Created attachment 52202 [details] The screenshot shows the problems around packet number 5188 1. The performance of the driver alternates (at the same point of the antenna) very highly. Measured with netperf, it is between 10 and 72^6 bits/sec (input). It seems to be relevant, if the notebook has just been booted or if the driver has been reloaded / reconnected (reconnection with wpa_supplicant often doesn't work at all without reloading the driver). Output is more stable, it's mostly at about 706 bits/sec. 2. Running audio data via upnp (from ushare server) e.g., must be continuous. It is impossible with ath9k to get a continuous data stream (input). There are all few minutes / seconds distortions. I traced the wlan0-device with wireshark. I can see, that the distortion happens after closing the old TCP-connection (ready FIN/ACK-sequence) and building the new TCP-connection with SYN. Between the FIN/ACK and the next SYN-package can be more than 3 seconds! After that break, I can see 2 SYN packets at the same time going out. See the attached screenshot. 3. The connection is unstable - the link quality alternates between 14 and 47 at the same place. This should be more constant. 4. The Tx-Power is 17 - it should be 20. 5. iwconfig says, that the encryption key is off. Does this mean, that hardware encryption doesn't work at all? iwlist wlan0 encryption says: wlan0 2 key sizes : 40, 104bits 4 keys available : [1]: off [2]: 1234-5678-9012-3456-6789-0123-4567-8901 (128 bits) [3]: 0123-4567-8901-2345-6789-0123-5678-1234 (128 bits) [4]: off Current Transmit Key: [1] Some information about kernel and hardware: kernel 2.6.38.1 64 bit (from the OpenSuSE buildservice on OpenSuSE 11.4) and compat-wireless-2011-03-26 (the performance / functionality of the driver delivered with 2.6.38.1 is unusable). Hardware is: 05:00.0 Network controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01) Subsystem: AzureWave Device 1089 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 f4000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K] Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 3 Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2- AuxCurrent=375mA PME(D0+,D1+,D2-,D3hot+,D3cold+) Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME- Capabilities: [50] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit- Address: 00000000 Data: 0000 Capabilities: [60] Express (v2) Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00 DevCap: MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <512ns, L1 <64us ExtTag- AttnBtn- AttnInd- PwrInd- RBE+ FLReset- DevCtl: Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported- RlxdOrd+ ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop- MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 512 bytes DevSta: CorrErr- UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq- AuxPwr+ TransPend- LnkCap: Port #0, Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, ASPM L0s L1, Latency L0 <512ns, L1 <64us ClockPM- Surprise- LLActRep- BwNot- LnkCtl: ASPM Disabled; RCB 64 bytes Disabled- Retrain- CommClk+ ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt- LnkSta: Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, TrErr- Train- SlotClk+ DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt- DevCap2: Completion Timeout: Not Supported, TimeoutDis+ DevCtl2: Completion Timeout: 50us to 50ms, TimeoutDis- LnkCtl2: Target Link Speed: 2.5GT/s, EnterCompliance- SpeedDis-, Selectable De-emphasis: -6dB Transmit Margin: Normal Operating Range, EnterModifiedCompliance- ComplianceSOS- Compliance De-emphasis: -6dB LnkSta2: Current De-emphasis Level: -6dB Capabilities: [100 v1] Advanced Error Reporting UESta: DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol- UEMsk: DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol- UESvrt: DLP+ SDES+ TLP- FCP+ CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF+ MalfTLP+ ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol- CESta: RxErr- BadTLP- BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- NonFatalErr- CEMsk: RxErr- BadTLP- BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- NonFatalErr+ AERCap: First Error Pointer: 00, GenCap+ CGenEn- ChkCap+ ChkEn- Capabilities: [140 v1] Virtual Channel Caps: LPEVC=0 RefClk=100ns PATEntryBits=1 Arb: Fixed- WRR32- WRR64- WRR128- Ctrl: ArbSelect=Fixed Status: InProgress- VC0: Caps: PATOffset=00 MaxTimeSlots=1 RejSnoopTrans- Arb: Fixed- WRR32- WRR64- WRR128- TWRR128- WRR256- Ctrl: Enable+ ID=0 ArbSelect=Fixed TC/VC=ff Status: NegoPending- InProgress- Capabilities: [160 v1] Device Serial Number 00-15-17-ff-ff-24-14-12 Capabilities: [170 v1] Power Budgeting <?> Kernel driver in use: ath9k iwconfig wlan0 wlan0 IEEE 802.11bgn ESSID:"ssid" Mode:Managed Frequency:2.412 GHz Access Point: 00:25:33:22:11:00 Bit Rate=150 Mb/s Tx-Power=17 dBm Retry long limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off Encryption key:off Power Management:on Link Quality=14/70 Signal level=-63 dBm Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0 Tx excessive retries:4 Invalid misc:1423 Missed beacon:0 I run iwconfig 3 times in 7 seconds. The link quality alternated between 47 and 14. from dmesg: [44322.665996] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain [44322.671992] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated: [44322.672013] cfg80211: (start_freq - end_freq @ bandwidth), (max_antenna_gain, max_eirp) [44322.672016] cfg80211: (2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm) [44322.672018] cfg80211: (2457000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm) [44322.672020] cfg80211: (2474000 KHz - 2494000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm) [44322.672022] cfg80211: (5170000 KHz - 5250000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm) [44322.672024] cfg80211: (5735000 KHz - 5835000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm) [44322.672040] cfg80211: Calling CRDA for country: DE [44322.675940] cfg80211: Regulatory domain changed to country: DE [44322.675943] cfg80211: (start_freq - end_freq @ bandwidth), (max_antenna_gain, max_eirp) [44322.675945] cfg80211: (2400000 KHz - 2483500 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (N/A, 2000 mBm) [44322.675946] cfg80211: (5150000 KHz - 5350000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (N/A, 2000 mBm) [44322.675948] cfg80211: (5470000 KHz - 5725000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (N/A, 2698 mBm) [44322.718450] ath9k 0000:05:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 19 (level, low) -> IRQ 19 [44322.718464] ath9k 0000:05:00.0: setting latency timer to 64 [44322.769376] ath: EEPROM regdomain: 0x60 [44322.769377] ath: EEPROM indicates we should expect a direct regpair map [44322.769380] ath: Country alpha2 being used: 00 [44322.769381] ath: Regpair used: 0x60 [44322.771077] ieee80211 phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'ath9k_rate_control' [44322.771635] Registered led device: ath9k-phy0 [44322.771649] ieee80211 phy0: Atheros AR9285 Rev:2 mem=0xffffc900049e0000, irq=19 [44352.572121] ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready [44353.795313] wlan0: authenticate with 00:25:33:22:11:00 (try 1) [44353.797269] wlan0: authenticated [44353.797297] wlan0: associate with 00:25:33:22:11:00 (try 1) [44353.800439] wlan0: RX AssocResp from 00:25:33:22:11:00 (capab=0x431 status=0 aid=31) [44353.800444] wlan0: associated [44353.800447] wlan0: invalid aid value 31; bits 15:14 not set [44353.807136] ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): wlan0: link becomes ready [44364.240181] wlan0: no IPv6 routers present lines 2150-2187/2187 (END) The connection to the AP is built with wpa_supplicant's driver wext (WPA2-TLS).
I'm seeing very similar issues with the 9287 chipset as well. I'm using the compat-wireless driver from 2011-04-23. The 2011-05-01 driver seems to be worse for connections than this one. Cheers