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Intel Wi-Fi6 AX201 160 MHz Bluetooth range too small and frequent disconnects

BertRAMAerts
New Contributor I
5,368 Views

I have a Lenovo Legion 5 15IMH05H 81Y6 laptop with Intel Wi-Fi6 AX201 160 MHz.
According to:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/wireless/wi-fi-6-ax201-module-brief.html

Bluetooth® 5.1 provides 4x6 range over Bluetooth® 4.2 using the same Tx power, enabling coverage throughout the home.

My previous laptop had an Intel 8265 wireless module and had a range of 16 meters. My AX201 has a range of 10 meters with disturbances already happening at 8 meters.

All measured with my Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones. Working at my laptop so at 0.5 meter I have sometimes disconnects.

My laptop is mainly used with Ubuntu 21.04 with firmware:

sudo dmesg | egrep -i 'blue|firm'
[ 2.204649] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: loaded firmware version 59.601f3a66.0 QuZ-a0-hr-b0-59.ucode op_mode iwlmvm

But in Windows 10 the range is identical as in Ubuntu.

So what is wrong?

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21 Replies
DeividA_Intel
Moderator
4,680 Views

Hello BertRAMAerts,  


  


Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.   


  


In order to better assist you, please provide the following:  


  


1. Provide the Intel® System Support Utility for the Linux* Operating System for more details: 

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26735/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-the-Linux-Operating-System


2. Is this the original adapter that came pre-installed on your computer or did you change/install the adapter to this one?   


3. Have you update your drivers and BIOS? 


4. Did you noticed the issue after a system update? Is it recently?


5. Have you updated your operating system?


6. Have you recently tested with the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 the range or was it an old test? Remember that walls and some devices can interfere with the Bluetooth signal and cause disconnections.


If possible, try with another Bluetooth device on the same laptop or the same Bluetooth device on a different laptop.




Best regards, 


Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician 


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BertRAMAerts
New Contributor I
4,675 Views

Hi,

1.
Output is attached
I had to install some packages to get full output
sudo apt install wodim net-tools smartmontools ethtool
But still my main NVMe SSD is not shown in the output, only my second SSD is in the list.

2.
This Lenovo Legion 5 15IMH05H 81Y6 laptop with Intel Wi-Fi6 AX201 160 MHz is brand new. I have it only 8 days.
I only replaced the harddisk by my Samsung EVO 860 from my previous laptop as data disk.
Ubuntu 21.04 and Windows 10 are installed on the Hynix SSD.
lspci | grep -i hynix
06:00.0 Non-Volatile memory controller: SK hynix Device 1339
The AX201 card came pre-installed and is not altered in any way.

3.
BIOS is up to date and Ubuntu 21.04 is the latest Ubuntu version also fully up to date

4.
I noticed the short range from the moment Ubuntu 21.04 was installed and I connected my Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones.

5.
As said Ubuntu 21.04 is fully updated.

6.
My experience with Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 in my previous Dell Inspiron 7000 Gaming 7577 laptop is 10 days ago.
This laptop had a 4K screen and 10 days ago when booting the laptop the screen did not show anything anymore.
After 3.5 years it was very unexpectedly end of life and I bought the Lenovo laptop as replacement.

One important note: my Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones only support Bluetooth 4 not yet 5.

I am not really going to take the 8265 out of the Dell and put it into the Lenovo. I hope you can help me in another way.

Also some update on the Wi-Fi, with the 8265 I could get 25 MB/s speed when transferring big files from laptop to desktop over Wi-Fi. Speed remained constant for minutes. Now with the AX201 speed is most of the time about 8 MB/s and sometimes a peak of 25 MB/s. (MegaByte per second)

Kind regards,
Bert

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DeividA_Intel
Moderator
4,664 Views

Hello BertRAMAerts, 


  


Thank you for the information provided 


  


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


  


Best regards,  


Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician 


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DeividA_Intel
Moderator
4,654 Views

Hello BertRAMAerts, 



I would like to perform some troubleshooting, but in Windows first. Please provide the following:



1. Model of the AP/router


2. Settings on Windows (Advance wireless settings). You can take pictures/screenshots.


3. Is the issue present in both bands 2.4GHz and 5GHz?


4. Try with the drivers from the laptop manufacturer and Intel if the previous did not work.


5. If possible try with a different AP.




Regards,  


Deivid A. 

Intel Customer Support Technician 


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BertRAMAerts
New Contributor I
4,638 Views

Hi,

1.
The access point is a BBox3 VDSL modem from operator Proximus.

2.
All Windows10 settings are the default ones. I made no changes.

3.
As my BBox3 is so-called 'smart', all devices connect with the 2.4 GHz wpa key but the modem automatically assigns the 5 GHz band if the device supports is. This makes that I can not test the bands separately.

4.
The results I shared in my first post were with the Windows 10 WiFi and Bluetooth drivers installed on my laptop as I received it. But now comes the good news. I installed the Intel Driver Support Assistant and both WiFi and Bluetooth drivers were updated. After a reboot the Bluetooth range of my AX201 is as good as the range of my 8265 of my previous laptop. Screenshots of the Intel Driver Support Assistant are attached. Now I want to come back on my linux firmware. According to https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html I am using iwlwifi-ty-59.601f3a66.0.tgz meant for the AX210 while I have an AX201. Is this OK? Ubuntu makes this choice automatically, I can not influence that.

5.
I do not have another access point.

To summarize, the AX201 Bluetooth is working fine now in Windows 10, but not (yet) in Ubuntu 21.04. Can the Windows firmware be made available for linux?

The AX201 WiFi with latest Intel driver is still fluctuating a lot, also in Windows, when transferring a big file from laptop to desktop or vice versa, like I described earlier. So here the new Intel driver did not make a difference.

Kind regards,
Bert

 

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BertRAMAerts
New Contributor I
4,621 Views

Hi,

Regarding bluetooth in Ubuntu 21.04, I see that bluetooth firmware is updated regularly for AX201 as in:
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/commit/?id=47650a0b94c0049ac9162256d96c456364c91499

ibt-19-* is firmware for the AX201
But the strange thing is that the firmware that is being loaded is for the 8265:
modinfo btintel
filename: /lib/modules/5.11.0-17-generic/kernel/drivers/bluetooth/btintel.ko
firmware: intel/ibt-12-16.ddc
firmware: intel/ibt-12-16.sfi
firmware: intel/ibt-11-5.ddc
firmware: intel/ibt-11-5.sfi
Here only bt-12 and bt-11 are listed, bt-19 is not mentioned. And bt-12 is meant for 8265 as can be seen in:
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/commit/?id=4116d72b9709ef8e6d34ad1ed082a5e1be6cf72e
ibt-12-16.sfi is firmware for 8265
So it seems the wrong bluetooth firmware is loaded in Ubuntu 21.04.
But up to now I did not find a command to read out the firmware filename that is loaded:
sudo dmesg | grep Bluetooth
[ 3.024581] Bluetooth: hci0: Firmware revision 0.0 build 121 week 7 2021
This is the best I can get.
While for WiFi I get the full data:
sudo dmesg | grep iwlwifi
[ 2.235442] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: loaded firmware version 59.601f3a66.0 QuZ-a0-hr-b0-59.ucode op_mode iwlmvm
I think the kernel delivers the drivers iwlwifi.ko and btintel.ko. My kernel is 5.11.0-17-generic in a fully up to date Ubuntu 21.04.
Is my reasoning correct of am I missing something?

Kind regards,
Bert

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BertRAMAerts
New Contributor I
4,612 Views

Hi,

Regarding bluetooth in Ubuntu 21.04.

I booted Windows 10 and then restarted with Ubuntu 21.04. This forces a new firmware download and now I could see the filename:
sudo dmesg | grep Bluetooth
[ 2.754162] Bluetooth: hci0: Found device firmware: intel/ibt-19-0-4.sfi
[ 4.340063] Bluetooth: hci0: Found Intel DDC parameters: intel/ibt-19-0-4.ddc
[ 4.341944] Bluetooth: hci0: Applying Intel DDC parameters completed
[ 4.344935] Bluetooth: hci0: Firmware revision 0.0 build 121 week 7 2021
bert@legion5ubuntu:/usr/lib/firmware/intel$ ls -al ibt-19-0-4*
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 9 Apr 7 15:50 ibt-19-0-4.ddc
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 775272 Apr 7 15:50 ibt-19-0-4.sfi

I then downloaded the most recent firmware from https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/snapshot/linux-firmware-20210511.tar.gz
and extracted intel/ibt-19-0-4.* and copied them over the existing files in /usr/lib/firmware/intel. I then got:
[ 2.813394] Bluetooth: hci0: Found device firmware: intel/ibt-19-0-4.sfi
[ 4.426000] Bluetooth: hci0: Found Intel DDC parameters: intel/ibt-19-0-4.ddc
[ 4.427842] Bluetooth: hci0: Applying Intel DDC parameters completed
[ 4.430926] Bluetooth: hci0: Firmware revision 0.0 build 118 week 15 2021
bert@legion5ubuntu:~/Downloads$ ls -al ibt-19-0-4*
-rw-rw-r-- 1 bert bert 9 May 11 13:48 ibt-19-0-4.ddc
-rw-rw-r-- 1 bert bert 784388 May 11 13:48 ibt-19-0-4.sfi

An older build 118 versus 121 but a more recent week number.
Now unfortunately there was no improvement with this different bluetooth firmware.
But at least I now know which firmware file is in use and should be made up to date like in Windows 10.

Kind regards,
Bert

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DeividA_Intel
Moderator
4,578 Views

Hello BertRAMAerts, 



Thanks for the information provided. I glad to hear that the Bluetooth range is better now. 


I will check further to help you with the issue on Ubuntu, I will post back as soon as I have any updates.



Best regards, 


Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician 


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DeividA_Intel
Moderator
4,568 Views

Hello BertRAMAerts, 



We just released a new driver (for Windows) Version: 22.50.1 and I would like you to try with this new driver and share the outcome with us.


- https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/30434/Windows-10-Wi-Fi-Drivers-for-Intel-Wireless-Adapters?v=t



As for Linux, please try the following:


- Step 1: Check whether the Bluetooth adapter is identified by the system:

Run "hciconfig -a" command and check the details. If hciconfig shows that the adapter is down, proceed with Step 2


- Step 2: Enable Bluetooth adapter:

If hciconfig shows that the adapter is down. Enable the adapter by running "hciconfig -i <interface name> up"


- Step 3: Identifuing adapter:

If hciconfig is not showing any details, then check if the system is identifying adapter using "lsusb | grep 8087" command

If "lsusb | grep 8087" is not showing any details, then the adapter is not identified and you should check whether the adapter is integrated properly and contact the system manufacturer.


- Step 4: Check if Bluetooth drivers are loaded:

If lsusb is showing Bluetooth adapter then check if Bluetooth drivers are loaded. Please type: modinfo btintel.

If Intel Bluetooth drivers are not installed, then modinfo command will print "modinfo: ERROR: Module btintel not found". Driver installation required.


- Step 5: FW installation:

Get the firmware version installed. If the firmware old, install the latest firmware:


1. Run the "dmesg | grep Bluetooth" command and check the firmware version

2. If the firmware version is not available in dmesg, then check in syslog. Run below command:

grep Bluetooth /var/log/syslog | grep -i -e "Firmware revision" -e "ibt"

3. Please visit here for latest firmware - https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git





Regards,  


Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician


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BertRAMAerts
New Contributor I
4,555 Views

Hi,

With the latest Windows 10 drivers for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, everything is just fine now:

  • Bluetooth 22.50.0.4 from 4/19/2021
  • Wi-Fi 22.50.1.1 from 4/28/2021

Transfer speeds are:

  • desktop to laptop 16 MB/sec at constant rate
  • laptop to desktop 24 MB/sec at constant rate

I don't know why there is such a big difference between the two rates, but at least they remained constant during a file copy of 6 GB.

Now for Ubuntu.

Step 1:

bert@legion5ubuntu:~$ hciconfig -a
hci0: Type: Primary Bus: USB
BD Address: 38:FC:98:61:2B:40 ACL MTU: 1021:4 SCO MTU: 96:6
UP RUNNING PSCAN ISCAN
RX bytes:256296 acl:84 sco:0 events:35601 errors:0
TX bytes:27907233 acl:31789 sco:0 commands:3629 errors:0
Features: 0xbf 0xfe 0x0f 0xfe 0xdb 0xff 0x7b 0x87
Packet type: DM1 DM3 DM5 DH1 DH3 DH5 HV1 HV2 HV3
Link policy: RSWITCH SNIFF
Link mode: SLAVE ACCEPT
Name: 'legion5ubuntu'
Class: 0x3c010c
Service Classes: Rendering, Capturing, Object Transfer, Audio
Device Class: Computer, Laptop
HCI Version: 5.2 (0xb) Revision: 0x2576
LMP Version: 5.2 (0xb) Subversion: 0x2576
Manufacturer: Intel Corp. (2)

Steps 2, 3 and 4

Bluetooth device is working properly, only with lower range than in Windows 10.

Step 5

I already presented the results of "sudo dmesg | grep Bluetooth" in my previous post and I am using the latest firmware from the website you mention. This version is 20.50.0.4 from 26/4/2021 and matches with the Bluetooth Windows 10 driver that I installed today 20.50.0.4.

But now something new... With an app on my smartphone I measured the bluetooth signal strength from my laptop. I first had to enable in WIndows 10 "allow bluetooth devices to find this PC" and in Ubuntu "sudo hciconfig hci0 piscan" to make my laptop bluetooth discoverable. Now the result, measured with smartphone next to laptop:

  • Windows 10: -7 dBm
  • Ubuntu 21.04: -13 dBm

So my conclusion is that in Ubuntu the range is lower due to the transmit power that is configured lower. Could you please check with your development engineers how I can configure the transmit power on a higher level in Ubuntu?

Kind regards,

Bert

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BertRAMAerts
New Contributor I
4,534 Views

Hi,

Regarding Wi-Fi in Ubuntu. The firmware for linux is quite old.
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/commit/?id=4f41e9d6437d03e7ce9279076107dd08f46656f3

Build numbers: Core_build_core56-54
Revision: 4d093a30 (9000, 9260)
601f3a66 (cc, Qu, QuZ, ty)

So my 59.601f3a66.0 QuZ-a0-hr-b0-59.ucode is from 14/10/2020.

Could the firmware from Windows 22.50.1.1 be also released for linux?

Kind regards,
Bert

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DeividA_Intel
Moderator
4,528 Views

Hello BertRAMAerts, 



Thanks for the outcome, with this I will check further on this issue and get back to you as soon as possible with more information.




Regards,  


Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician


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DeividA_Intel
Moderator
4,499 Views

Hello BertRAMAerts, 



Based on the research performed, please try/provide the following:



1. iwlwifi-ty-xx is not for AX201. Stay with iwlwifi-QuZ-xx for AX201, and you can update to the newer Linux Kernel (such as 5.12) to obtain the latest wireless firmware version 62.


2. Are you using a dual-boot with Windows and Linux?


3. Try to optimize your wireless AP settings and check if Bluetooth still frequently disconnects?


Step1. Set a separate SSID on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, as shown in https://www.edpnet.be/en/support/installation-and-usage/internet/manage-proximus-hardware/how-can-i-install-and-configure-my-b-box3-modem.html


Step 2. Set the AP channels from 'Auto' to a fixed channel (e.g. Ch 40) that is less crowded. Then connect the WiFi to the AP in 5 GHz.(thus Bluetooth in 2.4 GHz will be less noisy)




Regards,  


Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  


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BertRAMAerts
New Contributor I
4,490 Views

Hi,

Thanks for the hints.

To make a few things clear:

  • My Lenovo Legion 5 laptop is indeed dual-boot: Windows 10 and Ubuntu 21.04 but 95% of the time used in Ubuntu
  • In Windows 10 both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth work as expected
  • Ubuntu 21.04 has kernel 5.11 and only Ubuntu 21.10 in October will step up the kernel
  • Bluetooth in Ubuntu works correctly at short distance: no interruptions anymore thanks to the updated firmware 20.50.0.4 from 26/4/2021, so no need to step to 5 GHz band in Wi-Fi like you proposed to make less noise in the 2.4 GHz Bluetooth band, but as said earlier, my BBox3 modem has "smart" Wi-Fi in the sense that it connects with the 2.4 GHz SSID but uses the 5 GHz if the device supports it, so my Lenovo laptop is most probably already using the 5 GHz band
  • Wi-Fi in Ubuntu works as expected, but I still would like to get more recent firmware
  • I use my Bluetooth Sony headphones often in the kitchen at 8 meter from my laptop, that is why the range is so important for me

Is the only way to get a more recent iwlwifi firmware upstepping the kernel version to e.g. 5.12? For Bluetooth it is clearly possible to have more recent firmware in the same 5.11 kernel like I adapted. Is backporting to earlier kernels not feasible for Intel?

Can the output power of the linux Bluetooth firmware be made equal to the one from Windows 10 so that the range in Ubuntu becomes as good as in Windows?

Kind regards,

Bert

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DeividA_Intel
Moderator
4,475 Views

Hello BertRAMAerts, 



Thanks for the update, 


 In order to address your questions, I will perform further research and look for any additional troubleshooting steps. I will post back as soon as I have any updates.





Regards,  



Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  


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BertRAMAerts
New Contributor I
4,457 Views

Hi,

I succeeded in using the 62 firmware by following steps to compile my own iwlwifi driver kernel module:

--- each kernel version ---
cd ~/Apps
apt-get source linux-image-unsigned-$(uname -r)
cd ~/Apps/linux-5.11.0
sudo make oldconfig /lib/modules/5.11.0-18-generic/
sudo make prepare
sudo make scripts

cd ~/Apps/linux-5.11.0
cp /usr/src/linux-headers-5.11.0-18-generic/Module.symvers .
cd ~/Apps/linux-5.11.0/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi
gedit dvm/Makefile
ccflags-y += -I $(srctree)/$(src)/../ -I$(src)/..
gedit mvm/Makefile
ccflags-y += -I $(srctree)/$(src)/../ -I$(src)/..

--- the source code change ---
cd ~/Apps/linux-5.11.0/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/cfg
diff 22000.c 22000.c.org
12c12
< #define IWL_22000_UCODE_API_MAX 62
---
> #define IWL_22000_UCODE_API_MAX 59

cd ~/Apps/linux-5.11.0/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi
make -C /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/build M=$(pwd) modules
ls -alR | grep ko
find . -name "*.ko" -exec strip --strip-unneeded {} +
ls -alR | grep ko
sudo make -C /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/build M=$(pwd) modules_install

cd /lib/modules/5.11.0-18-generic/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi
sudo mv iwlwifi.ko iwlwifi.ko.org
cd /lib/modules/5.11.0-18-generic/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/dvm
sudo mv iwldvm.ko iwldvm.ko.org
cd /lib/modules/5.11.0-18-generic/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/mvm
sudo mv iwlmvm.ko iwlmvm.ko.org

ls -alR /lib/modules/5.11.0-18-generic/extra
sudo depmod

--- reboot ---

bert@legion5ubuntu:~$ sudo dmesg | grep iwlwifi
[sudo] password for bert:
[ 5.261931] iwlwifi: loading out-of-tree module taints kernel.
[ 5.284450] iwlwifi: module verification failed: signature and/or required key missing - tainting kernel
[ 5.292042] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: api flags index 2 larger than supported by driver
[ 5.292053] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: TLV_FW_FSEQ_VERSION: FSEQ Version: 89.3.35.37
[ 5.292287] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: loaded firmware version 62.49eeb572.0 QuZ-a0-hr-b0-62.ucode op_mode iwlmvm
[ 5.344119] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX201 160MHz, REV=0x354
[ 5.530750] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: base HW address: 38:fc:98:61:2b:3c
[ 5.712694] iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3 wlp0s20f3: renamed from wlan0

Kind regards,

Bert

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DeividA_Intel
Moderator
4,432 Views

Hello BertRAMAerts, 



I am glad to know that the performance improved on Windows 10 after updating to the latest driver. As per Linux, it's necessary to upgrade to a newer Kernel (e.g. 5.12), and if you want to try newer wireless firmware (e.g. ver. 62) for AX201. I recommend keeping the kernel up-to-date and test as we continue improving and fixing connectivity and performance in future releases.




Best regards,  


Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician 


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BertRAMAerts
New Contributor I
4,417 Views

Dear Deivid A.

I was able to compile my own iwlwifi kernel module on the current Ubuntu 21.04 5.11 kernel, even with version 63: iwlwifi-QuZ-a0-hr-b0-63.ucode by
#define IWL_22000_UCODE_API_MAX 63

So no need to go to kernel 5.12 which will not be provided by Ubuntu until the next release Ubuntu 21.10.

But you seem to ignore my question about Linux Bluetooth having much lower transmit power and as a consequence range on the AX201 versus Windows 10 Bluetooth. In my previous posts I gave the exact version numbers for both Windows and Linux and they match exactly. I also gave the transmit power in dBm values measured with my smartphone clearly proving this fact.

I found a command that should be able to change the transmit power:
sudo hciconfig hci0 inqtpl
hci0: Type: Primary Bus: USB
BD Address: 38:FC:98:61:2B:40 ACL MTU: 1021:4 SCO MTU: 96:6
Inquiry transmit power level: 12

This inquiry transmit power level can not be changed by following command that should do the job according to the manual of hciconfig:
sudo hciconfig hci0 inqtpl 10

I also compared the driver source files between the current Ubuntu 21.04 kernel 5.11 and linux kernel 5.12.12 from kernel.org in drivers/bluetooth directory, with special attention to a setting of the transmit power, but apparently it is not configured in the driver?

Could you please try to find out if Linux transmit power can be set the same as in Windows 10?

Kind regards,

Bert

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DeividA_Intel
Moderator
4,365 Views

Hello BertRAMAerts, 



Thanks for replying.



We are going to take a look at this in order to respond you your inquiries, and I will let you know about any updates or information as soon as possible.




Best regards, 


Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician 


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DeividA_Intel
Moderator
4,318 Views

Hello BertRAMAerts, 




The transmit power scheme is considered confidential, and there are considerations that are made regarding how it might impact other wireless devices over the air. In addition to this, there are other things in play that impact Bluetooth performance besides just transmit power. I encourage you to continue to use the kernel updates as the driver is continuously improved, check with your distro for further versions





Best regards,  


Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician 


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