This is what lspci spits out for my ethernet controller and it is using ath5k.
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR242x / AR542x Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) (rev 01)
Subsystem: Askey Computer Corp. WLL3141 (Toshiba PA3613U-1MPC) 802.11bg Wireless Mini PCIe Card
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 17
Memory at f1000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2
Capabilities: [50] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-
Capabilities: [60] Express Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00
Capabilities: [90] MSI-X: Enable- Count=1 Masked-
Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting
Capabilities: [140] Virtual Channel
Kernel driver in use: ath5k
Kernel modules: ath5k
This is what modinfo ath5k reveals:
filename: /lib/modules/3.2.0-35-generic-pae/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath5k/ath5k.ko
license: Dual BSD/GPL
description: Support for 5xxx series of Atheros 802.11 wireless LAN cards.
author: Nick Kossifidis
author: Jiri Slaby
srcversion: FA2500C2D3C1A3B6094E37C
alias: pci:v0000168Cd0000001Dsv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd0000001Csv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd0000001Bsv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd0000001Asv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000019sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000018sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000017sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000016sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000015sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000014sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00001014sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v000010B7d00000013sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000A727d00000013sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000013sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000012sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000011sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000007sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias: pci:v0000168Cd00000207sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
depends: mac80211,cfg80211,ath
intree: Y
vermagic: 3.2.0-35-generic-pae SMP mod_unload modversions 686
parm: nohwcrypt
isable hardware encryption. (bool)
parm: all_channels:Expose all channels the device can use. (bool)
parm: fastchanswitch:Enable fast channel switching for AR2413/AR5413 radios. (bool)
I checked /lib/firmware for anything matching this output and found nothing. The closest was a folder named ath6k but nothing else. Could that be it? The controller is looking for ath5k support where ath6k was installed?
This is what iwlist scan spits out. There are other cells but santa is my home network.
wlan0 Scan completed :
Cell 01 - Address: E0:46:9A:3A:9D:2A
Channel:2
Frequency:2.417 GHz (Channel 2)
Quality=59/70 Signal level=-51 dBm
Encryption key
n
ESSID:"santa"
Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
Bit Rates:24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
Mode:Master
Extra:tsf=0000012331f526cd
Extra: Last beacon: 420ms ago
IE: Unknown: 000573616E7461
IE: Unknown: 010882848B968C129824
IE: Unknown: 030102
IE: Unknown: 0706555320010B1B
IE: Unknown: 2A0100
IE: Unknown: 3204B048606C
IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101820003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
IE: Unknown: DD1E00904C334E111BFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
IE: Unknown: 2D1A4E111BFF00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
IE: Unknown: DD1A00904C3402051B00000000000000000000000000000000000000
IE: Unknown: 3D1602051B00000000000000000000000000000000000000
IE: Unknown: DD0900037F01010000FF7F
IE: Unknown: DD0A00037F04010002004000
IE: Unknown: DD8E0050F204104A0001101044000102103B0001031047001000000000000010000000E0469A3A9D2A1021000D4E65746765 61722C20496E632E10230009574E523130303076321024000456324831104200046E6F6E651054000800060050F204000110 11001E574E523130303076322D564328576972656C6573732041502D322E344729100800020086103C000103
IE: Unknown: DD050050F20500
I disabled IPv6 by adding the following lines to /etc/sysctl.conf and restarted sysctl with sysctl -p.
# IPv6
net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6 = 1
net.ipv6.conf.default.disable_ipv6 = 1
net.ipv6.conf.lo.disable_ipv6 = 1
None of this has improved the situation. I searched the other logs for the terms you mentioned and found nothing. /var/log/messages is not active so no postings. I have already tried connecting to other networks. Wired works, wireless doesn't.