Wireless performance

[sabashuali]

For one reason or another, I have got Windows running again on my laptop. Very long story but I am soon to go back to my preferred Debian.

One thing I have noticed is that although the laptop is crawling again, the wireless performance is way, way better using windows.

When using Debian, I use the ath5k driver by default, as in I did not have to do anything to get wireless working out of the box. However, speeds are normally about 25% to 30% lower, if not more and not very reliable. Set up is exactly the same but man, performance is much better under windows.... :x:

Is anyone experiencing the same? Is there anyway of boosting wireless connection with ath5k?

Ta, very moch for looking... :cool:

 

[Anti-Trend]

I've got a similar chipset on my ATOM-based mini-ITX media center, which is running Debian Lenny and the ATOM kernel from the HWF repos. The wireless reception on that chipset is *sweet* in 2.6.32.xx. Which kernel are you running on your Deb box?

EDIT: I take it back, it seems to be a more advanced chipset after all:

04:00.0 Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR928X Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)
Subsystem: Device 1a3b:1067
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 64 bytes
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 19
Region 0: Memory at febf0000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: ath9k
Kernel modules: ath9k

 

[sabashuali]

Hey AT. Thanks for responding.
I was using Debian Testing running the latest HWF Kernel (as you already noted 2.6.32.xx).

Perhaps I should look into getting a better chipped wifi card?

 

[Anti-Trend]

Hey AT. Thanks for responding.
I was using Debian Testing running the latest HWF Kernel (as you already noted 2.6.32.xx).

Perhaps I should look into getting a better chipped wifi card?

For a chipset of that age, you might try madwifi and see how it works for you.

 

[sabashuali]

For a chipset of that age, you might try madwifi and see how it works for you.

Given... unfortunately, when I try to use the module-assistant it cannot get the source (madwifi was dropped in Lenny and onwards.... I think :x:). I know it sounds pathetically lame but this obviously means that I will need to build madwifi from source after getting the source outside the Dedian repositories... right?

 

[Anti-Trend]

Given... unfortunately, when I try to use the module-assistant it cannot get the source (madwifi was dropped in Lenny and onwards.... I think :x:). I know it sounds pathetically lame but this obviously means that I will need to build madwifi from source after getting the source outside the Dedian repositories... right?

Looks like it's in non-free:

$ aptitude show madwifi-source
Package: madwifi-source
New: yes
State: not installed
Version: 1:0.9.4+r3772.20080716-1
Priority: optional
Section: non-free/net
Maintainer: Debian madwifi team <[email protected]>
Uncompressed Size: 4186k
Depends: module-assistant, debhelper (>= 7), bzip2
Suggests: kernel-package, madwifi-tools
Description: source for the Multiband Atheros Driver for WiFi
This package provides the source code for the madwifi kernel modules. The madwifi-tools package is also required in order to make use of these modules. Kernel source or headers are required to compile these
modules.
Homepage: MadWifi.net

...Or you could just download the latest source from madwifi.org and build it yourself. :) They do have rather good instructions on how to build and install it in Debian IIRC.

http://madwifi-project.org/

 

[sabashuali]

Cool... Thanks AT. I will give it a go when I am back with the real stuff... :cool: