WiFi `iw list` valid interface combinations output?

[Jeff_Wheeler]

Can someone please share the output of iw list |egrep -A8 valid.interface.comb on the new Framework 12 or 13? This output indicates the capabilities of the wireless chipset. For example, the below is from my GPD Mini 2024, which is able to simultaneously be an AP-Client (managed) and an AP, and have up to two channels online at once.

I’d like a new travel laptop and want one that is both good for productivity and can act as a travel router to my other devices. Hotel captive portals aren’t getting any better and sometimes it’s very difficult to get a “travel router” logged on.

Thanks in advance! Apologies if I haven’t found the best tags for my question.

jsw@mini25a:~$ iw list |egrep -A8 valid.interface.comb
	valid interface combinations:
		 * #{ managed } <= 1, #{ P2P-client, P2P-GO } <= 1, #{ P2P-device } <= 1,
		   total <= 3, #channels <= 2
		 * #{ managed } <= 1, #{ AP, P2P-client, P2P-GO } <= 1, #{ P2P-device } <= 1,
		   total <= 3, #channels <= 1
	HT Capability overrides:
		 * MCS: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff
		 * maximum A-MSDU length
		 * supported channel width

[dimitris]

$ lspci |grep Network
01:00.0 Network controller: MEDIATEK Corp. MT7922 802.11ax PCI Express Wireless Network Adapter

$ iw list |egrep -A8 valid.interface.comb
	valid interface combinations:
		 * #{ managed, P2P-client } <= 2, #{ AP, P2P-GO } <= 1,
		   total <= 2, #channels <= 2
	HT Capability overrides:
		 * MCS: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff
		 * maximum A-MSDU length
		 * supported channel width
		 * short GI for 40 MHz
		 * max A-MPDU length exponent

That’s the Mediatek adapter (branded as AMD RZ something) that came with a FW13 Ryzen 7840U laptop.

Note that Intel adapters are notorious for barely supporting AP mode in the 2.4GHz band only, if that. Apparently because Intel lawyers.

[D.H]

From MT7921K (AMD RZ616)

        valid interface combinations:
                 * #{ managed, P2P-client } <= 2, #{ AP, P2P-GO } <= 1,
                   total <= 2, #channels <= 2
        HT Capability overrides:
                 * MCS: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff
                 * maximum A-MSDU length
                 * supported channel width
                 * short GI for 40 MHz
                 * max A-MPDU length exponent

However the channels <= 2 is suspect, as I do not believe even bleeding edge hostapd is capable of this yet. I could be wrong about that though.

The MT7922 is RZ618 IIRC

From Intel BE200:

valid interface combinations:
                 * #{ managed } <= 1, #{ P2P-client, P2P-GO } <= 1, #{ P2P-device } <= 1,
                   total <= 3, #channels <= 2
                 * #{ managed } <= 1, #{ AP, P2P-client, P2P-GO } <= 1, #{ P2P-device } <= 1,
                   total <= 3, #channels <= 1
        HT Capability overrides:
                 * MCS: ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff
                 * maximum A-MSDU length
                 * supported channel width

It has been awhile but I don’t think I’ve gotten any Intel WiFi card to make to an AP on 5GHz, nor 6GHz, even when there are valid APs that the card can hear for “Location (un)Aware Registry” to realize it’s in the US and can legally make an AP on both of those bands.

I have an MT7925 (RZ717?) somewhere, if you really need the output from that too.

[Jeff_Wheeler]

Thanks for the tips! Since my goal is laptop-plus-travel-router-in-one, a 5 GHz AP channel is very desirable; but dual channel AP isn’t too important. Looks like the AMD / Mediatek equipped Framework laptops would work well for me; the Intels, probably not.

[D.H]

Yes I ran an MT7921K on 5GHz and an MT7921AU on 2.4ghz as the primary APs for my house for a year or two. Stability is acceptable (but not amazing) same with throughput. I did not run them in STA+AP though, so that’s another variable you get to test for yourself.

The good news / bad news is Mediatek drivers are under pretty continuous trickle of development for most items in the in the 79** series. Glad MT doesn’t just call it done and walk away with serious bugs intact as Intel seems to do. But somewhere between monthly and quarterly there’s a decent change to the driver binary that may add or screw up some advanced feature.