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Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

Bal-
Guide

WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

I've recently configured my Netgear RAXE500 router and experiencing issues with very slow speeds and low signal with Wi-Fi 6E and I'm unable to authenticate with WPA3-Personal using the Intel AX210 module (The only desktop device that supports Wi-Fi 6E)

 

Setup

 

  • Netgear RAXE500
  • CM1100 Cable Modem connected to WAN/port1 (LAG 2x 1GbE)
  • Windows 10 Desktop PC 1GbE
  • DS420+ NAS (LAG 2x 1GbE) on ports 3/4 
  • Windows 10 Desktop PC (W10 Pro 21H1) w/ Intel AX210 Wireless Module (PCIe) (driver 22.30.0.11)

 

Problem #1

 

Unable to authenticate with 6Ghz band using WPA3-Personal. This is concerning since it's the only security available for the 6Ghz band. Intel says Windows 10 doesn't support WPA3 until the next update, even though their literature says the module is fully Windows 10 compatible and Microsoft says Windows 10 supports WPA3. I call hogwash on that since I'm running the "next" update 21H1 (beta) and it still doesn't work. I highly suspect this is an issue with the AX210 driver (I can't get WPA3 to authenticate in Ubuntu 20.10 w/Linux 5.10 kernel either) since it's (very poorly) working with the Samsung S21 Ultra but I do not understand why we have no WPA2 option on the RAXE500.

 

"netsh wlan show drivers" shows that WPA3-Personal is supported by the Intel AX210 driver...

 

There are multiple posts on Intel's forums about this, no real answers, and nobody seems to have this issue on the Samsung S21 Ultra, including myself.

 

1.jpg

 

Problem #2

 

Very low signal and very slow speeds on the 6GHz band compared to the 2.4/5 GHz AX bands. When connecting with the 6Ghz band using "Enhanced Open" (the only option that will let me connect), I get slower than 2.4GHz WiFi 6 speeds MOST of the time and have yet to see it surpass the 5GHz Wi-Fi 6 speeds at all.

 

The RAXE500 is mounted 4 inches below the ceiling with antennas unfolded approximately 20' away, line of sight from the desktop antennaes in my office.

I've tried 4 different antennas from the stock ones PCIe adapter antennas to 9" aftermarket mounted 4" below the ceiling and have had no change in results on the wifi (although the 9"-inchers allow bluetooth to work halfway down the block, so that's cool.).

 

The 6GHz signal fluctuates from 40-60% while 2.4 / 5GHz are sitting at 100%.

 

I've tested all manner of switching channels, disabling other radios, etc. Nothing makes a difference, the 6GHz signal is just very weak.

 

I cannot solely place blame on Netgear for the signal issues here (the several bugs I experienced in the RAXE500 management portal are another story) since I'm also experiencing this same low-signal behavior with the ASUS GT-AXE11000's Wi-Fi 6E 6GHz band. Surely this behavior was seen during testing by all 4 manufacturers involved (Intel, Broadcom, Netgear, and Asus) since there are several dozen similar reports from consumers experiencing the same issues with Wi-Fi 6E. Why is the Wi-Fi 6E 6GHz technology being marketed (By Netgear, and others) as faster than Wi-Fi 6 5GhZ, having better signal range, and more secure when the most common use case (Windows 10 with an AX210 Intel Wireless Module) currently fail in all of those areas?

 

Wi-Fi 6 2.4GHz 

  • Link speed (r/t):
    • 258/244
  • Signal: -44dBm
  • Transfer Rate (iperf3): 
    • [SUM] 0.00-10.01 sec 165 MBytes 138 Mbits/sec sender
      [SUM] 0.00-10.01 sec 164 MBytes 137 Mbits/sec receiver
  • Transfer Rate (speedtest.net d/u)
    • 140.88/ 35.03

 

Wi-Fi 6 5GHz

  • Link speed (r/t):
    • 1922/865
  • Signal: -58dBm
  • Transfer Rate (iperf3): 
    • [SUM] 0.00-10.00 sec 544 MBytes 457 Mbits/sec sender
      [SUM] 0.00-10.00 sec 543 MBytes 456 Mbits/sec receiver
  • Transfer Rate (speedtest.net d/u)
    • 476.46 / 34.99

Wi-Fi 6E 6GHz

  • Link speed (r/t): 
    • 576/103
  • Signal: -82dBm
  • Transfer Rate (iperf3): 
    • [SUM] 0.00-10.01 sec 56.2 MBytes 47.1 Mbits/sec sender
      [SUM] 0.00-10.01 sec 55.1 MBytes 46.2 Mbits/sec receiver
  • Transfer Rate (speedtest.net d/u)
    • 232.62 / 7.97

 

Hopefully these issues will be resolved in time, as with any new technology, but for now I can say the cost and hassle of Wi-Fi 6E is not at all worth it for the slow speeds and connectivity issues I've experienced thus far. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Message 1 of 45
plemans
Guru

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

The wpa3 issue is a intel/windows issues. Otherwise the S21 wouldn't work. 
I've ran into the same thing with my RAXE500. 

 

In terms of speeds, its an issue with LPI (low power indoor) and the basic usage of how 6ghz works. Like 2.4ghz can penetrate further and though more materials than 5ghz, the 5ghz can do more than 6ghz. 

The fcc doesn't currently support as high of power output on the 6g band as it does on the 5ghz and 2.4ghz band. So you see a much more rapid fall off in terms of signal strenght with distance than you do either band. 

 

there's been talk of it being increased by the fcc this fall but so far its only approved for low power indoor usage. 

 

I've messaged with netgear before on this I currently wouldn't recommend the RAXE500 over the RAX200 because the 3rd band is close to useless with its lower output power and the fact that windows/intel haven't even caught up on drivers yet. 

Message 2 of 45
avtella
Prodigy

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

WPA3 on 6Ghz requires something additional called SAE Hash to Element, it won't be available till the Windows 10 21H1 update this summer and will require a newer Intel driver supporting that function. This is not a router issue as Plemans pointed out.

Message 3 of 45
Topology
Virtuoso

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

Bal, thank you for an exceptionally well-written overview of your current experience with the RAXE500.  Two follow-up questions….

 

[1] Is the LAG connection between the router and the CM1100 modem working well?

 

[2] Is the LAG connection between the router and the Synology DS420+ working well?  Is the performance of the NAS noticeably improved as a result?

 

And, one point of clarification:  I do not believe NETGEAR has claimed that the RAXE500 provides better signal range on the 6GHz band?  The only relevant comment I have seen is in the product datasheet:  “6GHz band is limited to indoor range.”

Model: RAX120|Nighthawk AX12 12-Stream WiFi Router
Message 4 of 45
Bal-
Guide

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

Thank you to all that replied to my original post!

 

To address @plemans comments regarding FCC restrictions..."In terms of speeds, its an issue with LPI (low-power indoor) and the basic usage of how 6ghz works. Like 2.4ghz can penetrate further and though more materials than 5ghz, the 5ghz can do more than 6ghz. "

 

As I understand it, the FCC's Low Power Indoor designation for 6GHz is not intended to mean lower power (signal) than existing (2.4GHz / 5GHz) indoor home devices. The LPI designation is a way to differentiate home use from outdoor commercial applications (such as Outdoor AP's or Point-to-Point devices, Emergency systems). If you look at the LPI power restrictions for the 6GHz band, they're identical to the current 5GHz designations, so I do not believe that should be a factor here..

 

6GHz Low-Power (indoor only)
Maximum Conducted Power: 24 (dBm)
Maximum EIRP: 30 (dBm)
Maximum Spectral Density EIRP: 17 (dBm\MHz)

 

My AX210 Antenna is about 20 feet in line of sight of the access point (indoors), so the only material it has to go through is the air. In addition to that, the 6GHz band is specifically advertised as "Reduce congestion and interference". If 20' of air with no other 6GHz devices is considered congestion or interference for an access point, I don't know what to say to that. 

 

If I'm wrong, and the FCC is removing some restriction on transmit power, does that mean Wi-Fi 6E devices can be updated with firmware, or would that require new hardware?

 

Here are some quotes from the literature on the box and website advertising the RAXE500 and WiFi 6E. None of these statements would indicate to a consumer the 6GHz band on the RAXE500 (or WiFi 6E in general) is designed to be lower power/signal and/or slower than 5GHz.

 

RAXE500 Box

"Recommended for a 5-6 bedroom home" - (I think this was supposed to say tent-home, or a homeless encampment, perhaps)

 

Under "WiFi 6-Expanded":

  • Dedicated WiFi for new devices
  • Smoothest & fastest streaming, gaming & video conferencing
  • Enjoy top speeds for all your devices


Under "Cutting Edge Performance":

  • New 6GHz WiFi Band** - Enjoy faster speed and less congestion with over 200% more available spectrum than dual-band (5GHz & 2.4GHz) WiFi alone."The ** says "Clients must support 6GHz band (WiFi 6E).
  • Ultra Low Latency - Very few devices on the 6GHz band means lower latency for gaming and real-time traffic.
  • More High Bandwidth WiFi Channels - Blazing fast speed and less interference with 3X more high-bandwidth 160Mhz WiFi channels.

RAXE500 Product Page

 

Under "WiFi 6E Stands Alone - Open an Exclusive New Path to the Future of WiFi"

  • Reduce congestion and interference


RAXE500 Data Sheet - RAXE500_DS_11Mar21_tcm148-119463.pdf

 

Under "Wifi 6E: Expanding WiFi with New Speeds"

  • Nighthawk® RAXE500 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Router is powered by WiFi 6E, delivering the smoothest and fastest streaming, eLearning,
    video conferencing, and gaming experience. Now you can have all the power of 6th generation WiFi plus expanded speeds, connections, and capacity with a completely new and wider 6GHz WiFi band that has up to 3.5X more WiFi channels.
  • Plus, eight high-performance antennas on the router amplify WiFi signals for maximized range and reliable coverage for a 5-6 bedroom home.
  • Introducing WiFi 6E, delivering the smoothest and fastest streaming, eLearning, video conferencing, and gaming experience. Now you can have all the power of 6th-generation WiFi plus expanded speeds, connections, and capacity thanks to a completely new and wider 6GHz WiFi band with more WiFi channels.
  • New 6GHz WiFi Band—Exclusive access for only devices supporting the new 6GHz band means less congestion and faster speed
    More Spectrum—Up to 200% more spectrum than dual band (2.4GHz & 5GHz) WiFi to WiFi 6E devices
    More High-Bandwidth WiFi Channels—Up to 3.5X more high-bandwidth 160MHz WiFi channels for applications such as your
    8K video streaming 
  • Ultra-Low Latency—Less traffic on the 6GHz band gives you lower latency for your AR/VR gaming and other WiFi-intense applications
    Cutting-Edge WPA3 Security—The latest WiFi security protocol to keep your family and network safe
    Under WiFi Range - Faster and expanded coverage throughout your home and for all your devices.
  • ULTIMATE RANGE - WiFi coverage throughout very large homes


To address @Topology  's questions....

 

  • [1] Is the LAG connection between the router and the CM1100 modem working well?
    • Yes, seems to be working just fine. My Internet bandwidth is capped at 1gbps dows so I cannot tell if it's truly using all of the bandwidth, but thus far I have not had any disconnects or loss of the link aggregation on either the modem or router side.
  • [2] Is the LAG connection between the router and the Synology DS420+ working well?  Is the performance of the NAS noticeably improved as a result?
    • Yes here as well, the Synology NAS created the bond without issue and the connection has not dropped once. When using the 2.5GBPS LAN port the write speed sits around 1890mbps, so that is quite an improvement over the 900ish mbps I was receiving before aggregation with a single LAN. I do have 2 Samsung 980 Pro NVMe drives in the NAS in addition to the 4x 10tb IronWolfs so that may be helping with write speeds too. Wireless is slower than that, as expected, but still not bad on the 5GHz AX. Thus far have no issues or complaints with the speed of the Wired connection or the Wi-Fi 2.4/5GHz AX bands. My only issue here is with the 6GHz band signal/performance and being unable to connect securely.

 

To address @avtella's comment regarding WPA / SAE....

 

According to the latest (1/28/2021) WiFi Alliance certification for the AX210, it's listed as supporting WPA3-Personal and WPA3-Enterprise with Windows 10, version 2004 on the 6GHz band. Intel also has the AX210 listed on it's list of devices that support WPA3 on Windows 10

 

  • WPA3-Personal
    • Intel® Wireless adapters fully support WPA3-Personal using Windows® 10 May 2019 version 1903 Update or later, and Wi-Fi driver 21.10.X or later.
  • WPA3-Enterprise
    • Intel® Wireless adapters fully support WPA3-Enterprise using Windows® 10 May 2020 version 2004 Update or later, and Wi-Fi driver 21.90.3.X or later.


According to Microsoft, they have supported WPA3-SAE as of WDI 0.1.1.8.

 

Running "netsh wlan show wirelesscapabilities" (Windows 10 Pro 10.0.19043 Build 19043 21H1) shows both SAE and OWE are supported. SAE is supported in Linux, but I have the same authentication issue there as well (OWE works).

 

WDI Version (Windows) : 0.1.1.9

WDI Version (IHV) : 0.1.1.9

SAE Authentication : Supported
OWE Authentication : Supported

 

The Windows connection log does show Wireless security succeeded then all of a sudden Wireless security stops. Strange, and does seem to indicate some sort of Windows / Driver issue.

 

wifi_report.PNG

 

As I type this, I just got notification Intel officially released driver 22.40.0.7 for the AX210. When it installed through Windows Update a few days ago I got a BSOD and had to roll back, but about to try it again and hope for the best....

Message 5 of 45
Bal-
Guide

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

Thank you to all that replied to my original post!

 

@plemans  comments regarding FCC restrictions..."In terms of speeds, its an issue with LPI (low-power indoor) and the basic usage of how 6ghz works. Like 2.4ghz can penetrate further and though more materials than 5ghz, the 5ghz can do more than 6ghz.

 

As I understand it, the FCC's Low Power Indoor designation for 6GHz is not intended to mean lower power (signal) than existing (2.4GHz / 5GHz) indoor home devices. The LPI designation is a way to differentiate home use from outdoor commercial applications (such as Outdoor AP's or Point-to-Point devices, Emergency systems). If you look at the LPI power restrictions for the 6GHz band, they're identical to the current 5GHz designations, so I do not believe that should be a factor here..

 

6GHz Low-Power (indoor only)
Maximum Conducted Power: 24 (dBm)
Maximum EIRP: 30 (dBm)
Maximum Spectral Density EIRP: 17 (dBm\MHz)

 

My AX210 Antenna is about 20 feet in line of sight of the access point (indoors), so the only material it has to go through is the air. In addition to that, the 6GHz band is specifically advertised as "Reduce congestion and interference". If 20' of air with no other 6GHz devices is considered congestion or interference for a wireless device, I don't know what to say to that. 

 

If I'm wrong, and the FCC is removing some restriction on transmit power, does that mean Wi-Fi 6E devices can be updated with firmware, or would that require new hardware?

 

Here are some quotes from the literature on the box and website advertising the RAXE500 and WiFi 6E. None of these statements would indicate to a consumer the 6GHz band on the RAXE500 (or WiFi 6E in general) is designed to be lower power/signal and/or slower than 5GHz.

 

RAXE500 Box

"Recommended for a 5-6 bedroom home" - (I think this was supposed to say tent-home, or a homeless encampment, perhaps)

 

Under "WiFi 6-Expanded":

"Dedicated WiFi for new devices"
"Smoothest & fastest streaming, gaming & video conferencing"
"Enjoy top speeds for all your devices"


Under "Cutting Edge Performance":

"New 6GHz WiFi Band** - Enjoy faster speed and less congestion with over 200% more available spectrum than dual-band (5GHz & 2.4GHz) WiFi alone."
The ** says "Clients must support 6GHz band (WiFi 6E)."
"Ultra Low Latency - Very few devices on the 6GHz band means lower latency for gaming and real-time traffic".
"More High Bandwidth WiFi Channels - Blazing fast speed and less interference with 3X more high-bandwidth 160Mhz WiFi channels."
RAXE500 Product Page

 

Under "WiFi 6E Stands Alone - Open an Exclusive New Path to the Future of WiFi"

"Reduce congestion and interference"


RAXE500 Data Sheet - RAXE500_DS_11Mar21_tcm148-119463.pdf

 

Under "Wifi 6E: Expanding WiFi with New Speeds"

"Nighthawk® RAXE500 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Router is powered by WiFi 6E, delivering the smoothest and fastest streaming, eLearning,
video conferencing, and gaming experience. Now you can have all the power of 6th generation WiFi plus expanded speeds, connections, and capacity with a completely new and wider 6GHz WiFi band that has up to 3.5X more WiFi channels."
"Plus, eight high-performance antennas on the router amplify WiFi signals for maximized range and reliable coverage for a 5-6 bedroom home."
Introducing WiFi 6E, delivering the smoothest and fastest streaming, eLearning, video conferencing, and gaming experience. Now you can have all the power of 6th-generation WiFi plus expanded speeds, connections, and capacity thanks to a completely new and wider 6GHz WiFi band with more WiFi channels.
New 6GHz WiFi Band—Exclusive access for only devices supporting the new 6GHz band means less congestion and faster speed
More Spectrum—Up to 200% more spectrum than dual band (2.4GHz & 5GHz) WiFi to WiFi 6E devices
More High-Bandwidth WiFi Channels—Up to 3.5X more high-bandwidth 160MHz WiFi channels for applications such as your
8K video streaming 
Ultra-Low Latency—Less traffic on the 6GHz band gives you lower latency for your AR/VR gaming and other WiFi-intense applications
Cutting-Edge WPA3 Security—The latest WiFi security protocol to keep your family and network safe
Under WiFi Range - Faster and expanded coverage throughout your home and for all your devices.

ULTIMATE RANGE - WiFi coverage throughout very large homes


@Topology 

 

[1] Is the LAG connection between the router and the CM1100 modem working well?
Yes, is seems to be working just fine. My Internet bandwidth is capped at 1gbps dows so I cannot tell if it's truly using all of the bandwidth, but thus far I have not had any disconnects or loss of the link aggregation on either the modem or router side.
[2] Is the LAG connection between the router and the Synology DS420+ working well?  Is the performance of the NAS noticeably improved as a result?
Yes here as well, the Synology NAS created the bond without issue and the connection has not dropped once. When using the 2.5GBPS LAN port the write speed sits around 1890mbps, so that is quite an improvement over the 900ish mbps I was receiving before aggregation with a single LAN. I do have 2 Samsung 980 Pro NVMe drives in the NAS in addition to the 4x 10tb IronWolfs so that may be helping with write speeds too. Wireless is slower than that, as expected, but still not bad on the 5GHz AX.
Thus far have no issues or complaints with the speed of the Wired connection or the Wi-Fi 2.4/5GHz AX bands. My only issue here is with the 6GHz band signal/performance and being unable to connect securely.

 

@avtellaregarding WPA / SAE....

 

According to the latest (1/28/2021) WiFi Alliance certification for the AX210, it's listed as supporting WPA3-Personal and WPA3-Enterprise with Windows 10, version 2004 on the 6GHz band. Intel also has the AX210 listed on it's list of devices that support WPA3 on Windows 10

WPA3-Personal:
Intel® Wireless adapters fully support WPA3-Personal using Windows® 10 May 2019 version 1903 Update or later, and Wi-Fi driver 21.10.X or later.
WPA3-Enterprise:
Intel® Wireless adapters fully support WPA3-Enterprise using Windows® 10 May 2020 version 2004 Update or later, and Wi-Fi driver 21.90.3.X or later.
According to Microsoft, they have supported WPA3-SAE as of WDI 0.1.1.8.

 

Running "netsh wlan show wirelesscapabilities" (Windows 10 Pro 10.0.19043 Build 19043 21H1) shows both SAE and OWE are supported. SAE is supported in Linux, but I have the same authentication issue there as well (OWE works).

 

WDI Version (Windows) : 0.1.1.9

WDI Version (IHV) : 0.1.1.9

SAE Authentication : Supported
OWE Authentication : Supported

 

Here's an output of the connection log, it does show Wireless security succeeded then all of a sudden Wireless security stops. Strange, but does seem to indicate some sort of Windows / Driver issue.

 

 

 

As I type this, I just got notification Intel officially released driver 22.40.0.7 for the AX210. When it installed through Windows Update a few days ago I got a BSOD and had to roll back, but about to try it again and hope for the best....

 

Update: This is the third time attempting to post this today, so all of my formatting and links are gone (sorry)...  If anyone did see my original reply, I did install the latest Intel driver 22.40.0.7 that I was notified about today. No blue screens this time but still unable to connect to WPA3.

 

 

 

Message 6 of 45
Topology
Virtuoso

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

FYI: Concerning the issue of WiFi 6e power levels, this article may be of interest.

Message 7 of 45
avtella
Prodigy

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

WPA3 on 6Ghz has extra requirements... It requires Hash to Element (H2E).

 

Everything you listed only refers to the standard WPA3, thats already available on most AX devices and does not require H2E on 2.4 Ghz  and 5 Ghz. H2E is not available in Windows 10 1903... You need 21H1.

Message 8 of 45
Razor512
Prodigy

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

For your desktop PC with the AX210, are you using antennas connected by a long coax cable? if so, then the signal loss over the length of the cable is really harmful to 6GHz band, especially since the FCC intially really crippled the 6GHz band, though the WiFi industry is working to get the FCC to be more reasonable.

 

One of the main issues with the FCC limitation is the transmit power limits. On 160MHz channel width, there is a cap of 250mW for the AP and 127mW for the client device, but that does not mean that you will always be at that limit, since they further impose another gut punch of PSD.

 

PS, at 80MHz channel width, the transmit power due to the restrictions, are cut in half for both the client and AP (and arefurther halved at 40MHz, and 20MHz)

 

 

GxROOYe

 

The limitations, if paired with a long cable, or worse, an antenna that is not well suited for the 6GHz band in addition to a long coax cable causing a 5+ dB  drop in signal strength of what is already a heavily limited transmit power.

 

These are all things that will improve over time as the FCC loosens some of the restrictions, and WiFi AP and client devices release firmware updates to take advantage of looser restrictions, as the hardware is highly capable.

For the desktop setups the main isue that I have seen are from companies selling the adapters with a very basic 2 stream antenna, and a really long coax.

 

J1ZImAj

 

They end up suffering so much line loss that they struggle on 6Gz and even 5GHz DFS channels.

 

 

Aside from that, Windows 10 currently does not have full WPA3 support on the 6GHz band unless you go with a beta/insider build of Windows 10, though that update will make its way to the mainstream builds once everything is confirmed stable.

Message 9 of 45
Razor512
Prodigy

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

Seems images are not working when I attampt to attach them.

 

PSD image (first image inmy post above) https://i.imgur.com/GxROOYe.jpg 

 

WiFI antenna example image (second image in the post): https://i.imgur.com/J1ZImAj.jpg 

 

 

Message 10 of 45
Bal-
Guide

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

@Razor512 Your point is valid and I can confirm the longer the coax cable, the worse the signal gets (as is the case with the 2.4 and 5ghz bands too). Directly connected (no coax), the stock antennas from the AX210, 12" antennas, and two of the antennas from a ASUS GT-AX11000 directly connected without any coax cable all show poor snr 20' away from the router with no walls, other devices, to interfere. Out of those antenna types, the 12" antennas had the best SNR, as expected. I can mirror this signal issue with my Samsung Galaxy S21 as well. It is constantly between 2-3 'bars' while the 2.4/5GHz are at 5. That is 10-20' away from the router, if I go into another room through a wall it gets even worse. If you look at the mbps (transfer rate) under the connection properties, it will say something like 670/29 (d/u) which is FAR lower speed than the 5GHz band at 2129/1441, and even worse than 2.4Ghz when it comes to upstream. Sometimes 6GHz feels saucy and goes to 1953/160. Changing channels and the other settings seem to have no effect. Why would Wi-Fi 6E be slower AND have more interference? Definitely not how it's advertised. Even if I could get WPA3 to work with other devices, it's still effectively useless if it's going to be that much slower than 5GHz.

 

@avtella I'm running Windows 21H1 10.0.19043 (KB5001330) and can confirm Wi-Fi 6E WPA3 does not work with that build or the latest Windows Developers Preview release (I forget the build #) using Intel driver 22.40.0.7. Both Intel and Netgear support told me I need to wait for Windows 21H1 (which I have), but neither have provided and proof that that will actually resolve the issue. AX210 Wi-Fi 6E WPA3 authentication also fails on Ubuntu 20.10 / Kernel 5.11 as well, which does clearly support Hash-to-Element, and I have confirmed it shows to be enabled. 

 

When asking Intel which OS / Build they tested the AX210 WPA3 Wi-Fi 6E on when receiving the Wi-Fi Alliance Certification they "are unable to provide that information.".

 

I have yet to see any working examples of WPA3 on Wi-Fi 6E on any device other than the Samsung Galaxy S21 running Android. 

Since Intel was unwilling (or couldn't) provide any information as to how this was tested, it would be very helpful if Netgear can provide any sort of information as to how they successfully tested Wi-Fi 6E WPA3 internally , so we can attempt to replicate it.

Message 11 of 45
avtella
Prodigy

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

You need 21H1 and a new Intel Driver… 22.40.07 does not support H2E… You need 22.50.

Linux kernel supporting H2E doesn’t mean much if the Intel firmware that’s included with it doesn’t. You likely need to manually update the firmware or wait for next iteration.
Message 12 of 45
avtella
Prodigy

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

Intel has had working H2E capable drivers for a few months. They don’t just give it out to people, it was NDA protected. They won’t help you because H2E capable driver was not officially out. They will release drivers officially when they see fit.



Message 13 of 45
avtella
Prodigy

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

22.50 is now in beta and available for 21H1. May also be available to extract from the Killer Networking Beta package.
Message 14 of 45
Bal-
Guide

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

Wi-Fi 6E WPA3 is still not functional on Intel AX210 driver 22.50.1.1 and Windows 10 21H1   19043.1023

 

Guess I'll keep waiting for someone to get their sh*t together.

Message 15 of 45
martyr444
Apprentice

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

As of 5-31-2021 WPA3 still won't connect with Windows 10 and AX210. I'm on the 21H1 of Windows 10.

 

Message 16 of 45
pdegan2814
Tutor

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

Once 21H1 was available, I updated my AX210 to the 22.50 drivers(available as an optional update in Win10), and tried to set up the 6GHz band for WPA3. It still would not work. Honestly, at this point I'm ready to take engineers from Netgear, Intel and Microsoft and lock them in a room until they can come up with a consensus of what still needs updating.

Message 17 of 45
martyr444
Apprentice

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

They would just point a finger at each other.

Message 18 of 45
Razor512
Prodigy

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

Currently everything is waiting on Microsoft to release an official update to eeryone to enable WPA3 on the 6GHz band.

 

The AX210's hardware as well as drivers are largely ready, but the windows update for it is still locked behind one of their unstable branches where if you join that branch, you wil need to reinstall windows to leave it.

 

Message 19 of 45
pdegan2814
Tutor

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500


@martyr444 wrote:

They would just point a finger at each other.


Then I guess the door would stay locked.

Message 20 of 45
Bal-
Guide

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

As of 06/14/21 - Wi-Fi 6E WPA3 is still not functional on Intel AX210 driver 22.60.0.6 and Windows 10 21H1 19043.1055

 

 

Message 21 of 45
martyr444
Apprentice

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

Start to look more and more like a Windows 10 issue.

Message 22 of 45
6Ghz
Aspirant

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

I just tried with Windows 11 and AX210 driver 22.60.0.6 and WPA3 still doesn't work.

Model: RAX120|Nighthawk AX12 12-Stream WiFi Router
Message 23 of 45
martyr444
Apprentice

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

They keep saying by the end of the year.............waiting waiting waiting

Message 24 of 45
Razor512
Prodigy

Re: WiFi 6E Problems - RAXE500

Sadly it seems Microsoft is more interested in giving Windows 11 a worse UI that eastes more vertical and horizontal screen space, rather than pushing out the major update for windows 10 that includes the full WPA 3 support.

Message 25 of 45
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