Eee 1000H: won't connect to 802.11N--only b/g

Jusr got my 1000H, and fired it up today for the first time--extremely slick little device.

Just one problem (so far, anyway): of all my laptops that have 802.11N (and I have 3 others, all w/N), only the 1000H refuses to connect to the 5 GHz radio at "N" speeds--it keeps connecting to the 2.4 GHz radio (I can see the status lights flashing on the router--a Linksys WRT600N), and the wireless icon in the 1000H's system tray says I'm only maxing at 65 Mbps. All my other laptops w/N show max speed at 270 Mbps--a big difference.

Signal strength from the router is "Excellent"--all bars showing full strength. (It should; I'm sitting in the same room w/the router.)

And yes, I went to the ASUS website and d/l'd and installed the latest driver for the WLAN card--v. 1.2.0.0. Rebooted many times, tinkered w/the settings, deleted and recreated the connection, no joy. I even disabled the 2.4 Ghz radio in the router, to try to force the 1000H to connect to the 5 GHz radio. Again, no joy--it just said it couldn't find a connection.

Mobo BIOS is up to date.

I have my router radios set as: 2.4 GHz=mixed; 5 GHz=N-only.

Anybody have any ideas why I can't get full "N" speeds here?

 

Try eeeuser.com forums. From what I have read, you have to change settings in your wireless device preferences.

 

did you set your WPA2 encryption method to AES?

Some cards/router combinations can only function at N speeds is your encryption is set to AES instead of TPIK..

 

Yes, both router and Eee set to AES.

 

I wasn't aware the WiFi card in the 1000H was dual-band. I thought it was 2.4 GHz only. That why I swapped it out with an Intel 4965AGN.

My 1000H had an AzureWave AW-NE766 and I ripped this bit of info from another forum:

Note that the "N" Ralink card in the eee is a "AZUREWAVE AW-NE766", but its actual model number is: RT-2700E which corresponds to the Ralink 2700E chipset here:

h t t p://w w w.ralinktech.com/ralink/Home/Products/Applications/MobileWorld.html

Please note the manufacturer's literature clearly states that this wifi card is a SINGLE band 2.4ghz implementation of N, and not the more expensive dual band implementation that uses the 2700 ED or 2800 ED chipset.

The one that comes in the ASUS N10J is dual-band 2.4/5GHz however. :/

 

OP, seems like you have everything covered (wpa2 and aes)...so i'm gonna ask the most obvious question:

Are you sure you have the 1000H and not 1000HA?

Other than that, cant help you out. Both my previous 1000H and current n10j were able to connect to my DLINK DIR-655 at wireless N (again, with WPA2 and AES)

 

That's a "yes" on 1000H; "no" on 1000HA.

It's connecting just fine, quite well in fact. It's just that the speed doesn't approach what I would consider an "N" speed. When you double-click the little network icon in the system tray, what does the dialog say your speed is? (Mine keeps saying 65 Mbps.)

 

Ahh... okay, "single band" answers part of the question. (I guess they're using a multi-card driver, which is why a "5Ghz" option shows up in the card config.) But the specs I read from your link, if I'm reading them right (click on "RT2700E" and you get a PDF of specs), say that when operating in the wide (40 MHz channel) band, speeds should be "up to" 300 Mbps. 20 MHz channel up to 144 Mbps. 65 Mbps isn't close to either, esp when I'm sitting 3 ft. from a powerful router.

I tinkered w/my router settings, changing the "Radio Band" from "Auto", to "20 Mhz", to "40 MHz". No difference--still the same 65 Mbps. Same result when I put the 2.4G radio to "N-only".

Basically, I changed every 2.4G setting to every combo I could think of. The Ralink card connected most every time, but it never changed from the same 65 Mbps. (A user in the eeeuser.com forum is complaining about the same issue, and he is also getting the exact same 65 Mbps. No answers there.)

What speeds are you getting w/your Intel 4965AGN? Is the installation of the Intel card easy? I.e., just pop off the back of the 1000H Wifi compartment, unplug the Ralink, and plug in the Intel? Or is it more involved than that?

Where did you get your 4965AGN? What did you pay, if you don't mind my asking? I didn't realize changing out the cards was an option--if it's an easy switch, I may follow your lead and do the same. Could you spell out the procedure for me? I build my own desktops, so I'm not afraid to do this; I just imagine the parts for laptops are a whole lot smaller.

 

Could you be a bit more specific? What settings to change, and where? And change them to what? (Not trying to be a smart-a$$, I've just tried every combo of settings I can think of, both in 1000H and in router. Frustrating! I did go over to the eeeuser.com forum, but all I found was another user complaining of the exact same issue.)

 

Hi oldcrank,

Changing out the WiFI miniPCIe cards are very easy in the 1000H's. You're right on the mark. If you open up the bottom where the memory, HDD and WiFI card goes, you'll see the wireless card held in by two small Philips screws and two antenna leads (a white one and a black one). You basically power off the machine, pop off the two antenna leads, and then unscrew the two screws. It then comes out just like a memory stick for notebooks. Then you pop in the new one, put the screws back in, and then pop the antenna leads back on! Easy as that! Power back on and install the drivers!

The Intel 4965AGN's I purchased off of eBay a while back. They range anywhere from $25 to $35 USD, but the Intel 5100 and 5300's are starting to show up on eBay also. They are the replacements for the older Intel 4965AGN's. If I needed another card now, I'd go for the Intel WiFi 5300's because it supports 450Mbps once the new wireless AP and routers come out next year that supports it.

Which ever one you get, you'll be pleased with what comes with going with an Intel WiFi card because Intel drivers are extremely mature and the 4965AGN seems to have a much better radio (sensitivity and strength wise). Unless you're planning to do WiFi hacking (e.g. packet-injection on the Atheros-based cards), Intel is your best bet.

It's one of the first and relatively cheap upgrades I do for my notebooks unless it already comes with a decent Intel WiFi card. I've never been a fan of RALink-based WiFi cards just because they don't seem as sensitive, and your 65Mbps-only issue seems to be driver related. :/

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Kermee

 

Is there any other place besides eBay to buy? I looked on Newegg, but didn't find any.

 

Hi Kermee, great information.. one question... What do you do with the center aerial connection on any of the MIMO cards since the 1000h only has two antenna connections. Leave the center blank?
Gary

 

Go nab a $5 antenna and install it for true draft-N.

 

Do you have hints as to where to find such antennas for $5? eBay or?

 

Whoops. Sorry for the late reply.

Yup! You have two options:

#1. Leave the center one (#3) disconnected. The WiFi card will recognize there's no antenna connected and will run in 2x2 MIMO. I've found even in 2x2 MIMO, it's *much* better than the OEM WiFi card and it'll still run 40 MHz 300Mbps aggregated in the 5GHz band when running 802.11n.

#2. Purchase a cheap u.fl antenna off eBay for $5 - $10 USD and hide the third antenna within the housing.

Cheers,
Kermee

 

Example eBay Seller & Item

Cheers,
Kermee