AK2 - problem connecting to wifi

[x3Ray]

Just bought the AK2 (8 GB RAM/128 GB SSD) at amazon.de.

From the first start there are problems with the wifi connection. After 5 tries it got connected to my wifi and worked fine. Did a reboot, still worked (wifi directly connected).
Another reboot and it couldn't connect to wifi, removed the connection and put it the correct wifi key - did not work. Tried it several times, then it git connected.

Today after reboot again no connection is possible ("keine Verbindung mit diesem Netzwerk möglich"). There are no problems with my router at all, nevertheless did a restart; any other devices working fine on wifi, only AK2 doesn't connect.
AK2 is recognizing the available wifi connections, but cannot connect.

Router: Fritz Box 7490
WPA2, SSID is visible
distance to router: less than 1 m.
drivers are ok, reinstalled them, still no connection to wifi

Any ideas? And please, don't suggest a reinstallation of windows, there has nothing been installed, problems appeared since the first start and stayed after all windows updates.

Thanks

[Gabe]

x3Ray,

I would remove the cover and, if an SSD/HDD is being used under it, I would unscrew the mount and then detach the drive drive from the adapter it's connected to. Then wiggle the adapter/cable up from being shoved down into the little area in the end of the unit. Be careful to make sure it's not catching on either of the antenna wires. Once you have slack in the adapter cable, meaning the whole thing is no longer bunched/shoved down in the end, reconnect the drive and then start the unit to see if you can then connect to the WiFi.

The reason I say this is because of what's discussed in this thread. There's a video to watch that ultimately shows how to relocate the antennas.

So, if this is what's causing the problem you may want to try moving the antennas as shown. If it's not the cause, please let us know. Or, if is the cause of the problem, but you don't want to try moving the antennas yourself, you can see what the admin has to say when he's back from the weekend.

[x3Ray]

Thanks, Gabe, for the hint and linking to the thread.

In my case, the reason for wifi problems is exactly the same. So it concerns not only the model AK3 (as in the thread/video), the AK2 has the same issues.

I did some tests (removing the screws is a bit different from the instruction video, but is no problem at all) and can confirm: With an ssd inserted there is nearly no chance to get wifi working; so I removed the ssd and the ssd holder, did a reboot and everything works fine. But system is slow(er) when not using ssd.

Nevertheless I am not quite sure what to do now.
Yes, I have read to move the antenna to another position, but unfortunately the wire is too short. You can see it on the photo:

IMG_20210529_094719.jpg (534.02 KiB) Viewed 5396 times

IMG_20210529_091328.jpg (673.35 KiB) Viewed 5396 times

The wire is not long enough to move the antenna to the left side. And I don't want to pull too hard.

Any ideas?

I see two possibilities, which both are not very useful and no option for me:
1. removing SSD and using internal EMMC (significantly slower and has less capacity).
2. Using the AK2 without wifi

[Gabe]

x3Ray,

That's unfortunate. And no, you definitely don't want to pull on those antennas too hard. The wires are so tiny and easy to break.

I'm hoping that the admin can give some advice. I can tell you that, though I moved the antennas in my AK3, I eventually got one of those cheap USB WiFi antennas to use with it and completely removed the built in antennas, as even after moving them the WiFi wasn't as strong as it should have been. I'm not suggesting that you do this, nor should you have to, as you bought a unit that should work properly.

I had already voided the warranty on my AK3 by swapping the system boards with a GK1 anyway. I like the case design of the GK1 (same case as AK1) more than the AK3 (similar to AK2), but the system board of the AK3 was better than what my GK1 had. Basically 4GB/64GB vs 8GB/128GB, and Celeron J4105 vs J4125, respectively. Because the dimensions and layout of the boards are identical, I swapped them, so now I have a GK1 case with better system board and an AK3 case with a lesser system board. A Frankensteined GK1 and AK3, if you will. The new placement of the AK3 board WiFi antennas in the GK1 case worked perfectly, but not so much for the GK1 board's WiFi antennas in the AK3 case, so I completely pulled them out and got a $15 USB WiFi antenna for its use.

Again, I'm hoping the admin can offer something in the way of a fix or something else. He should be back by this time tomorrow. I'll let him know so he replies to your antenna issue.

[witt]

If you can't connect to wifi normally, it may be a system problem. If the wifi signal is not good, it may be caused by the antenna. The computer can search for wifi, and it needs to be connected manually, but it will not automatically connect when it is turned on next time. It may be that the automatic connection option is not checked, or it may be a system problem. You can try anti-virus or reinstall windows to eliminate system software problems. If reinstalling the system does not work, it may be a hardware problem, and you need to contact after-sales service to solve it.

[x3Ray]

@witt
Wifi is working when SSD not being installed, so it's not a problem of connecting to WIFI. It is unfortunately the problem with a wrongly placed antenna, which cannot be moved to another side.

And wifi signal is perfect (when there is no SSD in the AK2).

[admin]

Hello. I understand your problem. You can use a WiFi dog to enhance the WIFI signal ability. I am very sorry to make you have a bad experience. If you cannot accept it, you can replace it with a brand new machine. In fact, this problem has been solved, but Amazon has sent you the old version of the machine. We are willing to replace it for you.