Slow Wireless Connection in Intel 3945abg

Same here with Intel 3945ABG/BG on maverick. I had no wifi-related issues on previous Ubuntu versions. My average download speed is 40kB/s when it's supposed to be around 600kB/s.

Hi munny,

Please be sure to confirm this issue exists with the latest development release of Ubuntu. ISO CD images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/daily/current/ . If the issue remains, please run the following command from a Terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal). It will automatically gather and attach updated debug information to this report.

apport-collect -p linux 621265

Also, if you could test the latest upstream kernel available that would be great. It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please remove the 'needs-upstream-testing' tag. This can be done by clicking on the yellow pencil icon next to the tag located at the bottom of the bug description and deleting the 'needs-upstream-testing' text. Please let us know your results.

Thanks in advance.

    [This is an automated message. Apologies if it has reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

I am no more able to reproduce the problem, with ubuntu kernel 2.6.35.20.21.

lspci | grep 3945
0b:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection (rev 02)

linux:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 2.6.35.20.21
  Version table:
     2.6.35.20.21 0
        500 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick/main i386 Packages

Not fixed for me. It still happens even with 2.6.35.21 kernel.

AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.23.
Architecture: i386
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: miguel 1470 F.... pulseaudio
CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No existe el archivo o directorio
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xd2400000 irq 46'
   Mixer name : 'Realtek ALC883'
   Components : 'HDA:10ec0883,10250090,00100002 HDA:14f12bfa,1025007f,00090000'
   Controls : 24
   Simple ctrls : 14
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=95560f48-18f5-411d-bd58-603d38e89a62
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Beta i386 (20100901.1)
MachineType: Acer Aspire 5610
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: linux (not installed)
PccardctlIdent:
 Socket 0:
   no product info available
PccardctlStatus:
 Socket 0:
   no card
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-21-generic root=UUID=4c026b8a-d291-42e5-8b45-d7c28991145b ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=es_ES.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-21.30-generic 2.6.35.4
Regression: Yes
RelatedPackageVersions: linux-firmware 1.38
Reproducible: Yes
RfKill:
 0: phy0: Wireless LAN
  Soft blocked: no
  Hard blocked: no
Tags: maverick kernel-config regression-potential needs-upstream-testing
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-21-generic i686
UserGroups: adm admin cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare
dmi.bios.date: 02/13/2007
dmi.bios.vendor: Acer
dmi.bios.version: V3.50
dmi.board.name: Grapevine
dmi.board.vendor: Acer
dmi.board.version: N/A
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Acer
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAcer:bvrV3.50:bd02/13/2007:svnAcer:pnAspire5610:pvrV3.50:rvnAcer:rnGrapevine:rvrN/A:cvnAcer:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: Aspire 5610
dmi.product.version: V3.50
dmi.sys.vendor: Acer

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this bug also affects me in fresh installed maverick.
network speed over wifi is never faster than 150kb/s. Even when i copy stuff from my local network storage over nfs.

regards oliver

dmesg:
[ 2181.202588] iwl3945 0000:0c:00.0: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3945ABG
[ 2181.202736] iwl3945 0000:0c:00.0: irq 43 for MSI/MSI-X
[ 2181.203341] phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'iwl-3945-rs'
[ 2184.755327] ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): eth0: link is not ready
[ 2184.785415] iwl3945 0000:0c:00.0: loaded firmware version 15.32.2.9
[ 2184.862250] ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[ 2190.598031] wlan0: authenticate with 00:1f:3f:a4:80:c1 (try 1)
[ 2190.603331] wlan0: authenticated
[ 2190.604681] wlan0: associate with 00:1f:3f:a4:80:c1 (try 1)
[ 2190.624421] wlan0: RX AssocResp from 00:1f:3f:a4:80:c1 (capab=0x431 status=0 aid=5)
[ 2190.624429] wlan0: associated
[ 2190.633272] ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): wlan0: link becomes ready
[ 2201.440085] wlan0: no IPv6 routers present
[ 2700.721281] b44 ssb0:0: eth0: powering down PHY
[ 2700.956153] wlan0: deauthenticating from 00:1f:3f:a4:80:c1 by local choice (reason=3)
[ 2701.019663] cfg80211: All devices are disconnected, going to restore regulatory settings
[ 2701.019674] cfg80211: Restoring regulatory settings
[ 2701.019681] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
[ 2701.029362] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
[ 2701.029369] (start_freq - end_freq @ bandwidth), (max_antenna_gain, max_eirp)
[ 2701.029377] (2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 2701.029383] (2457000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 2701.029390] (2474000 KHz - 2494000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 2701.029396] (5170000 KHz - 5250000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 2701.029403] (5735000 KHz - 5835000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 2722.649596] iwl3945 0000:0c:00.0: PCI INT A disabled
[ 2768.237253] ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): eth0: link is not ready
[ 2801.445177] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
[ 2801.452802] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
[ 2801.452806] (start_freq - end_freq @ bandwidth), (max_antenna_gain, max_eirp)
[ 2801.452811] (2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 2801.452815] (2457000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 2801.452819] (2474000 KHz - 2494000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 2801.452823] (5170000 KHz - 5250000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 2801.452826] (5735000 KHz - 5835000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[ 2801.519779] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, in-tree:s
[ 2801.519785] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2010 Intel Corporation
[ 2801.519870] iwl3945 0000:0c:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
[ 2801.519892] iwl3945 0000:0c:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
[ 2801.560347] iwl3945 0000:0c:00.0: Tunable channels: 13 802.11bg, 23 802.11a channels
[ 2801.560353] iwl3945 0000:0c:00.0: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3945ABG
[ 2801.560501] iwl3945 0000:0c:00.0: irq 43 for MSI/MSI-X
[ 2801.561138] phy0: Selected rate contr...

I'm also affected both on an upgraded install from Lucid and when running from a livecd.

ubuntu 2.6.35-22-generic #33-Ubuntu SMP Sun Sep 19 20:34:50 UTC 2010

dmesg extract:
[ 31.872152] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, in-tree:s
[ 31.872156] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2010 Intel Corporation
[ 31.872272] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
[ 31.872287] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
[ 31.933068] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: Tunable channels: 13 802.11bg, 23 802.11a channels
[ 31.933073] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3945ABG
[ 31.933188] alloc irq_desc for 48 on node -1
[ 31.933191] alloc kstat_irqs on node -1
[ 31.933224] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: irq 48 for MSI/MSI-X
[ 32.073717] r8169 0000:04:00.0: eth0: link down

This bug has been apport collected and is even confirmed in Maverick.

Same issue here, with an Asus notebook. Wifi bandwidth was perfect until Maverick 10.10 ! It's very slow now.

$ dmesg | grep 3945
[ 21.734034] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, in-tree:s
[ 21.734038] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2010 Intel Corporation
[ 21.734111] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
[ 21.734126] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
[ 21.788661] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: Tunable channels: 13 802.11bg, 23 802.11a channels
[ 21.788664] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3945ABG
[ 21.788816] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: irq 45 for MSI/MSI-X
[ 21.797260] phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'iwl-3945-rs'
[ 27.296988] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: loaded firmware version 15.32.2.9

There is any workaround ?

I want to upgrade Lucid in my laptop into Maverick, but this bug stopped me, since I need internet connection via Wi-fi in the laptop. Please fix this bug asap so the unfortunate laptop owner with 3945ABG wireless chip can use Maverick Meerkat.

Thanks

any idea when the bug may be addressed, this is painfully slow.

One question for those who have Maverick installed in laptop with 3945ABG wifi chip, if you boot the laptop using lucid kernel, is the speed back to normal or stay the same? If the bug is in the kernel, then I will not mind keeping the old kernel until the new kernel resolve this bug.

I had no problems on lucid.. upgraded to maverick and my wireless is extremely slow.. also using iwl3945 ..i should add that i tried installing linux-backports-modules-wireless-maverick-generic but had no luck...
what should i do?? should i leave it installed? it there a fix coming out?? will a clean install fix this?

@psychok7 and other that have maverick installed, can you try to install lucid kernel and lucid wireless driver:

linux-backports-modules-compat-wireless-2.6.34-2.6.32-25-generic
linux-backports-modules-wireless-lucid-generic
linux-image-2.6.32-25-generic
linux-headers-2.6.32-25
linux-headers-2.6.32-25-generic

Those are the kernel and wireless module that installed in my lucid right now. Try to install it and report back if the wireless speed is back just like when using lucid.

Many thanks.

Same problem like others.

If I try boot with linux-headers-2.6.32-25 kernel I still have slow wifi.

When I installed
linux-backports-modules-compat-wireless-2.6.34-2.6.32-25-generic
linux-backports-modules-wireless-lucid-generic

and reboot again with linux-2.6.32-25-generic kernel, still have slow wifi :(

uname -a:

Linux janinko-laptop 2.6.32-25-generic #45-Ubuntu SMP Sat Oct 16 19:48:22 UTC 2010 i686 GNU/Linux

dpkg -l :

ii linux-backports-modules-compat-wireless-2.6.34-2.6.32-25-generic 2.6.32-25.24
ii linux-backports-modules-wireless-lucid-generic 2.6.32.25.27
ii linux-headers-2.6.35-22 2.6.35-22.35
ii linux-headers-2.6.35-22-generic 2.6.35-22.35
ii linux-headers-generic 2.6.35.22.23
rc linux-image-2.6.32-21-generic 2.6.32-21.32
rc linux-image-2.6.32-22-generic 2.6.32-22.36
rc linux-image-2.6.32-23-generic 2.6.32-23.37
rc linux-image-2.6.32-24-generic 2.6.32-24.43
ii linux-image-2.6.32-25-generic 2.6.32-25.45
ii linux-image-2.6.35-22-generic 2.6.35-22.35
ii linux-image-generic 2.6.35.22.23

Maybe downgrading linux-firmware package would help?

In lucid, here is the version of linux-firmware package:

$ dpkg -l|grep linux-firmware
ii linux-firmware 1.34.1 Firmware for Linux kernel drivers

I have the same problem here, but it works with old kernel.
At speedtest.net I got:
0.37 Mbps with default kernel 2.6.35-22
9.18 Mbps when booting with kernel 2.6.32-25 (this is the same I get with wired connection)

This problem showed up for me in Maverick. Lucid and previous releases worked fine. I tested the backported Maverick kernel on Lucid (the linux-lts-backport-maverick package) and I was able to reproduce the wireless slow down on Lucid.

@Nick, so the culprit is the linux-lts-backport-maverick then? @Fabio, when you are using kernel 2.6.32-25, what the firmware packages that installed in your laptop?

I have a intel PRO/wireless 3945ag wireless card as well and i am having the same problem. When i connect through the wired ethernet connection my speeds are okay but when connecting using wireless network i get slow speeds and sometimes page fails to load due to this slow speed.

The linux-lts-backport-maverick package is the same kernel from
Maverick. I'm just confirming that it appears to be a kernel bug which
appeared somewhere after 2.6.32. (oddly there are bug reports of this
problem that were submitted long ago about this, not sure why I'm just
seeing it now) I also tested the upstream 2.6.36 kernel and it has the
same problem.

On 10/23/2010 04:02 AM, Donny Kurnia wrote:
> @Nick, so the culprit is the linux-lts-backport-maverick then? @Fabio,
> when you are using kernel 2.6.32-25, what the firmware packages that
> installed in your laptop?
>
>

I booted using the 2.6.32-25-generic kernel (from lucid, not deleted after upgrade to maverick) and the bandwidth is good.

Bandwidth between my laptop (iwl3945) and my ADSL Box (Freebox)
kernel 2.6.35 > 1 Mb
kernel 2.6.32 > 12 Mb

It's not a very good workaround, but I'll live with that for the moment. So I configured my /etc/default/grub with
GRUB_DEFAULT=saved and run sudo update grub for use the 2.6.32 by default after the first selection.

Thanks for the sharing @Nicolas. I might do the same for my laptop after I got some free time to upgrade the Lucid to Maverick.

Same problem like others.

janinko wrote on 2010-10-22: #34
> Same problem like others.
> If I try boot with linux-headers-2.6.32-25 kernel I still have slow wifi.

I tried it again and it worked fine. I think the problem in previous report was caused by router.

So, It's like Nicolas Albert said.

should i leave my linux-backports-modules-wireless-maverick-generic enabled or i should disable it and wait for a ubuntu update? when will the update be by the way?

same problem here. using 64 bit Ubuntu 10.10 on a Fujitsu Lifebook notebook, the transfer rate doesn't go over 100 KB/sec, in windows it's normally over 1Mb.

is downgrading to lucid the only work around to this problem?

On mac it is the default power managment. Turning it off fixes the problem.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBookPro7-1/Maverick#Wireless

Thanks to the one who discoverd this.

I have the same problem, and now I'm using Maverick but with lucid kernel. I've tried what has commented delijati about power manager, but I'm not able to change it. Althow, I've seen it is disabled, so it is not the solution for my case (Acer laptop)

has anyone tried using another driver, well first time I installed ubuntu on my lenovo 3 years ago I had to install a driver and it worked nice, I updated all the way to maveric, and I got this problem, maby the driver got changed in the process. Yeasterday I installed lusid from scrach, and it did`nt help. Maby it works whit a windows driver, has anyone tried. Pleace bare whit me I`m just a user.

I have a ThinkPad T60 here for installation, it has a 3945ABG and a Mobile Radeon X1300.
Just checked the maverick release notes because the lucid kernel doesn't support the Radeon power-management (at least not very well)
So I can choose between low network speed or high power consumption. Since this not my notebook maybe it would be better to go with the pre-installed windows than giving some one a bad impression of linux/ubuntu. Seems like a show stopper for me. :-(

@Rechner, I'm using Lucid in my Thinkpad R61 with wlan Power Management set to off. I still had almost 4 hour time with 9cell compatible battery (the original battery had died a year ago). I haven't had time to install Maverick in this laptop yet. But if the slowness is caused by power management, then turning it off will not affected the battery life too much. FYI, while in battery, I use normal CPU speed (on demand), normal backlight level, so I can still working comfortable using battery.

Donny: Thank you for sharing your experience with me, but you got me wrong:
lucid (Kernel 2.6.32) doesn't support the *powermanagment for Radeon GPUs* very well (if you're using KMS).
My own T60 with Mobile Radeon X1400 takes about 18 watts with an installed lucid but only 12 watts with maverick rc live or this well known "other OS" ;-), (all with lowest brightness to be comparable)
With maverick on the other hand I'll have my 12 watts but slow WiFi.

Greetings

@Rechner, this bug report is about the slowness of WiFi in laptop that use 3945ABG. @delijati above write that the slowness might be because of power management. In lucid that I'm using right now, I had the power management turned off. I haven't had a time to install maverick yet. If the slowness of Wifi is because of the power management setting, then I want to tell you that setting it to off will not affect the battery runtime too big.

My Thinkpad R61 is using Intel VGA, not Radeon. The average power consumption is around 18 - 21 W (based on gnome-power-management power statistic history graph). So I have no comment about Radeon performance, beside it is out of this bug report scope.

So, anyone else that have installed Maverick and turned off Power Management setting in wlan0 device? Is the slow problems gone or it is still as slow as before?

Maverick installed and Power Management setting in wlan0 turned off. The problem still exists. I made some checks and found that the connection is supported by dial-up with about 54 Mbps. After some time the rate goes back to 1 Mbps. Turn power management off is not the solution for me. Hardware: Dell Inspirion and 3945ABG.

Same problem here with Maverick on a Dell Inspiron 1520, max speed 1Mbs. Maybe this wifi card can go faster with ndiswrapper?

It happens also with kernel 2.6.36 available in kernel-ppa mainline. For me, only solution is using kernel 2.6.32 from lucid

fix for this problem was committed three days ago in iwlwifi git repository, see
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/iwlwifi/iwlwifi-2.6.git;a=commit;h=0d8e0e28a27779f480adb6674ca5fc29879a2080
tested it on an Thinkpad T60 and wifi speed seem's to be back to normal.
now waiting for ubuntu to release an update with the fixed iwl3945 module ..

I think I find a workaround for 2.6.35 kernel.

Just do a :

sudo iwpriv wlan0 set_power 7

and my wireless test speed reach ~6.5 Mb/s instead of ~1 Mb/s.

You can slow down again with "sudo iwpriv wlan0 set_power 1".

Someone can confirm ?

thank you Nicolas!!
Now my wireless test speed reach ~4.5 Mb/s instead of ~1 Mb/s.

However, i'll wait the solution proposed by Giuliano in #60

after a restart the speed is about 1Mb/s. Typing "sudo iwpriv wlan0 set_power 7" doesn't work anymore.

So how long is it usually before an update like this is made available by Ubuntu?

I installed maverick on the above mentioned T60. Networkmanager shows me between 6-54 Mbit/s (and it recovers back to 48-54 Mbit/s even if it showed 6Mbit/s before). Download speeds with synaptic are at ~2500kbyte/s, as expected.
Maybe it's because I'm ruining my AP with 802.11a/g (5Ghz) only? Encryption is set to WPA2-Personal/AES only too.

I can confirm Giuliano's findings.

The commit he listed (and the subsequent commits immediately after) has solved the issue.

If you splice the iwlwifi folder from the latest snapshot of that git tree with the iwlwifi folder from compat-wireless, you can save yourself the hours-long kernel compilation and build a full-speed iwl3945 module.

Grrrr.

The speed doesn't last.

Progress is progress, I guess.

I had it before...

Why won't it work it anymore?

Was it the new git drivers, disabling CONFIG_CFG80211_DEFAULT_PS, or both?

Giuliano, can you post a step-by-step guide, please?

This is going to bother me until I figure it out.

By the way, can everyone who is reporting increased speeds please temporarily blacklist the iwl3945 module and try again with ndiswrapper plus the netw5x32 (version 12.2.0.11) driver?

http://www.mediafire.com/?rc5jbicm6is85h8

iwl3945: Max download is 5 Mbps
ndiswrapper: Max download is 22 Mbps

That commit is not working for me either. I downloaded the snapshot of the commit and merged the iwlwifi directory into the latest compat-wireless daily snapshot, compiled, installed, and rebooted but wireless is still only reaching around 1.5mbps. Maybe this isn't the correct way to do this? I also tried "sudo iwpriv wlan0 set_power 7" but it just returned "wlan0 no private ioctls."

<< I also tried "sudo iwpriv wlan0 set_power 7" but it just returned "wlan0 no private ioctls." >>

It was a normal ouput and it still works for me and survive after halt or reboot.

The iwpriv command doesn't work for me.

Oh, OK. But it didn't change anything for me.

On 11/04/2010 02:48 PM, Nicolas Albert wrote:
> << I also tried "sudo iwpriv wlan0 set_power 7" but it just returned
> "wlan0 no private ioctls." >>
>
> It was a normal ouput and it still works for me and survive after halt
> or reboot.
>
>

I thought it worth noting that I do *not* have the problem, although my WiFi card is the one affected.
Ubuntu 10.10, kernel 2.6.35-22-generic.
Dell Inspiron 6400, 2GHz Centrino Duo, 2GB memory.

$ dmesg | grep 3945
[ 0.394592] PNP: PS/2 Controller [PNP0303:KBC,PNP0f13:PS2M] at 0x60,0x64 irq 1,12
[ 6.168072] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, in-tree:s
[ 6.168077] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2010 Intel Corporation
[ 6.168164] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 16 (level, low) -> IRQ 16
[ 6.168180] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
[ 6.222683] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: Tunable channels: 13 802.11bg, 23 802.11a channels
[ 6.222686] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3945ABG
[ 6.222858] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: irq 44 for MSI/MSI-X
[ 6.392115] phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'iwl-3945-rs'
[ 10.967349] iwl3945 0000:0b:00.0: loaded firmware version 15.32.2.9

Speedtest.net to London (I am in Sussex, UK) returns a healthy 10.95Mb/s download, 0.79Mb/s upload.

It seems that Rechner-Tester has pointed in the right direction, I have set up my wifi router to work in G only mode and it seems to have fixed the issue (fingers crossed), getting adequate transfer speeds now.

For the record, with the good performance mentioned above:
My WiFi router, a D-Link "DSL 2640-R", is configured for "mixed 802.11g and b".
The wireless security is "Auto (WPA or WPA2)".

My router has always been in G-only mode. Makes no difference here.

On 11/06/2010 05:27 PM, sergeos wrote:
> It seems that Rechner-Tester has pointed in the right direction, I have
> set up my wifi router to work in G only mode and it seems to have fixed
> the issue (fingers crossed), getting adequate transfer speeds now.
>
>

it's probably just a coincidence then, I just realized that I've had a couple of virtual boxes running in the background for the past couple of days, maybe vmware workstation is not letting power management to kick in on the wlan interface hence the transfer rates have been quite good. just a theory...

What the hell?

I'm getting 22 Mbps with iwl3945 tonight and I didn't do anything...

Ah. I was playing around with my CPU frequency scaler using the applet.

What a mistake: "802.11a/g" in my last posting is wrong, it's "802.11a/n" . (802.11g is not 5GHz but 2,4GHz)
Sorry

I made additional test on my T60 using the patched iwlwifi from the git repository, i wrote in my earlier comment that the speed was back to normal, but that doesn't last longer or work in a reliable ways, every now and then the speed will go from normal to around 1mbps without apparent reason, i had it working for hours without problem than drop back to 1mbps, sometimes reloading the iwl3945 module help, sometimes not.
Anyway i can't make other test, i swapped my T60 for a T400 with 5100 agn so now i'm facing other problem (802.11N disabled in latest iwlagn module ..) but at least i can use full 11g speed.

SOLVED for my INTEL 4965...

Speed bug seems solved with kernel 2.6.37...
http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v2.6.37-rc1-maverick/

Just upgraded and for now my speed is normal.

Thank you for your feedback Luca, but I'm quite sure this bug here never affected you. This bug is about:
     "Slow Wireless Connection in Intel 3945abg"
but you wrote:"SOLVED for my INTEL 4965..."

Maybe your was affected by an other bug?

That new 2.6.37 kernel contains some iwl3945 fixes. Maybe it solves this bug. Somebody could upgrade and confirm this for the intel 3945 wifi chipset?

Doesn't work for me and kernel 2.6.37 crashes sometimes

Doesn't work for me and kernel 2.6.37 isn't for production. Crashes sometimes

New kernel doesn't fix the issue.

Linux kingfisher 2.6.37-4-generic #12-Ubuntu SMP Mon Nov 15 21:26:16 UTC 2010 i686 GNU/Linux

I think I have this issue too.

Used to transfer files with almost 2 Mb/s, but now I get only 100 kb/s.

Also on a cable LAN connection the speed is down from 5 Mb/s to 3 Mb/s

All is measured with SSH transfer where my computer is connected to the same router as the server with either WLAN or LAN.

Think I had an overhead problem, or something else. Problem seems gone now.

I have a DELL Latitude D820 with the same problem. Yesterday I upgraded from 9.10 to 10.10 (changed hard disc and did a fresh 10.10 install). I get the following transfer:
  Down: 1.35Mbit/s
  Up: 5.02Mbit/s

My wife has a MacBookPro and we're connected to the same WLAN. Her corresponding numbers:
  Down: 13.92Mbit/s
  Up: 5.02Mbit/s

Kernel: Linux ministerial 2.6.35-22-generic #35-Ubuntu SMP Sat Oct 16 20:36:48 UTC 2010 i686 GNU/Linux

i can't wait for somebody smarter than me to figure this one out :(

I have not tried Maverick release, I'm using Lucid, but I have the affected wireless card, so that is enough reason to not upgrade, until the issue is fixed. Intel cards should be well supported, please fix this bug.

I too will be eagerly waiting for this bug to be fixed so I can upgrade to 10.10!

It's really really annoying this bug still exists. I'd have to connect my laptop always to wired network. Could we do anything to help the fix of this bug?

It`s the router that makes this bug tick, it seems to slow down on one of the routers I have used lately, the problem is the same both on 10.04 and 10.10.

I have had this problem for awhile. I saw that it was a confirmed bug so I ignored it and waited for a fix. After waiting too long I started searching and came up with an interesting result.

With my HP dv2000 that uses an intel 3945 the bug first showed up with an upgrade from 10.04 to 10.10. I tried to use wireless but found it incredibly slow and unable to connect to the router well. After playing with it for awhile I found that the wireless switch on the front of the computer no longer let me control the status of the wireless card and the card was being held in an off state. Recently I found a forum post (link below) that helped me make a step in the right direction. Running ....

sudo rfkill unblock all
Source: http://start.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=10047869

Running that code in terminal gave me back control of the wireless disable switch allowing me to turn the card back on. I then went and ran a speed test and found that performance was as expected.

[URL=http://www.speedtest.net][IMG]http://www.speedtest.net/result/1066008894.png[/IMG][/URL]

I hope that this helps others that have been running into this problem. If somebody trying to troubleshoot this bug needs more info let me know how I can help.

#more /var/lib/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.state
return me:
[main]
NetworkingEnabled=true
WirelessEnabled=true
WWANEnabled=true

The wireless switch has no problem on my dell inspiron 1520. "sudo rfkill unblock all" so had no effect for me.

I just did a fresh install of 10.10 on a Dell Inspiron E1705, which
has the 3945ABG (rev 02) wifi card and my wifi speed is not reduced
(relative to what it was on 10.04).
I'm using the i686 kernel 2.6.35-23-generic #41-Ubuntu which is the
current one from the Update Manager.
Has someone considered if this bug only occurs on upgrades from 10.04,
rather than fresh installs of 10.10?
I also hesitated to upgrade, but the issue is not affecting me. If
you're in the same situation, I would try the live CD and see if the
issue will indeed affect you.

On Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 10:29, kdekda <email address hidden> wrote:
> #more /var/lib/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.state
> return me:
> [main]
> NetworkingEnabled=true
> WirelessEnabled=true
> WWANEnabled=true
>
> The wireless switch has no problem on my dell inspiron 1520. "sudo
> rfkill unblock all" so had no effect for me.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/621265
>
> Title:
>  Slow Wireless Connection in Intel 3945abg
>
> Status in “linux” package in Ubuntu:
>  Confirmed
> Status in “linux” source package in Maverick:
>  Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
>  With latest daily-live Maverick (2010-08-20), my wireless connection with Intel 3945abg never go over 3mbps speed.
> I try this in local lan and in internet.
> It seems like a regression about iwl3945 driver, i had a similar problem with older kernel where wireless speed was limited to 1mbps, with k/ubuntu 10.04 and 2.6.32 kernel this problem was disappear.
>
> Some information:
> lsb_release -rd:
> Description:    Ubuntu maverick (development branch)
> Release:        10.10
>
> uname -a:
> Linux ubuntu 2.6.35-16-generic #22-Ubuntu SMP Tue Aug 17 02:21:03 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux
>
> dmesg | grep 3945:
>
> [   27.977578] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, in-tree:s
> [   27.977583] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2010 Intel Corporation
> [   27.977678] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
> [   27.977693] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
> [   28.043199] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Tunable channels: 13 802.11bg, 23 802.11a channels
> [   28.043205] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3945ABG
> [   28.043366] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: irq 43 for MSI/MSI-X
> [   28.185681] phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'iwl-3945-rs'
> [   28.523764] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: loaded firmware version 15.32.2.9
>
> iwconfig:
> wlan0     IEEE 802.11abg  ESSID:"Dorema"
>          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.472 GHz  Access Point: 00:1A:92:11:1C:C7
>          Bit Rate=54 Mb/s   Tx-Power=15 dBm
>          Retry  long limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
>          Power Management:off
>          Link Quality=68/70  Signal level=-42 dBm
>          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
>          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0
>
> My access point is Asus WL-600g
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/621265/+subscribe
>

Both fresh installs and upgrades from at least Karmic and onward are affected.

A similar issue existed around the same time, but that was mitigated with G-only on routers.

This is a different issues involving the driver's rate control algorithm.

It does indeed seem to be a rate control issue. When it slows down and I check the router it shows it's only going at 5.5Mbps. If I disconnect and check the router's rate from another wireless computer it immediately jumps back to 36+Mbps which is what it is normally at. It appears when the laptop with the 3945 card is on the wireless it slows the wireless down for everyone else on the wireless too.

On 12/11/2010 06:24 PM, Eric Appleman wrote:
> Both fresh installs and upgrades from at least Karmic and onward are
> affected.
>
> A similar issue existed around the same time, but that was mitigated
> with G-only on routers.
>
> This is a different issues involving the driver's rate control
> algorithm.
>

I've been doing some tests since I realized I was suffering from this bug. My internet speed is supposed by be 30 Mbps. I always get about 28.5-29.0 Mbps with a wired ethernet connection, no matter what machine or kernel or OS. Wireless differs. On Linux I get better performance with the older kernel, like everyone else:

kernel 2.6.35-22: 2.1 Mbps max down, about 3 Mbps up
kernel 2.6.32-25: 12.0 Mbps max down and up

It's better with the old kernel, but it's still pretty bad compared with when I boot into Windows:

Vista SP2: 20.0 Mbps max up and down

It's hard to believe Vista could out-perform linux at anything, but this is ridiculous. Even when performing at its best, the iwlwifi driver is crappy compared to what I get on Windows. :(

I had the same issue on Ubuntu 10.10 and Mint 10, with PAE/non-PAE kernels, both WUBI/clean installs. The download speed was ~20 times slower than on Windows/previous releases of Ubuntu.

I solved the problem following Eric's suggestion above, by installing the Windows driver (see the mediafire link) - I didn't even bother to blacklist the corresponding kernel module. After reboot, the download speed increased to normal values.

So the issue should be somewhere in the drivers/kernel module. I wanted to clear this out, since I've seen the problem reported on many forums, and the solutions suggested there were strange-to-ridiculous, involving a lot of router related config, disabling DHCP, disabling IPV6, blaming WUBI install, etc.

A posible solution:
I was the same problem with ubuntu 10.10

I marked the pre-release updates and the unsupported updates in the update manager.
This get the kernel 2.6.35-24-generic and install it. With a slow connection this would be hours to install it!!!

After the update the connection works normally for me.

This problem still exists upstream and affects Natty (11.04).

I don't see anything in the release notes of that kernel reflecting a fix for this, but I'll give it a try.

Tested 2.6.35-24. Didn't fix it for me.

On 12/13/2010 02:11 PM, cocolocotero wrote:
> A posible solution:
> I was the same problem with ubuntu 10.10
>
>
> I marked the pre-release updates and the unsupported updates in the update manager.
> This get the kernel 2.6.35-24-generic and install it. With a slow connection this would be hours to install it!!!
>
> After the update the connection works normally for me.
>

After testing Intel 3945 on Ubuntu 10.10 & Ubuntu 11.04, I can confirm the issue still exists with WPA2 Routers.

I finally only got it working on Guadalinex V.7, a very nice ubuntu based distro.

Info:

lsb_release -rd
Description: Guadalinex V7
Release: 10.04

uname -a
Linux miguel-laptop 2.6.32-25-generic #45-Ubuntu SMP Sat Oct 16 19:48:22 UTC 2010 i686 GNU/Linux

dmesg | grep 3945
[ 0.283945] alloc kstat_irqs on node -1
[ 13.679017] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, 1.2.26ks
[ 13.679020] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2009 Intel Corporation
[ 13.679090] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
[ 13.679104] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
[ 13.744577] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: Tunable channels: 13 802.11bg, 23 802.11a channels
[ 13.744581] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3945ABG
[ 13.744718] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: irq 32 for MSI/MSI-X
[ 14.365564] phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'iwl-3945-rs'
[ 18.731716] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: firmware: requesting iwlwifi-3945-2.ucode
[ 18.941682] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: loaded firmware version 15.32.2.9
[ 40.565706] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: Microcode SW error detected. Restarting 0x82000008.
[ 40.565728] iwl3945 0000:03:00.0: Error Reply type 0x00000000 cmd REPLY_TX (0x1C) seq 0x0000 ser 0x00000000

What also helps:

Put Router in 54G only mode.
Set Beacon interval to 10ms.
Set DTIM interval to 10ms/5ms.

Guadalinex V7 is an Ubuntu 10.04 based distro. This bug is not present in
Ubuntu 10.04 and the 2.6.32 kernel, so that's why you got WiFi working
correctly in this case. If I misunderstood you, please let me know. I'm very
interested in this bug to be fixed.

michael, do you router setting recs work with newer kernels?

I've been following this bug since the release of Ubuntu 10.10 with utter exasperation, totally dismayed that it's not even been assigned to someone months after release, frustrated at not being able to upgrade my personal laptop because it has "Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection (rev 02)" on a ThinkPad X60 (though I've upgraded desktop machines).

But then today I thought I'd try what someone suggested of running a live version to see if the bug actually affected me, and it didn't.
So I upgraded the laptop's OS, from 10.04 to 10.10 and everything's fine, an Internet speedtest reports 5.5Mb/s.

I can confirm this is still happening with up-to-date maverick.
Got a Latitude D830 and wireless is more than "slow" - i can not get more than 100Kb/sec where an ath9k asus netbook at the same time does get more than 5Mb/sec.

3 Mb/s max on iwl3945. 24 Mb/s max on ndiswrapper. My ISP rated speed is 30 Mb/s.

I don't like saying it this way, but the higher your ISP speed, the greater your stake is in this bug.

I think this is quite unacceptable. I can't see which bug could be higher rated: we just can't browse nor update package, in practice.

We all made a lot of discuss and noise about proprietary driver before since 2005, they said us to buy open product such as Intel are (here
http://www.ubuntu-it.org/contenuti/interviste/ben-collins.shtml
Ubuntu kernel maintainer Ben Collins said 'buy Intel card!'), and now, 2010, wireless do not work for a DRIVER-OPEN-hardware.

Two months are passed since maverick release, and notice this bug was submitted _before_: it is still unsolved.

Dell XPS M1330 Core 2 Duo T7250, Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945abg
Ubuntu 10.10 amd64 clean install.

I'm experiencing the same issue, I've been testing it by copying files from a server in my house using FTP. Transfer rates average 200KB/s or so with the Maverick kernels, however if I use the 2.6.32-21 Lucid kernel I get speeds of 3MB/s!

Here's how I installed the Lucid kernel...

Add these lines to /etc/apt/sources.list:
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid main restricted
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid main restricted

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install linux-image-2.6.32-21-generic

This installs the image, but since it's an older image, grub doesn't boot to it. You have a few options here. You can try to press ESC on boot to get into the grub menu then manually select the 2.6.32-21 image. I have a hard time with the timing and miss it often. To increase the timeout edit /etc/default/grub and increase the GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT to something like 5. That gives you more time to press escape.

To make it boot 2.6.32-21 by default, get into the grub menu by pressing ESC right before Ubuntu boots. Count the grub menu entries to the kernel you want, mine was entry 6. Edit /etc/default/grub and change GRUB_DEFAULT=0 to that number. Now your system will boot that kernel automatically.

It works great for me, I know some would rather have a fix for the 2.6.35 kernel, but I don't know of any improvements in 2.6.35 that I need!

Thanks,
Chris

Newer Lucid kernels like 2.6.32-27 don't work?

Hmm. The 32-21 kernel is an improvement.

Still slower than ndiswrapper.

32-21 with iwl3945: 15 Mb/s
32-21 with ndiswrapper: 22 Mb/s

I'm going to try bisecting until I find a kernel that brings the speed down the unacceptable levels that this bug speaks of.

Eric,

Thanks for the reply, I didn't realize there were newer kernels since I don't have a Lucid system right now. I just tested 2.5.32-27 and it works!

The sources.list lines would be:

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates main restricted
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates main restricted

then:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install linux-image-2.6.32-27-generic
sudo apt-get install linux-headers-2.6.32-27 (if you need to do any compiling)

One note on grub that I forgot above... When counting the grub menu entries to set the default kernel you have to start counting at 0, not 1, to get the numbers right.

Thanks,
Chris

Wow. Even with a Karmic live session, wireless iwl3945 speed won't break 16 Mbps when right next to the router.

Compare that with 36 Mbps over ethernet through that very same router.

I can't help but wonder if the transition from ipw3945 is the fundamental cause. I'll keep heading backwards.

Gutsy Live USB (ipw3945): 24 Mbps

With this, I'm pretty much convinced that my 3945ABG can't go any faster, something I suspected when my speeds weren't any better on Windows 7.

Furthermore, from what I've seen with Karmic, it also clear to me that iwl3945 has been underperforming for a very long time.

At any rate, I still need to try Hardy, Intrepid, and Jaunty.

Eric: comparisons between ethernet and wireless on the same router might display intrinsic slowness of wifi in comparison with ethernet when using the different combinations of hardware involved.

Far more interesting is how different kernel versions and drivers affects wireless speed. It seems odd that the native driver is so much slower than the ndiswrapper clearly there are some speed problems with that driver that have only got worse in recent versions...

Good luck in finding exactly where the bug was added. Hopefully this bug will get fixed before Natty or I may be stuck on Lucid for a long time.

Max speeds over time using Live USB sessions

Gutsy (ipw3945): 24 Mbps
Karmic (iwl3945): 16 Mbps
Lucid (iwl3945): 16 Mbps
Maverick (iwl3945): 1-3 Mbps
Natty (iwl3945): 1-3 Mbps
Natty (ndiswrapper): 24 Mbps

This problem prompted me to order a new wireless card, Intel 5100. Only cost about $10 on eBay so I figured it was worth a try. I'll be curious to see if it helps or whether the Intel driver bug applies to other cards as well.

Eric: I tried to install ndiswrapper recently and couldn't get it working. Hosed my whole wireless setup in fact, had to restore system from cloned image. Do you know of a step-by-step to do it? I couldn't find one. :(

Use ndisgtk and point it to a known working netw5x32 driver.

11.1.1.3: http://ftp.us.dell.com/network/Intel_multi-device_A12_R164255.exe

or

12.2.0.0: http://www.4shared.com/file/100076063/9b86c1a3/12200_X_Drivers.html

btw, also make sure to rmmod or modprobe -r the iwl3945 driver.

  Eric Appleman wrote:
  "...
  Maverick (iwl3945): 1-3 Mbps
  ..."

Eric, I could live also with 1 or 2 Mbs (in Italy you shouldn't really aspect much more from your ISP...). By just 1Mbps I could browse and download updates or use p2p, but... But I'm here to tell you my average speed is in the order of B/s, and also unstable:

better said "Maverick (iwl3945): 0-3 Mbps".

Thanks, Christopher Salinardi, for your suggestion and repo, I'm going to have a try tomorrow.

Then forget I even said up to 3Mb. I was being needlessly generous.

99% of the time, it's 1Mb or less.

I have found the regression window.

2.6.35-rc2: 20 Mbps
2.6.35-rc3: 2 Mbps

Some commit between these two releases broke the driver.

I've found 2 candidate commits.

a6866ac93e6cb68091326e80b4fa4619a5957644
1402364162afbaac1b8a74ee21aeb013e817ac7d

The only changes to the driver between the two release candidates.

2 more commits that I missed

7d47618a2ade0cb6d8a0b2597029c383c1662fa0
6db6340c42d027b6364d49fa99d69019aca24de4

I wonder if it would be possible to pull the code, revert those commits locally, build and install the new kernel. Seems likely to break something but might be worth a try.

I tried the ndiswrapper, but finally had to disable it. I have a Thinkpad T61 and it was hard to find a driver that worked. The ones that worked were really unstable and I was getting a lot of authentication errors. Sticking with the 2.6.32 kernel for now.

@Christopher, try the Dell driver that found in this thread:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1504211

It's working well with ndiswrapper. The driver from Thinkpad is not compatible with ndiswrapper. I'm using R61 (still lucid) but I can make ndiswrapper worked (just in case if this bug will never got resolved).

@Eric Appleman:
Only the first two commits affect the driver, the rest applies to iwlagn only.

I will try to find out which commit makes it this slow.

I reverted: a6866ac93e6cb68091326e80b4fa4619a5957644
and recompiled kernel but with no luck (problem persists) so it seems to be the 2nd one.

I am checking it.

It seems it's a fault of my router<->notebook pair.
Even Windows has low transfers :(
I guess I'm just unlucky.

Ah, I was too fast to say that. In Linux speeds go down to around 0 so yes there is a problem.

Any luck reverting the "fix internal scan" commit?

Strange - I ran from a Live CD and didn't experience the problem (got ~10 Mbps download). So I upgraded my hard drive from 10.04 and also didn't experience the problem. Then I put in a new hard drive and installed 10.10 fresh, and the problem started happening! Same laptop, just a different (newer/faster) hard drive. Getting about 1.5-3 Mbps!

The speed decrease isn't always instant. It can take a few minutes, even on the LiveCD/LiveUSB.

Just keep hammering the wireless with speed tests and casual browsing.

I started by fixing Windows. Seems it was using a buggy driver. Now it has proper speeds (around 3MBytes/s).
So there is now a base for comparison.

I will test reverting the 1st and then 2nd commit again, taking into account that "speed decrease isn't always instant" - I just experienced it. Launched Kubuntu 10.10 and whoa, it's OK, I went out and after coming back - what the... (speed around 3 Mbit/s not MBytes/s)

My notebook isn't a speed daemon - recompilation takes a lot of time.

I'll post results today - I hope.

I gave up.
I bought a new intel n-draft wifi PCIE Module for 12EUR and replaced my 3945.

Regards olli
-----Original Message-----
From: Radosław Piliszek <email address hidden>
Sender: <email address hidden>
Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2010 10:32:22
To: <email address hidden>
Reply-To: Bug 621265 <email address hidden>
Subject: [Bug 621265] Re: Slow Wireless Connection in Intel 3945abg

I started by fixing Windows. Seems it was using a buggy driver. Now it has proper speeds (around 3MBytes/s).
So there is now a base for comparison.

I will test reverting the 1st and then 2nd commit again, taking into
account that "speed decrease isn't always instant" - I just experienced
it. Launched Kubuntu 10.10 and whoa, it's OK, I went out and after
coming back - what the... (speed around 3 Mbit/s not MBytes/s)

My notebook isn't a speed daemon - recompilation takes a lot of time.

I'll post results today - I hope.

--
You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
of the bug.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/621265

Title:
  Slow Wireless Connection in Intel 3945abg

Status in “linux” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in “linux” source package in Maverick:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  With latest daily-live Maverick (2010-08-20), my wireless connection with Intel 3945abg never go over 3mbps speed.
I try this in local lan and in internet.
It seems like a regression about iwl3945 driver, i had a similar problem with older kernel where wireless speed was limited to 1mbps, with k/ubuntu 10.04 and 2.6.32 kernel this problem was disappear.

Some information:
lsb_release -rd:
Description: Ubuntu maverick (development branch)
Release: 10.10

uname -a:
Linux ubuntu 2.6.35-16-generic #22-Ubuntu SMP Tue Aug 17 02:21:03 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux

dmesg | grep 3945:

[ 27.977578] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, in-tree:s
[ 27.977583] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2010 Intel Corporation
[ 27.977678] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
[ 27.977693] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
[ 28.043199] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Tunable channels: 13 802.11bg, 23 802.11a channels
[ 28.043205] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3945ABG
[ 28.043366] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: irq 43 for MSI/MSI-X
[ 28.185681] phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'iwl-3945-rs'
[ 28.523764] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: loaded firmware version 15.32.2.9

iwconfig:
wlan0 IEEE 802.11abg ESSID:"Dorema"
          Mode:Managed Frequency:2.472 GHz Access Point: 00:1A:92:11:1C:C7
          Bit Rate=54 Mb/s Tx-Power=15 dBm
          Retry long limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
          Power Management:off
          Link Quality=68/70 Signal level=-42 dBm
          Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

My access point is Asus WL-600g

To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/621265/+subscribe

Ok, now I'm 100% sure a6866ac93e6cb68091326e80b4fa4619a5957644 isn't what we are looking for.
Going for the 2nd.

I tried reverting the 2nd one. No results.

As these are only commits affecting iwl3945 I think we are stuck.

Are you sure you have found the right regression window?

@Eric and @Radosław , can you share the commit log and info here, who commit that changes, is he also subscribed to this bug report or not?

http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-2.6.35.y.git;a=commit;h=a6866ac93e6cb68091326e80b4fa4619a5957644
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-2.6.35.y.git;a=commit;h=1402364162afbaac1b8a74ee21aeb013e817ac7d

I strongly doubt it could be a6866ac93e6cb68091326e80b4fa4619a5957644 as the same commit went to 2.6.34 tree and the latest 2.6.34.7 works fine.

Anyway, I tried reverting both with no results.

Maybe it's not directly connected with iwl3945's code?

I will do some more tests in Gentoo.

I've tested Linux 2.6.36.2 and it works fine (constant 20Mbit/s).
However I used Gentoo. I'll try with 2.6.35.
(maybe it's something just Ubuntu-related)

I built and installed 2.6.36.2 on Mint 10 and wireless is still slow: 2.91 Mbps down, 3.59 Mbps up.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1087803303.png

I get 20+ Mbps on Windows with wireless connection, 29 Mbps on ethernet connection in either Win or any Linux kernel.

Thanks for info about 2.6.36.2 on Mint.

2.6.35.10 works perfectly fine on Gentoo.

I think the problem is somewhere else. I mean it can be actually a problem with kernel but only when used with some software etc.
In Gentoo I use wpa_supplicant and dhcpcd. IIRC Ubuntu uses NetworkManager.

Ok, two tasks to be done:
1) Test Ubuntu/Mint w/o NetworkManager - use manual connection handling with wpa_supplicant.
2) Test 2.6.34.7 on Ubuntu/Mint.

Summary:
Gentoo: 2.6.34/35/36 OK
Ubuntu: 2.6.35/36 Bad

I will try the wpa_supplicant thing in a moment. Do you think it could have something to do with the new network manager daemon handling? I know that starting/stopping it used to be "/etc/init.d/network-manager start/stop" and now it's just "restart networkmanager" or something like that.

I doubt. It must be something more internal. New service management stuff wouldn't cause problems like this one.
Especially as it seems the problem is related to iwl3945 only. However, are we sure it applies only to iwl3945?

I have also a question (as I'm now running Gentoo and want to play with NetworkManager in it): what is the version of ucode in Ubuntu?

Another idea came to my mind: maybe it's Ubuntu's wpa_supplicant that is buggy and doesn't work with latest kernel patches?

Maybe but why would it only affect this wireless card? Anyway I'm downloading Fedora 14 to try it on a live CD. It'll have a pretty new kernel.

Well, it's just as slow in Fedora 14 as in Mint 10. F14 had kernel 2.6.35.6 IIRC.

with respect to wpa supplicant, are unencrypted connections affected? also, are we now considering the mac80211 subsystem. Finally, is there anything between 2.6.34.7 and 2.6.35-rc1 that we could be missing?

----------
Sent from the Verizon network using Mobile Email

------Original Message------
From: Jonathan Kulp <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Date: Tue, Dec 28, 10:15 PM +0000
Subject: [Bug 621265] Re: Slow Wireless Connection in Intel 3945abg

Well, it's just as slow in Fedora 14 as in Mint 10. F14 had kernel
2.6.35.6 IIRC.

--
You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
of the bug.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/621265

Title:
  Slow Wireless Connection in Intel 3945abg

The Fedora bug report is here: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=654599 and there is a possibly related one here: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=653437
They don't seem to have managed to fix the bug or locate it precisely.

On Mint 10 I have wpa_supplicant v0.6.10

Anyone know what version is installed on Ubuntu 10.04 or Mint 9? One of the comments on the redhat bugzilla suggested it might be due to newer version of wpa_supplicant.

Ubuntu 10.04 has wpasupplicant v0.6.9. I tried compiling and installing this on Mint 10 (based on Ubuntu 10.10) and it totally jacked up my networking. Couldn't connect at all after that. Will have to restore Mint partition from clone backup made right before fiddling around with it.

@Eric: 2.6.34.7 isn't older than 2.6.35-rc1 and actually there don't seem to be any more important code changes in iwl3945 driver. I haven't tested unencrypted connections because I can't allow them in my environment.

@Daniel: Thanks.

@Jonathan: Yes, they actually suggested it for a guy that has problems with setting up the device but they also see a connection between that and our problem.

I think it really might be wpa_supplicant. In Gentoo I have 0.7.2 with their further patches. There is also a stock 0.6.10 available in Portage tree so I'll try it later.

Could you please try 0.7.x in Ubuntu/Fedora?

0.6.10 works fine in Gentoo.

I just tried with unencrypted wireless connection and there's no improvement in speed.

You did it with NetworkManager, don't you?
It might use wpa_supplicant for unencrypted as well.

You could try disabling NetworkManager at all and using iwconfig+dhcpcd (or dhclient).

Yes I used NetworkManager. I just finished bulding/installing wpa_supplicant 0.7.3 and the problem persists, at least when using networkmanager. Will try again with command-line tools.

Sorry but I'm totally failing to get a connection with iwconfig + dhclient. Funny I used to be able to do it on Arch. :shrug:

Do you mean that you don't know how or that it doesn't work?

Adding bugwatches:
http://bugzilla.intellinuxwireless.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1932
http://bugzilla.intellinuxwireless.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1592
https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=16132

I used Mint10 LiveDVD.
After killing dbus (to kill all NM stuff) [X got killed as well of course] I went to the console and manually set up a connection with wpa_supplicant and dhclient.
I used wget for download and got speed 16-20Mbit/s during download of 800MByte file.

Could anyone confirm this as well?

I'll give that a try later today. I'm also going to see if a NM-less environment with Wicd helps at all.

BTW, I fail to see how the wpa_supplicant itself could be at fault.

For almost all of my kernel version testing, I've bee using a Natty filesystem and packages.

I've already excluded wpa_supplicant. (my tests on Gentoo + Jonathan's report)
I included it because it handles wireless connections for NetworkManager.

Currently I'm focusing on NetworkManager.

Can you think of other differences between Ubuntu/Fedora and Gentoo that could matter?

Radosław, still slow with your cli-only environment using wpa_suppplicant. I couldn't replicate your speed increase. I had killed the dbus service and everything.

Can you go through the steps that permitted full speeds in your setup?

Ctrl+Alt+F1
sudo -i
pkill dbus
wpa_passphrase ESSID > myconf
(now write the passphrase) RETURN
wpa_supplicant -iwlan0 -cmyconf -Dwext -B
dhclient wlan0
wget .....

I've uninstalled network-manager and installed Wicd, and the first test was hard: just restarted, connected with Wicd and try to run a web speed test, with network info window opened; speed drops down to 1Mb and then directly stops working. So I think the problem is not related to network-manager. (Ubuntu 10.10 with 2.6.35)

I should report that I do not experience the bug you mention (on a Thinkpad T60, with the intel device in question) after upgrading from 10.04 to 10.10 (maverick).

I tried several different WiFi-settings, different encryptions and never experienced any slowdown at all.

My kernel is 2.6.35-24-generic and my wpa_supplicant is 0.6.10-2.
NetworkManager is used, and has version 0.8.1+git.20100810t184654.ab580f4-0ubuntu2

I hope this helps.

Well I've found my solution for this. Just got new wireless card, Intel 5100, for $10 on eBay. Speed up and down with new card is 20Mbps, just like on Windows. Even with older kernel 2.6.32 I only got 12Mbps max on Intel 3945. I'm glad to see the back of this bug.

surely jou're joking, Jonathan.

Nobody should be constricted to open his hardware, a notebook in particular, to make it works. Regardless from how much the expense is cheap.

Not joking at all for myself. Not a solution for everyone probably,
but I'm very happy now. I enjoy opening up hardware. Replacing
wireless card is trivial compared to the soundcard replacement I did a
few months ago. :) Main thing is that I'm not even thinking about
this bug anymore and I'm glad about it.

Jon

On Sat, Jan 8, 2011 at 9:37 AM, Mtt.Castelli <email address hidden> wrote:
> surely jou're joking, Jonathan.
>
> Nobody should be constricted to open his hardware, a notebook in
> particular, to make it works. Regardless from how much the expense is
> cheap.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/621265
>
> Title:
>  Slow Wireless Connection in Intel 3945abg
>
> Status in The Linux Kernel:
>  Unknown
> Status in “linux” package in Ubuntu:
>  Confirmed
> Status in “linux” source package in Maverick:
>  Confirmed
> Status in “linux” package in Fedora:
>  Unknown
>
> Bug description:
>  With latest daily-live Maverick (2010-08-20), my wireless connection with Intel 3945abg never go over 3mbps speed.
> I try this in local lan and in internet.
> It seems like a regression about iwl3945 driver, i had a similar problem with older kernel where wireless speed was limited to 1mbps, with k/ubuntu 10.04 and 2.6.32 kernel this problem was disappear.
>
> Some information:
> lsb_release -rd:
> Description:    Ubuntu maverick (development branch)
> Release:        10.10
>
> uname -a:
> Linux ubuntu 2.6.35-16-generic #22-Ubuntu SMP Tue Aug 17 02:21:03 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux
>
> dmesg | grep 3945:
>
> [   27.977578] iwl3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/BG Network Connection driver for Linux, in-tree:s
> [   27.977583] iwl3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2010 Intel Corporation
> [   27.977678] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
> [   27.977693] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
> [   28.043199] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Tunable channels: 13 802.11bg, 23 802.11a channels
> [   28.043205] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: Detected Intel Wireless WiFi Link 3945ABG
> [   28.043366] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: irq 43 for MSI/MSI-X
> [   28.185681] phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'iwl-3945-rs'
> [   28.523764] iwl3945 0000:02:00.0: loaded firmware version 15.32.2.9
>
> iwconfig:
> wlan0     IEEE 802.11abg  ESSID:"Dorema"
>          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.472 GHz  Access Point: 00:1A:92:11:1C:C7
>          Bit Rate=54 Mb/s   Tx-Power=15 dBm
>          Retry  long limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
>          Power Management:off
>          Link Quality=68/70  Signal level=-42 dBm
>          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
>          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0
>
> My access point is Asus WL-600g
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/linux/+bug/621265/+subscribe
>

--
Jonathan Kulp
http://www.jonathankulp.com

My solution was to change the router's encryption mode from WPA2 Personal - TKIP or AES to WPA2 Personal - AES.
Changing to AES Encryption fixed it immediately.

Router: Linksys WRT160N
Intel 3945abg
Ubuntu 10.04

Hi folks, new to Linux. Just wanted to add that I experience the bug when router is on when computer is booted (normal situation of course.) However, if I reboot router (Linksys WRT54G ver6 running WEP) while PC is running, I full connection speed. Tested it several times to verify. Weird!

UPDATE: After browsing for 10-15 minutes with full speed, the slow connection has mysteriously returned just like that. Hmmmmm.....

Because speed's decrease is not immediate.

Am seeing the same problem with 2.6.35-24-generic.

If I connect eth0, speeds are back to normal. If I use wlan0, speed is slow, and sometimes the connection fails altogether. I installed Maverick and updated immediately after the installation as I was prompted to do. This was a fresh install on a newly formatted drive.

Hi All,

I have the impacted wireless card. I booted my laptop using the 10.10 live CD to try it out and see if my laptop is impacted by this bug. After booting I connected to the wireless network, checked connection information and it was connected at 54Mbps. Used the net for 5 mins, working fine. Then left the machine for 20-30mins. Came back and checked connection information and it showed 1Mbps but instantly refreshed the value to 54Mbps. Since then I have been using the net and been checking connection info every few mins, it has been stable at 54Mbps (except once when it showed 48Mbps) for the last 30mins.

Does this mean my laptop will work fine after upgrading from 10.04 to 10.10?

Thanks,
Raju.

Hi All,

As per my previous update, I have been using my laptop on wireless for over an hour now. I have been browsing the net, played a movie trailer from my NAS drive and a few other things just to keep the wireless connection active. Have also been checking the speed in connection information and it has been stable at 48-54Mb/s.

Does this mean my laptop will work fine after upgrading from 10.04 to 10.10?

Thanks,
Raju.

Hi Raju,

I'm not THAT much of an expert, that I've had seriously less problems
with my laptop until I switched to 10.10.

Maranatha,
Matt.

On 19/01/11 11:04, Raju wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> As per my previous update, I have been using my laptop on wireless for
> over an hour now. I have been browsing the net, played a movie trailer
> from my NAS drive and a few other things just to keep the wireless
> connection active. Have also been checking the speed in connection
> information and it has been stable at 48-54Mb/s.
>
> Does this mean my laptop will work fine after upgrading from 10.04 to
> 10.10?
>
> Thanks,
> Raju.
>

--

"First of all, consideration purifies the very fountain, that is the
mind, from which it springs. Then it governs the emotions, directs our
actions, corrects excesses, softens the manners, adorns and regulates
the life, and, lastly, bestows the knowledge of things divine and human
alike. It is consideration that brings order out of disorder, puts in
the links, pulls things together, investigates mysteries, traces the
truth, weighs probabilities, and exposes shams and counterfeits."

Bernard of Clairvaux, /On Consideration/, 1149.

Could everyone post the output of "lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless"?
Please also state if you experience the problem or not.
Thank you.

lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless output:
10:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
 Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company Device [103c:135b]

Please, everyone capable to do so, try https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=654599#c23
and tell if it fixes problem.

Hi All,

Further update to my post #181. The next day I again booted up from the live CD and left the system running all day. I monitored the connection speed during activity and with no activity. The speed displayed in the connection information dialog dropped every few minutes to 1Mb/s but for a very short period (1-5seconds) and then it would jump back up to 54Mb/s.

Whenever I saw it at 1Mb/s I tried to access something on my LAN or internet and the speed jumped back to 54Mb/s. Whether it was because of activity on the laptop or because it was anyway jumping up within few seconds, difficult to tell. At all times I was able to use internet at normal speeds. I could not do a speed test because I was not able to install flash plugin for some reason , maybe because I was booted from a live CD.

Still not confident I want to upgrade to 10.10 so will stick with 10.04.

Thanks,
Raju.

@Raju: That is normal. When there is no data sent it usually shows the minimum (1Mb/s).
This bug is about speed drop that happens after some time of download and which only reboot can recover from.

Radosław,

Thanks for your reply. Tonight I will boot from live CD and try a big download to see how it behaves.

Thanks,
Raju.

espenbe@ministerial:~$ lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
0c:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
 Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device [8086:1021]
espenbe@ministerial:~$

$ lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
    Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company Device [103c:135b]

I experience this problem.

On 01/21/2011 06:35 AM, Radosław Piliszek wrote:
> Could everyone post the output of "lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless"?
> Please also state if you experience the problem or not.
> Thank you.
>

I can confirm switching from WPA2/WPA TKIP or WPA2 / TKIP mode to WPA2 - AES fixes the problem.

Not for me. Have you tested it for an extended period of time?

On 01/21/2011 02:29 PM, fliebel wrote:
> I can confirm switching from WPA2/WPA TKIP or WPA2 / TKIP mode to WPA2 -
> AES fixes the problem.
>

$ lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
03:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
 Subsystem: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection [8086:1001]
 Physical Slot: 33

I forgot to mention that I also experience the problem.

@fliebel, Nick B.: It does not help here either.

stefan@rattle:~$ lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
0c:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
        Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device [8086:1021]

I also experience the problem and are currently using Linux 2.6.32-21-generic from Lucid (10.04) under Maverick (10.10) as a workaround.

For the 100th time, I'd like to debunk the WPA2 AES "fix".

1. It does not work, period.
2. This bug affects both encrypted and unencrypted connections of all types.

Also...

eric@kingfisher:~$ lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
0c:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
 Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device [8086:1020]

I will post tomorrow a linux-image with plcp patch applied so that you all could test it and report.

Alright, let me get you some beter intel on the AES fix;
First of all, im using wireless channel 9, 40mhz band. And its a Comtrend Multi-DSL vDSL modem (wireless-g and wireless-n).

WPA2-PSK AES:
Connection stable and up to speed. once in a while i get the 1mbit bug. Hit the Wifi button on the notebook, and reconnect.. fixed!. Happens once a day or so. PC idleness seems to trigger it.

WPA2-PSK TKIP:
Instant 1mbit cap on download. Upload is fine though (up to 5mbit here).

Alright, it is not a real fix.. but it should give a hint on the correlation between encryption and the bug. The point is, my WiFi is fine with AES (20mbit down).. and total garbage with TKIP. The AES requires a WiFi restart every once in a while though.

Device lspci -v
10:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection (rev 02)
 Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company Compaq 6710b or nx9420 Notebook
 Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 45
 Memory at e4100000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]
 Capabilities: [c8] Power Management version 2
 Capabilities: [d0] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
 Capabilities: [e0] Express Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00
 Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting
 Capabilities: [140] Device Serial Number 00-1b-77-ff-ff-50-35-59
 Kernel driver in use: iwl3945
 Kernel modules: iwl3945

ryan@curcio:~$ lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
0c:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless
3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
     Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device [8086:1020]

I do experience the problem.

On 01/21/2011 05:35 AM, Radosław Piliszek wrote:
> lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless

jonathan@minty ~/Desktop $ lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
0c:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
 Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device [8086:1020]
jonathan@minty ~/Desktop $ uname -a
Linux minty 2.6.35-23-generic #41-Ubuntu SMP Wed Nov 24 10:18:49 UTC 2010 i686 GNU/Linux

I experience the slowdown as described.

@fliebel: Please post output of: "lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless"
I always use WPA2-AES. It seems to give you a little fix but not for the others.

@all of you:
This bug seems to be very nasty: I can kill it by connecting with NetworkManager, disabling NM and connecting using command line tools (wpa_supplicant, dhclient). For SilvioTO on Redhat's bugzilla plcp patch helped.

I will prepare you later today a deb package with plcp patch you could install.

lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
10:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
 Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company Compaq 6710b or nx9420 Notebook [103c:135c]

lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
03:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4227] (rev 02)
        Subsystem: Intel Corporation ThinkPad R60e/X60s [8086:1011]

Affects me too. Did not help turning off TKIP and rebooting everything. Will gladly try .debs to see if problem varies :-)

installing http://packages.ubuntu.com/lucid/linux-image-2.6.32-21-generic and booting that kernel fixes problem.

Or not. The first speedtest.net passed high aces with 15 Mbits, the second showed the slow down to 1Mbit. Now I'm just confused :-/

The patch copied from Redhat's bugzilla.

A link to compiled i386 Ubuntu kernel with plcp patch.
http://piliszek.tk/linux-image-2.6.35-24-generic_2.6.35-24.42_i386.deb

Initial short-term results with the PLCP patched kernel on a 15Mbit connection are quite promising.

I'll withhold a more solid judgment until I do some long-term iso downlods on my 30Mbit connection at home.

lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
0c:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
 Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device [8086:1020]

With the new patched kernel, I was able to get speeds up to 4.36 Mb/s on speedtest.net. Still not seeing speeds equal to Windows, or Android speed tests.

After further testing, I can say that speeds the driver is still underperforming in terms of speed and weak signal management.

iwl3945: 10 Mbps
ndiswrapper: 23 Mbps

iwl3945 speeds are better, but still slower than they should be.

But the extremely low speeds are gone, aren't they?

To be honest, this fix does NOT help me at all. It has only helped SilvioTO.

Please report.

Yes, there is a quantifiable improvement.

Unpatched iwl3945: 2 Mbps
Patched iwl3945: 10 Mbps

There's still a long way to go though.

I hope someone would explain why it does not work for me. :-(

Becausing taming this bug sucks.

http://piliszek.tk/linux-image-2.6.35-24-generic_2.6.35-24.42_i386.deb did not fix it for me.

I booted a lucid live cd, 10.04.1, and saw the same slowdown there actually to my surprise.

Setting up the connection manually with wpa_supplicant didn't help.

I'm now using ndiswrapper and netw4x32.inf. It's slow initializing, but when it connects I get the expected 16Mbit download speeds.

03:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4227] (rev 02)
        Subsystem: Intel Corporation ThinkPad R60e/X60s [8086:1011]

BIOS Information
        Vendor: LENOVO
        Version: 7BETD7WW (2.18 )

@Nicholas: I've just tested 10.04.1 (before reading your post; I'm now testing all distros I have burnt CDs of)
and it's buggy as well.

You seem to experience similar bug to mine as PLCP patch doesn't help you.

wpa_supplicant helps me as described above: "I can kill it [the bug] by connecting with NetworkManager, disabling NM [completely!] and connecting using command line tools (wpa_supplicant, dhclient)."

But I don't think it's a nice workaround at all.

Till now I've tested 5 OSes:

4 are buggy:
Fedora 13/14
Ubuntu 10.04/10.10

The 5th is not because it does not use NetworkManager (it is Mandriva 2010.1).
Also Gentoo (which I use w/o NM as well) is free of this bug.

This makes me sure it is NetworkManager that causes all this hell for me.

@nicholas: Could you try Mandriva?

Also affected:
Ubuntu 9.04/9.10
openSuSE 11.3
and probably others using NetworkManager.

That's odd - I've used Ubuntu (so NM as well) with Atheros-based chips and everything was fine.
How could NM depend on underlying hardware that much?

Maybe you could doublecheck that bypassing NM and using wpa_supplicant directly gives decent download speeds for a whole iso? I often see everything ok the first 100MB's orso, and then it drops.

Downloading mandriva now :-)

Well, a Wicd-only environment doesn't help.

I need to remember how to do a terminal-only connection.

@nicholas: I did. I downloaded twice a 700MB iso.

@Eric:
wpa_passphrase SSID > myconf
wpa_supplicant -Dwext -iwlan0 -cmyconf -B
dhclient wlan0

Ah, forgot to say that wpa_passphrase wants your passphrase to be written to stdin.

@Radosław: Mandriva One 2010.2 KDE worked like a charm with fast downloads. Kubuntu 10.10, with no NetworkManager as far as I could understand, was slow.

I found a source of error in my testing, I had compat-wireless package installed.

ii linux-backports-modules-compat-wireless-2.6.36-2.6.35-24-ge - compat-wireless Linux modules for version 2.6.35 on x86/x86_64

This brings it's own iwl3945.ko, and the 0002-iwl3945-remove-check_plcp_health.patch didn't take effect in my runs above.

iperf runs towards the local GW:
windows: 20 Mbits/s
2.6.35-23-generic (unpatched for check_plcp_health): 2-4Mbits/s
2.6.35-24 (patched for check_plcp_health): 18Mbits/s

I can live with the -10% perfomance hit compared to windows.

Why doesn't it help me but Mandriva?

Kubuntu has NetworkManager enabled by default.

In the linked Redhat bugzilla Stanislaw is asking for a test run with three patches. Just to be sure (maybe it is mentioned somewhere but I have slight problems to read through all the comments): the test kernel that is used, does that contain all three of them? If not it would be good to have testing there is to put down the results in at least the Redhat bugzilla.

Generally about network manager: that may just use certain functionality that is not used without. For example (likely unrelated to this issue) it does scans, even while connected, to update the list of access points.

matteo@Panurge:~$ lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
0c:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
 Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device [8086:1021]

The patch from Radosław Piliszek (#209) seems to work on my system. I've downloaded two isos and the speed is now more elevated (not like windows), about 400KB/s (before was about 100 KB/s)

@kdekda: Could you post the output of "lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless" and try Mandriva Linux?

How to apply patch from post #208 to Ubuntu 10.10?

@Jg-staffel:
If you are not familiar with kernel compiling, you should try the compiled kernel (if you have i386) from #209.
If you want to try (or if you use x86_64), follow these instructions:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/BuildYourOwnKernel
and BEFORE you start compilation, put the patch file in kernel source`s directory and do:
patch -p1 < patch_filename_here
It should tell you if it got applied properly.
After that - install the generated packages.

davide@notebook:~$ lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
0c:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
        Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device [8086:1021]

i will try Mandriva, but not before thursday

All,

Further update to my post #188. I tested from live CD for a big download and found Wifi speeds mostly OK at 54MB/s, occasionally dropping to 48 or 36Mb/s. So I decided to upgrade last night and it has been working OK so far, touch wood!

$ lspci -vnn | grep -A 1 Wireless
06:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
 Subsystem: Intel Corporation Device [8086:1051]

Thanks,
Raju.

Another kernel for all of you to test:
http://piliszek.tk/patch%231/linux-image-2.6.35-25-generic_2.6.35-25.44_i386.deb

And another one:
http://piliszek.tk/patch%232/linux-image-2.6.35-25-generic_2.6.35-25.44_i386.deb

Note that they replace each other. I had not found any info about how to change the version before I started compiling them.

But I can assure you that the next time I will upload a patched kernel, it will have custom version.

Test result with Mandriva 10.2 kde: the average download speed is about 500-550 KB/s, better then Kubuntu but worst then windows.

Sometimes, using kernel from Radosław Piliszek (#209), speed decreases till 100KB/s, like as before applying the patch. I will try the new patch asap!

Rad, both kernels max out at 5 Mbps.

Your PLCP kernel did better.

That's interesting.
The 2nd undoubtedly has the PLCP patch. The 1st one has slightly modified PLCP patch which still helps SilvioTO.

No results?