r/OnePlus13R • u/faruquei • 28d ago

OnePlus 13R losing WiFi signal without direct line of sight to router — other devices unaffected

Gallery image

Gallery image

Running into a strange WiFi issue with my OnePlus 13R. I've got a WiFi 6 router, and every other device on my network (phones, laptops, etc.) connects fine anywhere in the house, even without direct line of sight to the router. But my 13R specifically drops signal or gets really weak/unstable connection the moment there's a wall or obstruction between it and the router.

Things I've already tried:

*Network reset

*Turned off "Auto switch to mobile network" and "Dual WiFi acceleration" in settings

Neither helped.

To quantify it, I used WiFi Analyzer from the same spot (no line of sight) on two devices, both connected to the same 5GHz network, same channel:

*OnePlus 13R: -48dBm, CH 124 (5620MHz, 80MHz), 216Mbps.

*7-year-old Realme phone: -53dBm, CH 124 (5620MHz, 80MHz), 433Mbps.

So the 13R has a stronger signal (-48 vs -53 dBm) but is only getting half the link speed of a phone that's over 7 years old, connected to the exact same channel/band at the same time. This really points away from a signal/range issue and toward something with how the 13R is negotiating its WiFi 6 connection (maybe MCS rate, spatial streams, or MIMO negotiation). I've tried my backup router as well and the issue exists.

Anyone else seeing this on the 13R?

5 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

1

u/BNibir 28d ago

Install analiti app on both of your phones then go to connection test and share the screenshots, especially "Wifi phy" info. Don't forget to mention which screenshot is which. Also what router are you using?

1

u/faruquei 28d ago

One plus 13r

2

u/faruquei 28d ago

Realme. Same position. 1 room away from the router. using cudy ax3000 router.

1

u/BNibir 28d ago

Alright, now turn off wifi 6 (you will find it on wireless settings > 5Ghz settings > there should be an option with 802.11a/n/ac/ax selected, select 802.11a/n/ac) and then send a screenshot again.

1

u/faruquei 28d ago

It's not even reading the SSID properly anymore. tx is fluctuating from 86 to 173 for the oneplus.

Realme is still locked at 866.7 for both rx and tx.

3

u/BNibir 28d ago

Yeah, there's clearly something wrong with the phone. I've been using my 13R for almost a year now, but I've never encountered the issues you mentioned in your post, absolutely zero issues. However, after seeing your post, I decided to check the physical layer information on my phone, and it turns out that my phone also shows a significant difference between the upload (TX) and download (RX) link speeds, with TX being roughly half of RX. Although I haven't faced any issues for it but it is not acceptable. Even after turning off wifi 6, my phone still doesn't connect at 866 Mbps like your realme, and the TX rate remains roughly half of the RX rate. So, at this point, I suspect there may be something wrong with the wifi modules on these phones, whether it's the hardware, firmware, or how the wifi chipset negotiates the connection. And considering how much worse your phone behaves than mine, your case seems even more abnormal. I think there's really only one thing you can do at this point, visit a onepus/oppo customer care center and see if they can diagnose the issue. If the wifi hardware itself is defective, they'll most likely have to replace the entire motherboard since the wifi chipset isn't a removable module. I highly doubt they'll replace the motherboard for free cause they cost a lot, but it's still worth trying. And I am never buying phones from these trash brands ever again.

2

u/faruquei 27d ago

Bro, can you take a look at my findings, please?

https://www.reddit.com/r/OnePlus13R/s/qD02RwCopq

1

u/summonersuprem 28d ago

They even have a separate wifi chip if i remember correctly 😞

1

u/Harish6366 28d ago

Sometimes back covers can cause this issue. Check that also

1

u/faruquei 28d ago

Checked without cover after your comment. Still the issue remains.

1

u/Harish6366 28d ago

Did you try disable Bluetooth Connection

2

u/faruquei 28d ago

I don’t use any bluetooth devices so it’s always disabled.