[SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

PonJar · 2026-01-06 11:52:37

I have tried the earlier kernel 6.17.9 and the issue still persists

I have also reverted all packages to 13 December using pacman and surprisingly the issue still persists.

When reverting all packages using the information at paragraph 3.2 in the wiki entry for "Arch Linux Archive" I found I had to modify the pacman.conf AND mirrorlist files. The wiki says modify one or the other. Just modifying pacman.conf appeared to do a normal system upgrade. I found that moved me to the 6.18.3 kernel but once the downgrade worked it was 6.17.9 again.

Not sure what to try next. I could move the system packages back further. I am starting to think hardware problem or reverting the Atheros firmware backward

seth · 2026-01-06 17:00:41

If you control the AP (wifi router?), try to reboot that…

PonJar · 2026-01-07 08:39:21

Rebooting the routers does not change anything.

Later today I hope to try connecting at a different house.

I also plan to try booting a live distribution and see what happens then.

PonJar · 2026-01-08 07:59:09

A quick recap:

1. The problem first arose following an Arch system update.
2. The dual booted laptop connects stably to my home network using Windows 10.
3. The home network connection is unstable using Arch after years of stability.
4. The connection is unstable using Arch and the hotspot of my iPhone.
5. I have now found the connection is unstable using Arch at my daughter’s home.
6. I have also found I can get a stable connection at my daughter’s home using a her TP-link WiFi dongle. It’s a TL-WN823N.

I think this all points to some software/software config issue introduced at the system update or possibly some sort of deterioration in the laptops network adapter.

It has occurred to me that I do have another laptop and could temporarily swap the ssd to see what happens with different hardware.

I would value your observations before I try that.

seth · 2026-01-08 09:18:20

1. https://archlinux.org/packages/core/any … e-atheros/ & https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Arch_L … cific_date
2.

I have not had Windows fast start enabled for many years.

Have you ensured MS didn't re-enable it w/ an update (because that frequently happens)

PonJar · 2026-01-08 18:30:30

I have tried down grading the Atheros firmware, first to a date from November 25 and then to June 25 but the connection remained unstable.

I would still like to fix this but an £8 dongle is starting to look attractive.

seth · 2026-01-08 20:01:49

Boot the latest arch install iso, do you get a stable wifi on that?

seth wrote:

Have you ensured MS didn't re-enable [fast start] w/ an update (because that frequently happens)

PonJar · 2026-01-09 16:08:13

The laptop boots and the wifi is stable using a roughly 2 year old arch iso (which I had lying around for rescue purposes). Will make and test an up to date iso when I can find some spare time over the next day or so.

I can confirm that Windows fast start is not enabled.

Last edited by PonJar (2026-01-09 16:08:47)

PonJar · 2026-01-11 10:26:14

I get the same stable result using the latest 20260101 installation media. That appears to use the same 6.18.2 kernel as my updated system.

Surely this suggests something is broken in the software or configuration of my system. I am wondering if the tests I did by rolling back to to an earlier system did not change configuration files and that the solution might be hiding in a config file somewhere

seth · 2026-01-11 15:21:43

Stop and disable network-manager and connect w/ either wpa_supplicant manually (or wifi-menu from netctl will achieve similar enough results)
This shall tell us whether the problem stems from wpa_supplicant (the iso uses iwd) or NM.
As cross-test you can check the performance of https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Networ … Fi_backend

PonJar · 2026-01-13 15:05:35

I've been down the manual wpa_supplicant route and seem to get the same behavior as before. NM was uninstalled first.

 [john@ArchLaptop ~]$ sudo wpa_cli -i wlan0
wpa_cli v2.11-hostap_2_11+
Copyright (c) 2004-2024, Jouni Malinen <j@w1.fi> and contributors

This software may be distributed under the terms of the BSD license.
See README for more details.



Interactive mode

<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-REENABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins"
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Associated with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SUBNET-STATUS-UPDATE status=0
<3>CTRL-EVENT-BEACON-LOSS 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED bssid=0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c reason=4 locally_generated=1
<3>WPA: 4-Way Handshake failed - pre-shared key may be incorrect
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-TEMP-DISABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins" auth_failures=2 duration=26 reason=WRONG_KEY
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c ignore list count incremented to 3, ignoring for 60 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-REGDOM-CHANGE init=CORE type=WORLD
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-REENABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins"
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84 (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84 (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Associated with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SUBNET-STATUS-UPDATE status=0
<3>CTRL-EVENT-BEACON-LOSS 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED bssid=0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84 reason=2
<3>WPA: 4-Way Handshake failed - pre-shared key may be incorrect
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-TEMP-DISABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins" auth_failures=3 duration=44 reason=WRONG_KEY
<3>Added BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84 into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84 ignore list count incremented to 2, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-REGDOM-CHANGE init=CORE type=WORLD
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-REENABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins"
<3>Removed BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84 from ignore list (clear)
<3>Removed BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c from ignore list (clear)
<3>CTRL-EVENT-NETWORK-NOT-FOUND 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-NETWORK-NOT-FOUND 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-NETWORK-NOT-FOUND 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-NETWORK-NOT-FOUND 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Associated with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SUBNET-STATUS-UPDATE status=0
<3>CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED bssid=0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c reason=2
<3>WPA: 4-Way Handshake failed - pre-shared key may be incorrect
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-TEMP-DISABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins" auth_failures=4 duration=92 reason=WRONG_KEY
<3>Added BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c ignore list count incremented to 2, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-TEMP-DISABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins" auth_failures=5 duration=104 reason=CONN_FAILED
<3>CTRL-EVENT-REGDOM-CHANGE init=CORE type=WORLD
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-REENABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins"
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c ignore list count incremented to 3, ignoring for 60 seconds

I have not managed to get iwd to work at all. (other than when using the install media)

seth · 2026-01-13 15:45:26

<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-TEMP-DISABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins" auth_failures=2 duration=26 reason=WRONG_KEY

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Wpa_su … passphrase

PonJar · 2026-01-13 18:06:03

Ooooops. Mistyped my password, sorry.

The laptop now appears to connect briefly before something very much like the looping connect and disconnect starts.

[john@ArchLaptop ~]$ sudo wpa_cli -i wlan0
wpa_cli v2.11-hostap_2_11+
Copyright (c) 2004-2024, Jouni Malinen <j@w1.fi> and contributors

This software may be distributed under the terms of the BSD license.
See README for more details.



Interactive mode

<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-NETWORK-NOT-FOUND 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-NETWORK-NOT-FOUND 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-NETWORK-NOT-FOUND 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Associated with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SUBNET-STATUS-UPDATE status=0
<3>WPA: Key negotiation completed with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c [PTK=CCMP GTK=CCMP]
<3>CTRL-EVENT-CONNECTED - Connection to 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c completed [id=0 id_str=]
<3>CTRL-EVENT-BEACON-LOSS 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED bssid=0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c reason=4 locally_generated=1
<3>Added BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c ignore list count incremented to 2, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-REGDOM-CHANGE init=CORE type=WORLD
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Added BSSID 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>BSSID 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 ignore list count incremented to 2, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84 (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84 (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Added BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84 into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>Removed BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84 from ignore list (clear)
<3>Removed BSSID 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 from ignore list (clear)
<3>Removed BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c from ignore list (clear)
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Associated with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SUBNET-STATUS-UPDATE status=0
<3>CTRL-EVENT-BEACON-LOSS 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED bssid=0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c reason=4 locally_generated=1
<3>Added BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c ignore list count incremented to 2, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-TEMP-DISABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins" auth_failures=1 duration=10 reason=CONN_FAILED
<3>CTRL-EVENT-REGDOM-CHANGE init=CORE type=WORLD
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-REENABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins"
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c ignore list count incremented to 3, ignoring for 60 seconds
<3>Removed BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c from ignore list (clear)
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Added BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-TEMP-DISABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins" auth_failures=2 duration=22 reason=CONN_FAILED
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SSID-REENABLED id=0 ssid="99PinkGins"
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c ignore list count incremented to 2, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Associated with 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SUBNET-STATUS-UPDATE status=0
<3>WPA: Key negotiation completed with 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 [PTK=CCMP GTK=CCMP]
<3>CTRL-EVENT-CONNECTED - Connection to 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 completed [id=0 id_str=]
<3>CTRL-EVENT-BEACON-LOSS 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-BEACON-LOSS 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-BEACON-LOSS 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED bssid=1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 reason=4 locally_generated=1
<3>Added BSSID 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>BSSID 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 ignore list count incremented to 2, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-REGDOM-CHANGE init=CORE type=WORLD
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE

There seems to be successful connections to two of my mesh routers but they always disconnect again

seth · 2026-01-13 19:40:41

<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:84 (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 1a:5f:67:4d:8c:80 (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Wpa_supplicant#Roaming - but unlike the example you'd want it to be less aggressive.
But we should also address

I have not managed to get iwd to work at all. (other than when using the install media)

Why? What fails?

PonJar · 2026-01-14 12:48:22

I have now modified the /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf file so that it now looks like this:

ctrl_interface=/run/wpa_supplicant
update_config=1

network={
    ssid="99PinkGins"
    psk="Rottingdean1957"
    bssid=0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c
    bgscan="simple:60:-75:7200"
}

The bssid entry limits things to just one of my mesh routers and simplifys the wpa_cli output.
The bgscan parameters are accepted. Previously none appeared to be set.
This does not solve the problem. The output is as follows:

[john@ArchLaptop ~]$ sudo wpa_cli -i wlan0
wpa_cli v2.11-hostap_2_11+
Copyright (c) 2004-2024, Jouni Malinen <j@w1.fi> and contributors

This software may be distributed under the terms of the BSD license.
See README for more details.



Interactive mode

<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-NETWORK-NOT-FOUND 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Associated with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SUBNET-STATUS-UPDATE status=0
<3>WPA: Key negotiation completed with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c [PTK=CCMP GTK=CCMP]
<3>CTRL-EVENT-CONNECTED - Connection to 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c completed [id=0 id_str=]
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SIGNAL-CHANGE above=1 signal=-40 noise=-95 txrate=7200
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SIGNAL-CHANGE above=1 signal=-33 noise=-95 txrate=135000
<3>CTRL-EVENT-BEACON-LOSS 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED bssid=0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c reason=4 locally_generated=1
<3>Added BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c ignore list count incremented to 2, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-REGDOM-CHANGE init=CORE type=WORLD



<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>Removed BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c from ignore list (clear)
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Added BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c ignore list count incremented to 2, ignoring for 10 seconds



<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>Removed BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c from ignore list (clear)
<3>CTRL-EVENT-NETWORK-NOT-FOUND 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Associated with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SUBNET-STATUS-UPDATE status=0
<3>WPA: Key negotiation completed with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c [PTK=CCMP GTK=CCMP]
<3>CTRL-EVENT-CONNECTED - Connection to 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c completed [id=0 id_str=]
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SIGNAL-CHANGE above=1 signal=-39 noise=-95 txrate=7200
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SIGNAL-CHANGE above=1 signal=-33 noise=-95 txrate=14400
<3>CTRL-EVENT-BEACON-LOSS 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED bssid=0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c reason=4 locally_generated=1
<3>Added BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c ignore list count incremented to 2, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-REGDOM-CHANGE init=CORE type=WORLD



<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE 
<3>Removed BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c from ignore list (clear)
<3>SME: Trying to authenticate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Trying to associate with 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c (SSID='99PinkGins' freq=2442 MHz)
<3>Added BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c into ignore list, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>BSSID 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c ignore list count incremented to 2, ignoring for 10 seconds
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-STARTED 
<3>CTRL-EVENT-SCAN-RESULTS 
<3>WPS-AP-AVAILABLE

I have split it into sections:

1. It connects, but then I get a BEACON_LOSS and it disconnects.
2. It tries again but does not appear to succeed
3. It tries a 3rd time and succeeds before another BEACON_LOSS and it disconnects.
4. It tries again but does not appear to succeed

ChatGPT suggests these symptoms indicate changes in the kernel and firmware have tightend up timings and that therefore there is no solution if I want to continue to use the current kernel. I do not believe ChatGPT all the time but it may be right on this. Time for a new USB dongle I think.

Last edited by PonJar (2026-01-14 12:49:42)

seth · 2026-01-14 20:16:29

seth wrote:

But we should also address
I have not managed to get iwd to work at all. (other than when using the install media)
Why? What fails?

If the network was/is stable w/ the install iso but is not on the installed system (with the same kernel) the more likely relevant difference is the userspace tool.

PonJar · 2026-01-15 17:59:40

I have now got iwd working on its own with wpa_supplicant and NetworkManager disabled. Not sure what I did wrong previously. Unfortunately I get a similar connect then disconnect outcome:

Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: Wireless daemon version 3.10
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: Loaded configuration from /etc/iwd/main.conf
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: rfkill id 0 can't be matched to a wiphy
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: Wiphy: 0, Name: phy0
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:         Permanent Address: 40:f0:2f:ba:72:72
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:         2.4GHz Band:
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                 Bitrates (non-HT):
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                          1.0 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                          2.0 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                          5.5 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                         11.0 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                          6.0 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                          9.0 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                         12.0 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                         18.0 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                         24.0 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                         36.0 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                         48.0 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                         54.0 Mbps
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                 HT Capabilities:
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                         HT40
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                         Short GI for 20Mhz
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                         Short GI for 40Mhz
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                 HT RX MCS indexes:
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                         0-7
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:         Ciphers: BIP-CMAC-256 BIP-GMAC-256 BIP-GMAC-128 CCMP-256
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                  GCMP-256 GCMP-128 BIP-CMAC-128 CCMP-128
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:                  TKIP
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]:         Supported iftypes: ad-hoc station ap p2p-client p2p-go
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: event: state, old: disconnected, new: autoconnect_quick
Jan 15 17:38:24 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: udev interface=wlan0 ifindex=4
Jan 15 17:38:25 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: event: connect-info, ssid: 99PinkGins, bss: 0a:5f:67:4d:8c:8c, signal: -38, load: 0/255
Jan 15 17:38:25 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: event: state, old: autoconnect_quick, new: connecting (auto)
Jan 15 17:38:25 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: hardware_rekey not supported
Jan 15 17:38:25 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: event: state, old: connecting (auto), new: connecting (netconfig)
Jan 15 17:38:25 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: udev interface=virbr0 ifindex=5
Jan 15 17:38:25 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: WARNING: src/resolve.c:resolve_systemd_set_dns() condition !systemd_state.is_ready failed
Jan 15 17:38:25 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: event: state, old: connecting (netconfig), new: connected
Jan 15 17:39:13 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: Received Deauthentication event, reason: 4, from_ap: false
Jan 15 17:39:13 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: event: disconnect-info, reason: 4
Jan 15 17:39:13 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: WARNING: src/resolve.c:resolve_systemd_revert() condition !systemd_state.is_ready failed
Jan 15 17:39:13 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: event: state, old: connected, new: disconnected
Jan 15 17:39:13 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: event: state, old: disconnected, new: autoconnect_quick
Jan 15 17:39:13 ArchLaptop iwd[455]: event: state, old: autoconnect_quick, new: autoconnect_full

I note reason 4 cropped up in the wpa_supplicant test output too.

I am sure I get a functional connection for a few seconds because if I open Firefox at the page I tried last in the last session I get a refreshed page rather than the "looks like there is a problem with your connection" default page.

Is there anywhere to go with this other than a more modern dongle?

seth · 2026-01-15 20:23:47

I have not managed to get iwd to work at all. (other than when using the install media)

Does it still work reliable on the install iso?
What kernel version and firmware are you using there?
(You can post the journal from the iso - journalctl -b | curl -F 'file=@-' 0x0.st )

PonJar · 2026-01-16 08:26:58

Yes the arch iso still connects reliably.

The kernel is 6.18.2

The linux-firmware is at 20251125-2

The journal is at http://0x0.st/P8E0.txt

seth · 2026-01-16 09:38:23

So downgrade to that kernel and firmware and see whether you get a stable connection w/ iwd.
If yes, incrementally update kernel and firmware (not together) until things break.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Arch_Linux_Archive

If not there's some unrelated problem w/ your installation and if it's not a hibernating windows, my money is on some powersaving efforts (TLP, aptop-mode-tools, … but also the big fat DE's have powersaving tools) or (since this seems to be a usb dongle?), trivially https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Power_ … utosuspend
"usbcore.autosuspend=-1" will globally disable that but the forementioned userspace tools would override that at runtime.

PonJar · 2026-01-16 11:18:24

I was at kernel 6.18.2 and linux-firmware at 20251125-2 when the problem first arose. Yesterdays results were based on an earlier kernel (6.17.9 I think) but I have moved it up to 6.18.2 and get the same problem using iwd so something else is different between the installation and the install media. I also have LXQt available on this laptop and that demonstrates the same problem (it appears to use iwd by default)

Just to clarify this is not a dongle. It is the original internal Atheros QCA9565 / AR9565 with the ath9k driver. I have mentioned dongles because I get a stable connection using a borrowed TP-link TL-WN823N.

seth · 2026-01-16 14:05:46

Since it's stable on the iso it's not the HW and if it's not powersaving (we had tried to disable the ath9k power saving) my last best guess would actually be bluetooth interference - does it help to rfkill that?

PonJar · 2026-01-16 17:27:54

Well this is unexpected. If I turn off Bluetooth I get a stable connection! Whilst it is not ideal I rarely use Bluetooth so it will certainly do as a work around.

Thank you for the time and effort you have put into helping me. I have learnt a lot about OxO.st and using pacman to downgrade a package etc.....

If you want to leave this question at this point that is fine by me but if there is anything you can suggest about Bluetooth I am game to explore new things.

Stable for 15 minutes now as I hit submit

seth · 2026-01-16 20:09:56

At last
BT operates on the same 2.4GHZ band as your wifi - if you control the AP switching the channel might do.

Then there's

parm:           btcoex_enable:Enable wifi-BT coexistence (int)
parm:           bt_ant_diversity:Enable WLAN/BT RX antenna diversity (int)

so

systool -vm ath9k # query the current values

And then flipping either or both, eg.

ath9k.btcoex_enable=1  ath9k.bt_ant_diversity=1

might help, https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Kernel_parameters

PonJar · 2026-01-17 07:35:12

Thanks for the Bluetooth parameter suggestion. Changing the btcoex_enable parameter from 0 to 1 seems to be a solution. WiFi is now stable with BT enabled.

Your help is very much appreciated.

Arch Linux

#26 2026-01-06 11:52:37

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#27 2026-01-06 17:00:41

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#28 2026-01-07 08:39:21

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#29 2026-01-08 07:59:09

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#30 2026-01-08 09:18:20

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#31 2026-01-08 18:30:30

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#32 2026-01-08 20:01:49

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#33 2026-01-09 16:08:13

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#34 2026-01-11 10:26:14

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#35 2026-01-11 15:21:43

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#36 2026-01-13 15:05:35

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#37 2026-01-13 15:45:26

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#38 2026-01-13 18:06:03

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#39 2026-01-13 19:40:41

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#40 2026-01-14 12:48:22

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#41 2026-01-14 20:16:29

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#42 2026-01-15 17:59:40

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#43 2026-01-15 20:23:47

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#44 2026-01-16 08:26:58

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#45 2026-01-16 09:38:23

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#46 2026-01-16 11:18:24

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#47 2026-01-16 14:05:46

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#48 2026-01-16 17:27:54

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#49 2026-01-16 20:09:56

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

#50 2026-01-17 07:35:12

Re: [SOLVED]WiFi repeatedly connecting and disconnecting after upgrade

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