Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX201 160MHz not working

Thank you everyone for your advice. Sadly, it is only half useful (respectfully).

The Surface Laptop 3 and 4 have a major recurring problem. Every so often, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers become inaccessible.

I have a workaround to get them up and running again but it is not a solution. I am posting it here to help others who will be in the same position.

When the Wi-Fi becomes unavailable, open "Device Manager". It should open to show the adapter is not available. Select the device. "

Select "Properties".

Select the "Advanced" tab.

Unter the Value window change the 6 to 5 and okay. Then change it back to 6 and okay.

The adaptor should kick back into life.

@Microsoft you can easily sort this.

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions.

It is my opinion that the problem is with the Surface laptop itself.

When the wifi adapter stops working it affects any/all wifi systems. All of my other devices remain unaffected.

Also, by playing around with the settings and restarting, I can often get to to work again.

What are the known problems with the hardware of software on a Surface laptop 3?

Stephan,

Have you always had this issue, or is it a new problem? You mentioned that it 'started again after a Windows Update'. Which update? Was it a driver update for this Intel device?

What brand and model router or wireless gateway all in one do you have?

Hi Stephan Js,

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft community. I understand your network adaptor isn’t working and a reset, restart and reinstall didn’t resolve the issue. To provide more accurate support, please share the brand and model of your device so I can tailor the troubleshooting steps accordingly.

In the meantime, take a moment to check advanced adapter settings in Device Manager and ensure that the “Channel Width for 5GHz” or “802.11ax Bandwidth” is set to 160 MHz. And don’t forget to check if your router actually supports 160 MHz and has those DFS channels enabled.

Let me know how it goes. I will be more than happy to assist you.

Regards,
Carlo

Hi Stephan js ,

Since you’ve already reinstalled the driver and tested basic settings, the next things to check are:

1. Advanced adapter properties – In Device Manager → AX201 → Properties → Advanced tab, confirm that “Channel Width for 5GHz” or “802.11ax Bandwidth” is set to allow 160 MHz (not just 80 MHz).
2. Router/AP configuration – Some routers disable 160 MHz automatically if DFS channels are not enabled. Check your router’s wireless settings and confirm 160 MHz is active.
3. Verify actual connection width – Run netsh wlan show interfaces in a command prompt to see what channel width your connection is negotiating. This will tell if the adapter is falling back to 80 MHz.
4. Cross-test with another AP – If possible, try connecting to a different router that supports 160 MHz. If it works there, the limitation is likely on your current router rather than the AX201.

If the adapter consistently negotiates only 80 MHz even on a known-good 160 MHz AP, it could point to a hardware limitation, in which case testing on another machine or user profile can help confirm.

Hope this helps!