Aurora R16, not detecting 5G network?

For wireless communication, the Aurora R16 has one M.2 2230 slot on board for Wifi and Bluetooth combo card.  The supported option was shipped with either Intel AX210 or Intel Killer AX1675x.

For wired network, there is one RJ45 Killer E3100 Gigabit Ethernet, offers up to 2.5 Gbps connection.

Did you test with ethernet connection?  Does your home router configured to support Wifi 6?  Which type of wireless cards did you use on the other 4 computers/laptops?

Very unlikely that your new PC shipped with a faulty wireless card.  But that could happened, you can click on Get Help Now button on lower right of this screen for a live chat, and technical support can help to diagnose and test the wireless card with you.

Thanks for answering, Chino. I haven't tested it with an ethernet cable because that's not a long-term solution for me; the room I work in is not the same room as the router and I can't lay a cable across the floor between. My 8 year old system (Aurora R6) detected the network just fine. Do you mean that the modem might be dated enough that the R16 is too advanced for it? (I'm not sure what Wifi 6 means?)

In case this helps, the adapter is named: Killer(R) Wi-Fi 6E AX1675x 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter (210NGW).

In the Advanced tab, it has two references to wireless.

One says -  802.11a/b/g Wireless Mode, and the Value tab says 6. Dual Band 802.11 a/b

The other says - 802.11n/ac/ax Wireless Mode, and in the Value window opposite, says 2. 802.11n.

At default settings, the Killer AX1675x should support connection to 2.4, 5, 6 GHz (160MHz).  You do not need to make change to the PC.  

What is Wifi 6?  https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/gaming/resources/wifi-6.html#:~:text=A%20Wi%2DFi%206%20router,the%20data%20across%20the%20network.

The question remains, which wireless adapters do you have in the working devices?  It helps to determine what protocol and bands your router is broadcasting.  The Aurora R6 was likely shipped with Wifi 5 adapters, DW1810, DW1820, or Killer 1535.  They all are capable of dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz connection.

Oh sorry, I forgot that question. The four devices are two smartphones (both iPhone on latest IOS), one MacBook Pro that's about three years old, and a Dell laptop that's easily 8 or 9 years old. 

Oh, and a Samsung smart TV that is currently streaming Netflix with no issues. The work dongle has now connected after I updated every driver and downloaded every update from both Windows Update and Dell Support, but it's still not recognising the 5G network.

What is the work dongle?  

Thanks for the advice, it's much appreciated! It's a simple Netgear 4G USB dongle. 

Netgear 4G is a third party device and is not validated to work with the Aurora R16.  That is an LTE cellular mobile device.  You are not having issue of connecting to a 5 GHz band network.  It seems like you are trying to install WWAN card to your new desktop and connecting to cell phone tower.

Those are third party device and not validated to work with the Aurora R16.  There is nothing wrong with your Killer wireless card, do not update with all the drivers from Dell support.

Not supported does not mean it won't be working.  But, platform does matter between a desktop and mobile devices.  You can verify the settings and driver used with the old Aurora and apply the same to the new Aurora.  Since your internet is serviced by your cellular provider, contact them for support, not Dell.

@Lenks​ 

First thing to try:  bring the new system closer to the Netgear device to see if it's a signal strength issue -- it may be, since as the frequency increases, the range tends to decrease.  If that doesn't help:

It isn't that uncommon for newer Wifi 6 devices to have trouble connecting to older Wifi 5 and earlier devices, and that Netgear wwan adapter has been around for a while.  If it doesn't have the latest firmware, you may want to upgrade it.  If it does, you may need to upgrade the WWAN adapter/router to a newer model that has Wifi 6 support.

Alternatively, if you'd rather not do that, consider buying a USB Wifi 5 adapter for the new notebook.  That should work in establishing the connection to the 5 GHz network the WWAN card provides.  

Basic question for clarity... Are you trying to connect to a cellular 5G network, or to a WiFi access point/router with 5Ghz channel capability?

If the latter (WiFi), it should work just fine so long as you have connected the external WiFi "puck" antenna to the back of the computer (as per the manual - see Alienware Aurora R16 Owner's Manual | Dell US)

If the former (cellular 5G), you will need an extra adapter from a 3rd party as the Aurora R16 does not have the hardware to connect to a cellular network.

@Chino de Oro​

Hi mate. I think you've misunderstood me. The Aurora is ONLY recognising the phone hotspot and the netgear dongle. They are the only way I can get online on this machine. I don't want to be using either of these services, but they're the only way I can get online. The Aurora is refusing to connect to my HOME system, which is a 5 GHz modem.

I took your earlier advice and contacted Dell support. They remoted in. It's a hardware issue and a techinician will be coming out to replace it. Thanks for your help.

@ejn63​ Thanks for your answer. I think I expressed myself poorly above, as the other commenter also thought I was trying to connect to the Netgear device. The Netgear device was only a stopgap to get me online because the Aurora was completely failing to detect our Home 5Ghz network. A technician remoted in last night and discovered it is a hardware fault and that the wireless adapater needs to be replaced. 

@JohnDotKay​ Hi John, sorry for lack of clarity. It's a Wifi access point with 5Ghz capability. Funnily enough, it COULD connect to both my phone's hotspot  - and eventually, it also to the Netgear dongle. Just not recognising the home connection. A technican is coming out next week as after remoting in they detected a hardware fault. Thank you for your help!

@Lenks​ Curious as to what happened with the technician visit?