Gentoo Forums
Gentoo Forums
Gentoo Forums
Quick Search: in
Broadcom BCM4313 wireless disconnects frequently
View unanswered posts
View posts from last 24 hours

 
Reply to topic    Gentoo Forums Forum Index Networking & Security
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
welter
n00b
n00b


Joined: 08 Oct 2012
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 6:21 pm    Post subject: Broadcom BCM4313 wireless disconnects frequently Reply with quote

Hello,

I've encountered a problem with my wlan0 recently. When I'm trying to connect to my home network it often disconnects after a short while. However, there are spans of stable connection so I don't know what this problem depends on. Using the network (for example launching ping) does not maintain the connection.

Some outputs:

fragment of dmesg:

http://bpaste.net/show/50007/

lspci -k:

http://bpaste.net/show/50009/

Thanks in advance.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
khayyam
Watchman
Watchman


Joined: 07 Jun 2012
Posts: 6227
Location: Room 101

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

welter ...

The issue is similar to those posted here, here and here.

I'd suggest you provide/pastebin more information: kernel config, wpa_supplicant.conf (sans psk), the relevant sections of /etc/conf.d/net, and the output of 'awk '{RS="Cell"}/YOUR_AP/' <(iwlist wlan0 scan)'.

best ... khay
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
welter
n00b
n00b


Joined: 08 Oct 2012
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for your reply.

I've read the first thread before posting this post, and now I've also read the other two. I don't know if they are that similar because in my case running ping does not seem to help.

Also I'm using wicd, but with pure wpa_supplicant it behaved the same. I was using something like that:

Code:
network={
        ssid="ZagadkowaSiec"
        proto=RSN
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
        pairwise=CCMP TKIP
        psk=<wpa_passphrase hash>
}


Kernel config:

http://bpaste.net/show/50020/

In /etc/conf.d/net I have only one line uncommented:

Code:
config_eth0="noop"


awk...:

Code:
01 - Address: 48:5B:39:CC:EC:30
                    Channel:9
                    Frequency:2.452 GHz (Channel 9)
                    Quality=43/70  Signal level=-67 dBm 
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"ZagadkowaSiec"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                              24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=00000104fec0ccb5
                    Extra: Last beacon: 28ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 000D5A616761646B6F776153696563
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B962430486C
                    IE: Unknown: 030109
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0104
                    IE: Unknown: 2F0104
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 32040C121860
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1A6C181BFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1609080400000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD090010180204F0050000
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101800003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
                    IE: Unknown: DD1E00904C336C181BFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD1A00904C3409080400000000000000000000000000000000000000
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
BillWho
Veteran
Veteran


Joined: 03 Mar 2012
Posts: 1600
Location: US

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 9:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

welter,

Try config_eth0="dhcp" and proto=WPA2
_________________
Good luck :wink:

Since installing gentoo, my life has become one long emerge :)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
khayyam
Watchman
Watchman


Joined: 07 Jun 2012
Posts: 6227
Location: Room 101

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

welter wrote:
I've read the first thread before posting this post, and now I've also read the other two. I don't know if they are that similar because in my case running ping does not seem to help.

welter ... yes, but there are other issues outlined in those posts, such as N and mixed N/G networks, and powersave in general.

Looking at the output of 'iwlist scan' I would configure the connection like so:

Code:
network={
        ssid="ZagadkowaSiec"
        proto=RSN
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
        pairwise=CCMP
        group=CCMP
        psk=<wpa_passphrase hash>
}


In the kernel config you have CONFIG_PM_RUNTIME=n (allowing I/O devices to be put into energy-saving states) and CONFIG_CFG80211_DEFAULT_PS=y (enables powersave mode by default), and though I'm not altogether sure what the cause of your problem is it does exhibit the general symptoms of powersaving (the connection is established, and shortly thereafter drops). So, I would suggest either enabling or disabling both and see if the problem persists with either of these combinations. You can also disable powersaving on the card with 'iwconfig wlan0 power off' (assuming the PS/PM is enabled in the kernel).

welter wrote:
In /etc/conf.d/net I have only one line uncommented:

OK, well, you should probably proivde some option for wpa_supplicant to have it use nl80211 ...

/etc/conf.d/net
Code:
modules_wlan0="!plug wpa_supplicant dhcpcd"
wpa_supplicant_wlan0="-Dnl80211"
config_wlan0="dhcp"
dhcpcd_wlan0="-t 10"


BillWho wrote:
Try config_eth0="dhcp" and proto=WPA2

Bill ... "RSN" is WPA2 ... and eth0 has nothing to do with it as the dmesg above shows the interface as 'wlan0'.

best ... khay
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
BillWho
Veteran
Veteran


Joined: 03 Mar 2012
Posts: 1600
Location: US

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 11:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My mistake with eth0 - meant wlan0 :oops:
_________________
Good luck :wink:

Since installing gentoo, my life has become one long emerge :)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
welter
n00b
n00b


Joined: 08 Oct 2012
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 8:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't have much time today, so I'll try changing kernel options tomorrow.

Nevertheless, I did some observation today and found out that in my place (where link quality is ~40/70) even when the network connection is not getting disconnected it loses many packets (about 25% packet loss in ping). I don't think it is too far, because when tested on Windows it behaved well in the same place. When I came to a place about 2 meters from the router the connection was stable (a few packets lost out of 1000).

I will also try to check if this issue depends on specific protocol (WPA2).

Also, is nl80211 much better when compared to wext? What is the difference? (wicd said that in most cases I should use wext)

Thanks for help.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
khayyam
Watchman
Watchman


Joined: 07 Jun 2012
Posts: 6227
Location: Room 101

PostPosted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 6:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

welter wrote:
Nevertheless, I did some observation today and found out that in my place (where link quality is ~40/70) even when the network connection is not getting disconnected it loses many packets (about 25% packet loss in ping). I don't think it is too far, because when tested on Windows it behaved well in the same place. When I came to a place about 2 meters from the router the connection was stable (a few packets lost out of 1000).

welter ... don't read too much into this, of course packet loss is generally a sign of some problem (but this much we know) however its *radio* and so is effected by many environmental factors, infact being too close to the AP can effect signal quality. Also, packet loss can occur between any hop from the client and whatever is being pinged, and as you didn't say if you pinged the router, it could be packet loss between you and google for all we know. Anyhow, none of the above is relevant to debugging the issue.

welter wrote:
I will also try to check if this issue depends on specific protocol (WPA2).

... but what leads you to think it's WPA2 thats at issue?

welter wrote:
Also, is nl80211 much better when compared to wext? What is the difference? (wicd said that in most cases I should use wext)

mac80211 is the linux stack for 802.11 hardware, nl80211/cfg80211 is intended to replace wext (Wireless Extensions).

best ... khay
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
oquol
n00b
n00b


Joined: 23 Apr 2011
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 9:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

welter wrote:
Also, is nl80211 much better when compared to wext? What is the difference? (wicd said that in most cases I should use wext)
I have the same card BCM4313 - it works for me with brcmsmac kernel module and -Dnl80211. It also worked with broadcom-sta driver and -Dwext wpa_supplicant option. So, in your case (CONFIG_BRCMSMAC=m) I suggest to use -Dnl80211.

I use wpa2 encryption, but my network is configured with 'pairwise=TKIP', so my configs are:

/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
Code:
network={
 ssid="my SSID"
 proto=RSN
 key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
 pairwise=TKIP
 psk="really long password"
 priority=1
}


/etc/conf.d/net
Code:
modules="wpa_supplicant"

wpa_supplicant_wlan0="-Dnl80211"
config_wlan0="dhcp"


I hope this will help to solve your problem.
_________________
Dell N5010, ATI HD5650 1GiB, HDD 500GiB, Core i3 370 2,4GHz
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
khayyam
Watchman
Watchman


Joined: 07 Jun 2012
Posts: 6227
Location: Room 101

PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

oquol wrote:
I use wpa2 encryption, but my network is configured with 'pairwise=TKIP'

oquol ... this depends on what the AP supports, and in the information returned from 'iwlist scan' above the AP shows "Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP".

best ... khay
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
welter
n00b
n00b


Joined: 08 Oct 2012
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 6:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tried both combinations of PM/PS and neither of them made the situation better.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
welter
n00b
n00b


Joined: 08 Oct 2012
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The strange thing is that the connection seems to work fine on all networks but not on the one I have in my flat. I haven't tried many networks but my university's eduroam and the network in my hometown worked well. That's why I wanted to try different protocol. But then, why the network is stable on other OS? Maybe it is the specific combination of router and wireless card configurations that causes this behaviour?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
khayyam
Watchman
Watchman


Joined: 07 Jun 2012
Posts: 6227
Location: Room 101

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

welter wrote:
The strange thing is that the connection seems to work fine on all networks but not on the one I have in my flat. I haven't tried many networks but my university's eduroam and the network in my hometown worked well. That's why I wanted to try different protocol. But then, why the network is stable on other OS? Maybe it is the specific combination of router and wireless card configurations that causes this behaviour?

welter ... if the symptom only shows itself with one specific AP then the issue is not with powersave. As for the AP does it have a hidden ESSID, and what type of network is it N only, A,G,N mixed, or A,G?

best ... khay
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Princess Nell
l33t
l33t


Joined: 15 Apr 2005
Posts: 916

PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 10:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a very similar problem with a BCM4401. At first, I thought either AP or laptop radio are on the blink, but it seems that the disconnects only happen on my x86 Gentoo system, not on am64 or FreeBSD (this laptop is quad-boot). I was wondering whether the kernel is the problem, I did not experience it before 3.3.x. Apart from the dis/reconncts, I've also seen the network go dead completely without anything being logged, or any change in ifconfig or routing status.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
welter
n00b
n00b


Joined: 08 Oct 2012
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 3:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

@khayyam

The ESSID is not hidden, the network is N only.


@Princess Nell

Please inform me if you find a solution :)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
khayyam
Watchman
Watchman


Joined: 07 Jun 2012
Posts: 6227
Location: Room 101

PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 2:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

welter wrote:
The ESSID is not hidden, the network is N only.

welter ... I'll refer you again to the discussion in the [...] not ready for N? thread. Because data rates and modulation coding schemes (MCS) higher rates do not always equate to stable connectivity, you might try setting the data rate to a lower value and see if the connectivity stablises.

/etc/conf.d/net
Code:
rate_wlan0="5.5M auto" # "TX Bitrate"

or via the command line ...
Code:
iwconfig wlan0 rate 5.5M auto

Higher bitrates mean data is packed more tightly together and so more prone to error. '5.5' is low, but you can test this and raise it incrementally.

The following will provide you with a list of birates the AP supports (eg: 1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s; etc):

Code:
awk '{RS="Cell"}/ESSID/' <(iwlist wlan0 scan)

best ... khay
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
welter
n00b
n00b


Joined: 08 Oct 2012
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 4:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've changed the mode of the router to mix B/G and after short while of testing the connection seems to be much more stable than before. Nonetheless it's a pity that the drivers don't allow to use the N mode in my case.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
khayyam
Watchman
Watchman


Joined: 07 Jun 2012
Posts: 6227
Location: Room 101

PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 5:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

welter wrote:
I've changed the mode of the router to mix B/G and after short while of testing the connection seems to be much more stable than before. Nonetheless it's a pity that the drivers don't allow to use the N mode in my case.

welter ... why do you think its the driver? Right now it could be anything as we have no idea of what your current setup is, you were advised to use NL80211, but who knows, maybe you are ... maybe your not, and as you don't seem concerned with providing that information, but continue speculating as to the cause, then really we can't help.

best ... khay
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
alinefr
Tux's lil' helper
Tux's lil' helper


Joined: 05 Jul 2009
Posts: 113
Location: São Paulo, Brasil

PostPosted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 12:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

oquol wrote:
welter wrote:
Also, is nl80211 much better when compared to wext? What is the difference? (wicd said that in most cases I should use wext)
I have the same card BCM4313 - it works for me with brcmsmac kernel module and -Dnl80211. It also worked with broadcom-sta driver and -Dwext wpa_supplicant option. So, in your case (CONFIG_BRCMSMAC=m) I suggest to use -Dnl80211.

I use wpa2 encryption, but my network is configured with 'pairwise=TKIP', so my configs are:

/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
Code:
network={
 ssid="my SSID"
 proto=RSN
 key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
 pairwise=TKIP
 psk="really long password"
 priority=1
}


/etc/conf.d/net
Code:
modules="wpa_supplicant"

wpa_supplicant_wlan0="-Dnl80211"
config_wlan0="dhcp"


I hope this will help to solve your problem.


Because of this thread I just managed to make my BCM4313 to work with wpa_supplicant without issues. Thank you!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
welter
n00b
n00b


Joined: 08 Oct 2012
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

khayyam wrote:
welter wrote:
I've changed the mode of the router to mix B/G and after short while of testing the connection seems to be much more stable than before. Nonetheless it's a pity that the drivers don't allow to use the N mode in my case.

welter ... why do you think its the driver? Right now it could be anything as we have no idea of what your current setup is, you were advised to use NL80211, but who knows, maybe you are ... maybe your not, and as you don't seem concerned with providing that information, but continue speculating as to the cause, then really we can't help.

best ... khay


Sorry if I haven't been informative enough. My current setup is:

/etc/conf.d/net:
Code:

modules_wlan0="!plug wpa_supplicant dhcpcd"
wpa_supplicant_wlan0="-Dnl80211"
config_wlan0="dhcp"
dhcpcd_wlan0="-t 10"


/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf:
Code:

network={
        ssid="SSID"
   proto=RSN
   key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
   pairwise=CCMP
        psk=<hash>
}


This was the same before I've changed the wireless mode and the problems still occurred. And after I've done that it works fine. Are there some specific config options that should be set for different wireless modes? If not, then I think I might have some grounds to suspect the driver.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
khayyam
Watchman
Watchman


Joined: 07 Jun 2012
Posts: 6227
Location: Room 101

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 5:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

welter wrote:
Sorry if I haven't been informative enough.

welter ... thats ok, the only reason for me to make a fuss is that quite often its a case where the poster assumes we know what they have done, or are currently doing, and unless we are told we often don't, and so end up making assumptions.

welter wrote:
My current setup is:

This looks fine ... there are other options you could supply but as it'll default to whatever information is supplied by the AP (with the default 'ap_scan=1') then these don't necessarily need to be supplied.

welter wrote:
This was the same before I've changed the wireless mode and the problems still occurred. And after I've done that it works fine. Are there some specific config options that should be set for different wireless modes? If not, then I think I might have some grounds to suspect the driver.

Well, there is also the protocol itself, WMM/QoS, the AP, and the supplicant, If you read the links I provided above again you will see that there are a number of factors that can cause instability, not least of which is the basic premise that higher bitrates are more prone to error. In my experience N is the least stable 802.11 standard, and the claims made for it are beyond what can be achieved in practice (which is why the end up on the market as its more about selling the product than about the basic functionality). So, while the driver, and underlying mac80211, may be at issue, its equally as likely that other components, or some specific combination of factors, could be at issue.

best ... khay
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Gentoo Forums Forum Index Networking & Security All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum