[SOLVED] TP-Link Archer C9 and 5Ghz Band

[Umbra]

Hi guys,

so i just acquired a TP-Link Archer C9 AC1900+

On my main laptop which use this network card: Atheros/Qualcomm QCA9377 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter
I can connect (sometimes) to my 5Ghz band but i have no speed at all...
Also my Phone, a Sony Experia A1 Ultra can't connect to it too.

on 2.4Ghz band, all is perfect and i have very good connection.

After googling i found those (maybe valid) clues:

- maybe my network card drivers isn't optimized for 5Ghz band
- My router has 3 antennas, and some cards aren't compatible

Do any of you have found a solution ?

or should i buy a 802.11ac USB adapter? like this one: http://www.tp-link.com/us/products/details/cat-5520_Archer-T4U.html


Thank you by advance.

 

[GTP]

This sounds more like a misconfigured router. Have you checked QoS and bandwidth limits on the 5G side?

What happens if you "reset" the router to defaults?

 

[Umbra]

It was on default when i couldn't connect, i had to go via 2.4Ghz channel to configure it. i even updated to the latest firmware, doesn't work.

On, the 2.14Ghz band , i have great speed...

 

[GTP]

Faulty router? Have you tried an alternative to see if you can connect on 5G?
Did you browse the myriad configuration settings to see if there is something not set?

 

[Umbra]

Faulty router? Have you tried an alternative to see if you can connect on 5G?
Did you browse the myriad configuration settings to see if there is something not set?

i don't have another 5Ghz router and i checked every setting tab, nothing avails.

The thing is that sometimes even Win10 can't detect the 5ghz band. while my sony Xperia always detect it but can' connect.

so it seems (not sure about that) it works fine, but the connected devices can't manage to work properly.

 

[GTP]

I don't believe there is anything amiss with your computer hardware.
I think the problem is the router.
Have you tried moving the computer and phone to some distance from the router?
If your really close it could be getting blasted. You can try removing the aerials to see if it makes any difference to connecting. (not speed)
Do you have a neighbour/friend/family that you could test the computer/phone on 5G to rule out hardware issues?

 

[Umbra]

I don't believe there is anything amiss with your computer hardware.
I think the problem is the router.
Have you tried moving the computer and phone to some distance from the router?
If your really close it could be getting blasted. You can try removing the aerials to see if it makes any difference to connecting. (not speed)

.i am at less than 3m, didn't know being too close would affect connections.

Do you have a neighbour/friend/family that you could test the computer/phone on 5G to rule out hardware issues?

will ask my neighbor, not sure he has 5ghz compatible hardware.

 

[GTP]

.i am at less than 3m, didn't know being too close would affect connections.

Yes it can.
Although on an Archer C9 it should be smart enough to reduce radio power when the device is really close. (Unless you've over ridden that setting?) Hence removing the aerials to reduce it's output power. But doing this could also make the router boost what it thinks is a poor signal!
Older modems radio was full power all the time which would "blast" or overwhelm the close devices radio to the point of failure to connect.

 

[Umbra]

what you means by "aerials" ?

 

[GTP]

Unscrew and remove the 3 aerials from the unit.

Edit: Sorry, I call them "aerials" but in fact they are more correctly "antennas"

 

[Umbra]

Unscrew and remove the 3 aerials from the unit.

Edit: Sorry, I call them "aerials" but in fact they are more correctly "antennas"

oh ok
let's try

 

[Umbra]

Not better just lower signal. however, i reload the default setting and now i could connect my phone, but got uber-lag...can't load a webpage.

 

[GTP]

Have you ruled out the actual internet connection to the ISP?
Are you able to connect a laptop via cable to test internet speed/accessibility?

 

[Umbra]

Have you ruled out the actual internet connection to the ISP?
Are you able to connect a laptop via cable to test internet speed/accessibility?

yes speed is good, no issue with the ISP on all my devices.

 

[Umbra]

Get annoyed > went to the shop > get refunded.

@Barcelona thanks for the help, it was appreciated

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

On my main laptop which use this network card: Atheros/Qualcomm QCA9377 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter

"Atheros"....boom, there it is.

The amount of times I've seen some wireless issue..and I find the client is an Atheros based wifi chipset....I can't even begin to count the high percentage this is. I_can't_stand that wireless NIC. Or rather...Windows cant. Linux does OK with it for some reason.

It is not the fact that your wireless router has 3x antennas. That just means it runs a higher MIMO count than 2x antenna APs....and clients that support that level of AC...will enjoy higher speeds. Older clients that do not support that higher MIMO just run at lower speeds.

These days there is no need to run separate SSIDs per frequency. In the old days we'd setup a SSID2.4 and SSID5.0 and manually connect to either. These days, the radios on both sides manage it well, so no need to create separate SSIDs for the purpose of keeping frequencies separate.

Most modern APs have a setting called (or similar) "Bandwidth Steering"...which means the AP radio chipset will work with the client wifi chipset and keep traffic balanced across 2.4 and 5.0 when 5.0 will be a benefit for up close performance, factoring in if the client chipset supports it well, and quickly shifting to 2.4 if the client goes out of range of 5.0. It is a good setting to have enabled.

Although I'm not a fan of TPLink, those upper Archer models are supposed to be pretty good. Buddy of mine got one and he has a huge house and lots of busy kids and it works great for him.

Assuming you had it at the latest firmware? And wifi drivers on your laptop were updated?

 

[Umbra]

"Atheros"....boom, there it is.

The amount of times I've seen some wireless issue..and I find the client is an Atheros based wifi chipset....I can't even begin to count the high percentage this is. I_can't_stand that wireless NIC. Or rather...Windows cant. Linux does OK with it for some reason.

so i was not so wrong about my first diagnostic...thank you.

Assuming you had it at the latest firmware? And wifi drivers on your laptop were updated?

yep both up-to-date.

 

[HCHTech]

Edit: Sorry, I call them "aerials" but in fact they are more correctly "antennas"

Thanks for the reminder that I'm old. I knew exactly what you meant.

 

[Umbra]

Solved because i got refunded