Windows 11 WiFi hotspot is stupid

I have a Quest 2 VR headset and would like to use it Wirelessly vs using a cable to play my Steam VR games.

The Virgin Media hub 4 wifi is 100% not up to the task and is a laggy unusable mess.

So, WiFi hotspot on my PC I thought! While it works much better it stutters every 2 mins or so for a few seconds. Totally ruining games like Beat Saber.

My motherboards wifi card is wifi 6 (ax) but the Windows mobile hotspot only seems to support wifi 5 (ac) and not wifi 6. Even if I go into device manager and change the wifi a/b/g/n/ac/ax settings for the card to AX, when I turn on the hotspot it flips back to AC.

I have googled and googled and googled and just cant find a solution.

Maybe someone here knows something? Maybe there is some 3rd party hotspot software out there that will do the trick?

If I could get a HUB 5 out of VM I would but I am told they are out of stock.

When connected to VirginMedia, I used several Access Points plugged in to the VM hub to provide WiFi in places the hub WiFi didn't reach - old routers suitably configured were a convenient solution (for me)

Not surprised it’s dumbed down to be honest. It’s a consumer OS not destined for acting in Infrastructure Mode but as a client more or less.

Best bet is to use a dedicated AP with proper feature set for your needs.

Have you checked out a BQM?

I found it worked poorly on virgin due to spikes in the latency which is common play on the cable network by design. Notably on a 18Mbps talktalk “fibre” line over Christmas, even on 2.4GHz (wireless N) there were not these perceived lags but the BQM is golden on their network. Hence I think you could be attributing the issue to the wrong thing potentially. Virgin is fast but it is not by any measure optimised for gaming. You are better many times with a slower FTTC line for gaming that doesn’t have the spikes in latency of cable. Again, it depends.

This is not an internet issue. The connection between my VR and my PC is local network only.

In reply to a post by Seansmit17:

My motherboards wifi card is wifi 6 (ax) but the Windows mobile hotspot only seems to support wifi 5 (ac) and not wifi 6. Even if I go into device manager and change the wifi a/b/g/n/ac/ax settings for the card to AX, when I turn on the hotspot it flips back to AC.

Strange.... are you using the single WiFi card for the internet connection as well as this hotspot to the VR headset, or do you use Ethernet for the internet link?

Perhaps it’s really as simple as this. On the one WiFI interface, you can either hotspot OR connect as a client device, but not both simultaneously.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Perhaps it’s really as simple as this. On the one WiFI interface, you can either hotspot OR connect as a client device, but not both simultaneously.

That would be my experience with older laptops with both ports. The "hotspot" creates a link through to the wired Ethernet connection. (which could be any wired TCP/IP network).

I'll have to try my current work laptop now I have a USB-C ethernet for it.

Yeah agreed. But I think we might be straying bit here. Seems the issue is the OP cant get any hotspot connection greater than AC to work on what is otherwise an AX capable WiFi card.

Must be lack of suitable driver support I'm thinking - that is when the card is not acting as a WiFi client, but is effectively an access point in AdHoc/Infrastructure mode of operation.

Edited by Pheasant (Sat 14-Jan-23 17:35:06)

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Must be lack of suitable driver support I'm thinking - that is when the card is not acting as a WiFi client, but is effectively an access point in AdHoc/Infrastructure mode of operation.

Yeah, I wonder if the Ad-hoc breaks it, as I read you can only use WEP or unencrypted with ad-hoc mode, and perhaps AX requires WPA2 or 3 ?

My internet connection is via ethernet. I am using the WIFI card just as a hotspot.

Been messing about just to check the WIFI card is working but my phone is making life hard.

I can use my phone to make a WIFI 6 hotspot by setting it to use WPA3, but its at 2.4Ghz.

Turns out the Pixel 7 Pro, and older pixel phones will not use 5Ghz or even 6Ghz for WIFI 6e. Bonkers.

Anyway. My PC does see my phones WIFI 6 hotspot, all be it on 2.4Ghz.
Maybe there is some adhoc funniness going on that wont allow AX WIFI with a hotspot :\

My WIFI chip is this MediaTek AMD jobby called RZ608 Wi-Fi 6E 80MHz if that helps any.

Maybe a better wifi card might be in order? Cheaper than getting a router!

Edited by Seansmit17 (Mon 16-Jan-23 02:17:23)

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Must be lack of suitable driver support I'm thinking - that is when the card is not acting as a WiFi client, but is effectively an access point in AdHoc/Infrastructure mode of operation.

Yeah, I wonder if the Ad-hoc breaks it, as I read you can only use WEP or unencrypted with ad-hoc mode, and perhaps AX requires WPA2 or 3 ?

WEP is only compatible with A, B and G you need no encryption or WPA for anything newer.

Thanks Dan

In reply to a post by Seansmit17:

My internet connection is via ethernet. I am using the WIFI card just as a hotspot.

Been messing about just to check the WIFI card is working but my phone is making life hard.

I can use my phone to make a WIFI 6 hotspot by setting it to use WPA3, but its at 2.4Ghz.

Turns out the Pixel 7 Pro, and older pixel phones will not use 5Ghz or even 6Ghz for WIFI 6e. Bonkers.

Anyway. My PC does see my phones WIFI 6 hotspot, all be it on 2.4Ghz.
Maybe there is some adhoc funniness going on that wont allow AX WIFI with a hotspot :\

My WIFI chip is this MediaTek AMD jobby called RZ608 Wi-Fi 6E 80MHz if that helps any.

Maybe a better wifi card might be in order? Cheaper than getting a router!

Getting something like this would be the best way to do it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-Wireless-Desktop-Ac...

As others have said Windows isn't designed to be used like this as such the hotspot feature is just a basic way of sharing internet.

Thanks Dan

In reply to a post by Seansmit17:

Maybe a better wifi card might be in order? Cheaper than getting a router!

It probably wont help. Windows and phones do not support "real" Access Point mode, they have a special Hotspot mode which works slightly differently. I'm not sure the reasons why.

Plus there are no guarantees it will work smoothly regardless, the nature of WiFi, so its a gamble.