Intel Shares Stopgap Solution For Erratic Connection Drops With I226-V Ethernet Controller
The move to 2.5Gbps Ethernet was not easy for Intel. The company’s I225/I226 2.5 GbE Ethernet controllers (codenamed Foxville) have been widely used on Intel platform motherboards for the last few years, but since their introduction, they’ve suffered quite a few, including random network disconnects and stuttering. I had a problem. Also, while Intel has been working on the issue in multiple revisions of their hardware, it looks like they haven’t fixed all the bugs yet, as evidenced by the latest bug mitigation proposals from the company. In short, Intel is suggesting users experiencing connectivity issues with his latest I226-V controller to disable some of its energy efficiency features. This seems to be the main contributor to the connection stability issues I’m having with I226-V.
To alleviate connectivity issues with I226-V Ethernet Controller, Intel advises affected users to disable Energy-Efficient Ethernet (EEE) mode using Windows Device Manager. The same guidance applies to Linux users as well. EEE mode is intended to reduce power consumption when the Ethernet connection is idle. The problem is that when the ethernet connection is actively used he seems to have EEE mode active and is temporarily disconnected.
Also, deactivating EEE is reported to improve connection stability, but deactivation doesn’t seem to be the ultimate solution. Intel has received reports that some users are still experiencing disconnections despite EEE mode being disabled. Additionally, disabling EEE mode negates intended benefits, such as reducing power consumption by up to 50% when an Ethernet connection is idle, so it’s not an option that cost-conscious consumers typically want to disable.
Intel has also released an updated set of drivers for the I226-V/I225-V family of Ethernet controllers that make this adjustment automatically. Specifically, the patch disables his EEE mode for connection speeds over 100 Mbps, but users may need to disable it entirely if the workaround doesn’t work for their hardware combination. MSI and Asus have already rolled out new Ethernet drivers for their respective Intel 700 series motherboards, so it shouldn’t be long before other vendors do the same.
In the meantime, Intel will continue to investigate the root cause and provide specific solutions for motherboards with I226-V Ethernet controllers. His Foxville family of Intel Ethernet controllers has a long history of connectivity issues. that problem. resulting in, The I226-V Ethernet controller could suffer the same fate.
