the information provided.  

I will proceed to check the issue internally and post back soon with more details. 

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Jean_Intel]

Hello Javier-R,

Thanks for waiting for a response.

I would like to confirm some information to continue with our investigation.

Are you able to try connecting to a different AP? Or can you connect to a different Web-Auth network?

What is the model of the AP?

Are the APs running the latest firmware?

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Javier-R]

I've attempted across our campus, but still unable to see the Web-Auth network anywhere. This is the only Web-Auth netowrk we utilize.

AP model is C9120AXI-B

Yes, all APs are running latest firmware

[Jean_Intel]

Hello Javier-R,

Thanks for the information provided.

I will continue with the investigation of your issue. I will post back soon with more details. 

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Jean_Intel]

Hello Javier-R,

Thanks for waiting for a response.

To continue with our investigation one step further, I want to confirm the following information:

• Are you part of the IT admin members of your company?
• Are there multiple 'Cisco AP C9120AXI-B' routers in the air and using the same SSID? Is the SSID in hidden mode?
• Please clarify with me the following information:
  • On Cisco AP C9120AXI-B with WPA2 Enterprise security, AX201 can see the SSID of the AP and successfully connect to it.
  • On Cisco AP C9120AXI-B with Open security and configured as a Guest Hotspot that requires to user Auth in the login web page, AX201 can not 'see' the SSID of the AP (i.e. Do you mean that on Win10 /Win11 systems, click on radio button at the lower-right, the hotspot SSID is not visible - while AX201 can still see other APs' SSID in the list? )

Also, keep in mind that the hotspot feature and user login web portal service are handled and managed by wireless controllers and/or by the 3rd party Hotspot login page application. I would recommend opening a ticket to Cisco and having them investigate if this is a wireless AP issue or a configuration issue in Hotspot mode. If Cisco determines this issue is on the client device with AX201 WLAN, please provide us the Cisco ticket number and we'll follow up with Cisco.

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Javier-R]

Are you part of the IT admin members of your company?

• Yes I am part of the IT admins for my company

Are there multiple 'Cisco AP C9120AXI-B' routers in the air and using the same SSID? Is the SSID in hidden mode?

• Yes, there are multiple of these routers around our campus all broadcasting the same SSID. No, the SSID is not in hidden mode.

On Cisco AP C9120AXI-B with WPA2 Enterprise security, AX201 can see the SSID of the AP and successfully connect to it?

• Correct, I'm successfully able to see/connect to any of our [WPA + WPA2][Auth(PSK)] networks on our Cisco C9120AXI-B APs. 

On Cisco AP C9120AXI-B with Open security and configured as a Guest Hotspot that requires to user Auth in the login web page, AX201 can not 'see' the SSID of the AP (i.e. Do you mean that on Win10 /Win11 systems, click on radio button at the lower-right, the hotspot SSID is not visible - while AX201 can still see other APs' SSID in the list? )

• Yes, for our Win10/11 devices with the AX201 network adapter, the network SSID is not visible in the list of available networks. However, all other networks being broadcasted by the AP are visible and we are able to connect to.

I've also attempted to manually connect to the wireless network (via the control panel). I entered in all of the required information, yet still could not establish a connection with the network.

[Jean_Intel]

Hello Javier-R,

Thanks for your response. I appreciate the information provided.

As mentioned in my previous post, I would advise you to open a ticket with Cisco support, so they can confirm if the problem is within the Host PCs with the Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (Gig+). We would be more than pleased to continue with the investigation working alongside Cisco to look into a solution for your issue. Cisco can also look to support you in case there is a misconfiguration within your network that may cause the issue.

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Jean_Intel]

Hello Javier-R,

I hope you are doing fine.

Were you able to check the previous post?

Let us know if you opened a ticket with Cisco support, to continue with the assistance.

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Jean_Intel]

Hello Javier-R,

I hope you are doing fine.

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

Best regards.

Jean O. 

Intel Customer Support Technician.