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My Wifi connection constantly disconnects on Windows 10

AHern19
Beginner
9,498 Views

Hi! I just bought a brand new PC that includes an Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 network adapter card. It just to work just fine until yesterday. Without updating anything, it suddenly started to constantly disconnect me from the network. I tried uninstalling the adapter and re-updating everything, I tried installing the drivers from Intel's website, I tried uninstalling my antivirus, and I tried disabling the save power settings of my network. Unfortunately for me, it's still happening and I can't stay in the network for 10 seconds.

It works perfect when I use a wired connection, so I guess the problem is related to my wireless network adapter. I would appreciate to get any kind of help on this issue.

Thank you so much for reading this!

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17 Replies
idata
Employee
5,482 Views

Hello Andres21564,

 

 

We understand you're having connectivity issues on your new computer using the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168.

 

 

In order to better assist you, we would like the following information:

 

 

1. Intel® System Support Utility report

 

1. Download the latest https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293 Intel® SSU

 

2. While connected to your WiFi network, run the scan for "everything."

 

3. Save and name the report.

 

2. Wireless Autoconfig report

 

1. Right click your start menu icon and select Command Prompt (Admin) from the list.

 

2. Enter: netsh wlan show wlanreport

 

3. Go to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WlanReport\

 

4. Upload the wlan-report-latest.html file along with your reply.

 

3. Wireless router brand and model.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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AHern19
Beginner
5,482 Views

Hi again and thank you for your answer!

The problem solved by itself a couple of days ago and now it's back again!

I just run the Intel® System Support Utility but I can't remain connected to my wifi network longer than 15 seconds. This is also a problem to run the 'netsh wlan show wlanreport' test, which results in the following error message:

C:\Users\Oficina>netsh wlan show wlanreport

Generating report ...

failed, error is 0x3A98

I hope you can help me further. The fact that this issue solved by itself and now is back got me really confused about this situation.

Here is my report from the Intel® System Support Utility (without being connected to the WiFi network).

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idata
Employee
5,482 Views

Hello Andres21564,

Error 0x3A98 usually comes up if you're trying to run the command without administrator privileges. If possible, try again but using "Command Prompt (Admin)".

/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/2-531699-458466/cmd (admin).jpg

 

Based on the Intel® SSU report you posted, it seems that you have the latest Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software installed, but the adapter may not have updated properly. Please reinstall the driver software using our clean installation method:

 

 

  1. Download and save the latest drivers for your Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
    1. Bluetooth®: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27493/Wireless-Intel-Wireless-Bluetooth-for-Windows-10%3Fv%3Dt Intel® Wireless Bluetooth® for Windows® 10
    2. WiFi: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27475 Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Windows® 10
  2. Uninstall the device software: Under Apps & Features in Windows* Settings, uninstall any instance of the "Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software." When prompted, choose to "discard settings."
  3. Manually remove the drivers: Go to the Device Manager > Network Adapters > Right click on your Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 and uninstall it. Make sure to mark the option to "Delete the driver software for this device."
  4. Clear out your temporary files: Press the Windows* Key + R to open the run box. Type Cleanmgr.exe and press OK. Here you will need to make sure Temporary Files are checked, you may uncheck everything else, then press OK.
  5. Reboot your computer.
  6. Install the driver packages downloaded back in step one. First Bluetooth®, then WiFi.

Please test your connection after the new drivers have been installed and let us know if the issue continues.

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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AHern19
Beginner
5,482 Views

Hi again and thank you for the fast reply!

I tried the past steps twice and the issue persists.

I was able to run the "" test this time. The report is attached in this report.

Thank you again for your reply, hope we can figure this out.

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idata
Employee
5,483 Views

Hello Andres21564,

 

 

Could you please share the file named wlan-report-latest.html? I'm unable to view the file you've uploaded.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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idata
Employee
5,483 Views

Hello Andres21564,

 

 

We haven't heard back from you in a while, please let us know if you need further assistance.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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AHern19
Beginner
5,483 Views

Hi there! Sorry for the late response.

I was in a work-trip, but the problem still persists now that I'm back.

I attached all the reports in that folder after running the "netsh wlan show wlanreport". I was connected to Internet via LAN, but disconnected via WiFi since the problem persists. Sometimes it just gets fixed without me doing anything, but the issue always comes back.

Thank you for your time!

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idata
Employee
5,483 Views

Hello Andres21564,

 

 

Thank you for these reports. Those are some VERY frequent disconnects indeed.

 

 

- How far away are you from your wireless router/access point?

 

- Do you experience disconnects if connecting to a different wireless network?

 

- Are you using the 2.4, or the 5 GHz band?

 

 

Also, could you please update to our most recent drivers?

 

 

- https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27622 Intel® Wireless Bluetooth® for Windows® 10 Version: 20.40.0

 

- https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27615 Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Windows® 10 Version: 20.40.0

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.

 

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AHern19
Beginner
5,483 Views

Hi agian and thanks for the fast reply!

I just upgraded to the latest version and the issue persists.

How far away are you from your wireless router/access point?: I'm like 3 meters away from my router. This is the only device getting this problem, though my PS4 (for example) is like 7 meters away and it works just fine.

Do you experience disconnects if connecting to a different wireless network?: I can't test that since my network is the only one around my area.

Are you using the 2.4, or the 5 GHz band?: How can I check that?

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idata
Employee
5,483 Views

Hello Andres21564,

 

 

Normally, this information would've been included in both the SSU and WLAN reports. Due to the nature of the issue it seems that information was not saved for us to look at.

 

 

There's a simple command you can manually run, but you would need to be connected to your WiFi.

 

 

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type Command Prompt (no need for administrator on this one).

 

2. Enter: netsh wlan show interface

 

3. Note the Radio Type, Channel, Receive/Transmit Rates (should be equal), and Signal.

 

 

If your channel is between 1 and 11, you're using the 2.4 GHz band. Otherwise, you're in the 5 Ghz frequency.

 

 

Considering how close you are to your router, there shouldn't be any signal or interference issues. Does your computer feature external antennas, or are they inside of the box?

 

 

Are you comfortable opening up your computer (so long as it doesn't risk voiding your warranty), to check and make sure the antennas are properly connected to the adapter?

 

 

At this point it's worth considering this could be caused by hardware failure.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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AHern19
Beginner
5,483 Views

Since the problem isn't constant and my WiFi conecction works sometimes, I will reply again with the full "netsh wlan show interface" while being connected to my WiFi network, so we can have a full report.

It may work fine tomorrow for a couple of hours!

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idata
Employee
5,483 Views

Hello Andres21564,

 

 

Yes, that would definitely help us get a better picture of your scenario. We look forward to hearing back from you once you're able to get the report.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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AHern19
Beginner
5,483 Views

Hi again!

I haven't had any luck with this issue within the past days, but I just got an error code while trying to update the network adapter (after unninstalling it) that I haven't seen before. It says this:

'Global\PROINST_BOOTSTRAPPER_COEX_LOCK_INTEL_PROSET_WIRELESS_SOFTWARE_20_0_2_0' is denied'

This is a start I guess, so I disabled all my security programs such as Windows Defender and Windows Firewall, and then tried to install the update again. I got the same error code!

Any ideas on this?

Thanks again for the help!

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idata
Employee
5,483 Views

Hello Andres21564,

 

 

Could you please share a screenshot of the error?

 

 

Perhaps you will have better luck with a driver only installation:

 

 

1. Download and extract our latest IT Admin driver package for your adapter: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27618 WiFi_20.40.0_Driver64_Win10.zip

 

2. Go to the Device Manager > Network Adapters > Right click on your Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 again, this time choose to "Update driver software..." > Select the option to "Locate and install driver software manually." Here you will need to direct the wizard to the location where you extracted the IT Admin package back in step one.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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idata
Employee
5,483 Views

Hello Andres21564,

 

 

We haven't heard back from you in a while. Has any progress been made, or your issue been resolved?

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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AHern19
Beginner
5,483 Views

Hi again! Sorry for the delay in my response.

I have good news! I solved the problem by disconnecting my Modem and Router, waiting 15 seconds, and reconnecting it again (I repetitively do this until it works). The problem keeps showing up, which is really odd, but I have been able to solve it every time by doing this process.

Do you have any idea why this happens? Hopefully my solution can help someone else!

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idata
Employee
5,483 Views

Hello,

 

 

This sounds a lot like a router issue. If you replace it with a different model, our main recommendation is to choose one that is 802.11ac capable in order to get the best performance out of your 1x1 wireless adapter.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.

 

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