Intel Wifi 6 AX200 slow connection and frequent dropouts on Windows 10

[birdie115]

Hello Everyone,

I’ve been having issues with my wifi on my new laptop: slow speeds and frequent dropouts. This happens on both 2.4Ghz and 5.0Ghz networks. For example, I cannot get through a 1-hour Zoom meeting without at least 5-7 dropouts. Speedtest results range between download speed of 11-27 Mbps, while conversely, my Iphone 11 wifi results is 250-490 Mbps (sometimes it does drop to 27 Mbps). My maximum according to my internet provider is technically 940 Mbps. Ethernet connection works absolutely fine.

I have the latest drivers for my computer. I’ve tried testing different driver configurations, wireless modes, and channel widths on Windows 10 as well as my modem, including power cycling and troubleshooting with technicians over the phone to no avail. It’s hard to say if this is a new issue, as I’ve recently just moved and therefore have this new internet service/configuration. Prior, I had no issues with my wifi connection on this computer. I've been troubleshooting this issue for some time now, and I'm desperate to be able to work with my wifi connection! Thank you for considering my issue. 

Computer: Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme Gen 2, purchased in October 2019

- Motherboard: LENOVO 20QVCTO1WW, Version SDK0R32862 WIN
- BIOS Version: N2OET47W (1.34 )
- Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit), Version 2004 (10.0.19041)
- Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 802.11AX (2 x 2) (Version 21.120.2.1) & Bluetooth 5.0
- Intel® Core™ i7-9750H (2.60GHz, up to 4.50GHz with Turbo Boost, 6 Cores, 12MB Cache)
- 16GB (8GB + 8GB) DDR4 2666MHz
-1TB Solid State Drive, M.2 PCIe-NVMe, Opal
- NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Max-Q 4GB

Modem: Actiontec C3000A

[Alberto_Sykes]

birdie115, Thank you for posting in the Intel® Communities Support.

In order for us to provide the most accurate assistance on this matter, we just wanted to confirm a few details about your system:

At some point, did the laptop work fine with the new internet service/configuration?

When did the issue start?

Did you make any recent hardware/software changes on the laptop?

The wireless card, did you purchased it separately, or did it came installed on the computer?

Which application did you use to verify the speed of the Wireless connection?

Does the problem happen at home or work environment?

Any questions, please let me know.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[birdie115]

Hi Albert, thank you for your response. Here are my answers to the following questions:

At some point, did the laptop work fine with the new internet service/configuration? 
-Yes I think so, it was definitely working better than it is now.

When did the issue start?
-I noticed it a ~2 weeks ago, but I am not entirely sure since I had been connected to ethernet prior. ~3 weeks ago I did have issues with wifi in general on multiple devices.

Did you make any recent hardware/software changes on the laptop?
-No, other than regular Windows 10 updates that are queued on my computer.

The wireless card, did you purchased it separately, or did it came installed on the computer?
-The wireless card came installed on the computer

Which application did you use to verify the speed of the Wireless connection?
-I used speedtest.net by Ookla

Does the problem happen at home or work environment?
-It is worse at home but sometimes happens in work environment. While speed is not usually an issue in work environment, I get 2/3 bars of the wifi symbol.

[Alberto_Sykes]

Hi birdie115, You are very welcome, thank you very much for providing those details.

Just to confirm, did you try to disable firewall/antivirus?

How many units are connected to this Wireless network?

We recommend to install the Wireless driver provided by the manufacturer of the computer, since that driver was heavily customized by them work with your specific platform.

I looked in Lenovo's web site, and the latest Wireless driver version for your system is 21.90.2.1, please test that driver and once you get the chance let us know the results:

https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/thinkpad-x-series-laptops/thinkpad-x1-extreme-gen-2/downloads/driver-list/component?name=Networking%3A%20Wireless%20LAN 

Once that driver is installed, run Speedtest with the Wired and Wireless connection to confirm if the behavior persists and provide the SSU report:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows-?product=91600

If the issue remains after that, for testing purposes, do you have the possibility to do a Windows* roll back to build 1909?

You mentioned that "I noticed it 2 weeks ago", by any chance, do you have the option to do a system restore to the point prior to when this issue started? Please back up any important information you might have on the computer.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[birdie115]

Hi Albert,

There are only 2 units connected to this network. My wifi connection has improved a great deal after I changed my wireless security settings to WPA2-personal. I'm not sure why that is the case but there was an immediate improvement.

Addtionally, I downloaded the lastest wireless driver version as you recommended, and the speed seemed to improve further. My speedtest results are around 400 Mbps now. I attached the SSU.

Thanks so much for your help!

[birdie115]

I had my ISP come in, and they installed a new modem (C4000XG):

Protocol: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Security type: WPA2-Personal
Network band: 2.4 GHz
Network channel: 1
Description: Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX200 160MHz
Driver version: 21.120.2.1

Now, my speeds are slower again (ranging from 20-100 Mbps). I'm not sure if there is an incompatiblity in the settings and whether this is the appropriate forum to troubleshoot these problems any longer. Thanks for your help.

[Alberto_Sykes]

Hi birdie115, You are very welcome, thank you very much for providing the report and for sharing those updates.

According to the SSU report, the Wireless driver is properly installed. Now, based on the configuration you gave us, in order to take advantage and use all the capabilities of the AX protocol, this setting: "Network band: 2.4 GHz" should be set to 5 GHz.

So, please, try to get in contact directly with your ISP again to verify if they can change that setting in the modem/router for the proper functionality of the Wireless connection.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[Alberto_Sykes · Accepted solution]

Hello birdie115, I just wanted to check if you were able to get in contact directly with your IPS and if you need further assistance on this matter?

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[birdie115]

Hi Albert,

Thanks for checking in on this issue. I contacted my ISP and I reverted back to the previous modem and changed the security settings. There have been no issues thus far! Thanks so much for all of your help!

[Alberto_Sykes]

Hi birdie115, You are very welcome, thank you very much for letting us know that information.

Perfect, excellent, it is great to hear that you were able to revert back to the previous modem, changed the security settings and now the Wireless connection is working properly.

Any other inquires, do not hesitate to contact us again.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel