Morning everyone - just looking for feedback/fixes/experiences for anyone who has Meraki AP's and Dell laptops running the Intel Killer Bluetooth Wi-Fi AX1650s chip.
We have about 5 out of 22 devices that have perpetual latency and connection issues with Meraki MR56 access points.
All signs point to this being a computer issue, however, we did not begin experiencing this issue until early October when we updated the AP firmware to 30.7 so my logic is that this is an issue between the firmware and these Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chips and/or the chips firmware
SSID Information:
Uses Enterprise with RADIUS
- 2 RADIUS servers, both test successfully
- NO RADIUS accounting (not interested in this feature)
WPA2 Only
802.11r is Enabled (not adaptive)
802.11w is disabled (never use)
Mandatory DHCP is enabled
Basic indoor profile applied
Auto FF is enabled
- Set to minimize changes from 6am to 6pm
- Transmit Power Range set to 5-25db
- Most AP's are in the 10-12 dB range for both 2.5 and 5 radios ( some a dB or two lower/higher)
- We have 19 AP's covering approximately 26000 sq. ft. building (single floor)
Laptop information (ALL KNOWN AFFECTED DEVICES)
Dell XPS 9510 (manufactured any time in the past 4 years)
- One of the affected devices was purchased late 2019 and one of the affected devices was purchased January this year
- The wide range of manufacturing dates removes the idea that this is a possible manufacturing issue
Windows 10 and 11
Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650s 201D2W (this is a combined Bluetooth/Wi-Fi chip soldered to the motherboard)
- Please note ALL affected devices have this exact chip, no other reports of problematic from users NOT having this Wi-Fi chip
Issue began around early October when we upgraded to MR56 Firmware 30.7 (I'm aware 30.7.1 is available)
Installing various drivers on the Dell laptops has varying results. Everything from getting better to getting worse but none seem to actually fix the issue. We've reverted to the installed version that came shipped with the laptop and even tried the latest firmware released just last Thursday (Nov 8, 2024).
I personally am experiencing this issue on my own work laptop daily. This isn't unwelcomed as it allows me to troubleshoot the issue without disrupting users work days. However, a couple of the affected users are executives within the organization. I share this for contextual purposes only.
While its easy to point the finger at the Dell laptops, being that they're all similar makes/models/chipset/Wifi chip I feel that some of the issue is being driven by the Meraki Firmware. Also, the fact that this ONLY happens in our office with MR56 Access Points is pretty telling as well.
Aside from all the suggestions listed below, have any of you experienced this issue, and for those of you that have - what did you do to fix/remediate?
For those not experiencing this but you're just curious about the issue - start HERE
- Try updating Wi-Fi chip firmware
- Uninstall Killer software (both Control Panel and Microsoft Store)
- Roll back Wi-Fi chip firmware
- Forget/re-add SSID
- completely reset network adapters
- Test on a different SSID
- Test on a different network
Ironically, the "best" I can get my own laptop to work is by using the September 2024 Firmware from Intel. This limits the number of drops/disconnects I experience throughout the day to 2 or 3 - each lasting about 5 - 15 seconds. However, my Bluetooth then is non-functional.
Not looking for a silver bullet - unless you got one. More so looking to see others experiences with this and what you've done to remediate that you didnt find on Google or other threads here in the Meraki Community.
Tried asking in Network Chuck Discord but those guys are brutal and basically unhelpful. Hopefully, I can have an adult conversation with you folks here and bounce around around ideas.
