Wifi 6E equipped laptop not detecting Wifi 6E network

[psychopomp1]

Hi
I got my Thinkpad T16 laptop delivered today (w/ Intel wifi 6E AX211 160mhz card installed) but unfortunately its not picking up the wifi 6E network on my TP Link AXE300 router. Intel wifi driver is up to date on the T16, though i haven't updated Windoze (Win 10 Pro x64) as i plan to replace the laptop's SSD very soon. Any idea what could be the issue? Router settings are below, changing wifi 6e channel makes no difference:
Thanks

 

[degrub]

do both the 2.4GHz and 5 GHz bands have the same ssid ?
it was mentioned in another thread ( asus ax) that there is an issue in the driver or in the AP, unclear which, but if both ssids were same it may work correctly

 

[L&LD]

WiFi 6E requires a certain level of Windows 11. You need to upgrade, as stated on the Lenovo website.

Also, be sure you are only using Lenovo drivers on your ThinkPad T16 (congratulations, btw!). Do not assume that Intel drivers will give you the same experience on your ThinkPad.

Use the Lenovo Vantage software to fully and properly update the drivers.

Use Windows update to fully update your Windows install.

 

[RMerlin]

Also, be sure you are only using Lenovo drivers on your ThinkPad T16 (congratulations, btw!). Do not assume that Intel drivers will give you the same experience on your ThinkPad.

It's almost always best to use the Intel driver when it comes to Wifi. Intel is constantly breaking and fixing things, and laptop manufacturers tend to lag behind when it comes to driver update.

My last two laptops were Lenovos, and I always ran whatever was the latest from Intel's website.

 

[avtella]

WiFi 6E requires a certain level of Windows 11. You need to upgrade, as stated on the Lenovo website.

Also, be sure you are only using Lenovo drivers on your ThinkPad T16 (congratulations, btw!). Do not assume that Intel drivers will give you the same experience on your ThinkPad.

Use the Lenovo Vantage software to fully and properly update the drivers.

Use Windows update to fully update your Windows install.

Just get drivers from Intel. It’s generally just older standard Intel drivers sitting on vendor (Lenovo, Dell, etc) sites that have been tested/validated to make sure there were no major issues with said version. Other than that it’s nothing special… I also personally would not recommend Vantage etc, just manual downloads, at least to me that stuff feels like bloatware. I usually get Audio/GPU/Wifi my drivers from the actual component manufacturers rather than Dell, Lenovo etc. There times where I needed the latest drivers for fixes .. Now something like the Intel DPTF on the driver on the other hand yeah that might be more tuned to a certain system…

 

[L&LD]

And to those who know how to fix and troubleshoot problems with 3rd party drivers, I can agree it may be the best route to take. For maximum performance.

For others that expect their laptops to behave a certain way, the manufacturers' drivers are the most stable option usually. And are guaranteed to work with the rest of the system reliably and glitch-free.

 

[sfx2000]

It's almost always best to use the Intel driver when it comes to Wifi. Intel is constantly breaking and fixing things, and laptop manufacturers tend to lag behind when it comes to driver update.

Some OEM's lock out 6e - mostly for support and regulatory concerns...

One can have the WiFi adapter and drivers, but UEFI/BIOS defines capability...

 

[psychopomp1]

Thanks guys.

1. I'm using 4 unique SSIDs (1x2.4ghz, 2x5ghz & 1 x6ghz) on the router and I would prefer to keep it that way. Smart connect is off

2. On my Thinkpads I've always used Lenovo's Vantage software to update firmware as it updates everything in a few clicks, instead of having to spend ages updating individual components.

3. Is there absolutely no way to get the AX211 card working in Windows 10 Pro? If possible I really want to avoid having to upgrade to Win 11 Pro, as I prefer the feel of Win 10.

 

[psychopomp1]

It seems there's a driver v22.45.11 for AX210 card floating around which enables wifi 6E on Windows 10. Will try this later on to see if it also works for AX211 on Win 10

Re: ax210 window 10 21h2 not showing 6GHz networks

I spend HOURS on the same issue. None of the links or any of the intel support articles worked... I believe this is from a bad driver regression that intel introduced with their later driver revisions. I could not see my 6GHz SSID with the latest 22.90.0.0. The number of things I tried...

community.intel.com

 

[Tech9]

Some OEM's lock out 6e - mostly for support and regulatory concerns...

What support concerns? I would let users test and report issues. The only way to fix, no?

 

[Ripshod]

I really must read the whole thread.

 

[RMerlin]

Some OEM's lock out 6e - mostly for support and regulatory concerns...

One can have the WiFi adapter and drivers, but UEFI/BIOS defines capability...

Yes, Dell apparently does that crap (which is a big reason why I haven't bought an XPS 15 at this point, as I need working Wifi 6e). Lenovo doesn't however, AFAIK.

 

[sfx2000]

What support concerns? I would let users test and report issues. The only way to fix, no?

Regulatory Approval is probably the main concern - 6Ghz is a lot more testing on the part of the OEM, much like DFS is in 5GHz...

Depends on how the laptop OEM handles their global logistics...

 

[coxhaus]

Regulatory Approval is probably the main concern - 6Ghz is a lot more testing on the part of the OEM, much like DFS is in 5GHz...

Depends on how the laptop OEM handles their global logistics...

Do you know if 6Ghz is going to use the same antenna as 5Ghz? Can you replace an Intel AX200 wireless card with a newer one? Do the 6e laptops come with a different designed antenna?

 

[Ripshod]

Do you know if 6Ghz is going to use the same antenna as 5Ghz? Can you replace an Intel AX200 wireless card with a newer one? Do the 6e laptops come with a different designed antenna?

An AX210 would be a straight swap and will give you WiFi 6e using the same antennae.
However, some manufacturers like to lock hardware down in the bios, so you may find upgrading is impossible.

 

[sfx2000]

Do you know if 6Ghz is going to use the same antenna as 5Ghz? Can you replace an Intel AX200 wireless card with a newer one? Do the 6e laptops come with a different designed antenna?

Should be a drop-in for any laptop that shipped with a dual-band card..