2013 Archives

[b9chris]

I don't really use Bluetooth, but physically Bluetooth does share the same main frequency range as wifi:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth#Bluetooth_vs._Wi-Fi_.28IEEE_802.11.29

"Wi-Fi uses the same radio frequencies as Bluetooth, but with higher power"

So it should be possible to use the same antenna for both. I don't know if the Aspire R7 does so - someone at Acer would have to let us know.

Basically they're both in the 2.4Ghz range, although it sounds like Bluetooth may go lower, and I know wifi has a second range available in the 5Ghz segment - which I'm currently using to avoid a crowded 2.4Ghz space in my building.

[phileyoung]

I bought the Wi-fi USB adapter in this link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003MTTJOY/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Are there any settings to tweak it for a better speed? I'm still getting poor performance except near my router...

[b9chris]

phileyoung, you probably have a general wifi problem. To keep general wifi help separate, here's a thread to discuss general wifi questions:

http://community.acer.com/t5/Notebooks-Netbooks/General-Wifi-Help/td-p/109743/jump-to/first-unread-m...

Take a look, it might help you get to the bottom of your issue.

I'd really like to see Acer get to the bottom of this R7 wifi issue since I love the laptop otherwise, so let's discuss general wifi questions over there, and things that really appear to be R7 wifi failures here.

[jtwyatt10]

I to have a Broadcom adapter with driver version 6.30.59.144. I also have notice changing my wifi channel from 11 to 14 have made my wifi throughput some what better, but still undesirable. It seem that it is having some type of interferance issues.

[aacohen]

I'm having the same problem. Got the R7 today delivered from Best Buy after reading this thread and hoping it wouldn't happen to me (apparently some people don't have the problem). Tried it at home and at work so far Broadcom WLAN driver 6.30.59.144. Windows 8 64 bit

Hard to say for sure how bad the problem is. At home, it's slower than my old Mac (2-3 mbps vs 5). At work it didn't even detect some of the networks, and was much slower than the IT guy's little tablet when it did. Still, it managed to finish dowloading the 220 mb driver, when the Mac froze up for some reason...

I reinstalled the driver as administrator, changed the power settings, changed my wifi channel, all to no avail. Will buy a USB WLAn adapter tomorrow and test it in many places. If it doesn't work, I'll send the machine back. I love it, but I absolutely need reliable wireless...

[margeplas]

I'm happy to see Acer is on this.
I also have the Broadcom.

[NC]

I've been working on this problem for my wife, who bought this computer a few days ago at BestBuy.  Side-by-side comparisons with Dell and Lenovo notebook computers confirmed the Acer issue.  After reading this entire thread, I have recommended she return the computer to BestBuy for a full refund, and get a different computer.  Just the fact that we are dealing with a known issue is enough to confirm the level of customer care we can expect for the life of the computer.  (Why hasn't this computer been recalled off the shelves?) I warned against going with a budget brand like Acer.  Not ready for prime time.

[jtwyatt10]

I just took my Acer r7 back and got the Asus Q501la and to compare its speed to the Acer download speed I got 27 mb of download speed in my room compared to the acer 500kb of download speed. I tried to wait for acer to come up with a solution, but i cant afford that because i have online class to take that require a good internet connection. They should just have a recall on that laptop and go back to the drawing board.

[qxlb3r]

I only have 4 days remaining to return my laptop. Does anyone of you know whether it's part of the guarantee and I can get my money back if the WLAN is never going to work as it should be? Or should I send it back now and buy another laptop?

[superonyx]

I am glad I read this thread.

I was going to buy this computer tomorrow and now I am going to look elsewhere.

It is just terrible to think of even a budget netbook having a wifi issue like this one. I honestly cannot believe that any company could be selling a product that the engineers can't figure out the issue of a part they use to build their products.

I want to thank everyone on this thread for posting this info.

I was worried the lack of touchpad would be the issue I had to overcome. But wifi? wifi? In 2013 when a $79 knock off android tablet figured it out.