UL30a Wireless Issues Poll

I am looking at getting a UL30a-X5. After reading through the UL30a owner's lounge it looked like many were experienceing wireless problems.

So I was wondering how many UL30a owners are actually experiencing spotty wireless performance.

Also could you please post if it is the A1, A2, X5, etc...

 

Sent mine back to asus for replacement it was so bad

 

I have an A1. No problems with connections. I only connect to 802.11g networks at home and at work though. So I can't vouch for any 802.11n issues.

 

Exact same boat.

Are most people having problems with n connections ?

 

I have an A2. My wireless is basically useless. Works ok if you don't mind sitting on the router.

BTW, It doesn't matter if it is a G or N router. Stinks either way.

 

Maybe you guys should also list the wireless adapter installed your UL30. That could also be the cause of the dropped connections.

 

I own the A1 version, not having troubles with my wireless at all. I have the Atheros card. My G router is quite far away - its on the other side of the building, one floor up. I get a dropped connection here and again, but I had the same problem with the Intel Wifilink 5300, so I suspect its the router which is at fault.

 

Looks like people with A2 are having problems, wonder if people with X5 have any problems?

 

I have the A2. I work in an office on a university campus that is covered wall to wall with 3 different wireless networks. Everyone else in my office connects and I don't. I go home and connection is fine but it's a small 2 storey house. The proof of the pudding is the signals I don't see from the neighbours. With my old laptop, I could see at least 15-20 signals, ranging from strong to weak depending on how far away they are. This laptop only sees our router, and at times, the closest neighbour.

Basically, if the signal is strong, no problem, but there is no 'drop off' range at all. In fact I would suggest that those saying they have no problem at home take a walk outside and see where they lose the signal.

I bought this laptop because it is light, small, and looked like the perfect travelling solution, but now I am afraid that it will prove a pain. I can just see myself trying to surf for a hotspot . . .

I have written tech support and posted on the Asus forum board. NO response ot date. Please, if you have trouble I strongly encourage you to post there too. There has to be more than one squeak to get some action . . .

Also, I can't post on the Amazon board because I am in Canada, but if you can, go and post there. Give a link back to here as well. There is an Asus rep who posts on that board, maybe we can get some attention that way.

SQUEAK SQUEAK and we can get acknowledgement. This is a HUGE seller for ASUS and hopefully they don't want the image of this laptop to take a hit.

 

This is really odd, how can there be such a difference between models? This is the card I have installed (device properties):

Atheros AR9285 w/ driver version 7.7.0.384

What does everyone else have?

 

Simply put, the Atheros AR9285 in the UL30 made for the US market is inferior to most other wifi cards currently in the market.

Here's a couple quick facts on the Atheros AR9285

- 2.4GHz band frequency
- 150MB/s bandwidth
- 20mW max power consumption
- low production cost

Compare this with Intel's 5100/5300 wifi card

- 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz band frequency
- 450MBs bandwidth
- 2.3 Watts (average when in use)
- higher production cost

Just by looking at these key specs, it's understandable why US UL30 owners can't detect as many wifi networks when they're using other notebooks. However, the dropped internet connections are probably more driver related rather than hardware.

 

I see, but you still recommend it? And is the wifi card switchable/swappable for another one such as intel ?

 

If you will be using your UL30 near your router, I personally wouldn't worry too much about it. Most wifi cards uses the mini PCI-e interface (either full or half-size mini PCI-e) which can be easily replaced. Intel's 5300 wifi card comes in both full and half size variants. According to the AR9285 spec sheet Atheros has published, it sounds like that only produce the AR9285 in the half-size form. But it's best to double check with a UL30 owner and confirm that the wifi card is indeed the half-size form.

 

so I have to know if UL30 uses full or halfsize , and then buy the right card for that ? sorry, im trying to understand in babysteps here, my english isnt perfect

 

so no one's opened up their ul30a and checked if the wifi can be easily replaceD?

 

Yes, that's exactly right.

I don't think anyone has (yet). If it's not user-accessible from the back panel or underneath the keyboard, it will require a significant amount of work for the inexperienced to pry open the top case assembly. Also, without any detailed disassembly guide, I don't think many people would be daring enough to perform surgery on their brand new notebooks.

 

It is accessible. Its in the same bay as the hdd. It is not all the way exposed but the screws which hold it in place are exposed. I am pretty sure its a half card but i cannot see the whole thing.

For the A1 owners that are not having issues, can you look at the card and see if you have one antenna or two antennas?

 

According to this pic: http://www.notebookcheck.net/typo3temp/pics/89deba155f.jpg
There is only 1 antenna.

Source: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-UL30A-QX050V-Notebook.22057.0.html

 

Yikes, if it only has one, this makes installing the 5300 a whole more difficult (since it can have up to 3 antennas).

 

ouch, more difficult, or like impossible' does the computer not support more and better cards then?

 

Well I'm sure there's actually 2 antennas, one is probably buried on the other side. Can't prove this just yet though. There's not many laptops out there that only come with 1 antenna (I think). But even if it does only have one, then we can still install the Wifilink 5100 or 5300, it would just be crippled with the lack of antennas.

 

Are you gonna switch cards yourself? I wont let this stop me, I like the laptop, so i hope this is fixable

 

From looking at the picture from notebookcheck.net, you will need to disassemble the bottom case assembly. Installing/replacing the wifi card is very much like replacing ram modules. When you unscrew the 2 screws as shown in the picture, you will have to tilt that side upwards before pulling it out from the pci-e socket.

As for the antenna, let's just hope that there is a second unused antenna that is hidden under the bottom case assembly. If not, you'll have to install an antenna yourself by running the antenna cable from the wifi card to the side of the screen bezel - this will require quite a bit of work, but it's not impossible.

 

When i still had my laptop i was trying to figure out how to take the lcd apart but was pretty much stumped... Anybody tried or think they know how too?

Also it would be awesome if someone took off the bottom and looked too see if they could find another antenna... I would but my computer is on its way to asus... Any takers?

 

Many Asus notebooks have rubber stumps surrounding the screen bezel. These rubber stumps not only help prevent the screen bezel from scratching with the keyboard/chassis, but also helps cover the screws that are hidden underneath. If the UL30 notebook is anything similar to other Asus notebooks, then you'd need to pry these rubber stumps out (with your fingernails), unscrew the screws, and pry open the bezel to gain access to the LCD screen.

 

What would be the best way to pry without breaking the lcd?

 

Well, here's the bad news. Turns out that the UL30 only has one antenna. The Atheros card (pictured here: http://media.marketwire.com/attachments/200909/TN-565492_WB195_RGB_big.jpg) has two antenna ports, each on only one side. I looked at the card in my laptop and indeed there is one antenna that is connected to one port, the other being left free.

Now why Asus just didn't put in an additional Antenna is unknown. Probably for the same reason why they added in trashy webcam and mic components, to save a bit of cash. So it is possible to add in another antenna, but running is along the monitor will take some major effort, so I doubt I will be doing that.

 

Did you take off the bottom and look to see if there was a second antenna that was just hidden and not used?

 

darn Arent there any card available with 2 antenna ports on one side? ;/


edit * They are on the same side, i might be looking at the pic the wrong way , cant u put another one in and make it point in the same direction as the other one.

 

Let us know your battery life after installing a new card. Although the atheros may be a weak WiFi adapter, it only uses 20mW at peak. The intel mentioned uses 2300mW average. Quite a difference in power consumption.

}:^)~

 

No, I just removed the hard drive cover to confirm that the second port was not being used. It's going to a bit more difficult to remove the entire bottom of the laptop, but I don't think there's much need to do that at this point. I doubt they would have an extra antenna lying around, or if they did it would be grouped with the first antenna, and I saw no additional antenna nearby.

 

You're looking in the 10-15 minutes range. Even at 2W, the power consumption when compared to the whole laptop is minuscule given.

Fingernails

Having only 1 antenna, when clearly there should be 2 is either a mistake Asus made or simply a poor choice to cut cost. Either way, this may be the very reason why people are experiencing dropped wifi connections and/or poor wifi signal and should be fixed. If I were an UL30 owner, I'd contact Asus immediately about this issue.

 

Ok but if I have followed everything so far, those with the A1 are saying they are not having problems, those like me with the A2 are, but the A1 still only has one antenna wire and the same card. All things being equal then, it must be a software issue, right? It's either that or us A2 owners are a more demanding lot than the A1 owners?

I have until saturday to decide whether to take this laptop back and get a full refund. Geez I hate this, I love everything about it except for the fact that the wireless issue all but renders it impotent as a travel companion

 

You've have an 84 Whr battery that lasts about 10 hours, so the laptop is drawing ~8.4 W.

If you install a wireless card that uses "2.3W average when in use" as a replacement for one that uses a "maximum of 0.020W", you'll increase you'll increase power consumption of the overall system by ~2.3W to ~10.7W.

Now that 84 Whr battery that lasted 10 hours before only lasts ~7:50, a difference of 2 hours, 10 minutes. Not '10-15'.

The AR9285 is a Single In, Single Out design that only requires 1 antenna. However, the using a 2nd "optional" antenna allows for "Signal Receive Combine" to be used to enhance reception.... Why anyone would think that was actually optional is beyond me....

For people thinking of putting in the Draft-N Intel cards, keep in mind they use *three* antennas to get the speed they have.

 

this wifi issue is such a bonerkiller.. now i'm rethinking whether i should get the ul30a.

 

When assembling the different series laptops I am sure they do it in batches. possibly very large ones, as in like 1000+ A1's and then 1000+ A2's etc. It then is very easy for a bad batch of say wireless cards to then to make it to one series compared to yet another. So in the end not all things are always equal...........

 

I think you still should. The positives still far outweigh the negatives.

 

Yeah, that sounds about right. I should have done the calculations myself!

}:^)~

 

Just wondering... is there a power saving feature, set by the driver or some other configurations, of the wireless card that would have caused some, if not all, of the connection problems?

I was about to step out and pick up a UL30A-A2 yesterday late afternoon, until I saw this thread.... I'd appreciate any further information that may make or break my plan.

TIA.

 

From the reviewers at digital trends:

Where's the Wi-Fi?

One of the most unexpected and disappointing aspects of the UL30A turned out to be its dismal Wi-Fi reception. While browsing speeds were acceptable within tight proximity of our wireless access point, it couldn't seem to find and hold a signal at the very fringe where many other notebooks seemed to pull it off without issue. We suspect the aluminum-clad lid, which can interfere with Wi-Fi signals, may have something to do with it.
http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/review/6737-33693-1/asus-ul30a-review-more-testing-and-conclusion

I am taking my current unit back tomorrow for a refund. I have phoned ASUS twice and they have not responded to this point.

However, I saw this set of specs from this seller last night. Notice they spec Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100 ABGN? I phoned them today and they state that I can return the unit for a full refund, including shipping fees, if it proves not to be the case.

 

http://www.onhop.ca/catalog/product/10751105

 

Thanks for the info!

What a pity! I guess I'd hold off my plan (of getting a UL30A-A2) for now.

 

Just received my ul30a-x5 and couldnt be happier. Wireless works, its dead silent and performance wise is not bad. Highly recommended.

 

Do you know which card it came with? If the information from Onhop is correct, they might be starting to ship with the Intel card.

BTW did you try the wireless away from your house or just at home? That was the problem I had with it. If I just stay at home, no problem. It's when I want to pick up a wireless signal away from home that the problem with the weak reception becomes a serious issue.

 

Have not tried it away from home yet. It came with the Atheros card.

 

I have also the Atheros card, I dont drop connection, BUT when i move to another room 5 m from my modem I loose 2 pins on strenght

 

I'm going to try to install a second antenna, just for kicks. Won't be pulling apart the LCD of course, but instead will try for a shorter (30cm) antenna and wrap it around the hard drive bay. Don't know how much (if all) it will approve the signal, but it might be worth a try. The antennas are dirt cheap, but it may take a couple week to ship.

Here's the antenna I'm looking at: http://cgi.ebay.com/Laptop-Wireless...iewItemQQptZAU_Networking?hash=item45eede9b36

 

For myself this is not an issue ... simply b/c in the office I always connect via ethernet cable.

But on the road it has not been a problem either thus far.... At least for me.

So I am still fine with the UL30A-A2 purchase.

Seems kinda silly about the one antenna though - I agree it was an unwise area to cut costs in.

 

I'm very interested to know if installing the additionaly cable improves WiFi connectivity! Please let us know ASAP!

I suspect the exclusion of the antenna was a build oversight, as there's no good reason why Asus would do this. Perhaps it would be wise to send an email to the right person in the Asus organization for future devices.

}:^)~

 

I have been trying to talk to ASUS about this for the past week, with no response. 2 phone calls as well as a service request online. I am now trying to get an answer from them whether they are now shipping with the Intel card and 2 antennas as per the Onhop specs, or whether this is just another example of Asus not being able to produce accurate specs. I would like to know before I buy the 3rd of these in hopes of getting better wireless. As Onhop is an online store, I don't want to just purchase it and find out it still has the atheros card and then be out the shipping charges to have it sent and then returned. Again, no answer.

I would post to the Amazon.com board where an Asus rep posts on a regular basis, but because I am Canadian and have not bought anything from Amazon in the US, I can not post there. Maybe someone who has an Amazon account could pose the question there???

This would probably be the best Amazon thread to post it to:
http://www.amazon.com/Difference-be...g=UTF8&asin=B002P3KMVC&store=pc&cdSort=newest

Or perhaps just start a new thread about wireless in the UL30A-A2 discussion? Maybe link back to this thread and point out that the poll shows that 1/3 or more purchasers are experiencing poor wireless (and maybe point out that several of those who are not are qualifying that they are only connecting to wireless at home where they have better control of signal quality from the router) ? There is no reason why we can't get Asus to respond. Online communities that bring sub-par performance issues to the forefront on online posting boards, especially in a large consumer market like Amazon, will not let them simply dismiss or ignore the problem. Asus needs to provide an answer to this rather than continue to pretend this will just go away.