Intel dual band-ac 3160 Connection Problem

[MRenn1]

Recently Purchased a Dell laptop that came with the Dual band-AC 3160, and it's getting super slow Download speed

When i look at the Wifi connection i have full signal and have 65Mbps but i have super slow internet still. I have 3 other laptops that have no issue over the Wireless network.

If i connect using a ethernet cable i have no issues what so ever.

Wireless Adapter

C:\Windows\system32>netsh wlan show drivers

Interface name: Wi-Fi

Driver : Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160

Vendor : Intel Corporation

Provider : Intel

Date : 12/8/2014

Version : 17.13.11.5

INF file : C:\Windows\INF\oem195.inf

Files : 3 total

C:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS\Netwbw02.sys

C:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS\Netwfw02.dat

C:\Windows\system32\drivers\vwifibus.sys

Type : Native Wi-Fi Driver

Radio types supported : 802.11b 802.11g 802.11n 802.11a 802.11ac

FIPS 140-2 mode supported : Yes

802.11w Management Frame Protection supported : Yes

Hosted network supported : Yes

Authentication and cipher supported in infrastructure mode:

Open None

Open WEP-40bit

Open WEP-104bit

Open WEP

WPA-Enterprise TKIP

WPA-Enterprise CCMP

WPA-Personal TKIP

WPA-Personal CCMP

WPA2-Enterprise TKIP

WPA2-Enterprise CCMP

WPA2-Personal TKIP

WPA2-Personal CCMP

Open Vendor defined

Vendor defined Vendor defined

Authentication and cipher supported in ad-hoc mode:

Open None

Open WEP-40bit

Open WEP-104bit

Open WEP

WPA2-Personal CCMP

IHV service present : Yes

IHV adapter OUI : [00 80 86], type: [00]

IHV extensibility DLL path: C:\Windows\System32\IWMSSvc.dll

IHV UI extensibility ClSID: {1bf6cb2d-2ae0-4879-a7aa-a75834fbd0e3}

IHV diagnostics CLSID : {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}

C:\Windows\system32>

I'm using a D-link 628 with Firmware of 1.25

Here are my System Information

I'm Really at a loss for why the wireless card is crapping out

[AAlex33]

Hi Epic,

Looking forward myself to see how Intel could release such a piece of c**p.

I have 3 wireless routers/ap's in my home :

Linksys e3200

tp-link mr3420

and an Edimax AP .

Except Linksys one, none of them work with this Wifi Card in 2.4 band.

My laptop is a Toshiba Click 2 L30W.

Symptoms :

high latency > 1000 ms with lan equipments. Internet is higher.

extremely low bandwidth < 0.5 Mbps

icmp ping loss

when connected to one ap, all other wireless clients connected to same ap fail to work (all have the same problems as above ) as somehow this adapter is messing up the wirelss radio of router/ap

OS of problematic laptop : windows 8.1

Wireless clients disconnected from same AP : Iphone, Android phone, Win 7 laptop,

I tried :

Several other tp link routes (two neighbors )

Messing with Adapter Options: I turned them all on/off and made combinations. Used all modes for wireless : a,b,g and combination of those

Updated to latest drivers

Tried to downgrade to all previously released drivers

My laptop is a convertible and I cannot open the case to change it. I am stuck with this piece of s**t.

My output is the same as yours for netsh wlan show drivers .

Nothing works !!!!I am not investing in 5 GHz band just because Intel tries to force me by releasing buggy products. Please fix Intel !

If this is not fixed soon, I am going to get my money back from Toshiba.

[tvete]

It could be that it's driver issue on Windows 8.1 and default power plan settings. I myself have upgraded my laptop to Windows 8.1 but I had to set some power saving options such as link state power management to off or else it does slow down to < 1 Mbps on me at some point where I never experienced this behavior on Windows 7.

This also happens about once a week before overriding the pci express power saving. Since then it doesn't happen. It might be due to fast startup or hybrid shutdown. BTW, I'm running 16.8.0.6 drivers just like what it was on windows 7. 17.0 drivers crippled WiFi performance with UAPSD options to me.

[AAlex33]

Hi Veterans,

Thanks for the answer.

What I did in more detail :

Tried all 17.x drivers.

I disabled UAPSD on all drivers, did not helped.

I am experiencing the problem with my Laptop plugged in to power outlet in Maximum Performance power plan.

I disabled Allow this device to be turned off to save power .....

Unfortunately I do not have the possibility to install Win 7 but I never had this problem o other Intel chips in Win 7.

I indeed use hybrid shutdown, but I also restart my laptop at least once each 2-3 days. I also did full power off and restarts when tested different solutions.

Will try to mess a bit more with link state power management and 16.x drivers.

Thanks,

[AAlex33]

Pcix power ....no go .

Tested 16.8 driver, the same.

Here are the drivers I tested

So having a router that works, I manage to find some clues about my statement that this is a piece of garbage :

Just bought a new router Asus RT53.

Tested it from 1 M from laptop and all is fine.

Tested it from 3 M and a concrete wall and all is fine

Tested it from 6 m and two walls and all is bad. The exact same symptoms as before described in my original post.

This happen at a signal of - 65 DB with 4 lines of signal.I believe now there is some problem with radio.or internal antena .I cannot think of something else.

5 Ghz works just fine though .....2.4 band is the problem.

[tvete]

People have reported issues when signal gets below -65 db for more than a year ago. See the topic from Sony here: http://community.sony.com/t5/VAIO-Hardware-Networking/New-Sony-Vaio-Pro-Wifi-Issue/td-p/143557/page/169 [New Sony Vaio Pro] Wifi Issue! - Page 169 - Sony's Community Site

Mine can still transfer at 70 Mbps on 5 GHz 802.11ac @ -79 db but only around 10 Mbps at -75 db. 2.4 GHz gets only 1.5 Mbps at -82 db in my case but 5 GHz starts to drift from being disconnected/connected at that signal.

[ad1]

Wow, I could not agree more. I have banged my head against the wall for five months trying to find a workaround for this incredibly unreliable, substandard, untested piece of garbage. I have tried absolutely everything but it would still lose connection AND freeze the router. I gave up and bought a new 5 GHz router BUT now I know better than ever, EVER buying anything with intel wireless and I will certainly advise everyone I know against it.

[NThom5]

I just bought a Dell 15 Inspiron and have updated the drivers to the recommended version in this thread. I still have slow connections that frequently drop and fail to connect after resuming from sleep with WIndows 10. I have to reboot and that works until the machine goes to sleep, then fails to reconnect. I have 5 other devices in the same vicinity and they all connect successfully to the router without issue regardless of their state. I think I am going to do like the other posters and look at replacing the wifi with another manufacturer to see if it resolves the issue. Intel's products seem to be going downhill in quality. I used to trust the products for reliability, now I cant trust them at all! Seems like all of the work is done offshore now and it does not produce the same quality as it used to!

[ahayw]

I've jost got a TP-link Archer C7 ac1750 and the speed and reception has tripled!!! I think its something to do with the ac-3160 will not connect on N, rather the a/b/g which is slower and less reliable. though i am waiting for confirmation on that.

[jbenavides]

We are sorry about the connectivity issues presented in your systems when connected to Wireless N networks.

Here are some recommendations that can help improve the functionality of the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 adapter. I noticed in your posts that some of these may have been applied already, but this is to summarize a few possible actions.

- Make sure you use a current driver for the adapter. The first option should be the OEM (PC manufacturer) version, as second option you can use the generic driver from https://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProdId=3776 Intel Download Center, version 17.14.0 was released recently.

- Keep the firmware of the access point up to date, as this may prevent communication problems with the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 adapter.

- Apply the configuration mentioned in the advisory "http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/sb/CS-030709.htm?wapkw=wifi+recommended+settings What are the Recommended Settings for 802.11n Connectivity?"

- Additionally, if you are not using Wireless AC, you can disable some settings that are not required when using Wireless-N (This will block AC features).

HT mode: HT mode

U-APSD support: Disabled

- Disable the Bluetooth radio in the system and check if the connection improves (this may prevent interference when operating in 2.4 Ghz band). This can be done from Device Manager or with a switch in your computer if it is available.

- Check your Windows power plan, and set the wireless adapter to Maximum performance when plugged in and on battery.

[AAlex33]

Hi and thanks.

Just finish trying all your suggestions....again with new driver. Absolutly no improvements.

My main concern is stii why this adapter breaks all other connections to the routers when connecting ? This is unacceptable.

I would expect if a client has a problem with router connectivity then.....only that client to be affected.

When I connect to 2.4 GHz band, my phones, my tv's my other laptops get incredible slow speeds, packet loss etc. It's something that this adapter does to routers that messes them up .I've extended my search to several other routers and I found that only Linksys and Cisco are not affected by this problem in 2.4 GHZ band wireless N .Edimax,TP_Link , Asus and D-Link (tested about 6-7 models of my friends and neighbors ) all stop working when connecting via wifi using this adapter.Again....only N .

I do not believe that PCIE Power Management and Laptop Power management or BT has something to do with this. I even tested two routers in a totally free interference 2.4 GHZ env.

[jbenavides]

Hello Sylver_One

It is not normal for a single device to affect the rest of the network devices in the way you noticed.

It would be good to check with your PC manufacturer for system updates, like BIOS and drivers for wireless adapter as well as chipset and other components.

You could also confirm that the wireless routers have the most recent firmware version available from the vendor.

Also, confirm if your PC has any 3rd party software that may be sending unusual traffic to the network. Check for computer viruses, network monitoring tools (sniffers), network drivers, VPN, etc.

If the issue persists, let us know, as we would like to get more details about model and versions of the devices involved.

[AAlex33]

Hi and thanks for the suggestions.

My devices are :

Laptop where 3160 adapter is used : Satellite Click 2 L30W-B-104 lastest bios/firmware (L30)

Routers :

Linksys E3200 firmware version : 1.0.05 . - Latest

2.4 GHz N - works with no problem

5 GHz N - works with no problem

Asus RT53U - Firmware Version:3.0.0.4.376_3754 - Latest

5 Ghz N - works with no problem

2.4 GHz N - breaks radio, high latency, low bandwidth, breaks other clients

TP-Link TL-WR1043ND - firmware TL-WR1043ND_V2_140613 - Latest

2.4 GHz N - breaks radio, high latency, low bandwidth, breaks other clients

TP-Link MR3420 v2 - firmware 3.15.9 Build 140912 Rel.35984n - Latest

2.4 GHz N - breaks radio, high latency, low bandwidth, breaks other clients

And an old Edimax AP

2.4 GHZ wireless G - breaks radio, high latency, low bandwidth, breaks other clients

Indeed what you say makes sense. However, all my routers work in an AP mode, an are connected to a linux machine that holds my nat, firewall and DHCP. I have some dlna services, filesharing ....but nothing fancy. I tried to capture using TCPDUMP on linux to see if there is some unusual traffic, but nothing.All is legit.

I turned to Intel since I have this problem and was running latest software/drivers/bios my vendor is providing.

I would rule out viruses, since 5 GHz band looks unaffected.

Let me do some screenshots or a video, and show better what is happening.

Cheers,

[jbenavides]

Sylver_One, we are really interested in resolving your issue.

Please check your private message.

[MTeso1]

Hello Jonathan, I am also having problems with this wireless adapter on my brand new LG ultrabook. It's very frustrating to buy an ultrabook and then find I'm connecting to the internet through wifi at 0.5mbps when everything else in the house connects at around 14mbps. It also drops connection randomly. I have tried downloading your latest driver software and also rolling back the driver to no avail. I have tried it on 2 different routers with the same result.

[jbenavides]

Hello jimmymoguls,

In previous posts of this discussion, you can find additional recommendations that may help with connectivity issues, uninstall and reinstall of the drivers (OEM and generic versions) is one of the first actions to take.

Applying all the recommended WiFi settings should be the second step.

Additionally, you may test with different configurations for Authentication methods, Bluetooth, power plan, firewall, Anti-virus, etc.

Let us know if you get better results with those actions, or in case you need more information about them.

If the issue persists, we would like to have the details of your system (PC model, OS, wireless adapter and driver, router model and firmware, etc).

[MDavi24]

I am also having connection problems with the AC 3160 that affects my router. I purchased 2 Lenovo laptops in December, both with AC 3160 wireless cards. Both laptops experience frequent dropouts. I've updated the driver several times from 17.0 to 17.14.

Whenever the dropouts occur, the Windows WLAN-Autoconfig Event Log reports Event 11004 MsmSecurity "Wireless security stopped". My router (Asus RT-N66U) then reports, "eth1: received packet with own address as source address". If I move the laptops to the 5GHz channel, the router reports: "eth2: received packet with own address as source address". If I put one laptop on each channel, router reports error messages on both channels. So, the problem follows the laptops. At times, the error messages flood the router, and the router reboots.

[MTeso1]

After some experimentation I've found that I get full speed from the router when I am right next to it but it drops right down when I move to the next room. 3 other laptops and 2 phones are still at full wifi in the room next door. So it seems to be a reception issue. Power settings for the adapter are max in windows for plugged in and unplugged by the way.

[jbenavides]

Please apply the recommendations in the post from Jan 30, 2015 5:45 PM. It contains many troubleshooting steps that have helped resolve connectivity issues for other customers.

[JYana1]

Jonathan,

This is clearly an ongoing problem across several, perhaps many, different hardware platforms. I bought a Lenovo Z51 about four months ago while in the Philippines (my current legal address), and never had any connectivity problems with the WiFi adapter itself. Subsequently I went to Dubai to be with my wife for about a month (she works there), and had no problems there. At present I am in the Asheville, N. C. area visiting my brother, and HERE, for the first time I am experiencing the frequent drops in connectivity which, so far, the only way to temporarily fix is to reboot. I have tried all of the suggestions you and others on other Websites have suggested: 1) resetting all settings to those recommended by Intel at the URLs posted; 2) downloading the latest drivers; 3) running the Intel Driver Update Utility; 4) running the Lenovo equivalent system scan utility; 5) disabling Bluetooth; 6) and even going into the registry to insert the ScanWhenAssociated D-Word. NOTHING works. Intel should take notice of this pervasive and persistent problem, and provide brand new drivers to truly FIX the malfunctioning Dual Band AC 3160. If that is not possible, then there is something major wrong in the root design of the adapter, and Intel should provide a new one that can be somehow installed in a laptop, just like what is possible for memory DIMS, drives, etc. That has of course been a major problem area in the design of laptops for well over 20 years, the inability to add or swap out network, display, and other adapters. The idea of having to replace an entire computer because of ONE malfunctioning adapter or other component should have been address 10 to 15 years ago. I realise that that is also a responsibility of the various computer manufacturers, but it is a responsibility SHARED with the manufacturers of the components, i.e., Intel, NVIDIA, et alia.

As of right now there is NO fix for this problem. To see that, all one need do is read all of the preceding posts and subsequent follow-ups. THE problem is the AC 3160!

[GHous1]

I am having the same issue as Sylvester One with my Dell Inspiron 5558, Windows 10, AC3160 network card. When this PC is connected to a Netgear R6400 router, all other devices drop connection. As soon as I turn off the PC or put it in airplane mode, all other devices connect back immediately.

This issue just resurfaced today after ~3 months with no issues (After I changed a power setting on the wireless adapter).

Hoping you can help.