Intel® Wireless-AC 3168NGW and 5GHz band

[VasilyD]

Hello!
I have an ASRock motherboard that has an Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168NGW module installed.
In the specification this module is indicated that it can operate in the 5GHz band and supports AP (Access Point) mode. However, all my efforts aimed at creating an AP operating in the 5GHz band were unsuccessful. I've tried this using Linux and Windows 10.
I want to understand what my problems are connected with - with the hardware limitations of this module or with problems in the software. In this regard, I have a question: can this module work as an AP in the 5GHz band?

[JosueO_Intel]

Hello VasilyD, 

Thank you for posting on the Intel communities. 

In this case, it is not possible to use the wireless card as an access point, you can check this information at the following link:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000030429/wireless/intel-wireless-products.html

Regards, 

Josue O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[VasilyD]

Hello Josue!

Thank you for your reply, but the information on the link that you posted above led me to some confusion. It says: "... don't support the master or AP mode" and at the same time "... can support ... the hotspot features". In my understanding, the terms 'AP' and 'hotspot' mean the same thing. Therefore, I do not quite understand the meaning of this information. Perhaps I do not understand some of the subtleties of this terminology or I have incorrectly formulated my question.
I will try to describe the problem in other words.

The Wireless-AC 3168NGW device works as an AP(hotspot?) under Linux and Windows 10, but only if using the 2.4 GHz band.
Problem arise only when using the 5GHz band.
I have attached to the message the information produced by the iw utility.

This information shows that this device (or driver) supports the following modes: managed, AP, AP/VLAN, monitor, P2P-client, P2P-GO, P2P-device.
However, all 5GHz frequencies are marked as 'no IR'/'PASSIVE-SCAN', which means, as I understand it, the ability to use these frequencies only in client mode.
Why are 5GHz frequencies not available for AP mode?
And what does 'self-managed' mean in this case?

[JosueO_Intel]

Hello VasilyD, 

Thank you for the information provided 

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

Best regards, 

Josue O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JosueO_Intel]

Hello VasilyD, 

In this case, we can confirm this is expected behavior. Regulatory limitations exist in certain countries, where the hotspot is not allowed to operate on the 5GHz band by itself. You can only use the hotspot on 5GHz when the Windows® 10 PC is connected to a wireless Access Point (AP) operating on specific (passive) 5GHz channels at the same time. 

This does not depend on each wireless adapter, it all depends on the country where the card is being used. Some examples of countries that do not allow hotspots to operate in 5GHz independently are the following: Russia, China, Japan, etc. 

Best regards, 

Josue O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JosueO_Intel]

Hello VasilyD, 

We have not heard back from you, so we will close this thread. If you need any additional information, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best regards, 

Josue O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician