[RESOLVED] FW13AMD authentication with WiFi BSSID timed out

Framework Laptop 13 Linux
1

Hi there,
It seems that the Mediatek chip doesn’t like my home wifi.
Often I have to reboot/shutdown SEVERAL TIMES in a row just to get that lucky shot where it connects. Otherwise it’s a nightmare, it would try and try without achieving anything.

The NetworkManager KDE widget shows “Configuring interface”, the wheel spins, yet nothing happens. Eventually it fails with two notifications: “Connection wlp1s0 deactivated” and “The WiFi network could not be found”

Under the hood, dmesg is full of:

[ 1251.590667] wlp1s0: authenticate with b4:b0:24:56:64:f0
[ 1251.624562] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 1/3)
[ 1251.635325] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 2/3)
[ 1251.645980] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 3/3)
[ 1251.656836] wlp1s0: authentication with b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 timed out
[ 1252.847094] wlp1s0: authenticate with b4:b0:24:56:64:ee
[ 1252.881179] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:ee (try 1/3)
[ 1252.932875] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:ee (try 2/3)
[ 1252.979440] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:ee (try 3/3)
[ 1253.030305] wlp1s0: authentication with b4:b0:24:56:64:ee timed out
[ 1256.396948] wlp1s0: authenticate with b4:b0:24:56:64:f0
[ 1256.432124] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 1/3)
[ 1256.442327] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 2/3)
[ 1256.452804] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 3/3)
[ 1256.463130] wlp1s0: authentication with b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 timed out
[ 1257.719227] wlp1s0: authenticate with b4:b0:24:56:64:ee
[ 1257.752452] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:ee (try 1/3)
[ 1257.799206] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:ee (try 2/3)
[ 1257.863613] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:ee (try 3/3)
[ 1257.909909] wlp1s0: authentication with b4:b0:24:56:64:ee timed out
[ 1267.459187] wlp1s0: authenticate with b4:b0:24:56:64:f0
[ 1267.496690] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 1/3)
[ 1267.507742] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 2/3)
[ 1267.518009] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 3/3)
[ 1267.528700] wlp1s0: authentication with b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 timed out
[ 1293.877407] wlp1s0: authenticate with b4:b0:24:56:64:f0
[ 1293.911184] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 1/3)
[ 1293.922015] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 2/3)
[ 1293.932395] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 (try 3/3)
[ 1293.942701] wlp1s0: authentication with b4:b0:24:56:64:f0 timed out
[ 1304.236869] wlp1s0: authenticate with b4:b0:24:56:64:ee
[ 1304.271213] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:ee (try 1/3)
[ 1304.322890] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:ee (try 2/3)
[ 1304.369391] wlp1s0: send auth to b4:b0:24:56:64:ee (try 3/3)
[ 1304.419367] wlp1s0: authentication with b4:b0:24:56:64:ee timed out

Does anyone have any idea? Before I contact framework for a support request?

FYI it connects instantly to my mobile hotspot (Pixel 8 Pro), so I suspect it has something to do with my router. But still, my XPS with an Intel AX200 works perfectly with the same router.

Any help appreciated. Thanks

(I’m kinda regretting going AMD TBH, Intel has always treated me well…and the battery life I’m getting on this 7840u is also much worse, like half, than what I was getting on my XPS with an 1165g7…)

2

Update: as a workaround I’m using my ISP router’s WiFi. This one also connects instantly from the framework, so apparently the issue is only with my personal TpLink home router.
It’s a Tp-Link C80, my OS is opensuse Tumbleweed fully updated (kernel 6.6.2)

1 Like
3

Thanks for the update @fw13amd , marking this as resolved. :slight_smile:

1 Like
4

Couple of questions:

  • What channel is the AP set to use
  • Is the time on the Laptop/Wifi AP correct
  • What security method is set on the ESSID (wpa, wpa2/wpa, wpa2-personal, wpa3-personal,wpa2/wpa3-personal ?)
  • What is the name of the ESSID
  • What distro and kernel?

Supplicant/nmcli is likely the cause; some things to try - edit the connection and choose the matching auth/security method in the advanced feild of nmcli connection properties (after ‘removing/forgetting the existing entry’

Set the time correctly (including any DST offsets) on the AP

Change the Security method to be wpa2-personal only as a test then move it to wpa2/wpa3 if it works.

Change the SSID broadcast name to be something without special characters/spaces

5

Putting money on this. Glad it’s resolved either way, but would be interesting to pursue this.

6

Thanks for your interest and willingness to help, @jwp.

Please find my answers below:

Today it’s worked without breaking a sweat. When it works, it’s hard to “break” and reproduce the problem.

Which I dunno whether it’s a good or a bad news :sweat_smile:

7

Yeah I don’t really agree with the RESOLVED bit, let’s say that luckily I have options. Although connecting only my FW to the ISP wifi network will potentially make communication harder with all the other devices which are connected to my personal router (not sure if routing works properly between the two, and they’re on different subnets).

Not to mention the extra wifi congestion due to two active base stations instead of one.

8

→ WiFi-AL, nothing fancy

remove the hyphen. I’ve had issues with hyphen ; mostly with ESP wifi manager, but occasionally with supplicant versions/userspace interactions

1 Like
9

Thanks, I will give that a try if the issue comes back.

Of course now it’s been working fine for the past couple of days, go figure.

1 Like
10

Ok I’m reporting back after some more testing.

My router is a Tp-Link Archer C80 (this guy: Archer C80 | Router F (FTTH* | FTTB | Ethernet), Wi-Fi AC1900 | TP-Link Italia, has amazing coverage, but unfortunately WiFi 5 only).

I got a cheap one from Amazon during Black Friday, a Tp-Link AX18 (https://www.amazon.it/TP-Link-Archer-AX18-AX1500Mbps-Dual-Band/dp/B0CFYJSQ62). This one’s WiFi 6.
Had zero issues with it.

Unfortunately I had to send it back because the coverage was insufficient upstairs, so back with the old one, and as soon as I put it back into service, my framework couldn’t connect. Same auth timeout errors in dmesg.

HOWEVER, I may have found a workaround, it may indicate that the problem is not with hardware, but software.

The workaround is to simply systemctl restart NetworkManager.

Out of two times my FW WiFi adapter was unable to connect, the workaround has re-established connectivity both times.

It will prompt for sudo password (at least on opensuse), AND it will ask for the WiFi password again, but then it connects instantly.

I suspect that this issue is the result of both some hardware incompatibility (maybe Mediatek’s fault, maybe Tp-Link’s) and software. I suspect that when booting, NetworkManager tries to connect when the hardware isn’t ready yet, but once everything is booted up, you can get out of the loop of authentication errors by just killing NM and restarting it.

It’s a super weird issue and I hope this workaround proves to work in the coming days, or I’ll have to consider once again to swap some hardware, either in my FW laptop or my home router.

Hope this helps someone out there.