Trouble with 6ghz signal strength reporting with both a BE200 and ax210

[M8kItWrk]

Can't get my head around this one - hope you all can help, or maybe it's a bug?

I'm setting up a new wireless network (first Wifi 7 network for me) and now working to balance the AP transmits for smooth roaming.  2.4 ghz & 5 ghz - no problem, smooth as butter across bands and AP's; 6 ghz band also fine.... on an Android and iOS device.  I have a laptop with a BE200 card (updated Win 11, latest drivers, no band preferences set) I'm using for the survey, hit bad roaming decisions with the 6 ghz band, and added a different device with an ax210 card to my testing (also updated & latest drivers, no band preferences).  Both have the exact same issue, are <1 year old, w/o other issues; that said, they both otherwise operate in a non-6 ghz network so this could have been lurking undiscovered.

Connected to any of the three AP's, the 6 ghz signal is measuring ~10 dbm stronger by the intel cards than I expect and compared to the android/ios devices measurements.  With equivalent (17 dbm) transit power on the 5 & 6 ghz bands, the devices held 3ft, no obstructions or interference, from the AP's, the clients report (client-perspective) -46 dbm for the 5 ghz band, and -36 dbm for the 6 ghz band; right-away, -36 dbm is off.  The mobile devices in the same location report -45 dbm (5 ghz) and -45 dbm (6 ghz); that's what I'd expect.  Different locations/distances, the numbers change but the variance from what I'll call "accurate" is <> the same, the variance seems to be greater at more distant/obstructed locations (i.e. -53 dbm reported where -66 dbm is expected), but the area isn't large enough to test that thoroughly.

I have tried fresh driver installs.

I have not yet taken the devices to an established network to compare; I may have to find a comparable network to be my next move.

Any input or thoughts from the community and/or Intel would be very much appreciated.

[M8kItWrk]

and by "<> the same", I mean "more-or-less the same".

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello M8kItWrk,

Thank you for posting in Intel Communities.

To get a better understanding of the issue and be able to provide an effective recommendation, please provide the missing key information here:

1. Is this the original adapter that came pre-installed in your system, or have you changed/installed a new adapter recently?
2. When did it start to happen?
3. Do you remember if this issue happened after a new OS update or Wireless driver update?
4. Are you having issues on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or both?
5. Check if there are pending Windows Updates.
6. Please share an SSU log file so I can check your system configuration and be able to provide an accurate fix?

I will wait for your reply.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[M8kItWrk]

1. Is this the original adapter that came pre-installed in your system, or have you changed/installed a new adapter recently?
   1. BE200 is stock from the manufacturer,
   2. AX210 is an upgrade (~4/5 months ago), it has caused me no other trouble than potentially this,
2. When did it start to happen?
   1. As stated, this is a brand new network configuration.  I have not had these devices on a 6ghz network previously.  The devices have never functioned as expected on a 6 ghz band as this is my first use case.
3. Do you remember if this issue happened after a new OS update or Wireless driver update?
   1. Nothing to do with that - I'm setting up a new network and doing a site-survey in order to properly configure the AP transmit power.  The iOS and Android devices function as expected.
4. Are you having issues on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or both?
   1. No bluetooth issues
5. Check if there are pending Windows Updates.
   1. Also as stated, all OS, driver, and firmware updates have been completed.
6. Please share an SSU log file so I can check your system configuration and be able to provide an accurate fix?
   1. see attached.

Thank you for your input.

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello M8kItWrk,

Thanks for the thorough information and SSU logs.

I'll review your system setup and return with our analysis.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello M8kItWrk,

This issue is still under investigation and requires the following additional information:

For Intel® Wi-Fi 7 BE200:

Based on your previous report that Intel cards show 6 GHz signal strength approximately 10 dBm higher than expected when compared to Android/iOS devices across all three APs, and your mention of testing a comparable network, please confirm:

1. Are all three APs currently being tested part of your home network?
2. Regarding the "comparable network" for comparison testing - is this a different network (non-personal/non-home) that you plan to test, or have you already attempted connecting to it?

For Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX210:

As this involves an upgrade component, please refer to the following resource: [Regulatory Information Regarding Wireless Hardware Installation or Upgrade]

We recommend contacting your system manufacturer's support team for guidance on this component.

We look forward to your response.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[M8kItWrk]

Your questions are confusing to me given what I have provided.

1. All three APs are on the same network. All three APs are functioning exactly as expected in all regards, except that there is this unexplained signal strength variance on both of my Intel wireless cards exclusively. The consequence is bad roaming decisions; there are not any other connectivity problems.
2. I suggested that I might need to find a comparable network to test, but I do not have one now so I cannot provide you any information about it.

Not requested, but perhaps of use: all three AP's are Unifi U7Pro-XG devices running the latest firmware.

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello M8kItWrk,

Thank you for the additional details and clarification.

Please perform a clean installation of the latest OEM drivers (version 23.60.1.2):

• Select OS version: 24H2
• Navigate to Driver-Network section
• Install Intel WLAN Driver version 23.60.1.2 Rev.A

Also, please review our Recommended Settings for 802.11ax Connectivity guide.

Once you've tested with a comparable network setup, please share your results so we can better isolate this issue.

Looking forward to your update.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JedG_Intel]

Hi M8kItWrk,

I'm just checking to see if you were able to review the recommendations that @JeanetteC_Intel shared. Please let us know if the issue persists so we can proceed accordingly.

Best regards,

Jed G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hi M8kItWrk,

I wanted to follow up on your case. Please try a clean installation of our latest driver version 23.170.0.1 and let me know if the issue continues.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[M8kItWrk]

Sorry for the delay.  Thank you for your continued support.

After performing the clean install, on both devices, and installing the driver suggested I have no change in my experience.  The 6ghz signal is still reporting incorrectly in the same way previously described.

I still do not have a comparable network to test, so any other advice would be appreciated.

[JeanetteC_Intel]

Hello M8kItWrk,

Thank you for the update and for performing the clean install on both devices with the suggested driver.

I understand that the 6GHz signal is still reporting incorrectly despite these troubleshooting steps. Since the issue persists, I'll escalate this internally with our team for further investigation.

I'll get back to you once I have additional guidance or potential solutions to try.

Best regards

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician