ac 3160 wireless adapter problems

[Huckleberry2]

Hello,

I bought an HP Envy M6 Notebook; product# G5N44UA#ABA running Windows 8.1 64bit, and I'm having trouble with the wireless network adapter. It's an Intel Duel-band AC3160 Wireless version 16.6.0.8

The problem is that when I close the lid, have the machine go to sleep or turn the computer off, when it restarts it says that it can't connect. When I run the trouble shooter it says there is something wrong wiht my access point (hardware). If I run the access point trouble shooter it restarts the access point which fixes the problem until it goes to sleep again.

What have I tried? So far..

1) uninstalled and reinstalled the driver. No change.

2) changed some settings in power management regarding "lid closing". Changed to "do nothing" when lid closes.

Now when it goes to sleep or turns off, it doesn't detect the network at all unless I reboot again.

I have changed those power settings back, but I need to figure out if I have a hardware problem and how I go about getting it fixed.

Thank you

[MechPilot]

Hello @Huckleberry2,

Welcome to the HP Forums, I hope you enjoy your experience! 

I understand that your notebook is not able to connect to your wireless network very well, and I would be happy to be of assistance!

To re-establish a consistent connection between your notebook and the network, I recommend following this document on Troubleshooting Wireless Network and Internet (Windows 😎. This should help run a diagnostic on your system using the Network and Internet Troubleshooter, as well as steps to keep your system on the wireless network.

Additionally, I also suggest following the steps below to ensure your power management settings are not interfering with

your network connection:

1. Open DEVICE MANAGER
2. Open up NETWORK ADAPTERS
3. Right click on the WiFi Adapter for the pc and left click on PROPERTIES
4. Click on POWER MANAGEMENT at the top.
5. Remove the check mark beside : ALLOW THE COMPUTER TO TURN OFF THIS DEVICE TO SAVE POWER
6. Click OK
7. Close DEVICE MANAGER and test.

NOTE: It may also be checked under the FAMILY CONTROLLER (eg. Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller which would be listed under the WiFi Card). If so, you could remove the check mark beside ALLOW THE COMPUTER TO TURN OFF THIS DEVICE TO SAVE POWER.

If the issue persists, I recommend following the steps below, starting with a flush of the DNS:

Step 1. Click the Start button
Step 2. In the search box, type "Command Prompt"
Step 3. Right-click Command Prompt

Step 4. Click Run as administrator
Step 5. At the command prompt, type "ipconfig /release" and press Enter

Step 6. Type in the command "ipconfig /flushdns"

Was this successful? If not, I would like you to  reset the TCP/IP stack. To do this follow the next set of steps I have set out below:

Step 1. Click the Start button
Step 2. In the search box, type "Command Prompt"
Step 3. Right-click Command Prompt

Step 4. Click Run as administrator
Step 5. Type "netsh winsock reset catalog" and hit Enter
Step 6. Type "netsh int ip reset reset.log" and hit Enter
Step 7. Restart your computer

Next, if none of the above works I would like you to try to Install Windows updates in Windows 8. I would recommend you ensure all updates are done.

Next I would like you to try the next set of steps I have set out for you below:

Step 1. Click the Start button
Step 2. In the search box, type "Windows Explorer"

Step 3. Click on Windows Explorer

Step 4. In the Address bar at the top try to stream a video or download Google Chrome

If you are still not able to connect to your network, you will need to remove and re-install the WiFi adapter drivers on your notebook. To do this, I recommend removing the drivers in Programs and Features and the Device Manager. Once the old software is removed, please restart your computer. The drivers for your wireless network adapter can be downloaded an installed by following this document on Downloading or Updating Software and Drivers for HP Computers. 

Next, if nothing has worked we are going to try using Using Microsoft System Restore (Windows 😎 to restore your computer back to a point in time before this issue arose. This will not affect any personal files you have on your computer, but it will affect any settings you have changed or applications you have installed since the time you go back to. These will have to be re-done once we are finished.

Lastly, If we still have the issue we are at the point where we need to use the HP Support document: Backing Up Your Files (Windows 😎 to back up your personal files. Once we have done this successfully I would like you to review and follow the steps set out in the HP Support document: Performing an HP System Recovery (Windows 😎, which will walk you through restoring your computer back to factory.

***NOTE: This will destroy everything on your computer so make sure you have backed up everything you wish to keep.

reference: http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Other-Notebook-PC-Questions/Laptop-disconnests-from-internet-unable-to-...

Please re-post with the results of your troubleshooting, and I look forward to your reply!

Regards

[hp450g2]

I have researched this problem all over- had the same. It seems this wifi card of Intel is faulty and people with many laptops of different brands have the same problem.

Just do not waste your time. find another wifi card and replace the intel Ac3160. I had it on new my 450g probook and the problem came about after 1 month of usage. I went to a repair shop that had old scrap HP laptops laying around. He gave me a card. I unplugged the old intel and installed the new one. Immediately my laptop recognized the new card and it is working now well. The replacement turned out to be an Qualcomm atheros AR9285 wifi. I the downloaded a newer version of the driver. The one that came with Windows 7 pro was ver 2 - 2009 now I have a version 10- 2012.

[Huckleberry2]

This should have been posted in reply  to SUPPORT.

Yes, thank you. I have tried most of these things you mentioned, except for reinstalling windows. I'm not going to do that. I do think this is a hardware problem with the wireless adapter. The problem is intermittent.

My laptop should still be under warranty,

[Huckleberry2]

Thank you for your post Honor Student. I have read similar posts regarding the wires being loose or disconnected. Not sure if this is my problem or not, but I guess I will have to take a look.

[Huckleberry2]

Yes, thank you MechPilot. I have tried most of these things you mentioned, except for reinstalling windows. I'm not going to do that. I do think this is a hardware problem with the wireless adapter. The problem is intermittent.

The problem went away for a while, then when I moved my laptop to another location it started up again.

My laptop should still be under warranty, Someone else mentioned, and I have read as well about known issues with the wireless not being installed properly. Not sure if this is my issue or not. I guess I will have to look if I can't find a service center in the Seattle area.

[bxcrwlly · Accepted solution]

I was intrigued by the postings and suggested solutions to the AC 3160 Network Adapter issue.  I have an 8 month old HP G0T55AV Envy 15T-K000 Notebook 64Bit Win 8.1 with 12GB Ram and of course the Intel AC 3160 Adapter.  I should mention that I am a long-time supporter of HP products.  This is my second computer of this model as the first one failed miserably with Touch Pad issues and by the way AC 3160 failures, so HP requested I return it and they replaced it with a new one.  Shortly after I received my second "new" one which also came with the AC3160, I started having network disconnects when waking up from sleep mode.  I found the articles regarding unchecking the power saving mode.  That worked for a while and suddenly, I again began having problems.  

I contacted Tech Support Chat on numerous occasions and most recently several days ago.  They diagnosed the problem and as usual tried removing and downloading the drivers which had been done several times before.  They also turned off several of my "startup" services and was planning to leave them off until I objected, which also screwed up some of my services.  I also noticed now I couldn't get the PC to recognize the adapter on wake up.  I'd have to restart the PC to refresh and identify the adapter, a problem I wasn't having before.   So after all that, the recommendation was to perform a factory reset.  I objected, so I was sent a box to ship my computer off to a service center for 7-10 days where the reset would be performed.  Obviously, I would be required to remove all my data and would be required to reinstall all software installed after initially receiving the computer 8 months ago.  WHAT?  Of course this would be at no monetary charge to me; however, the grief of being without my PC, and reloading data and software was a huge emotional event.  

I took a chance to solve on my own.  Since the AC 3160 is an Intel product, I went to the "drivers" page of Intel's website specifically for the AC 3160.  I noticed that the driver iteration used by HP was several iterations behind Intel's current driver.  I tried using Intel's Automated Driver Update program.  The program identified the adapter as in need of updating; however, the driver would not install through their utility.  Don't know why.  I finally found a link on their site that allowed me to download and install their most current driver manually.  I've been running it for almost a week and to date, I haven't had any network card failures.  No losing the connection on sleep, no losing the identity of the adapter, Nothing. 

I'm not advocating that this would work in every failed AC3160 situation, but it seemed to work for me at least to date.  My shipping box to return my PC arrived Friday 2/13; however, I'm holding out that the updated driver will continue to operate successfully.  This does bring some questions to mind:

1)  Why doesn't HP Tech Support use the most current driver updates from the manufacturer?

2)  Why doesn't HP own up to the fact that the AC3160 may be faulty, issue a recall and replace them?  I know the answer! $$$$$$$

3)  Why doesn't HP team up with Intel and provide the end-user a joint solution?

4)  Why doesn't HP provide a specialty group within Tech Support to deal solely with the AC3160 issues to preclude "trial and error" solutions that could potentially cause more harm than good?  

[nishajanaka73]

installed reinstalling

[RPA-in-StC]

Many thanks to bxcrwlly.. for the long and detailed posting, which contained just the hint that I needed: "The program [the Intel Driver Update Utility]," bxcrwlly wrote, "identified the adapter as in need of updating; however, the driver would not install through their utility.  Don't know why.  I finally found a link on their site that allowed me to download and install their most current driver manually.  I've been running it for almost a week and to date, I haven't had any network card failures."

The Intel AC 3160 card in my new HP ENVY 17t-k200, running 64-bit Windows 10, was showing the oddest behavior. After every cold boot or restart from sleep -- and only on the 5GHz band -- an initial run on http://speedtest.charter.com always produced identical results: download speeds would spike at the beginning to nearly my contracted minimum bandwidth (60 Mbps) and then rapidly fall off to almost nothing, stay low for a few  seconds, and then (if the test didn't time out) jump back up to 60 Mbps or more and stay high, sometimes raggedly, sometimes evenly, until the end of the test. After a first test run, all subsequent tests would be normal, as though the 3160 just had to clear its throat in some electronic sense and then all would be well.

I tried most of the many remedies suggested online and a few dead-end experiments of my own, but as it turned out, the cure was simple, just as bxcrwlly.. said.

Both the HP and the Intel driver update utilities either claimed that the 3160's drivers were current or else once, in the case of the Intel utility, tried to install a new driver and failed.

Getting to the right files manually on Intel's site, following bxcrwlly's lead, took some work, but I finally got to the right page for my hardware at https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/75442/Intel-Dual-Band-Wireless-AC-3160. I wasted some time downloading "Intel PROSet/Wireless software for Bluetooth technology" until I finally identified the "Intel PROSet/Wireless software for Windows 10, 64 bit" of which there were two possible files:

Wireless_18.12.0_De164.exe (27MB)

and

Wireless_18.12.0_e164.exe (108MB)

Intel's help pages tried to enlighten me, but I never did become certain what the difference is between De164 and the e164 versions, but I suspect the bigger e164 file includes administrative software that I don't need. So I gambled on installing the smaller of the two files first and got lucky. The installation was quick, uncomplicated, and exactly what my AC 3160 card needed.

What I had was Driver Version 17.15.0.5 dated 2/22/2015

What I replaced it with is Driver Version 18.12.0.3 dated 7/16/2015.

The AC 3160 has been rock-solid ever since. That has only been a couple of days, but the 3160's misbehavior with Driver Version 17.15.0.5 was so systematic, and its recovery with Driver Version 18.12.0.3 has been so complete, that this posting is probably not premature. I will post a correction if it is.

[bxcrwlly]

RPA-In-STC

Glad to hear you were successful at resolving your adapter issue.  Agree, the convoluted Intel website made it difficult to figure out the right update to download.  I think I guessed right as well.  Anywho, I haven't had any issues with my adapter since I made the update.  Even after upgrading to W10, things are running smoothly(knock on wood).  Hopefull they will stay that way.