2013 Archives

[KoosH]

I did.

I put my Ipad on top of the R7 (closed) and open on the keybord.

In both cases there was no measurable reduction in download speed (20 Mbps) of my Ipad.

The R7 itself was even to slow to finish the speedtest!!!!!!

[KoosH]

I went back to BCC and got my money back. That was no problem.

The strange thing is that in the shop all worked reasonable well (25 Mbps). Even at 50 ft from the router speed was still 10 Mbps.

So it is presumably a combination of router and adapter. I do not know if they used 5GHz or also 2.4.

Is this going to be a problem with every new laptop I buy? I hope not. My KPN router only works at 2.4 GHz.

[Foxy-lucy]

Hey i decided to go with this for my usb adapter, it uses usb 3 and its super fast and good with windows 8, do you think im good to go?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BVRQEKG/ref=gno_cart_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A34JWT04R7KMFW

[BlueCrab]

In reply to superonyx's general question on non-wifi aspects of the computer:  I absolutely love the R7 (had it for two weeks now).  I've been holding out on moving to new Windows operating systems for years - this computer replaces a 2006 ThinkPad running XP that is finally dying on me after years of heavy use.  I decided that if I was going to get forced into Windows 8, I was going to get a machine that took advantage of the touch functionality, and this laptop does it beautifully.  (Since you are shopping around, I will add that I was originally planning to buy the Lenovo Yoga, but I need to type a lot for my job and couldn't stand the shallow keyboard when I tried it in-store, which is strange since some reviewers specifically praise its keyboard.)  I've adjusted easily to the touch screen and usually have the screen pulled forward to hide the trackpad.  It's super easy to push up the screen a bit and access it when I do occasionally need the higher precision.  I also read a lot of scientific literature for my work, and it's a joy to do that with the gorgeous screen in tablet mode.  I've found myself using it in every position it's been marketed in online - even the one where the screen is tilted back to be parallel to the keyboard and elevated above it (it's perfect when you're standing up at a standard height desk or table).

If only it's 0.5 Mbps download speed could match the 12 Mbps (which is what I pay for at home) of my (otherwise severly limping) 2006 ThinkPad sitting right next to it.  On the network at work, I get nearly 100 Mbps on the ThinkPad and 6 Mbps on the R7.  Tomorrow is my last day to return it for a full refund.  I am still debating.

A question of my own: Has anyone looked into replacing the wireless card?  I haven't opened my R7 up yet, but it looks like it might be possible (http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/Acer-Aspire-R7.htm).  I'm not any expert on hardware, but if this is an intereference issue, as some posters have suggested, would swapping out the Broadcom card for something else possibly help?  I'm not sure that I want to permanently tie up one of the three USB ports with an adapter.

PS It's been ~two weeks since Acer-Cory posted on page 8, but in case you're still reading, I have the same as the others who have posted their details:

Broadcom 802.11n. 

Most up to date driver. 

Driver Date 3/29/2013.

Driver Version: 6.30.59.144

[garter]

New user here. I am sorely tempted by the R7, but want to be sure there is some solution before making the leap.

Foxy-lucy: Please keep us posted as to how well the USB adapter works, as this seems like an inexpensive work-around until Acer gets its act together. 

[dalinz1605]

New User.
I´ve chatted with the acer support and they told me something i havent read in any forum yet.
I dont know if this can/could be the problem.

They wrote:
We are aware that there is a problem with the wifi connection regarding the series Aspire R7.
Some devices have an error in the RAM unit that causes this issue.
After the replacement it will be solved.

Does anyone think this could solve the wifi problem.

PS: sry my english is not the best.

[superonyx]

Well considering the amount of negative attention having a huge thread on their own sites forum and now in the US the exclusive store to buy this pc, Best Buy, has user reviews about the poor wifi and they have not even acknowledged the issue, I would be sceptical. 

The issue I think most have is when you buy a new PC and then only have 14 days to return for a refund and you are told you need to send your pc away for a couple of weeks and when you get it back you wont have any return period left.....

If Acer would put out something officially about this being the issue then it would seem to be more legit.

[b9chris]

Yeah unfortunately an error in RAM screwing up wifi reception and nothing else is totall [word filter avoidance] - that makes no sense. Is it possible you misunderstood their diagnosis? Did they maybe mean the wifi hardware itself has some onboard RAM with a problem? That would be unusual, but more plausible.

[superonyx]

It is starting to look like Acer will choose to ignore the complaints and hope that most people will just not notice the lack of speed. They may be banking on the idea that this issue is only affecting the users who care about this type of thing enough to run speed test and look for drivers online. As much as I hate to admit this, they may be right. Read all the reviews and tell me how many complained about the slow WiFi. Read best buy site reviews where 60 people have reviewed the computer and maybe 2-3 ranked it down do to slow WiFi.

Asus had this type of situation when they released the android transformer prime and the GPS didn't work due to hardware design. They did eventually offer customers an external GPS dongle and a reduced dock. So they have saved face and earned loyalty for many. Does Acer have a history of making it right when they mess up? I don't know because I have never dealt with them. I am alarmed by how man people seem to post WiFi issues on the Acer ultrabook S7 ect... maybe this is their thing.

I have been on the fence about this PC even with the idea of needing a USB adapter for fast internet. Something about that IPS screen actually being usable as a tablet instead of having to gorilla arm the screen like most laptops. You know that insiders at Acer are reading these threads. Its the decision to ignore the issue and not reply to peoples concerns that is upsetting. I travel around the region for work and drive past many best buy stores. I stopped in to another one today to run some speed test to see if this keeps happening. I can't help but educate the salesmen on this issue when they see me running speed test on several different PC's. Every one of them have been very interested and shocked at the difference when they see it. I wonder how many customers they are going to refer to buy "the PC with the broken WiFi?"

[dalinz1605]

Here is the original text in german:

Bei dem Gerät Ihrer Serie gibt es bei einigen wenigen Modellen ein Fehler im RAM der dieses Problem verursacht. Nach einem Austausch desselben wird es behoben sein.

I already took use of the right of rescission within the 14 days.
Its no logical what the RAM has to do with the wifi connection.
I´ll send it back because i dont want to run around with a huge wifi-stick. It messes up the whole design of the notebook.