I have a new Framework 13 laptop with ADM Processor running windows 11. Since I have started using this device, I have had problems with the quality of my video conference calls. I did not have these on my older Win 10 device. Any suggested updates or adjustments to the system I can make to help this?
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
Best
Rob
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Did you buy the DIY model or the prebuilt? If you bought it DIY, you may have forgotten to install some of the necessary drivers. Even if you bought it prebuilt, I would first begin with checking if whether you have installed the latest driver bundle from Framework. This may be able to resolve your issues.
If that doesn’t work, you could try checking if your BIOS is up to date. If not, download the latest BIOS update and install it.
Here is the website for both BIOS and Driver updates: BIOS and Drivers Downloads
You should clarify if you have the first or second gen webcam, what you mean by quality issues and what your Windows 10 device you are comparing it to was?
The webcam module has to be the first gen camera module as all the laptops that are shipping with the second gen webcam are still in preorder status and the camera module is also at coming soon status in the marketplace.
I do agree that more details are needed on what kind of quality issues are being experienced.
I have a FW 13 AMD batch 1 with new screen and webcam.
Thank you for your email.
I am using an external camera on windows 11. The problem is the voice and picture are sometimes static/delayed/frozen. I did not have any of these issues before this new laptop. The BIOS is up to date and i installed all the downloads that were available when I first got the device.
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Prior to changing laptops (my previous one was 7 years old), when I was on video conference calls (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, etc) video of myself and the participants did not freeze or drop in and out. The voice quality also did not become static or freeze from my end (others in the calls did have this but that was because of their device.) Now, I am being told that both my video and my voice freeze and or, my voice has a lot of static.
The laptop is placed in the very same place as the previous one and I have not moved my router in the house. All internet connective has been the same during the use of these two devices.
I was hoping that with faster processing speed and much more RAM (32 compared to 8), I would not be having these problems.
What other information would be helpful to know?
Thank you all for your time and support. I really appreciate it.
Can you try a wired Internet connection instead of Wi-Fi?
I’m thinking maybe it’s as simple as your router not working well with the Mediatek Wi-Fi adapter in the laptop 13 AMD.
Hi Brian, I thought of that but running the cables from the router to where my desk is not a very good option with the setup of the house.
Is there an adjustment or software to the router or adapter that could be made?
It is very possible that it is an issue with the wifi card, so I would also recommend following Brian’s advice and testing it with a wired connection to see if the stuttering/freezing stops.
The MediaTek WiFi chipsets that ship with AMD laptops are pretty infamous for unstable connection quality. Testing it with a wired connection could help verify if the issue stems from the WiFi chipset.
If this turns out to be a problem, I would recommend purchasing a new Intel WiFi chipset. When buying an Intel WiFi Card, Make sure to check that the Wifi Card model number ends with a 0 indicating it uses PCIe for the connection, for example AX210NGW.
If it ends with a 1, that means it uses CNVio and is not compatible with AMD CPUs. Also do not buy the latest WiFi 7 cards as they are reported to be incompatible with AMD CPUs as well the last time I checked.
Also make sure to install the Intel Driver & Support Assisstant to get drivers for the WiFi Card
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I did not purchase the necessary expansion card to directly connect to my router.
It does not seem right that I would have to pay to purchase a new WiFi card for a new machine. Unfortunately, I think my only option right now is to return this device for a replacement or my money back.
I was so excited about this machine and company……
Bad idea. Its a wireless or connection issue and there aren’t that many different wireless cards. You may just end up in the same situation. You need to quantify your connection problem.
I suggest you download the free version of ping plotter and run it in the background. Start up a meeting and join it with your phone and what for video issues. When you see one correlate it with problems seen on the plotter
What router or access point are you running? What is your previous computer? What wireless card does it have? If you test meetings on the old computer does it still work flawlessely?
Also the new wireless card suggested above is like $20 and takes a couple minutes to install. At least its replaceable on the framework.
I did run Ping Plotter for a Google Meet with 4 people on my Framework and then for a Google Meet with 3 people on my old laptop. The I turned my camera off during the Framework meeting to try and help the signal - the is a pretty clear difference between the two…and your diagnosis is???
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Yeah this does seem like a wireless issue. I haven’t used ping plotter myself before but if those jumps in the graph are latency, that means that the WiFi is dropping out every once in a while.
It seems like your best option is to buy a new wireless card unfortunately. I would recommend the latest WiFI 6E Card from Intel that I listed above (The AX210NGW). You can purchase it on the Framework Marketplace for $18 (before tax and shipping) Framework | Fix Consumer Electronics, or you can purchase it on amazon where it can be cheaper (between $17 and $25), but the WiFi Card isn’t officially sold by Intel so be careful of scams. This one seems to be legit but I cannot confirm: https://www.amazon.com/AX210NGW-Wireless-Bluetooth-5400Mbps-Ultra-Low/dp/B0C5T4JFG1.
This issue isn’t just a Framework issue. It is mainly because AMD decided that MediaTek would be their WiFi chipset partner for their laptops. Nearly all AMD laptops use this MediaTek chipset unless if the OEM decided to go out of their way and switch it with an Intel model which is not very common. If you search up RZ616 (the WiFi Card’s model number) connection issues, you can see that these issues don’t just plague Frameworks but also other laptops like the ASUS Zephyrus Series.
If having to replace the WiFi card is a dealbreaker for you but you are still willing to go with Framework, I would recommend purchasing an Intel model instead. Those ones ship with Intel’s wireless chipsets by default.
Also for wired connections, you do not have to buy Framework’s own expansion card. The expansion card is pretty expensive as it is 2.5 Gbit which is faster than most wireless plans so you won’t even be able to use it to it’s full potential unless you need fast local networking. I would recommend just purchasing either a USB C to Ethernet dongle or a USB A to Ethernet dongle depending on which type of expansion card you have.
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Red lines are packet loss and you can see thst there is packet loss on each hop starting at your router. So thst means your wireless is unstable.
What router/access point do you have?
Is it up to date?
What wireless card is in your old pc?
What wireless speed, type and signal on old laptop?
What wireless speed, type qnd signal on Framework?
Could be as simple as limiting your framework to AC wireless in advanced settings.
Could be as simple as old laptop is on 2.4ghz and your framework is on 5ghz
Could be as simple as a width setting on router
Could be simplest to spend $20 on an ax210ngw if your old laptop is intel and works fine
If you (or anyone else) do decide to try this, it might be easiest to download the drivers for the Intel AX210NGW before you install it.
It’s these for Wi-Fi:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/19351/
And these for Bluetooth:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/18649/
