How to diagnose the WiFi AX201 Swift 3 sf314-57,

Gijs1973

Hi All,
I have been lately struggling to keep internet connectivity on my ACER Swift 3 sf314-57, with the Intel wifi ax201 160MHz adapter installed.

The strange thing is that I have been working with this laptop without problems since December 2019 (more than a year), and suddenly the network card doesn't recognise the networks around me, while nothing has changed. What are the tests you recommend me to perform before swapping the ax201 for the 9560NGW (Intel® Wireless-AC 9560) as some of the advice is here on the board? Your suggestions are more than welcome, losing your connection without a warning is not very productive and (to be honest) a bit upsetting.

Accepted answers

Gijs1973

I solved the problem to let Acer fix it (the laptop was still under warranty) - unfortunately, I don't know what Acer did; the service station report didn't mention what was repaired or how they fixed the Intel AX201 160MHz wifi card.

All comments

billsey

I've heard of some recent issues, likely tied to driver updates, with using the AX201 with some older routers. What router do you have and what technology is it using?

Gijs1973

Hi Billsey,
Thank you for your suggestion, but I don't think it is the router. Please correct me if I am wrong, the router is the box connect me to the Internet, by broadcasting the WiFi signal. The AX201 is the receiver, the network card), and the problem is that No networks are detected when the AX201 fails.
I got it working, for a short time, by power cycling and card reset, but this is not practical and very frustrating. Yesterday I rolled back (manually) to drivers from 2019, and that seems to work. I will test this when at my desk!
Now, manually rolling back is not guaranteed to work when OS updates are getting to much out of sync with the installed drivers.
Is there anything else I can do, should do, to make sure that the system keeps working?
Thanks,
Gijs

billsey

I didn't mean the router was a problem, per se, but that the driver were having issues with connecting the AX201 with some older routers. The issue is most likely in the drivers, not in the hardware. That seems to be the case here since rolling back to the older driver works. I expect we'll see updated drivers from Intel again somewhat soon, that should fix it...

Gijs1973

I hope so, I will keep an eye out for those, and hold on to the drivers I have now (so I can roll back again if it doesn't work). I have been working the whole day with a fully operational AX201.

For others with the same issue, I am running on an Acer Swift 3 Model NU-SF314-57-58TB

using (rolled back): Wireless LAN Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX201 160MHz 21.60.2.1 W10x64 drivers (15/12/2019)

Are there any tips you can give me to maintain a working system?

billsey

For the short term you can simply pause updates for Windows. There are also ways to disable hardware driver updates, but that's also not an ideal solution since it'll disable updates for all your hardware, not just the AX201. You might contact support at Intel to see if they have an ETA.

Gijs1973

Yes, not ideal, but guess that's my only solution.

The current driver is very recent:

Windows® 10 WiFi package drivers 22.20.0 for the AX210/AX200/9000/8000 series Intel® Wireless Adapters.

Version: 22.20.0.6 - Release date: January 12, 2021

Unfortunately, I think that this one doesn't work for me, but forgot to note the driver number before I rolled back. I have intel-driver-support-assistant installed, so I can see when a new driver is released, but that doesn't guaranty that it solves or reintroduces my problem (I know a little about hardware/drivers but by no means an expert).

Should I just install, test, and roll-back when it fails, or is there a better way to check if a driver works?

billsey

I can't think of a better method, but again I suggest you see if Intel support has any ideas.

Gijs1973

Agreed, thanks for your help, and suggestions; I will pop them a message and post back here if useful.

Gijs1973

Unfortunately, after a week working without any problems the problem reoccurred, without a warning, update, or change.
Very frustrating!
Guess I will have to swap out the Ax201 for another model

Athwart

Gijs1973 said:

Yes, not ideal, but guess that's my only solution.

The current driver is very recent:
Windows® 10 WiFi package drivers 22.20.0 for the AX210/AX200/9000/8000 series Intel® Wireless Adapters.
Version: 22.20.0.6 - Release date: January 12, 2021

Unfortunately, I think that this one doesn't work for me, but forgot to note the driver number before I rolled back. I have intel-driver-support-assistant installed, so I can see when a new driver is released, but that doesn't guaranty that it solves or reintroduces my problem (I know a little about hardware/drivers but by no means an expert).

Should I just install, test, and roll-back when it fails, or is there a better way to check if a driver works?

Hi have a similar set-up but with a newer model SF314-57-539F. I can advise that Intel have updated the drivers again. The package is now dated 23 Feb 2021. A few days ago I downloaded & ran the driver update package. It installed:
Netwtw10.sys ver 22.30.0.11 dated 25.01.2021
The updated driver sorted out my problem with intermittent wi-fi disconnections. So maybe give this latest driver a go.

anubis44

I'm having the exact same symptoms with my Acer Swift 3 sf314-57-59vp. The Intel AX201 160MHz wifi card simply disabled itself. I did absolutely nothing, nor were there any updates. I'm an IT technician at my day job, so I went through the whole troubleshooting process, and after doing everything, I also see that this is a very widespread problem with this exact model of Intel wifi adapter, even in other laptop brands. It appears to be a manufacturing defect--they're just crappy, it's not a driver issue, it's not a software update issue: these wifi cards are simply prone to failure over time. Currently, I'm trying to figure out exactly what the specs are for the interface in the Acer Swift 3 so I can try to order a replacement card that actually will work in this laptop. If anybody else has more information on which cards will work, what the interface requirements are and even a decently priced source for replacements, I would be grateful. I'm currently using the laptop with a usb wifi adapter, but it doesn't have bluetooth, which is very inconvenient.

billsey

The interface is a typical M.2 WiFi/Bluetooth and pretty much every modern card matches that. Intel does have updated drivers that haven't yet rolled out to Acer's support site that improve things. I haven't had a drop out on my Spin now for months since I put Intel drivers in.

Gijs1973

I solved the problem to let Acer fix it (the laptop was still under warranty) - unfortunately, I don't know what Acer did; the service station report didn't mention what was repaired or how they fixed the Intel AX201 160MHz wifi card.

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