New laptop with Intel DB 3160AC card limited to 150mbps (other laptop reaches 300mbps)

[ghostman]

I just got a brand new Dell Inspiron 5000 series laptop that has an Intel Dual Band 3160ac wireless card. I can only pull 150mbps on my wireless connection. Meanwhile, my 3 year old Lenovo with an Intel Dual Band 7260ac wireless card easily pulls 300mbps. My wife's 5 year old MacBook Pro's Airport Extreme only supports b/g/n and pulls 260mbps.

I have a 1G broadband connection (realistically, I can get 800mbps on a wired connection) and an Ubee cable modem/wireless router.

What am I doing wrong? The 3160ac is advertised to work up to 433mbps. I do notice the 3160 is listed as 1x1 at 80Mhz (though I only see 20Mhz options in the driver settings) while the 7260 is listed as 2x2 at 80Mhz.

Thanks. Any help would be appreciated. I'm just surprised that a brand new laptop comes with a more crippled wireless card.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I do notice the 3160 is listed as 1x1 at 80Mhz (though I only see 20Mhz options in the driver settings) while the 7260 is listed as 2x2 at 80Mhz.

Your numbers follow 1x1 versus 2x2 streams, on a Wireless 802.11n connection. If this is an 802.11ac connection / SSID / 5Ghz band, then you should indeed probably be seeing higher numbers. Or not. I'm getting 200-250 on a 3x3 802.11ac USB3.0 connection, to a 3x3 802.11ac router in the other room.

 

[ghostman]

Actually, my Lenovo laptop pulls over 300mbps (occasionally 400mbps).

My Ubee router is set to do N/AC modes, but I agree, the 150mbps cap sounds like it's running on N. The router is 801.11ac, SSID, 5Ghz. When I force it to do AC only, I actually get less than 150mbps on the Dell.

I realize 150mbps is actually a pretty good speed, but it annoys me that a brand new laptop can't pull better speeds than a half-decade old machine.

 

[sdifox]

Have you tried reinstalling drivers?

 

[razel]

I assume the 150 and 300 is the fastest reported link speed you have seen, if so those are often the max wireless N speeds per stream. Aka single stream N is 150 and stream AC is 433. Perhaps your WiFi router isn't AC or isn't setup for AC.

 

[mnewsham]

I agree, looks like his router is probably 802.11N not AC.

Further, the channel width is determined by the router, not the client device. So if you want 40mhz or 80mhz the router would need to support it, and you'd have to tell your router to use the wider channel.

 

[mxnerd]

Which Ubee wireless gateway do you have?

http://www.ubeeinteractive.com/products/cable/family?tid=22

 

[ghostman]

I assume the 150 and 300 is the fastest reported link speed you have seen, if so those are often the max wireless N speeds per stream. Aka single stream N is 150 and stream AC is 433. Perhaps your WiFi router isn't AC or isn't setup for AC.

I thought so as well initially, but my Lenovo can pull in 400+mbps. That's faster than N can support. I currently force the router to do N/AC (to support the MacBook). When I forced the router to do AC only, my Lenovo is fine, but my Dell actually gets worse than 150mpbs speed.

The Dell computer reports connection is established at 433mbps and ac protocol, but the speed caps at 150mbps. Oddly, it's not fluctuating around 150, but actually hits 150 and stays there. It definitely sounds like it only established N connection.

Drivers are the newest from Intel. I actually downgraded the driver a few versions, but still have the same issue.

The router is set to 80Mhz bandwidth on the 5Ghz band.

 

[sdifox]

I thought so as well initially, but my Lenovo can pull in 400+mbps. That's faster than N can support. I currently force the router to do N/AC (to support the MacBook). When I forced the router to do AC only, my Lenovo is fine, but my Dell actually gets worse than 150mpbs speed.

The Dell computer reports connection is established at 433mbps and ac protocol, but the speed caps at 150mbps. Oddly, it's not fluctuating around 150, but actually hits 150 and stays there. It definitely sounds like it only established N connection.

Drivers are the newest from Intel. I actually downgraded the driver a few versions, but still have the same issue.

The router is set to 80Mhz bandwidth on the 5Ghz band.

no, uninstall the nic driver completely by removing the nic from the device manager. not just downgrade

 

[mxnerd]

How to improve the quality of wireless connection For Intel® Dual Band Wireless AC 3160 / 7260

https://www.msi.com/pic/faq/10015790@2014-1114-0153-309200@faq_0000000001178_en.pdf

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html

You haven't mention your exact wireless router model.

 

[razel]

At 300mb/s+ speeds testing via Internet becomes a benchmark of your ISP rather than your connection. It can fluctuate way too much. If you can test via a local LAN by copying files through windows file share. However since you're more interested in link-speed, don't be too sad if for that AC 3160 that maxes out at 433mb/s, that you get speeds that are half to 3/4. There's a lot of marketing involved with WiFi link speeds.

 

[bruceb]

Did you check what Wireless Channel your laptops are on ? ? You don't want both of them on the same Channel #
That would be the first thing I would try. And when you are comparing them, are they both in the same room, maybe running off the same Wireless Access Point ?

 

[ghostman]

no, uninstall the nic driver completely by removing the nic from the device manager. not just downgrade

Already did that, then using the latest drivers. Then I tried downgrading to older drivers when that didn't work.

 

[ghostman]

Did you check what Wireless Channel your laptops are on ? ? You don't want both of them on the same Channel #
That would be the first thing I would try. And when you are comparing them, are they both in the same room, maybe running off the same Wireless Access Point ?

I used a wifi analyzer and placed the 5Ghz channel at like 112. My router is the only one on that channel.

 

[ghostman]

At 300mb/s+ speeds testing via Internet becomes a benchmark of your ISP rather than your connection. It can fluctuate way too much. If you can test via a local LAN by copying files through windows file share. However since you're more interested in link-speed, don't be too sad if for that AC 3160 that maxes out at 433mb/s, that you get speeds that are half to 3/4. There's a lot of marketing involved with WiFi link speeds.

True, but I test it multiple times with various speed tests (ookla, Xfinity, Google fiber, fast.com). They are consistent. I discard one off values. Id be happy to get 300mbps, not aiming for the theoretical max.

 

[ghostman]

How to improve the quality of wireless connection For Intel® Dual Band Wireless AC 3160 / 7260

https://www.msi.com/pic/faq/10015790@2014-1114-0153-309200@faq_0000000001178_en.pdf

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html

You haven't mention your exact wireless router model.

Sorry, I'm at work. I'll mention it when I get home.

 

[ghostman]

How to improve the quality of wireless connection For Intel® Dual Band Wireless AC 3160 / 7260

https://www.msi.com/pic/faq/10015790@2014-1114-0153-309200@faq_0000000001178_en.pdf

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html

You haven't mention your exact wireless router model.

Thanks. I followed the MSI instructions, which only required changing a few settings. The results are the same.

The router model is a Ubee UBC1301.

I ran the WifiInfoView application. The results are as follows:
==================================================
SSID : [removed]
MAC Address : [removed]
PHY Type : 802.11n/ac
RSSI : -40
Signal Quality : 99
Average Signal Quality: 99.0
Frequency : 5.560
Channel : 112
Information Size : 403
Elements Count : 17
Company : Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co.,Ltd.
Router Model : Broadcom
Router Name : BroadcomAP
Security : WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK
Cipher : TKIP+CCMP
Maximum Speed : 1733 Mbps
Channel Width : 80 MHz
Channels Range : 98 - 114
BSS Type : Infrastructure
WPS Support : Not Configured
First Detection : 9/11/2017 5:32:27 PM
Last Detection : 9/11/2017 5:34:45 PM
Detection Count : 139
Start Time : 9/11/2017 12:17:13 AM
Minimum Signal Quality: 99
Maximum Signal Quality: 99
802.11 Standards : 802.11e/i
Connected : Yes
Stations Count : 3
Channel Utilization: 0.4%
==================================================

 

[bruceb]

Try the info (about your router) from here: http://www.ubeeinteractive.com/support/consumers/faq/wireless-link-speeds-and-throughput-are-low
Support

Wireless link speeds and throughput are low.
How do I change the Wireless Control Channel to obtain better connection speeds?

Your wireless gateway operates in the 2.4GHz frequency range with 11 wireless channels available (in the USA). The default Channel will be 1, 6, 11 or Auto, depending on your service provider. Interference or congestion may result if this same channel is used by other Wireless Access Points (WAPs), 2.4GHz phones, or similar devices.

Move to another channel:

1. Log in to the Gateway Web UI (see How do I log into the modem's Web User Interface?).
2. Click the WIRELESS tab.
3. Click Radio on the left-side menu.
4. Change the Control Channel to another channel, like 6 or 11 and click Apply. Run a speed test to check throughput. Go to [URL='http://speedtest.net/']http://speedtest.net

1. or use the cable company speed server in your area.

Note: Non-overlapping channels include 1, 6 and 11 when channel width is 20MHz default, but you may find that another channel works better for your specific environment.

Control Channel set to Auto automatically changes the Wi-Fi Control Channel to the best channel; however, here are some suggestions:

Move 2.4GHz Phone:
Move or relocate 2.4GHz cordless phones, which can operate in the same frequency range and cause interference.

Re-position the Wireless Gateway:
Position your Ubee Gateway at a higher location. Avoid obstructions that can reduce or reflect the wireless signal.

Check the Receive Signal Strength easily using the RSSI indicator in the Ubee Gateway Web UI:

1. Log in to the Web UI wirelessly so you can move around your room (see How do I log into the modem's Web User Interface?).
2. Click the WIRELESS tab.
3. Click Access Control on the left side menu.
4. Scroll to the bottom to see the Wireless Clients list. Find your wireless device and check the RSSI. Make sure it is between 0 and -64 for best performance and highest link speed.
5. Move your wireless device (SmartPhone, laptop, etc.) a few feet from the Wireless Gateway and refresh the Web UI page so that the AGE = 0. The RSSI should be between 0 and -64, and link speed should be optimal, based on your device’s wireless adapter.
6. Move 20 or more feet away from the Wireless Gateway. Stop, refresh the screen, and note the RSSI value. As long as you are between 0 and -64, you should see optimal link speeds. Once you move into the -70, -80 and -90 ranges, your link speeds as seen on your Wireless Client Application will progressively drop until you lose connectivity.
7. Use this technique to find the optimum position for your Wireless Gateway and your Wireless device.

Note: Double pane, reflective windows and metal ducts reflect signals, and walls absorb signals. When possible, try to position your PC in a line of sight to the Ubee Wireless Gateway to ensure the best signal level. Check Wireless Adapter Settings – 802.11n Mode is required to achieve higher speeds!

NOTE: Be SURE that your device supports 802.11n mode!

Check 802.11n Mode:

Your range depends on attenuation. Here are some TIPS and TRICKS:

• If your device has an external antenna, be sure it is screwed in properly. Antenna VERTICAL provides the best HORIZONTAL coverage. Antenna HORIZONTAL provides the best VERTICAL coverage. For internal Antenna configurations, VERTICAL usually offers best coverage, but test RSSI as shown above to be sure.
  
• Keep the Wireless Gateway off of the floor. Don’t block (attenuate or reflect) the signal by putting metal around the antenna. Metal reflects and walls absorb the signal.

< [/URL]

 

[mxnerd]

Could not find Ubee UBC1301 pdf manual.

Anyway, turn on both 2.4G and 5G, put them in different SSID so you know exactly which band you are connecting to.

Put your Dell laptop close to where the wireless router is (but not too close, since there will be WiFi donut signal dead spot), test both bands and see what the link speed is for each one.

Since 3160 is 1x1, max link speed for 802.11n 2.4G should be 150Mbps, max link speed for 802.11ac should be 433Mbps.

https://communities.intel.com/thread/49421

Also see if putting router in automatic channel selection and channel width improves the result.

Move away from the router and see if the laptop can maintain the link speed.

 

[ghostman]

I continued tinkering and noticed something somewhat odd. I have a Chinese brand USB AC1200 wifi adapter that runs on a Realtek RTL8812AU chip. When I plug it into my Lenovo (running Windows 8), I get 200mbps. This is below my built-in AC adapter's speed, but still better than the 150mbps on the Dell.

When I take the same USB adapter and plug it into the Dell, well, first it doesn't work properly with the default driver and I get 5mbps. But after installing the Realtek driver, it gets 150mbps. Exactly the same as the built-in 3165AC. When I look at the Windows 10 hardware settings for the wifi adapter, it actually says that it's on the N protocol. But why on earth would the same network card run slower on the Dell (Windows 10) than on the Lenovo (Windows 8)?

I also did more odd testing. I plugged in an older TP-Link wireless router that supports AC 750 (max of 433mbps on 5Ghz) into my Ubee cable modem/router. I configure the wifi on the TP-Link to have separate SSIDs from the Ubee. I then connect to the TP-Link's wifi from my Lenovo and my Dell. The Lenovo pulls in over 200mbps, but the Dell STILL pulls in max of 150mbps.

In summary, I've tried the following:
Dell's built-in 3165ac to Ubee router
Dell's built-in 3165ac to TP-Link router (wired to the Ubee)
Realtek RTL8812AU USB wifi card on the Dell to the Ubee router
In every case, the speed tests on the Dell are below 150mbps. Meanwhile, all the tests on the Lenovo are at least 200mbps. So is it Dell/Windows 10 causing the problem? Is there something within Windows 10 or built into the Dell software that's capping downloads at 150mbps (or forcing Wireless N protocol)?

 

[sdifox]

Maybe you should open the back cover and check the model number of the nic.

 

[mxnerd]

Yeah. Open the back cover and check the Wi-Fi NIC. Maybe the antennas are loose?

 

[sdifox]

Yeah. Open the back cover and check the Wi-Fi NIC. Maybe the antennas are loose?

Or they put in a gimped card. My laptop came with a 2.4ghz only .n card...

 

[VirtualLarry]

So is it Dell/Windows 10 causing the problem? Is there something within Windows 10 or built into the Dell software that's capping downloads at 150mbps (or forcing Wireless N protocol)?

Sure sounds like it. Is there some sort of "Dell Wifi applet" loading at startup? Is this a business laptop? Perhaps there's some sort of corporate-oriented "Connection Manager" program running.

Alternatively, if this is an AMD APU laptop, check your NIC driver properties for a "Fast Stream" driver, and disable it. It can limit bandwidth.

Edit: The fact that you're seeing similar behavior, with both the built-in Wifi, and an external USB Wifi (did you remember to disable the internal Wifi when testing, in Windows 10?), suggests to me that it's just a location / RF signal issue, or a software issue on that machine.

 

[mxnerd]

Swap Dell's and Lenovo's Wi-Fi adapters and see what happens.

If nothing works, just buy a new adapter from another vendor (Realtek or ...)