WiFi Connection is very slow and unstable

MajesticBacon_ · 2024-09-14 04:02:43

Hi, just installed Arch for the first time the other day and connected to my network via WiFi. I got it connected no problem thankfully, but once I started downloading packages via pacman and yay I noticed how slow it is. So from researching I was able to update my mirrors list based on speed and it improved it a little bit but not much. I then got Steam installed and started downloading games but the same problem occurred. I am getting anywhere from 100KB/s to 1MB/s on Arch (with sudden, short spikes to 8MB/s), when on my Windows 10 installation on my other SSD I get ~35MB/s. It seems to now be consistently slow, yet with big shifts in speed.

I read somewhere it could be due to missing firmware, but it shows that there's a driver in use and according to Intel the driver gets installed along with linux-firmware.
This is the output of 'lspci -k' (if that helps?):
05:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (rev 1a)
Subsystem: Intel Corporation Wi-Fi 6 AX200NGW
Kernel driver in use: iwlwifi
Kernel modules: iwlwifi

I am on Kernel 6.10.9-arch1-2.

I followed along with a Arch Linux manual installation tutorial on Youtube, which got me to install NetworkManager, if that helps at all.

If there's any other information needed I'll be happy to provide it. Since i'm new to Linux I don't even really know where to begin to troubleshoot, and many things I have found online don't apply to me. I greatly appreciate any help.

seth · 2024-09-14 06:04:15

See the 3rd link below. Mandatory.
Disable it (it's NOT the BIOS setting!) and reboot windows and linux twice for voodo reasons.

Then please post the output of

find /etc/systemd -type l -exec test -f {} \; -print | awk -F'/' '{ printf ("%-40s | %s\n", $(NF-0), $(NF-1)) }' | sort -f

MajesticBacon_ · 2024-09-14 19:53:38

I disabled fast start in Windows, and I think that has helped, as I haven't done anything else but it is still not running at the speed I get in Windows.
After doing that, in Steam I am now currently getting a stable 21MB/s download on average on Arch. I thought I'd try to download the same thing on Steam in Win10 to compare, and I was actually getting around 44MB/s, with peaks up to 51MB/s (I thought it was 35, i misremembered). Still a big improvement so far.

Here's the output of that command:

dbus-org.freedesktop.nm-dispatcher.service | system
dbus-org.freedesktop.timesync1.service   | system
display-manager.service                  | system
getty@tty1.service                       | getty.target.wants
gnome-keyring-daemon.socket              | sockets.target.wants
NetworkManager.service                   | multi-user.target.wants
NetworkManager-wait-online.service       | network-online.target.wants
p11-kit-server.socket                    | sockets.target.wants
pipewire-pulse.socket                    | sockets.target.wants
pipewire-session-manager.service         | user
pipewire.socket                          | sockets.target.wants
remote-fs.target                         | multi-user.target.wants
sshd.service                             | multi-user.target.wants
systemd-timesyncd.service                | sysinit.target.wants
systemd-userdbd.socket                   | sockets.target.wants
wireplumber.service                      | pipewire.service.wants
xdg-user-dirs-update.service             | default.target.wants

Last edited by MajesticBacon_ (2024-09-14 21:01:40)

V1del · 2024-09-14 20:54:20

looks ok (please use code and not quote tags for outputs in the future)

For steam in particular check whether disabling HTTP2 helps: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Steam# … _downloads

seth · 2024-09-14 20:59:09

You're not running concurrent network daemons.

getting a stable 21MB/s download on average … getting around 44MB/s, with peaks up to 51MB/s (I thought it was 35

The steam performance might fluctuate depüending on how many other players there are, Get ABBS and run the speedtest to get an idea of your througput.

Steam specifically also suffers from https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Steam# … _downloads

Last please post the output of

systool -vm iwlwifi 
systool -vm iwlmvm

I followed along with a Arch Linux manual installation tutorial on Youtube

Nb. that random youtube follow-along videos are not a good or supported way to install archlinux - the manual installation provides a vast opportunity to learn about the system in from of you.

Edit: Fuck.

Last edited by seth (2024-09-14 20:59:31)

MajesticBacon_ · 2024-09-14 21:29:03

Here is the result of the speedtest. It seems to be similar to my speed through Steam, but the closest location thru the speedtest was Fremont while through Steam it's Calgary, which is a lot closer. Not sure exactly how much of a difference it would make, but my other speed test to Newark was about 22MB/s

/dev/null                         100%[===========================================================>]   1000M  24.8MB/s    in 34s     
2024-09-14 15:20:23 URL:http://speedtest.fremont.linode.com/1GB-fremont.bin [1048576000/1048576000] -> "/dev/null" [1]

I also disabled HTTP2 in Steam but there is no noticeable difference.

Finally, heres the output of the two systool commands:

[ethan@ethan-pc ~]$ systool -vm iwlwifi 
Module = "iwlwifi"

  Attributes:
    coresize            = "593920"
    initsize            = "0"
    initstate           = "live"
    refcnt              = "1"
    srcversion          = "7E08F4010CBF89E51E590A8"
    taint               = ""
    uevent              = <store method only>

  Parameters:
    11n_disable         = "0"
    amsdu_size          = "0"
    bt_coex_active      = "Y"
    debug               = "0"
    disable_11ac        = "N"
    disable_11ax        = "N"
    disable_11be        = "N"
    enable_ini          = "16"
    fw_restart          = "Y"
    led_mode            = "0"
    nvm_file            = "(null)"
    power_level         = "0"
    power_save          = "N"
    remove_when_gone    = "N"
    swcrypto            = "0"
    uapsd_disable       = "3"

  Sections:

[ethan@ethan-pc ~]$ systool -vm iwlmvm
Module = "iwlmvm"

  Attributes:
    coresize            = "749568"
    initsize            = "0"
    initstate           = "live"
    refcnt              = "0"
    srcversion          = "C37BE36CCB95B52E2C2A512"
    taint               = ""
    uevent              = <store method only>

  Parameters:
    init_dbg            = "N"
    power_scheme        = "2"

  Sections:

seth · 2024-09-15 07:25:25

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Power_ … interfaces
Try to set "iw dev <wlsomethinghere> set power_save off" and add "iwlmvm.power_scheme=1" to the https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Kernel_parameters

MajesticBacon_ · 2024-09-15 13:30:00

I applied both and verified through systool but no noticeable difference.
Does my iwlwifi power_level have to be increased? I tried searching for documentation on what exactly that changes or if 0 is uncapped or whatever but I couldn't find anything.

seth · 2024-09-15 14:05:42

Does my iwlwifi power_level have to be increased?

Do you have better performance when getting closer to the AP? Usually it also tells you what TX power is ok.
Do you have linux-firmware installed?

Since NM is pretty chatty please post your complete system journal for the boot:

sudo journalctl -b | curl -F 'file=@-' 0x0.st

Arch Linux

#1 2024-09-14 04:02:43

WiFi Connection is very slow and unstable

#2 2024-09-14 06:04:15

Re: WiFi Connection is very slow and unstable

#3 2024-09-14 19:53:38

Re: WiFi Connection is very slow and unstable

#4 2024-09-14 20:54:20

Re: WiFi Connection is very slow and unstable

#5 2024-09-14 20:59:09

Re: WiFi Connection is very slow and unstable

#6 2024-09-14 21:29:03

Re: WiFi Connection is very slow and unstable

#7 2024-09-15 07:25:25

Re: WiFi Connection is very slow and unstable

#8 2024-09-15 13:30:00

Re: WiFi Connection is very slow and unstable

#9 2024-09-15 14:05:42

Re: WiFi Connection is very slow and unstable

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