Zephryus G16 (2024) – Connectivity Problems Reported Wi-Fi issues with the device.
Zephryus G16 (2024) – Connectivity Problems Reported Wi-Fi issues with the device.
Details... ASUS - ROG Zephyrus G16 16" OLED QHD 240Hz Gaming Laptop - Intel Core Ultra 9 - 32GB LPDDR5X - NVIDIA RTX 4090 - 2TB SSD - Eclipse Gray (Model: GU605MY-G16.U94090) This model is brand new and fully updated. It performs excellently when used alone (no external screen, no keyboard/mouse dongles needed). If a device is connected (like an external monitor or a dongle), Wi-Fi drops. ...Possible fix: Adjust Intel Network Adapter to 5GHz... But signal remains weak/unstable. I can only use one peripheral. For instance, I’ve linked an external monitor and switched keyboard/mouse to Bluetooth. That works fine. Now playing GTA V (needs network) is nearly impossible... connectivity feels very poor. I’ve tried everything: reset adapters, reinstall drivers, restarted the PC twice... No fix. Sent it to Best Buy Geek Squad since buying from BB. They offer a special 5GHz Wi-Fi solution. Their tech says if my laptop doesn’t show their network as available, hardware may be faulty. They noted that intermittent display confirmed hardware issues. So here I am—switching to a new machine in hope it solves the problem. I’m sharing this because I don’t think a $3k new laptop should have this issue. There’s a growing concern that upgrading to Wi-Fi 7 won’t help much. What else might I be missing?
It might have been a faulty WiFi card. Interference can occur easily. Any gadget using the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz bands can disrupt WiFi signals. For instance, Bluetooth operates on 2.4 GHz, and I've noticed others using similar frequencies. 6 GHz tends to experience fewer interferences since it's newer, but you need to be near it to connect. Both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz are common, yet 2.4 has more noise. 6 GHz offers less range and penetration than the others. Higher frequency bands provide quicker speeds but weaker coverage. Remember, Bluetooth also runs on 2.4 GHz, so network problems could stem from this. The WiFi card itself might be the culprit. Keep an eye on the new laptop and see if the issue persists.
I'd like to add to this since I have the same laptop model and have experienced a similar Wi-Fi issue as @jimbo.actual running on Windows 11. TLDR: If you buy ANY laptop with an HDMI that supports 4k+ resolution at 120hz+, test it on an external display at the highest resolution and refresh rate settings with the lid closed and check for Wi-Fi connection issues on 6Ghz, 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz. Preferably not in the same room as your wireless router/access point. Quick fix, if you have Wi-Fi connection issues, keep the laptop lid open at all times when in use, or lower refresh rate or resolution via "Advanced display", "Display adapter properties", "List All Modes", or use a different connection frequency, such as 2.4Ghz. Long-term, I'd contact the place of purchase for help or maybe the laptop maker for support, or maybe try to get help on this forum. The issue is, when the laptop lid is closed and connected to an external display via HDMI, the 5GHz Wi-Fi signal drops to almost zero. I experienced this issue while using the laptop in a media room about 15ft from our AC wireless router, through 1 floor and 1 wall. The external display used is an LG C4 OLED 4k connected via HDMI with a Zeskit MAYA 48Gbps certified cable. The Wi-Fi card on the laptop is a Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211. Both mouse and keyboard were connected via USB cable during the checks. Our overpriced Xfinity/Comcast internet service is 200mbps download and 40mbps upload. I'll add four images here showing different speedtest results. First is Wi-Fi at 5GHz with the external display connected at 4k 120Hz and the laptop lid open. Spoiler Second image is the same as first except I closed the laptop lid. Spoiler Third image is the same as second except I changed the display refresh rate to 60Hz. Spoiler Fourth is with the Wi-Fi connection changed to 2.4GHz. Spoiler Do you see the problem? Both the first image and second image show it, but at different severity levels. It took multiple attempts just to get the second image simply because Wi-Fi kept failing to connect or disconnected in the middle of the speedtest. Meanwhile, images three and four are standard for our 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz speeds, but of course, these speeds do fluctuate throughout the day thanks to our ISP. It took me awhile to narrow it down. For some reason, when connected to an external display via HDMI and the refresh rate is over 60Hz, the Wi-Fi signal degrades significantly and will drop to zero when the laptop lid is closed. I've reinstalled drivers multiple times, reinstalled Windows 11 multiple times, tried with G-Sync on/off and messed with power settings. None of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was whether you were using HDMI and the refresh rate was over 60Hz. Another thing I noticed after I right-clicked the desktop, then went to "Display settings", then "Advanced display", where it says "Active signal mode". In this area, when I changed resolutions on the display, the active signal mode resolution did not change. For example, when I changed display resolution to 1920x1080, the "Desktop mode" changed to 1920x1080 while the active signal mode was still 3840x2160. Why is this relevant? Well, when I ran a speedtest with resolution set to 1920x1080 and the refresh rate at 120Hz, the Wi-Fi signal would drop. This is because the active signal mode is still 3840x2160 at 120Hz. This didn't change when switching from 4k to 1080p resolution. You have to open up the NVIDIA control panel and change resolution there to get BOTH the "Desktop mode" and "Active signal mode" to change. Doing so, I was able to verify that no issues occurred at 120Hz when the resolution was set to 1080p via NVIDIA control panel. You can also get both "Desktop mode" and "Active signal mode" to change via "Advanced display", "Display adapter properties", "List All Modes". Make a selection, then click on "OK" then click on "Apply". Since not everyone has an NVIDIA dGPU, the latter option may be able to help you. Spoiler So what happens if I use the USB-C ports for display output instead do they also cause Wi-Fi to drop? Spoiler No. I can run at 4k 120Hz via either USB-C with G-Sync on/off or with any power plan set or with iGPU on with dGPU off or vice versa. No matter what combination I tried, Wi-Fi performance was only limited by my ISP. What about the 2.4Ghz band? That is one of the odd things. At no point during all my checks was the 2.4Ghz adversely affected. At least enough for me to see or notice. What about the 6Ghz band? I was unable to check that since I don't have a 6Ghz-capable wireless router. So what is the cause? I'm not sure, but since the HDMI port is directly connected to the dGPU and only works with the dGPU enabled, my best guess is some interference is happening somewhere along the connection that is only affecting the 5Ghz Wi-Fi signal. What REALLY concerns me about what I experienced is I only noticed it after I used an external display AND closed the laptop lid AND was using 5Ghz Wi-Fi, which was three months after the original purchase from Best Buy. If I had known about this issue during the Best Buy return window would I have returned it? No, I would still have kept it. This was the only serious issue I noticed in three months of use. Considering what I've read from other users about the "ASUS laptop experience", I'd say I was blessed in comparison since I only had to deal with this. Quick fix if you have Wi-Fi connection issues, keep the laptop lid open at all times when in use, or lower refresh rate or resolution via "Advanced display", "Display adapter properties", "List All Modes". Make a selection, then click on "OK" then click on "Apply" or use a different Wi-Fi connection frequency, such as 2.4Ghz. Long-term, I'd contact the place of purchase for help or maybe the laptop maker for support, or maybe try to get help on this forum. I noticed this issue happens with other laptop makers as well, not just ASUS when I did a web search. For me, this issue is more of an annoyance. Other people however, may not want to have to deal with this. It was very annoying trying to figure out what was going on. That's for sure. If you are having Wi-Fi issues with a VPN on Windows 11, disabling "Open VPN Data Channel Offload" in Device Manager helped me. Spoiler Anyway, would it be better for this to be transferred to the Troubleshooting topic section, although with search, maybe not necessary? Hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day. It'd be nice if Razer 2.4Ghz dongles were better quality.