Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 Coded PHY Support

[JolonBMT]

Does The AX201 support Bluetooth coded PHY? This is the optional long-range feature of Bluetooth 5. In the product brief it says:

> Bluetooth® 5.2 provides 4x[6] range over Bluetooth® 4.2 using the same Tx power, enabling coverage throughout the home. Bluetooth® 5.2 also doubles data rate speed for faster transmissions, thereby reducing the overall power consumption[6]. Additionally, Bluetooth® 5.2 adds new, enhanced data broadcasting, enabling seamless location-based services and simpler pairing for Bluetooth® devices. 

That little 6 after it says "4x" brings you to a note saying:

> Bluetooth® 5.2 Feature overview, https://www.bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Bluetooth_5.2_Feature_Overview.pdf. Only mandatory
features are supported. 

LE Coded PHY is the feature that would provide the extra range. Page 27 of the linked Bluetooth overview says:

> Support for LE Coded is optional.

---

So now I'm confused. LE Coded is an optional Bluetooth feature and the AX201 only supports mandatory features. But the AX201 specification says that it provides 4x the range, but it cannot do that if it doesn't support Coded PHY.

So, does it support it or not?

If anyone in the community has an AX201 connected to a Linux machine, could you run the following command and let me know the output. I want to confirm before I make a purchase.

sudo btmgmt phy

For example, the output I get from a Bluetooth dongle that does support Coded PHY is (note the LECODEDTX and LECODEDRX)

Supported phys: BR1M1SLOT BR1M3SLOT BR1M5SLOT EDR2M1SLOT EDR2M3SLOT EDR2M5SLOT EDR3M1SLOT EDR3M3SLOT EDR3M5SLOT LE1MTX LE1MRX LE2MTX LE2MRX LECODEDTX LECODEDRX
Configurable phys: BR1M3SLOT BR1M5SLOT EDR2M1SLOT EDR2M3SLOT EDR2M5SLOT EDR3M1SLOT EDR3M3SLOT EDR3M5SLOT LE2MTX LE2MRX LECODEDTX LECODEDRX
Selected phys: BR1M1SLOT BR1M3SLOT BR1M5SLOT EDR2M1SLOT EDR2M3SLOT EDR2M5SLOT EDR3M1SLOT EDR3M3SLOT EDR3M5SLOT LE1MTX LE1MRX LECODEDTX LECODEDRX

[Mike_Intel]

Hello JolonBMT,

Thank you for posting in Intel community Forum.

For me to better understand and diagnose the issue further, let me ask you to provide detailed responses to the following questions. This information will help me isolate the problem and determine the most appropriate course of action moving forward.

1. What is the brand and model of the system?
2. May I know why are you asking for this feature? Can you further elaborate the use of the feature that you are asking?
3. Did you manually install the AX201 on the system or is it embedded in the system?

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JolonBMT]

Hi Mike_Intel,

I don't really have a good answer to questions 1 and 3. The hardware may vary. I don't mind whether it comes preinstalled or needs to be installed manually. It'll definitely be running Linux (Ubuntu 24). The hardware depends on what can support coded PHY.

To answer question 2, I need a Bluetooth module that can support coded PHY so it is able to communicate with Bluetooth devices over a long distance (up to a few hundred metres). Coded PHY is an optional feature of Bluetooth 5+, so many devices don't support it. It may also be referred to as "S=8" or "125 kHz".
Coded PHY needs to be supported on both devices (central and peripheral). The AX201 would ideally be used as the central device with ublox NINA Bluetooth modules as the peripherals. The data being transmitted will be small packets of binary data (no audio streams). In the past, we've used a USB Bluetooth dongle, but with the move to new hardware, we want to see if we can have something installed inside the PC.

I hope this answers your questions. Thanks

[Mike_Intel]

Hello JolonBMT,

I hope this message finds you well. 

Were you able to check the previous post?

Please let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Mike_Intel]

Hello JolonBMT,

Thank you for the update.

For me to further investigate this, please help provide the SSU logs of your system. Kindly refer to the link below on where to download the utility:

Intel® System Support Utility for the Linux* Operating System

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JolonBMT]

Sorry, I don't understand. As I mentioned, I haven't purchased the hardware yet. I want to verify that the AX201 will be suitable for my needs. I have provided a Linux command in my original post that someone with the hardware can run to confirm the information I need

[Mike_Intel]

Hello JolonBMT,

Thank you for the clarifications.

I will do further research on this matter and post the response on this thread once it is available.

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JolonBMT]

Hi. Are there any updates on this? Thanks

[Mike_Intel]

Hello JolonBMT,

Thank you for patiently waiting for our update. Upon further checking, AX201 supports Bluetooth 5.2(Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201), and LE Coded PHY has been in Bluetooth since BT 5.0(even though as an optional feature). And after checking other documents, Long Range(Coded PHY) is supported by AX201.

If you have questions, please let us know if the above information is the one you need Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JolonBMT]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for confirming this. Are you able to provide the document that states that coded PHY is supported?

Thanks

Jolon

[Mike_Intel]

Hello JolonBMT,

I apologize because I cannot share those documents in public. All I can share is this one from my previous post: AX201 supports Bluetooth 5.2(Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201), and LE Coded PHY has been in Bluetooth since BT 5.0.

Thank you for understanding.

If you have questions, please let us know if we can close the thread. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JolonBMT]

---

---

All I can share is this one from my previous post: AX201 supports Bluetooth 5.2(Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX201), and LE Coded PHY has been in Bluetooth since BT 5.0.

---

I'm sorry, but this doesn't answer my question. This is the same information I had at the beginning.

I already knew that AX201 supports BT5.2, and I knew that Coded PHY was a feature introduced in BT5.0. As I said in my original post, Coded PHY is an optional feature of BT5+, and the AX201 spec sheet says that only mandatory features are supported.

Can you please confirm that the AX201 does, with 100% certainty, support Coded PHY?

[Mike_Intel]

Hello JolonBMT,

Thank you for the clarifications.

Let me do further checking on this oner and post the response on this thread once it is available.

If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Mike_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hello JolonBMT,

Thank you for patiently waiting.

Upon further clarification, Long Range(Coded PHY) is supported by AX201. This was confirmed by Intel Engineers.

If you have questions, please let us know if we can close the thread. Thank you.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Mike_Intel]

Hello JolonBMT,

I hope this message finds you well. 

Were you able to check the previous post?

Please let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JolonBMT]

Hi,

I suppose that answered my question. Having actual proof (technical documents/datasheets) would've been nice, because at the moment they seem to contradict the answer. But I trust that this is correct information.

Thanks

[Mike_Intel]

Hello JolonBMT,

Thank you for the confirmation and understanding.

As much as I want to share some documents, please also understand that not all documents are publicly available.

I have verified the information that you requested and provided the answer that you need.

Since the thread is now marked as "Solved", I need to close this inquiry. 

If you need further assistance, please post a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored. 

Thank you and have a great day. 

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel Customer Support Technician