Yet another wifi issue
Hello everyone !
Il y a quelques mois de cela, je me convertissais au tout libre par conviction profonde. Mon pc fixe a glorieusement passé ce cap. Il a été assez facile pour moi de retrouver du matériel qui ne pose aucun problème avec des drivers libres.
For a few month, I'm running a completely free system from my phone (replicant hype !) to server.
All my computers have flawlessly made it and finding free compatible hardware was rather simple.
But I still get stuck on my laptop. I changed my wifi mini pci card by the one sold by thinkpinguin (https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/penguin-wireless-n-half-height-mini-pcie-card). Unfortunately, it doesn't woirk properly. T don't care about bluetooth webcams and 3d acceleration but I really need wifi.
I'm looking for a solution for about one week and I can't find any way.
Sorry in advance, this post is pretty long !
The laptop : http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00149167.html
my router : SFR BOX WPA2 personnal
kernel : Linux version 3.2.0-61-generic
########### Symptoms ###########
with le network-manager : The wifi connects but is monstuosly slow ! In fact, after taking a look at my syslog, wpa_replicant is continuously connecting and disconnecting (but withour ERROR). So the connection speed is slow, but all system is too. Guess it's IRQ related.
with wicd : connection is much stabler but it's also shorter. After a few seconds, if disconnects and never reconnect. Seems after a certain amount of dat transmitted, it breaks down.
This is very random. It seemed that this is linked to the battery charge but I can't really tell.
########### What did I try ###########
1) access point side, pretty much anything, security, no security, changing canal, wifi mode : it always connect but with same problems
2) J'ai tenté plusieurs configuration différentes de l'alimentation et du débit dans /etc/init.d/rc.local en utilisant
I try many configurations in /etc/init.d/rc.local using
ifconfig wlan0 up
iwconfig wlan0 txpower xxxmW
iwconfig wlan0 rate XM
ifconfig wlan0 down
Connection is better with 1M and 100mW with network-manager, nothing change in wicd... and it's still bad.
3) I changed locale in /etc/default/crda
REGDOMAIN=FR (there was nothing before)... Oh yes I'm french.
4) I tried to disable hardware encryption too
(ath9k.conf en ajoutant nohcrypt=1) no changes but it connects quicker. After connection, pretty much same problem !
########### Some system datas ###########
sudo lshw -C network
*-network
description: Interface réseau sans fil
produit: AR9287 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express)
fabriquant: Qualcomm Atheros
identifiant matériel: 0
information bus: pci@0000:02:00.0
nom logique: wlan0
version: 01
numéro de série: 18:f4:6a:00:3c:81
bits: 64 bits
horloge: 33MHz
fonctionnalités: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless
configuration: broadcast=yes driver=ath9k driverversion=3.2.0-61-generic firmware=N/A ip=192.168.1.20 latency=0 link=yes multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bgn
ressources: irq:18 mémoire:f7e00000-f7e0ffff
lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor DRAM Controller (rev 09)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller (rev 09)
00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #2 (rev 04)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 04)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev c4)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 3 (rev c4)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 4 (rev c4)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #1 (rev 04)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series Chipset Family LPC Controller (rev 04)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series Chipset Family 6-port SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 04)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family SMBus Controller (rev 04)
02:00.0 Network controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR9287 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)
03:00.0 Unassigned class [ff00]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Device 5286 (rev 01)
03:00.2 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller (rev 06)
An easy fix to try is a newer Linux-libre kernel.
Here's a messy and confusing howto https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/update-linux-libre-kernel
I did it with a complete reinstall (I've done this just before hopin some sort of magic will do it work so I didn't mind)
After installing with kernel 3.5, it works flawlessely but after one reboot, the issue reappear.
I don't understand whate happen between the first boot and reboot...
> After installing with kernel 3.5, it works flawlessely but after one
> reboot, the issue reappear.
Are you booting into the wrong kernel by any chance? Running the command
"uname -r" will give you the version that is currently running.
Andrew.
Unfortunately not.
But I finally understand how, but not why.
If I power on my computer on battery, the wifi fails even after rebooting.
If I power it on when hook to the powerline, no problem, even if I reboot.
I'll contact thinkpinguin. Hope this is specific to this particular card.
I am a member!
Sounds like a power management issue with your laptop. I haven't seen this specifically, or at least on those specs, but similar issues exist that I've come across, but its been a while. There are a number of common problems related to DRM, non-free chipsets, and on/off switches, but unfortunately even when you have a laptop that in theory should work well with 100% free software (or even just broadly defined GNU/Linux) due the chipsets they don't always.
The first and probably near only thing to do is verify that it isn't the card thats the problem. We can send a replacement for you to try. If it works great. If not there probably isn't anything more to try. The updated kernel might have been a solution (if there was a bug fix), but you've tried that already now.
On second thought there might be some kernel options that might help if its a power management issue. I'll email you some things that may help.
Chris
Thanks to you, Chris, I'm now sure it's acpi related. When disabling it completely in grub configuration (acpi=off), the issue is no more. But I'm pretty certain that's not a good thing to do !
But options you gave me
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi_os_name=Linux acpi_osi=vendor"
made the luminosity control of the screen work. I try to look at the bright side !
Maybe there are other options for the kernel. I keep looking.
Shame on me !
I installed an older kernel. (yes, 3.5 is older than 3.11, what was I thinking).
Hopefully, after compiling the last linux-libre kernel 3.14 disabling powersave in wireless devices, it works like a charm ! (Made other things work as well)
Thank you everyone !
>yes, 3.5 is older than 3.11, what was I thinking
Not a too crazy mistake to make, so not too much shame! :)
Glad it works.
This is why I think the newer Trisquel iso's (6.0.x) should include a newer LTS enablement stack. It would improve hardware compatibility a lot.
I am a member!
I wonder if Rubén haven't done it because Trisquel 7 will be released in a few months (in july, according to this: https://trisquel.info/en/openedjam-conference-texas-july )...