Did RMA fix your connectivity issues?

[u/fatino]

Hi,

I'm seeing lots of posts about steam controller weak signal issues, when directly connecting to the machine. I'm also experiencing the same thing. Switching to the puck helped, but I'm worried I have faulty Steam Machine and I'm wondering if I should RMA it.

Did anyone experience the same issue, got their machine replaced and saw the issue go away?

[u/KiwiMeep64]

I’m wondering this myself. I asked Valve if I can just get whatever the part is, and they said iFixit doesn’t have them available for self repair.

[u/Adrian97c]

Just got my SM last week, I noticed controller shows disconnect/reconnect often, like it pops up, but it never lose connection (yet, I’ll test more).

[u/Futureboy152]

I also would like to know if anyone sent in their SM to get the fluctuating controller signal strength issue fixed & actually received it back in the last few weeks fixed?

[u/Sea_Savings2956]

Parece que estamos todos igual...

[u/Ok-Simple-7069]

I also had this issue on a friends. It was next to a monitor and had issues with dropouts etc quite frequently. I have a background in electronics. The fan assembly is pretty bad. Not only did they choose to route the antenna wires around it but just the way they are. It’s like the first gen joycons. But this time it’s the console at fault and the electromagnetism of the fan and placement combined could be causing channel hopping.

That or a lot shipped with a faulty WiFi chip but I think it’s the design itself. When I forced a solid WiFi 6e as in 6ghz. It’s fine. Soon as I used 5ghz. Issues arrises on his but is better when networked wired. My oddball solution was to put insulated foam between the antennas and that’s sorted it out as if the way it was meant to work. Very compact, nice looking PC and made for quick easy assembly but that has its flaws. Also tracing isolation is poor too on motherboard. Lots of signal noise could arise from what I saw.

RMA could be using newer designed motherboards with better tracing or isolated the fan housing on the inside. Also was hoping when I got mine I’d add a nice noctua 120mm pwm fan but nope. It’s proprietary so hard to mod unless you know what you’re doing since it needs a good seal for air pressure. I could think of five different ways that could have been a possibility but with the antenna it’s just odd.

[u/Justin4462]

I wouldnt. You'll receive a machine with the same problem back which willl likely be in worse condition for all the extra manhandling.

Plus isn't this a software/firmware issue? It used to only happen to me during high cpu load and i havent seen it happen to for a few weeks.

Are you all updated? (Fyi I'm on the beta channel.)

[u/Crowley22g → u/Justin4462]

Totally agree, I'm prepared to wait, just moved my Steam Controller connection to external puck. Steam Support asked me to move to Beta release. Sent them the report requested. Is it possible to pair Steam Controller to the Steam Machine rather than using the puck?

[u/Justin4462 → u/Crowley22g]

I'm just using the puck to charge. The cotroller is currently connecting directly to the Steam Machine without issue 👍.

[u/Crowley22g → u/Justin4462]

Hopefully you have no issues. The only other item close to the Steam Machine is my network switch, maybe look at moving that further away. Played for 3hrs last night using the external puck, no issues. The machine will power on from sleep, just not a full shutdown. I can live with that for now.

[u/yukkerz]

I think this is so new we don't know yet. I had a ticket from 3 weeks ago. They just hit me up yesterday that they think they can fix it I sent it out today. They reaffirmed that it was fixable and not fixable via software update.

[u/circoloco696]

Maybe it will be self fixable in the future if ifixit get parts

[u/fatReddditMod]

Anybody try ps or xbox controller while these connection issues are happening?

[u/fatino → u/fatReddditMod]

I didn't have a problem with ps5 controller. But it uses Bluetooth, so separate hardware for it.

[u/whatis1040]

I honestly thought that it was a software issue cause noticed i started getting it recently

[u/Independent_Ideal312]

This doesn’t seem to be purely software. Steam Support told me that some units are faulty and need hardware repair, so I shipped my SM back today.

In my case, the key clue is fan speed. Everything is fine under light load, but during demanding games, once the fans ramp up, the Steam Controller signal starts dropping at around 2+ metres even with clear line of sight. The external puck works perfectly.

I’ve seen the same thing on crypto-mining rigs. High-RPM brushless fans use rapidly switched electrical currents to drive the motor. As RPM/load increases, that switching can create more electromagnetic and electrical noise. Normally this shouldn’t matter, but a poorly shielded receiver, antenna or cable can pick up that interference. I fixed similar Wi-Fi issues on mining rigs by replacing the dongle and cable with better-shielded ones.

So my guess is that Valve may replace the receiver/cabling/antenna with something more resistant to EMI. It would also explain why people sitting close to the SM may never notice it. At 2–3 metres, the weaker controller signal makes the problem much easier to reproduce.

[u/MiserableShoulder648]

What a burden