UX31 Wireless Issue

I've been having wireless issue since day one. I have two problems:

1. Wireless is not stable. I learned from this site that setting power to max performance can fix the issue. I tried that and it appears to be OK. However, once I close the lid and reopen, wireless won't work. I let Windows troubleshoot the issue and it found the card was disabled. Once enabled, it started working again. What could be wrong?

2. Copy large files takes much longer than my X220. I tried different MTU, TCP windows but same result.

At first, I thought maybe there is something wrong with the NIC so I bought a USB wireless NIC but it has the same problems above. I really don't know what went wrong. Any idea? Thanks!!!!

 

The wireless card on the UX31 is trash in my book. First, of all I dont have any issue with the wireless not working after my UX31 going into sleep (opening the lid) It connect right away. The issue I am having is the transfer rate. I have try different drivers for the Atheros card and I am still getting poor transfer rate. I also tried changing channel on my Dlink DIR 655 and still only ave about 5MB/s (router is about 8 feet away)

I finally found out what was wrong. With the Atheros card on the UX31 you pretty much have to be next to the router literally about 1 foot from the router. With the UX31 a foot away I am getting 7-8MB/s on a single large file (500MB) which sounds about right for a 150Mbps connection. Under my Router Page the hghest my UX31 connect at is 131Mbps. Its a shame that Asus couldnt give us a Intel Card with the UX31. This is probably the biggest issue I have with my the UX31.

 

Is it possible to replace the card?

 

I tried an external network card - netgear wna1000m and got the same transfer rate, which is 30-40% of my Lenovo X220...

 

I changed the power profile, still nothing...

 

Atheros sucks. I have very bad experience with it's network card. Not sure why ASUS did not use Intel.

 

I have the same issues as the most of the other posters here - unstable wireless connection and very low transfer rates!
It is a shame for such a otherwise nice device to use such a bad (low cost, trash) card!

I can only say - *do not buy* this laptop unless you would use it exclusively on wired ethernet...

One more thing - the latest driver update for the wireless card won't install - it crashes with a message that there is another installation in progress - this after even a reboot.

 

Ok, so is the card replaceable?

 

Okay seem like i finally fixed the transfer rate on my UX31. All I had to do was enable auto scan channel on my Dlink Dir 655. Now Im getting a constant 7-8MB/s from UX31 to my desktop. Also I am using an older version of the wireless driver (9.2.1.432) I am getting better results compare to the newest one

 

Out of interest - how did you manage to install the newer driver?
(or you just stayed on the 9.2.1.432 and never tried to update?)

 

I did try the new driver but went back to 9.2.1.432. What I did was just uninstall the old version and then when I installed the new one I select the uninstalled option and it completely remove it. I then ran the .exe (new one) and it installed with no issue.

 

I bought recently the UX-31 and i have the same problems with wireless which is instable.
What can i do to solve this problem?

I was happy with this notebook but now i am worried.Asus should fix this urgently.
If i update the network driver should solve?And the connection when works it is slow.
Anybody talked with Asus support?

 

just when i am about to purchase ux31 with keyboard/touchpad issues (very minor in my opinion), this has to surface...

so there's a solution (i.e. use older driver), right?

 

which driver?
Since i bought the notebook ,i am using the drivers that come with the system.
Help me please!


Keyboard and touchpad are without problem.

 

well apparently, the wireless driver is giving people problems. you might wanna check and see if you get a decent download rate. it appears to be that by using the older driver, the problem is eliminated.

how do you like touchpad? i see there are quite a lot of complaints about accuracy even after the driver update along with how keyboard doesnt "register" unless you press all the way.

 

Hi Everyone!

I can confirm that using the older Atheros wifi driver results in a 100% improvement in transfer rates. Using .459 as provided by asus averages 2MB/s rates whereas .432 averages 4-5MB/s+ rates. This has been consistently proven. I have linked to the .432 driver below, let me know if anyone experiences the same.

atheros_wifi_9.2.1.432_win7.zip

 

Ive been using 9.2.1.432 from day one. Much better results compare to the latest version

 

What's the name of that application in the attachment?

 

Indeed, I was just about to ask the same question (n00b, I know). My UX31 should be arriving this week.

As for the SSD benchmark, is everyone using Futuremark? It's been a while since I've run these types of tests and seems necessary with this early generation and problematic version of the Zenbooks.

 

Looks like it's called TeraCopy
Copy your files faster with TeraCopy

 

I had a similar wireless issue with my Asus UL30A, I swapped out the Atheros card with an intel card. Not sure how difficult it is to swap out the wireless card from the UX31. Atheros is garbage.

 

WIRELESS PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED BY ASUS! ZENBOOK WIRELESS PROBLEM SOLUTION. Hello all! I too was struggling with my dream laptop the ZENBOOK UX31 until TODAY when the support staff at Asus walked me thru their fix of this known problem over the phone step by step. 888-678-3688 is there 24/7 support line! The Fix was to download the latest driver for the Wireless (Dated 12/14/11) which may work to solve the problem all by itself...but just in case I also installed the latest BIOS (Version 209) as well. So completing one task or both did fully resolve the issue and the wireless is now SCREAMING fast. YAY! Enjoy this good news folks...give them a call and ENJOY yourself. Happy holidays from me to you! Kevin =)

 

The wireless card is accessible, but not sure if anyone makes a better/5ghz card that will fit.

 

I've been lurking the forum for a while, but I think it's time to put in my two cents.

I've had the UX31 which was purchased for my wife during the Thanksgiving sale. After two exchanges, and with all the latest troubleshooting methods described here and elsewhere, I've come to the conclusion that there's a fundamental hardware issue that a software solution will do little to address.

We've tried the latest Atheros driver from 12/14/2011 to the latest 209 BIOS update. We also had the WiFi power saving options set to 'Maximum Performance' both under battery operation and AC adaptor configuration. None of these remedies have addressed the random disconnect issue for us.

I had my wife try the laptop again last night, sitting 6 feet away from the WiFi router. With full signal strength, she experienced two disconnects within an hour of using the laptop. None of our other wirelessly connected devices at our home have ever experienced disconnect issues (Dell XPS 15Z, 2008 MacBook Pro, iPhone 4S, HTC HD7 phone, and couple of Xbox 360s). We also tried connecting to a different WiFi router from an N-protocol supported device to an older, a/b/g only access point. It did not make a difference.

Couple that with poor keyboard design (requires you to hit almost dead-center to register, especially for larger keys), my wife has had it with the UX31.

The ELANTECH touch pad with the latest driver has been good actually, and the screen, while not the greatest in quality, doesn't bother her at all. It's really a shame because it's an otherwise such a beautifully and solidly built chassis that rivals or surpasses a MacBook Air.

Hopefully ASUS is listening and a newer model addresses all of these issues.

For now, the UX31 is going back to the store in exchange for a different laptop. The question is what will the replacement be? Choices are fairly limited at Microsoft Store.

By the way, Microsoft Store has been very sympathetic with the issue and have been working with me (and presumably ASUS) to resolve the issue. If you have access to the store locally, I highly recommend the place. We purchased the UX31 and XPS 15Z at 25% off during their pre-holiday promotion.

 

Wireless issues were solved for me by updating Bios and Drivers, which improved things somewhat.

However, disabling Wireless Console 3 in start up made the most difference, and now the wireless works as it should.

I noticed that on startup the wireless bars would activate briefly, and then turn off as the wireless console program started.

 

I initially had gigantic issues with networking, wired OR wireless. Couldn't copy any files across the network, really bad, but browsing the internet worked.

Turns out I had to DISABLE gigabit jumbo frames on the server I was trying to copy from!!

So that tip might help some people having problems.

EDIT: Asus REALLY should have included a USB2.0/3.0 -> GIGABIT ethernet adapter with this $1200 notebook. There is no excuse, they exist. And usb 2.0 (480mbit) is better than 100mbit.

 

Thank you! My Asus working as good as before too now.... after the 459 update, my wireless card always started off disabled.... now with this, much better

 

Im using .459 with none of the issues outlined in this thread.

I but I did do a fresh install of windows.

 

9.2.1.432 fix the problem for me!!!

 

just would like to add to the comments

the latest drivers seems to have improved the wifi performance for me (I get more bars)

Also, set maximum performance under your wifi settings for all power profiles

 

Hello,

I had the same wireless problem with the asus ux31e-dh72-rg which I bought last week.

Asus power4gear hybrid program is the main reason for the wireless problems experienced in the Zenbook line.

power4gear program downgrades the wireless performance in order to extend the battery life when it is not charging.

Wireless problem disappeared when I uninstall the power4gear program and chose the high performance under power options from control panel.

Also If you are not using the bluetooth then turn it off.

I hope this will be helpful.