Arch Linux

manu83

Member

From: Italy

Registered: 2008-04-18

Posts: 17

switching off wireless card

Hello everyone
I've an Intel integrated wifi card on an ASUS notebook. I use ipw2200 drivers and everything works fine. The only trouble I got is that I cannot switch off wifi's power, for power saving purposes when I'm travelling (my notebook doesn't have a mechanical button for this, in Windows I can switch it on/off via software).
Any idea? Thanks...

zyghom

Member

From: Poland/currently Africa

Registered: 2006-05-11

Posts: 432

Website

Re: switching off wireless card

what about removing module ?

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Zygfryd Homonto

manu83

Member

From: Italy

Registered: 2008-04-18

Posts: 17

Re: switching off wireless card

I did it, but it is still turned on!
It was powered also the first time I installed my Arch, without any kind of module installed! (I can see it because my notebook has a led that indicates wifi power)
It turns automatically off when battery charge runs low! (the led switches itself off and I cannot surf the web anymore, so it isn't just a led problem)

Last edited by manu83 (2008-04-18 14:44:26)

sacamano_m82

Member

Registered: 2007-05-29

Posts: 167

Re: switching off wireless card

From README.ipw2200

For the device level files, look in
    
    /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2200/{PCI-ID}/

For example:
    /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2200/0000:02:01.0

For the device level files, see /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2200:

  rf_kill
    read - 
    0 = RF kill not enabled (radio on)
    1 = SW based RF kill active (radio off)
    2 = HW based RF kill active (radio off)
    3 = Both HW and SW RF kill active (radio off)
    write -
    0 = If SW based RF kill active, turn the radio back on
    1 = If radio is on, activate SW based RF kill

    NOTE: If you enable the SW based RF kill and then toggle the HW
      based RF kill from ON -> OFF -> ON, the radio will NOT come back on

Maybe this would be useful too: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Ipw2200
I don't have an Intel card, so can't check if all of this works or not.

manu83

Member

From: Italy

Registered: 2008-04-18

Posts: 17

Re: switching off wireless card

Thank you, it seems to be ok now!it works almost perfectly, but the LED is still turned on (this is not a problem, anyway...)

the card switches itself off and on using these commands:

    # echo 1 > /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2200/*/rf_kill  (To disable the radio (and further reduce power consumption) when the card is not in use)

    # echo 0 > /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2200/*/rf_kill    (To enable the radio)

To make the radio off by default after boot, add
options ipw2200 disable=1
to your /etc/modprobe.conf

Last edited by manu83 (2008-05-02 16:29:23)