Quick summary if you don't want to read my rambling:
* Using the compat-drivers-3.8-rc5-1-u package
* Using the rtl8723ae chipset and driver
* Experiencing extremely weak signal
* No clue what information I need to submit - I'm not having any clear
crashes or anything, just a way-weaker-than-appropriate signal with
a driver change being the only issue
* Seems to have problems with Cisco access points (can't connect at
all) but I'm not 100% certain
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, I have a very specific issue with rtl8723ae chipset. I'm not having
huge expectations of success but figure I'll just send this out there in
the hopes that someone can help me. I'm using the
compat-drivers-3.8-rc5-1-u package (the latest stable as of the time of
this writing) which I'm pleased to see now includes the rtl8723ae
drivers. Not a moment too soon as the hard-found drivers from Realtek no
longer seem to work with the new kernels. Unfortunately, I'm now
experiencing severely reduced signal strength and I'm not sure why. This
adapter didn't have the best signal strength to begin with but was
useable (again after a lot of effort). Now...I had this very same
problem before. Then it was a lot better for the past few months. I'm a
little hazy about what happened in between. I guess I
did...something?...to fix it. I wish I remembered what. At any rate I
now have to move downstairs closer to my router to be able to connect,
and I have a very poor connection from in my room (it disconnected
frequently and while it can reconnect on it's own it's still pretty
annoying and causes a lot of problems).
Small piece of extra information: I actually haven't tested this yet
with the compat driver (I wouldn't expect a change from the Realtek one)
since I just switched to it the other day, but the rtl8723ae Linux
driver (at least the one I was using before from Realtek) seems to be
unable to connect to my school's Cisco access points OR the old Cisco
access point provided by my ISP - I believe it's a problem connecting to
Cisco access points in general since one of the networking teachers at
my school mentioned some newer Windows 8 drivers having similar problems
On 01/28/2013 07:53 PM, Dylan wrote:
> Quick summary if you don't want to read my rambling:
>
> * Using the compat-drivers-3.8-rc5-1-u package
> * Using the rtl8723ae chipset and driver
> * Experiencing extremely weak signal
> * No clue what information I need to submit - I'm not having any clear
> crashes or anything, just a way-weaker-than-appropriate signal with
> a driver change being the only issue
> * Seems to have problems with Cisco access points (can't connect at
> all) but I'm not 100% certain
Strange that you see weaker signals with the kernel driver than with the vendor
version. I get -56 dBm for the kernel, and -62 dBm for the vendor driver. I am
using the code in the current wireless-testing git repo with some modifications
that are currently under testing. Those changes will bring the kernel drivers up
to the level of the 20130109 vendor driver.
If you want to compile the vendor driver under kernels 3.7 or 3.8, the necessary
patches for rtl_92ce_92se_92de_8723ae_88ee_linux_mac80211_0010.0109.2013 are
attached. The one named fix_build_3.9 is needed to handle the changes now in
wireless-testing that will appear in mainline kernel 3.9; however, once the
official version becomes 3.9, this file will need to be updated as the kernel
version tests will then be wrong.
As to problems in connecting to the Cisco routers, I have no clue. I do not have
access to a Cisco router with 802.11n capability. It might be helpful if you
gave us the models for the routers that are involved. Perhaps some one else in
the list will have had experience. Debugging this issue will probably come down
to capturing the traffic in the air using wireshark, but we will forgo that step
for now. In the meantime, please post the part of the dmesg output that shows
the authentication/association sequence.
Larry
On 01/30/2013 11:54 AM, Dylan wrote:
Please do not drop the Cc to wireless.
> I apologize for the late response and limited information.
>
> The patch doesn't work for me - same problems as before, i.e. the patch doesn't
> seem to have changed anything. I attached a log. I expect you can make more
> sense of it than I.
>
> I can give you the model number of only one of the router/access points - the
> Cisco DPC3825 which I have. Unfortunately I can't offer much analysis of it as
> it's in modem only mode now and it's not very practical to reactivate it as an
> access point at this time. I could try to find out what my school is using as well.
>
> I've noticed that with the compat wireless drivers I'm ALSO experiencing similar
> problems with an RTL8188CU card. I expect that's relevant. Funnily enough I have
> three wireless cards on hand and all of them are some form of Realtek card.
The vendor driver you are using,
/rtl_92ce_92se_92de_8723ae_linux_mac80211_0006.0514.2012/, is relatively old. My
patches were for rtl_92ce_92se_92de_8723ae_88ee_linux_mac80211_0010.0109.2013,
however, since I wrote earlier, I found
rtl_92ce_92se_92de_8723ae_88ee_linux_mac80211_0011.0128.2013, which you will
find on the Realtek web site under the RTL8188CE listing for Linux. That one
includes my feedback to Realtek about the 01092013 version, and it should build
on mainline kernels through 3.8, but not the current wireless-testing, but I
doubt that you are using that tree. With that driver, my RTL8723AE got
throughput of 60-70 Mbps for both RX and TX. I did have an unexplained kernel
panic while running that driver, thus there might be a severe bug in it. I don't
know if it is rtl8723e, but that is the only panic that I have had with 3.8-rc4.
The driver for the RTL8188CU/RTL8192CU is a mess. Unfortunately, I am not
getting musch help from Realtek. For that reason, I am concentrating on the CE
models. Their PCIe group is more responsive.
Larry
Apologies if I'm resending this - I think my mail client got
disconnected as I was trying to send this but I'm not 100% certain.
Quick summary if you don't want to read my rambling:
* Using the compat-drivers-3.8-rc5-1-u package
* Using the rtl8723ae chipset and driver
* Experiencing extremely weak signal
* No clue what information I need to submit - I'm not having any clear
crashes or anything, just a way-weaker-than-appropriate signal with
a driver change being the only issue
* Seems to have problems with Cisco access points (can't connect at
all) but I'm not 100% certain
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, I have a very specific issue with rtl8723ae chipset. I'm not having
huge expectations of success but figure I'll just send this out there in
the hopes that someone can help me. I'm using the
compat-drivers-3.8-rc5-1-u package (the latest stable as of the time of
this writing) which I'm pleased to see now includes the rtl8723ae
drivers. Not a moment too soon as the hard-found drivers from Realtek no
longer seem to work with the new kernels. Unfortunately, I'm now
experiencing severely reduced signal strength and I'm not sure why. This
adapter didn't have the best signal strength to begin with but was
useable (again after a lot of effort). Now...I had this very same
problem before. Then it was a lot better for the past few months. I'm a
little hazy about what happened in between. I guess I
did...something?...to fix it. I wish I remembered what. At any rate I
now have to move downstairs closer to my router to be able to connect,
and I have a very poor connection from in my room (it disconnected
frequently and while it can reconnect on it's own it's still pretty
annoying and causes a lot of problems).
Small piece of extra information: I actually haven't tested this yet
with the compat driver (I wouldn't expect a change from the Realtek one)
since I just switched to it the other day, but the rtl8723ae Linux
driver (at least the one I was using before from Realtek) seems to be
unable to connect to my school's Cisco access points OR the old Cisco
access point provided by my ISP - I believe it's a problem connecting to
Cisco access points in general since one of the networking teachers at
my school mentioned some newer Windows 8 drivers having similar problems
On 01/30/2013 03:30 PM, Larry Finger wrote:
> On 01/30/2013 11:54 AM, Dylan wrote:
>
> Please do not drop the Cc to wireless.
>
>> I apologize for the late response and limited information.
>>
>> The patch doesn't work for me - same problems as before, i.e. the
>> patch doesn't
>> seem to have changed anything. I attached a log. I expect you can
>> make more
>> sense of it than I.
>>
>> I can give you the model number of only one of the router/access
>> points - the
>> Cisco DPC3825 which I have. Unfortunately I can't offer much analysis
>> of it as
>> it's in modem only mode now and it's not very practical to reactivate
>> it as an
>> access point at this time. I could try to find out what my school is
>> using as well.
>>
>> I've noticed that with the compat wireless drivers I'm ALSO
>> experiencing similar
>> problems with an RTL8188CU card. I expect that's relevant. Funnily
>> enough I have
>> three wireless cards on hand and all of them are some form of Realtek
>> card.
>
> The vendor driver you are using,
> /rtl_92ce_92se_92de_8723ae_linux_mac80211_0006.0514.2012/, is
> relatively old. My patches were for
> rtl_92ce_92se_92de_8723ae_88ee_linux_mac80211_0010.0109.2013, however,
> since I wrote earlier, I found
> rtl_92ce_92se_92de_8723ae_88ee_linux_mac80211_0011.0128.2013, which
> you will find on the Realtek web site under the RTL8188CE listing for
> Linux. That one includes my feedback to Realtek about the 01092013
> version, and it should build on mainline kernels through 3.8, but not
> the current wireless-testing, but I doubt that you are using that
> tree. With that driver, my RTL8723AE got throughput of 60-70 Mbps for
> both RX and TX. I did have an unexplained kernel panic while running
> that driver, thus there might be a severe bug in it. I don't know if
> it is rtl8723e, but that is the only panic that I have had with 3.8-rc4.
>
> The driver for the RTL8188CU/RTL8192CU is a mess. Unfortunately, I am
> not getting musch help from Realtek. For that reason, I am
> concentrating on the CE models. Their PCIe group is more responsive.
>
> Larry
>
Sorry, just used to hitting Reply and NOT Reply All. It seems possible
that the problem may in fact be with the router. Or partially with the
router anyway. I DO have weak signal problems with the rtl8723ae Linux
drivers and always have but they may not be any worse than they were
before. One of my roommates is having trouble as well (though everyone
else using the router is fine as far as I can tell). I've noticed from
diagnostics with the router that most clients seem to be getting a ping
of about 6ms with occasional spikes, which seems a bit odd (I've
generally had pings of about 2ms with my own routers when I've checked
in the past) but I don't think it's necessarily anything to worry about.
I'll e-mail again if I can confirm with any certainty that it's either
the router or the wireless drivers.