Atheros AR8161 gigabit issue

[GentleAsaDove]

I have an HP Envy Phoenix 1340t PC that comes with a Qualcomm Athereos AR8161 gigabit NIC.  I am running the latest driver for this NIC which is version 2.1.0.13.  My problem is that I am only connecting at 100mb instead of 1.0gb to my gigabit capable router.  I have another PC and it connects at 1.0gb to the same router so I know the router is not the issue.  When I look at the advanced settings for the NIC under speed and duplex,  I only see 10, 100 and auto.  I do not see 1000 which should be there for a gigabit NIC driver.  I check other PC's with gigabit cards and they show 1000.  So I think I have a driver problem.  I believe anyone who has the same NIC as I do should be having the same problem.  I also checked the BIOS and found nothing about configuring the NIC for gigabit capability.  If anyone has any insight into how I can solve my problem, I would appreciate it.

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

The driver that you are using is from Microsoft and it's not original driver supplied by HP.

1. Download the original Atheros driver from HP.
2. Unplug the PC from the network.
3. Uninstall the current driver.
4. Install the original HP driver.
5. Reboot the PC and go back into Device Manager and see if you now have gigabit speed available.
6. Double check that you do have the correct HP driver installed.
7. If you have gigabit speed then plug the PC back into the network.

If you don't have gigabit speed available then contact HP support.  HP's support number is 800-474-6836 or 800-HPINVENT or online here.

[GentleAsaDove]

Hi Dave

I downloaded the driver, installed it, reboot and confirmed that the driver was installed.  No change.  I don't see 1000 as an option and it is connecting at 100.  I have sent sent an e-mail to HP support and will update this post when I get an answer.  Thanks for your response.

[GentleAsaDove · Accepted solution]

I finally found an article on the web that solved my problem.  This article

http://superuser.com/questions/504197/gigabit-connection-between-2-computers

mentions that changing from a CAT 5 cable to a CAT 5e cable solved their gigabit connectivity issue.  Well to my surprise it also worked for me.  Once I switched from a CAT 5 cable to a CAT 5e cable,  my PC immediately re-negotiated to 1gb.  Hope this entry will help others to avoid the long struggle I had in getting this simple answer.  HP support made me go throught hoops but never gave me this simple answer.  I finally called them back and told them this answer needs to be better diseminated among their support staff.

[uncola]

You were using the wrong cable, this is a pretty clear case of user error.  I wouldn't have asked you about the cable either because I'd have assumed you weren't some kind of [edited by a moderator]

[Russel-E]

Hi @uncola ,

Thank you for visiting the HP Support Forums and just a reminder that  all users are expected to maintain a courteous tone when posting on the community.

Thank you!

Russ