WRT350N connect problems to new Intel 4965AGN wireless-N card

[tritch]

I just bought a new Dell Inspiron E1405 notebook which has the new recently released Intel 4965AGN wireless card installed.  The card supports draft 802.11n but it will not connect to the WRT350N at any of the 802.11n settings.  I've tried mutliple channel settings (channel bonding off/on, different channels, etc.) on the router and wireless card to no avail.  Has anyone had success connecting this router and wireless card at draft-N speeds?  Does anyone know whether there is incompatibility between the draft-N versions of this router and wireless card?

[brickmonkey]

Since the 802.11 n standards is still a draft version, I do think there would be difference the way these standards and specifications are implemented by different vendors. You can try an N series of adapter from Linksys. These adapter works really good with N routers.

[GAH1068]

I have a new E1705 laptop with the 1500 Draft-N wireless card.   Prior to changing

the Radio Band, Wide Channel and Standard channel I was only connecting at 130mbs.  

I have Radio Band - Wide 40Mhz channel

Wide Channel: 9

Standard Channel: 11

and I am connecting at 270mbs with a solid connection and reliable connection.   During peak use I see the speed fluctuate.

I still believe the firmware on the WRT350N needs some work but I am getting N speeds.

[tritch]

Thanks GAH,

Based on your reply, it looks like the 1500 card is draft-N compatible with the WRT350N.  I just wish Dell would have shipped my laptop with the 1500 card installed, but instead it came with the newer Intel 4965agn card.  When I ordered the laptop online, the selection for the wireless card was simply "wireless draft-N card" with no specific details about the card model.  I assumed it would be the 1500, but that's what I get for not asking questions!

At this point, it appears the Intel 4965 card is not draft-N compatible with the WRT350N.  I suspect it's due to different draft-N versions between the router and wireless card, but without any public information from either Linksys or Intel about the versions each one is using, it's a total guess.

After some research on the 4965, it appears Intel has really pushed the 802.11n spec beyond what most draft-N routers are capable of right now.  Their card seems to be capable of wide channel bonding in the 5 Ghz band, which leaves out the possibility of the WRT350N (and a lot other current draft-N routers) from ever using this feature since they are only capable of using the 2.4 Ghz band for channel bonding.  I guess that's why Intel is only certifying a few routers that will work with this new card.  They're using the slogan "Connect with Centrino" certified router to ensure compatibility with the card.

I'm going to check with Dell to see if I can work out a card exchange for the 1500.....

[GAH1068]

Good luck.   It will be nice when the standard is finally approved so interoperability won't be an issue.    My E1705 shipped with the standard b/g card but I was able to purchase a 1500 Draft-N off ebay for 33.00 dollars.   If Dell won't work with you the listing on Ebay had quite a few for sale.

[mmafan32]

I'm having the same issue.....paid top dollar for Linksys WRT350N and fully loaded laptop with new Intel 4965agn card and still can't connect in N mode! Too much wasted time with phone reps and email inquiries has been wasted to this point. I don't think this N-draft technology has been fully implemented yet. There probably is a conflict with the Intel and Linksys(Broadcom) chipsets. I'm not sure if this has been verified yet or recognized by Intel or Linksys. Right now it looks like we're put on hold....waiting for firmware update for wrt350n and driver versions for Intel4965. I was thinking of purchasing the Linksys WPC300N card or the new USB-N adapter, discover the N speeds, but not sure.

If anyone discovers a fix please post.

[tritch]

I never got it to work at draft-N speeds.  There's either a issue between the Intel chipset on the 4965AGN and the Broadcom BCM4705 chip found in the WRT350N, or incompatible draft-N versions, or buggy firmware.  Your guess is as good as mine.  We'll never know until Linksys releases its next firmware version.

It's been 7 months since the last firmware update.....which is pretty pathetic given all the problems with this router and its price.  This is the first Linksys router I've ever owned, so I'm not very impressed with Linksys technical support up to now.

BTW, I did buy the Dell 1500 card (has Broadcom chipset) on Ebay for $35.  It does work at draft-N speeds, but the speeds are very unstable.  Sitting right next to the router, the speed typically varies from 270 mb/s down to 80 mb/s.  It’s a workable solution for now because my average transfer speeds are above G-speeds.

There might be a more stable card out there, but I really don’t know.  I hope you find a solution that works for you......

[GAH1068]

I was able to install the 1.05.8 beta that was floating around a month or so ago.   It inscreased the stability of the WRT350N quite a bit for me.  Been pretty solid actually and haven't had to reboot router since the install.

I do agree.  We are going on 7 months without a firmware update.   The firmware that ships with the 350N is NOT stable or reliable at all.    For a top of the line router Linksys sells this is not a good thing.

[dmose]

I stumbled upon this post from google..

I bought a brand new dell 6400 with a 4965 (only wireless 'n' option during the system configuration online)

I have a Dlink DIR 655 Extreme 802.11n/g/b router and my friend's macbook connects at N speeds fine however my laptop only connects at G speeds.

If you dive into the driver device properites you see a few things like setting the channel mode (20-40) or Auto, disable/enable 802.11n etc.

The last option seems curious. It states: Wireless Mode and gives me 6 options:

1.802.11a

2.802.11b

3.802.11g

4.802.11b/g

5.802.11a/g

6.802.11a/b/g

There is no 802.11n option so I'm thinking it's a driver issue.  I"m using windows vista home premium.  The latest driver I installed is 11.1.0.86 from the dell support site..still no luck

[dmose]

I solved the problem!

http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/wlan/4965agn/sb/cs-025643.htm

I had my router set to TKIP ... I changed it to AES and TKIP ..changed my connection type and I'm at 150MBit now

Also updated to the latest DI655 firmware