Internet stops working when under load- [Atheros-ar9285 driver]

[Davste]

Note: When the internet disconnects, the WiFi remains connected, with a strong signal. However iwconfig shows that the Bit Rate goes down to 1Mb/s when this happens.


I just installed ubuntu 10.1 on my netbook, connected to my wireless network, and the internet worked fine. Then I tried to download netbeans with firefox (about 100 mb), and it only downloaded 80mb of the file. After that, internet stopped working completely. I tried rebooting - same result.

The netbook can also dual boot windows 7, and wireless internet works fine with windows 7 :(

**
Update: This does not only happen when downloading large files, it seems to be happening after using the WiFi for a certain period of time. (5-10min)

[Davste]

I can't ping the router, nor any sites like www.google.com now :S

[drdos2006]

From a terminal type :
ifconfig

If you do not see 192.168.0.20 or 10.10.0.0 type IP addresses then you may have IPv6 instead of IPv4.
Please post the result of ifconfig here.

regards

[Davste]

mario@mario-ubuntu:~$ sudo ifconfig
[sudo] password for mario:
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 90:e6:ba:53:11:f3
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)
Interrupt:44

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:8 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:8 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:480 (480.0 B) TX bytes:480 (480.0 B)

wlan0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:25:d3:78:fe:9a
inet addr:192.168.1.67 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::225:d3ff:fe78:fe9a/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:31 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:75 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:3325 (3.3 KB) TX bytes:13082 (13.0 KB)

mario@mario-ubuntu:~$


Thank you for your reply :)

[Davste]

When I ping 192.168.1.254 (my router), I now get a reply.

Firefox still says "Server not found" when I type in www.google.com in the address bar.

[Davste]

I think this screenshot may be of interest to you:

[Davste]

I restarted my router and internet started working again, but it's erratic.

[Davste]

*Update

Randomly, the internet just disconnects, and I usually have to reboot the rooter to get it working again :(

Sometimes, though, when I just disconnect and reconnect it works again... for a short time. Remember, the WiFi network always stays connected, and at a decent strength - it's just the internet that stops working.

It might be useful to mention that my netbook has an atheros-ar9285 driver, I'm not sure if it's a driver problem or network configuration problem. Can anyone help please? :(

[Davste]

Bump :(

I really need help with this - it's really appreciated. Thanks folks.

**

I reinstalled ubuntu, and still get the same result. It's really frustrating.

[drdos2006]

Are you able to plug in an Ethernet cable from your computer to your modem ?

What brand is your modem, is it a USB modem ?
How old is the modem ?

How far away from the exchange are you ?
Have you tried another phone line filter ?
Are you on ADSL2 or ADSL1 ?

I got your PM, my ISP has been up and down for two days now, so I was not able to respond earlier.

regards

[Davste]

Are you able to plug in an Ethernet cable from your computer to your modem ?

It's a netbook and unfortunately, no ethernet. However if I need to download a file, I would be able to through the wifi, I keep retrying until it works. ( Internet works 40% of the time )



What brand is your modem, is it a USB modem ?
How old is the modem ?


It's a very new modem, about 1 month old, and it's a normal one, not USB. I have 4 computers connecting to it, and a total of 3 smartphones, they all connect and download large files, without any problems whatsoever. In fact, one of the computers that connects to it has ubuntu installed, and it also has no problems. I am starting to suspect this is a driver problem.




How far away from the exchange are you ?


Just about 6 metres. I tried varying the range (going further, or closer), but the problem was still there. The icon on the top right indicates I have a very strong WiFi signal. Coming to think of it, I'll try viewing the router's homepage next time it happens.



Have you tried another phone line filter ?
Are you on ADSL2 or ADSL1 ?


Nope. I don't know if I am on ADSL1 or ADSL2, but then again, if all the computers(including an Ubuntu one) connect successfully, I would assume it is a problem with the netbook's settings.


I just thought about it now: my router's IP is 192.168.1.254.
Looking at the output of ifconfig, there is this line: Bcast:192.168.1.255

On a windows pc that is successfully connected to my network, the output of ipconfig is:

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : lan
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.66
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254

This is strange.... Shoudln't the 255 be a 254, and if yes, why did it happen in the first place, and how do I even manage to connect?

Thank you for your help, it is very much appreciated.

[Davste]

It's a driver problem.
When the internet disconnects, iwconfig shows
(wlan0) Bit Rate = 1 Mb/s
When internet is working, iwconfig shows
Bit Rate = 81 Mb/s I have an Atheros AR9285 chipset, and I haven't managed to find the right drivers.

[Davste]

Yep. Definitely driver problem, I can't view the router's homepage when the internet cuts off. I have tried downloading the atheros-ar9285 driver, but no success :(

The instructions at this thread
http://lovinglinux.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1286503
will not work.

[Davste]

I'm Sorry, my netbook does have ethernet, the port was a bit hidden though and I did not see it =/ Didn't have it for very long :P

Anyway, I connected my laptop to the router, and internet worked - instantly. It doesn't stop working when I download a large file, and it's really fast. I really wish I could get WiFi working the same way ethernet does...

[cybergnome]

You need to set the rate of your device with IWCONFIG wlan0 rate 54M, etc., so the the rate doesn't revert to a lower setting that you want (use the highest that your router can handle). The other issues is DNS servers. If your network configuration doesn't know your DNS servers addresses, it can't resolve host names. Numerical entries will still work. You can manually enter the DNS addresses, which should be visible on your router's status page.

[Davste]

Thanks I'll try that out now. The router is N so I'll try iwconfig wlan0 rate 150.

[Davste]

It simply doesn't care what rate I set it to, the command

sudo iwconfig rate 150
has absolutely no effect. iwconfig immediately after showed that the rate didn't change to 150, but stayed at 81Mb/s.

I tried setting it to lower rates, but it just won't work. I really need to find a driver for the card.... that works.

[Davste]

.....Anyone?

[uncaspi]

You could also try these options to iwconfig

sudo iwconfig wlan0 power off

which turn off the power save mode if it's supported.

sudo iwconfig wlan0 sens -80

which determine the lowest sensitive signal from AP.

[Davste]

sudo iwconfig wlan0 power off

seemed to do nothing, the result of iwconfig before and after remained the same, but I was able to access my router's homepage, but not the internet. Maybe we are finally getting a bit closer to solving this...


sudo iwconfig wlan0 sens -80

just gave me "Set failed on device wlan0 : Operation not supported."

**Update:
1 minute later, back where we started, it won't display the router's page now.
The bit rate is 108mb/s, and I can't view any site still, strange...

[Davste]

I'm getting closer to the solution:


When I type in 192.168.1.254 (the modem's IP) on the netbook, it gives me the wireless router's page ( which is very bad ). On a normal computer, it gives me the modem's page. I have a CNET wireless router and a thomson modem.

Picture this: Two computers on. Both have 192.168.1.254 typed in the address bar, and both display different pages! This is incredible!

The one that doesn't work gives me the CNET page.

I'm very confused now, because I also installed the same version of ubuntu, on a computer on the same network, and it worked fine, out of the box. It's just the netbook that's giving me problems. It doesn't make much sense... I still think it could be a driver problem.

[Davste]

Route -n, on both computers, show the same thing. This is getting more confusing by the minute.

[uncaspi]

I think there is something confused with the routing. You should not use class C ip's on both modem and router. If the router gateway is 192...something the modem gateway should be 10.x.x.x something. If you can log into one of the devices, change this ip.

[Davste]

There might be, but the Cnet IP is 192.168.1.64, while the thomson IP is 192.168.1.254.
When I type in 192.168.1.254 on the computer, it actually gives me the cnet page.. wierd. :S

I am dealing with two problems at once here, the WiFi problem, and the network problem. The wifi connection drops, so I can't even constantly view the router page, (without an ethernet cable) - with the ethernet cable, connected to the Cnet, the internet works fine. So preferably, I'd like to get the driver working properly first here. I really wish someone could help me set up my driver...

[Davste]

Come on... Any suggestions?

I was hoping to avoid going back to a previous version of ubuntu, but it seems to be my last chance of success.

[zenlord]

I can confirm this. A friend of mine has the same chipset and reported this behavior since an upgrade somewhere early november. Before that update everything went perfectly and eversince she has to reconnect to the wireless network every few minutes...

In the messages.log I can't see anything wrong - only an entry for the CRDA, everytime she reconnects (which is no surprise, but it is not helpful)

Zl.

[Davste]

I fixed the routing problem, now when the internet disconnects, it disconnects, and that's it. I have also connected to other networks and get the same problem, so it is definitely an ubuntu-ar9285 driver problem.

The lack of replies is unbelievable though. There are so many people here who probably have the knowledge to fix this, but either didn't read this post or.... I don't know...

I also found out (but I am not sure) that if you constantly ping your gateway (in my case, go to a terminal, and type in ping 192.168.1.254) the internet seems to disconnect somewhat much much less. Read the post above, I tried stopping power saving mode. No success.

Can someone PLEASE tell me, for the love of all the people who have this problem, HOW TO INSTALL THE ******* DRIVER?

I don't care if it's NDISWRAPPER. I don't care if you have to modify the kernel. Hell, so long as they are understandable instructions, that's fine.

[afv]

I am having the very same problem.

Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)

[Thucydides411]

I have the same problem with my wireless card:
03:00.0 Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)

I can't even begin to describe how frustrating it is to have to reset the wifi connection every five minutes. Although the gnome panel icon says I'm connected to my wireless network, I have to reconnect regularly to access the Internet.

[Davste]

I have the same problem with my wireless card:
03:00.0 Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)

I can't even begin to describe how frustrating it is to have to reset the wifi connection every five minutes. Although the gnome panel icon says I'm connected to my wireless network, I have to reconnect regularly to access the Internet.

Yeah I agree with you :/
It's so frustrating I ended up going back to windows on my netbook. I am still waiting for a solution!

[ben91]

think i had your same prob.. trythis (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Device/Atheros/AR9285)

[Oele]

I had the same problem on my Asus 1201HA EEE PC. It's caused by this bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/linux/+bug/518818

A workaround is posted in comment #94.

[Thucydides411]

I had the same problem on my Asus 1201HA EEE PC. It's caused by this bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/linux/+bug/518818

A workaround is posted in comment #94.

I have found that installing the compat drivers, as suggested in the launchpad thread, resolves this issue. The easiest way to install these drivers is through the terminal:


sudo apt-get install linux-backports-modules-compat-wireless-2.6.36-maverick-generic

[foutes]

I have this problem as well.

For a temp fix I changed the router to G only and no more disconnects.

[conualfy]

I am having a similar problem on my Toshiba Satellite C650 with Atheros AR9285 wifi, but it only shows when the router was configured to work on bgN or N alone standard. When I only use bg connection it seems to be working.
I use Ubuntu 10.10


uname -r
2.6.35-28-generic


lspci -nn -s 02:00.0
02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Atheros Communications Inc. AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) [168c:002b] (rev 01)


I ran these commands after I set the wifi to work on bg (worked ok, but slower than buggy N/bgN).



modinfo ath9k
filename: /lib/modules/2.6.35-28-generic/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/ath9k.ko
license: Dual BSD/GPL
description: Support for Atheros 802.11n wireless LAN cards.
author: Atheros Communications
srcversion: 56EEC2C35C7C808E96B8CA9
alias: pci:v0000168Cd0000002Esv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd0000002Dsv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd0000002Csv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd0000002Bsv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd0000002Asv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000029sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000027sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000024sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000023sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
depends: ath9k_hw,mac80211,led-class,ath,cfg80211,ath9k_common
vermagic: 2.6.35-28-generic SMP mod_unload modversions
parm: debug:Debugging mask (uint)
parm: nohwcrypt:Disable hardware encryption (int)



lspci -vv -s 02:00.0
02:00.0 Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)
Subsystem: Lite-On Communications Inc Device 6611
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 64 bytes
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 17
Region 0: Memory at d4400000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: ath9k
Kernel modules: ath9k



I am a newbie, but I'll do the steps from here (https://bugs.launchpad.net/linux/+bug/518818/comments/94) if necessary as I'd like to use the faster N connection.

[conualfy]

Maybe it helps others. This is what I did in the end:
- ran this (Thucydides411 (http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=361460)'s comment):


sudo apt-get install linux-backports-modules-compat-wireless-2.6.36-maverick-generic

The N connection seems to be working, but when the router is configured to work with bgn (all 3) the connection still gets slower. I did not see it not working completely, but is was slower. I guess the negociation fails at some point and it's not using the faster standard.

I configured the router to use only N and now it's a lot faster. I don't think this is a final solution as if I have guests or devices not working on 802.11 N the wireless router is useless.

[conualfy]

Update: it seemed to be a fix, but it was not. A few minutes later the disconnecting started again (network manager shows the connection is active).

[Davste]

What I usually do is let the netbook constantly ping the gateway. It seems to stay associated and doesn't get disconnected. I'll wait for the next version of ubuntu. Maybe they come up with a fix.