R5-471T-71W with Atheros QCA61x4A wireless card unable to achieve AC linkup with Linksys WRT1900AC

sfsutherland

Hello, I have the Aspire R5-471T-71W laptop with the Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4A wireless NIC. I have the Linksys WRT1900AC wireless router setup to support the 80MHz channel. I have the latest Firmware & drivers for both devices installed. Running Win10 pro on the Aspire. Even in the same room as the WRT1900AC router, the Aspire only attains 802.11n speed connection. How can I tell if I am actually at 802.11AC and Win10 is falsely reporting my connection speed as 300Mbps using the Details of the Network & Sharing Control Panel?

sfsutherland

Hello Jordan,

 

Thanks for the pointer...I did have the two bands with separate SSIDs. Also the Channel Settings were in Auto. What I did not have was the Network Mode in the Mixed setting. Linksys documentation appears to be lacking on how these settings affect the AC speed configuration of the WRT1900AC.

 

I am now at 866.3 Mbps.

 

Thank you for your prompt accurate diagnosis of the root cause.

 

Steven Sutherland

JordanB

When you configured the Linksys wireless router, did you give the 2.4GHz SSID a different/unique SSID?  Or do you have both SSIDs the same.  Try giving the Linksys SSIDs unique names such as Sutherland24 and Sutherland5AC.

 

Also, it's always best to start your troubleshooting by leaving the settings to default on the Linksys.  Use "Auto" for the Linksys modes.

 

inSSIDer is a pretty good tool.  It used to be free, but now they charge $20.  It will give you an idea if you're dealing with interference from neighbors.

 

http://www.metageek.com/products/inssider/

 

Edit:  You can still find the free version of inSSIDer (wifi analytics tool), but it doesn't support AC.  It still can give you a general idea of what's happening in your neighborhood on both 5GHz and 2.4 GHz, but it won't help you with your AC link speeds question.

 

http://www.ampedwireless.com/wifianalytics/

 

 

sfsutherland

Hello Jordan,

 

Thanks for the pointer...I did have the two bands with separate SSIDs. Also the Channel Settings were in Auto. What I did not have was the Network Mode in the Mixed setting. Linksys documentation appears to be lacking on how these settings affect the AC speed configuration of the WRT1900AC.

 

I am now at 866.3 Mbps.

 

Thank you for your prompt accurate diagnosis of the root cause.

 

Steven Sutherland

JordanB

Ok great. Yeah "mixed" is default on Linksys WRT1900.  It's pretty much the same thing on ASUS wireless routers. It's best to leave the mode on default "Auto".  Linksys calls the default mode "mixed" and ASUS calls it "Auto".