Realtek RTL8822CE 802.11ac PCIe Adapter connection issues

[Prométhée]

Thanks @blainecus 
glad to have been able to help you
now don't answer here, you have another problem, so open another thread
no need to clutter this one
This must remain a clear minimum, for users
thank you

[LogitComputer]

Hello,

Just for clarification, it was/is definitively an RTL8822CE bug in the 5GHz band.

I've submitted this to my HP distributor, and tomorrow monday, I will submit a HP Support Ticket here in Switzerland.

When I disable my 5GHz band and forcing the RTL8822CE to use the 2.4GHz band, I can normally browse into the LAN via SMB. When going back to 5GHz (AC), the whole network environment hangs and the browsing through folders is nearly impossible.

Workaround is to change the "Preferred Band" in the settings of the "Realtek RTL8822CE 802.11ac PICe Adapter" from Point "3. 5G first" to "2. 2.4G first"

If anyone has doubt it could be the access point: it is an UniFi U6 LR, means AX.

And the AX-201 connects with AX Speed and I can get files from my local network shares at around 25MByte/Sec (around 200MBit/sec)

This weekend, I installed 9 x EliteBook 855 G8 (has the RTL8822ce as WLAN) and 7 x EliteBook x360 830 G8 (has the Intel AX-201 as WLAN).

I don't know if a new driver or firmware will solve this problem, I hope so.

If not, this will be a support case times 32, because I have now a roll-out on several customers HP EliteBook 835 G8 and HP EliteBook 855 G8.

I will keep you informed if I find the time.

[Zl8103]

Hi Blainecus:  

Thanks for posting your issues with wifi dropping internet connection.  I just got a new Omen 15L with the realtek rtl8822ce 802.11ac pcie adapter card and I am experiencing exactly the same issue.   Wifi stays connected to the network but internet connection randomly drops.   After troubleshooting and tinkering with power settings, I now feel it is a hardware issue.   I just ordered an identical Realtek card from eBay.   I plan to install a difference card and see if it will fix the issue.  If not, I will buy the Intel AX201 that fixed your problem.    Again, thanks for sharing your experience.    

[LogitComputer]

Hello Zl8103,

This is a workaround, but not pointing to the root cause, the faulty driver and/or faulty firmware of the RTL8822CE, delivered with your HP Notebook. And as this is not an isolated incident (see others here), this has to be fixed from HP sooner or later. I have now an escalated ticket with this issue to HP and their 2nd level support. We tried the original HP image (Windows 10 20H2), an fresh installed Windows 10 21H2 and a fresh installed Windows 11 21H2 with HP EliteBook 835 / 855 G8 (factually the same notebooks except the screen/keyboard size), and the problem still exists on every combination with the RTL8822CE card, doesn't matter.

I personally would change the preferred connection frequency to 2.4GHz and live a couple of weeks with the slower speed instead of wasting money and perhaps voiding the warranty with replacing a part by opening the notebook to solve a problem which is definitively not your fault.

Just my two cents.

[itsmyname]

@LogitComputer -- I personally would change the preferred connection frequency to 2.4GHz and live a couple of weeks with the slower speed.

The "2.4" and the "5" are the frequencies -- compare to TV channels -- that the devices are using to communicate, not a measure of maximum transmission speed along the communication path.

If you want faster communication, replace a "Wireless N" adapter with a "Wireless AC" adapter.

This only increases the speed between your WiFi device and your ISP's cable-modem (or equivalent for the telephone company).  It will not increase the speed between your cable-modem and the ISP - the speed you get is the speed you pay for.

If you pay for 250 Mbits/second, and you have a "Wireless AC" adapter -- capable of 1250 Mbits/second, the "pipeline" between your device and your "Wireless-AC-capable" cable-modem will be 20% full -- one packet transmitted at the rate of 1250 Mbits/second, and then a long (in computer network terms) wait until the next packet is transmitted to your computer: (packet)(wait)(wait)(wait)(wait)(packet)(wait) ....

It's said that 5 Ghz is a stronger signal, but over a smaller volume, than a 2.4 Ghz transmitter.

[LogitComputer]

---

@itsmyname wrote:

@LogitComputer -- I personally would change the preferred connection frequency to 2.4GHz and live a couple of weeks with the slower speed.

The "2.4" and the "5" are the frequencies -- compare to TV channels -- that the devices are using to communicate, not a measure of maximum transmission speed along the communication path.

I want to see you working on 802.11ac with 2.4GHz frequency.

It doesn't work? Because it can't.

This thread is not about speed, it is about the problems with this particular RTL8822CE card in the 5GHz spectrum, and it connects normally to a 5GHz ac network or downgrades to a 802.11n with 5GHz.

If you change the preferred frequency to 2.4GHz, it cannot connect to the 802.11ac just to 802.11n or lower.

And because 802.11n has a lower maximum throughput than 802.11ac, it is per definition slower.

I'm talking about network speed, not "internet speed".

With this card, at this moment, if you connect with 5GHz and 802.11ac, you have serious networking problems as discussed before. If you want to see this, I can DM you two videos which was provided to HP and now the 2nd level technicians are figuring out what the root cause can be.

I think it is not an antenna problem because there are some folks who have switched the RTL8822AC with an Intel 201AX, and then the speed and connectivity problems disappeared.

Furthermore, this card is a 1x1 only, means one stream of 802.11ac and this is theoretically 867MBps as per specification.

[Zl8103]

Hi LogitComputer - thanks for your response.   I will try your suggestion on 'Preferred Band' to 2.4G first.   

I am glad you are working with HP level 2 support on this issue.   It's such a shame that this decent prebuild has this issue.  I could just return it for a refund.  However, it took many months for me to receive it due to 'supply shortages' so I kind of want to keep it.   I could also return it for repair - however, since the issue is intermittent, I am afraid they won't even experience the random drops if they just tested it for 5 min.   When you talk with them, please make them aware that this is not an isolated problem.   In my case,  the issue is with a brand new OMEN 15L desktop built in February 2022.     Thanks!  

[LogitComputer]

Easy, at least it ruined not my last weekend completely.

First I was furious about "my slow dual gigabit NAS" because of the hanging explorer.exe, updated the NAS, still not OK.

Then I realized that the Notebook farthest away was responsive and faster(?) and had instead of around 170 Mbps only around 80 Mbps at the WLAN connection(??), but was more responsive(???).

Then I figured out that the 6 nearest notebooks had 5GHz 802.11ac and the "stable connection" just 2.4GHz 802.11n, and then tried this and that.

In conclusion, my temporary workaround is to go with 2.4GHz, opened a HP Ticket, shared my videos with HP, today sent my 32(!) serial numbers (all customer notebooks) wich are affected and now awaiting response.

But they claimed that they need a couple of days because it seems to be a consecutive issue, not a isolated incident.

I mean, if HP would replace every RTL8822AC with an Intel AX-201, go ahead.

But a proper driver does it for me too.

If you cannot live with this issue, take a Intel AX-201 (HP Part Number L92724-005), open the notebook, throw out the RTL8822AC and put the Intel AX-201 into your notebook and voilà - fast connection, even with 802.11ax.

Downside:

- probably voided warranty

- probably scratches on your notebook

- tiny antenna connectors, around 2mm diameter, be careful

- additional costs, who covers it?

This is digging around the problem.

And furthermore, here the synthetic speed-tests in my LAN via iperf / 10 streams, 10 x 1 second.

iperf is just some TCP, and as I mentionned, my SMB was unstable.

And no WLAN beats cable:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

5GHz 802.11ac (RTL8822AC, HP ProBook 855 G8)
============================================
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth

[SUM] 0.00-10.01 sec 162 MBytes 136 Mbits/sec sender
[SUM] 0.00-10.01 sec 161 MBytes 135 Mbits/sec receiver

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2.4GHz 802.11n (RTL8822AC, HP ProBook 855 G8)
=============================================
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth

[SUM] 0.00-10.01 sec 109 MBytes 91.0 Mbits/sec sender
[SUM] 0.00-10.01 sec 108 MBytes 90.7 Mbits/sec receiver

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

5GHz 802.11ax (Intel WiFi 6 AX201, HP ProBook x360 830 G8)
==========================================================
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth

[SUM] 0.00-10.01 sec 275 MBytes 230 Mbits/sec sender
[SUM] 0.00-10.01 sec 275 MBytes 230 Mbits/sec receiver

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

HP ProBook 855 G8 / HP Thunderbolt G2 Docking Station via 1GBps Switch
======================================================================
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth
[SUM] 0.00-10.00 sec 1.09 GBytes 935 Mbits/sec sender
[SUM] 0.00-10.00 sec 1.09 GBytes 934 Mbits/sec receiver

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[Zl8103]

@LogitComputer, 

How did you open a ticket with HP support?   Can you share the link?    I hope as the more users complain, HP will step up to the plate and address this issue ASAP.  

[LogitComputer]

First, just to clarify, my affected devices are all "HP EliteBook 835 G8" or "HP EliteBook 855 G8". This is business stuff with 3 years warranty, 3/3/0, means 3 years warranty, 3 years labor, 0 years on site support (can be upgraded, actually it is pickup-and-return).

I'm from Switzerland, and there is a "normal" HP Switzerland phone number I've called because the phone number is stored in my PBX.

As per HP Homepage, for the US it is "1-866-625-1175" for business devices.

Go tho this homepage and then change it to your product:

https://support.hp.com/us-en/contact-hp/product/hp-elitebook-855-g8-notebook-pc/38492639/model/21001...

Mabye you are still eglible for support, I don't know.

And if not, clarify that there are a couple of other cases around, business or consumer which have the absolute same problem with the same RTL8822AC card.

HP will not step-up fast because this issue is a couple of months old as per my latest research.

see one example: "buy a new card, here's the YouTube tutorial":

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Wireless-and-Networking/Realtek-RTL8822CE-802-11ac-PCIe-Adapt...

And when you know how to google, here

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=hp+realtek+%22rtl8822ce%22+site%3Ahp.com

There are plenty of entries like "My pc struggles to get 5ghz Wi-Fi even though nothing gets in the connections way, I've tried reinstalling windows and still no fixes." or similar.

To be honest, the more I dig the more I see a neglection of some higher-ups to keep it under the rug.

I mean, come on... me... a one-man-show-business from a tiny town of Switzerland with a population less than 4000 citizens is the only one who can systematically address and research this?

Or is it because we discuss this here in a "Gaming Desktop Forum" and the closed sources like "Business Support" are aware of this, but don't communicate openly?

We'll see what HP tells me. Time for a follow-up-call tomorrow.

So - here its is 18:30, time for dinner.