While many VR players are happy to use a setup with cables, sometimes it’s rewarding to have the freedom that wireless technology provides. For many users, that’s the appeal of the Oculus Quest VR system by Meta. Many games are self-contained on the headset, leaving you unencumbered by wires. However, you must get Oculus Air Link to function correctly if you want to connect to your computer without a wire.
Why Won’t Air Link Work?
There are a lot of directions to go in when you’re investigating a problem with the Oculus Air Link. It’s not that Air Link is a flawed system. The issue is a lot is going on, and many factors to consider when trying to track down what’s causing it to stop working. Also, many problems can occur, and some troubleshooting steps only apply to specific issues, not others.
The thing about the Air Link is that it isn’t an easy program to run. It’s heavy on your PC resources and on your internet connection. That’s one reason why so many PCVR enthusiasts recommend having a second, unshared router setup for the Oculus headset. However, that isn’t necessary for everyone, and other, simpler solutions may be your ticket to diving back into VR games.
How to Fix the Oculus Air Link?
To fix Air Link, try finding a series of steps from the solutions below that you believe might address your issue. Since such a wide variety of problems can occur, you may need to try more than one before landing on the one that makes Air Link work.
Update Your Drivers and Operating System
There are three critical things to consider when preparing your computer to run on Air Link:
Each of these should be up-to-date, so you have the best experience running the program and connecting to your Oculus.
Once you’re done, restart your computer and your Oculus headset. attempt to connect to Air Link again to see whether updating your system worked.
Make Sure Air Link is Enabled
Air Link isn’t always enabled automatically. For many users, it’s considered an experimental feature that you must turn on within the headset itself.
Once you’ve done that, try connecting again. If it wasn’t enabled before, there wasn’t a way for it to work. Now it should be able to.
Close Other Programs
The Air Link connection isn’t a light program for most computers and needs to be the priority. If you have other programs running, try closing them while you start Air Link. Make it so that anything you don’t need isn’t open.
Even if you’re using Discord to communicate with friends, it might be better to patch it in from your phone or find another way to have that connection. Leaving your internet browser open with multiple tabs is another way many people slow down their system and make their connection with Air Link worse.
Once you’ve closed unnecessary programs, try reconnecting Air Link to see whether it’s working better.
Reset Your Connection
Using Air Link requires a lot of bandwidth, and VR users routinely say you need a clear Wi-Fi channel for the headset and a direct connection to your PC. Here are a few ways to set up your network connections to improve Air Link connections and quality.
Use a separate channel for the headset. For example, our router has two 5GHz and one 2.4 GHz network. We have a channel specifically for when we’re using the Oculus headsets; they are the only thing toconnect on that 5GHz channel.
you may also consider a secondary router for your Oculus when using Air Link, which many enthusiasts recommend. You connect it to your regular router and only use the channel the new router creates for the Oculus. It can help clear up congestion and make the connection stronger, making it have less latency and hopefully look better.
It’s also imperative to plug the computer hosting Air Link directly into an ethernet port on a router or modem. While the positioning isn’t always easy or possible, doing so will give you a significant impact on how well it functions. Many players say it was the most important improvement to their Air Link setups.
It’s not always feasible to redo your entire networking setup to accommodate for Air Link on the Oculus. However, if you want it to work and work well, it might be worth the time and expense.
Check the Oculus Debug Tool
The Oculus Debug tool is a utility that comes along with the Oculus software you install on your computer. As long as you’ve installed everything required, you already have it. If you haven’t installed the software on your computer yet, do so now. You need it to make Air Link work at all.
If it doesn’t work, there are still other things you can try. However, if it isn’t connecting at all, something faulty in your computer or device may be preventing the connection.
Reinstall the Link software
The driver is also included in the Oculus software pack you download from Meta. If you’re struggling with connecting the Oculus to the computer, reinstalling it might help fix the problem.
If damaged or corrupt drivers cause your problem, these steps should help fix the issue.
Change Your Audio Inputs
Some people have issues with Oculus Air Link because they can’t get their audio to work. Since the audio is coming through the computer, the problem might be the input and output. If they’re set to your standard devices, the Oculus may not be able to send or receive sound until you reset it.
Now your audio should work when you’re connected to Air Link.
Reset Your Graphics Preferences
you may also reset your graphics preferences in the Oculus desktop app. If you’ve changed them before, returning to the recommended settings may fix any problems you’re having.
Try restarting your Oculus app and the headset itself before trying Air Link again.
Try Changing the Air Link Resolution
Sometimes not using the recommended options is better, depending on your computer. If you have a robust connection and a solid build, and your issue is that Air Link looks choppy, try increasing the resolution with the Oculus desktop app.
If this increase in render resolution improves the quality, leave it set as such. If it doesn’t, you may want to return to the recommended settings and try changing your internet connection setup to include a hard line to your computer. Air Link works best on a high-range computer with a strong CPU and GPU.
