[SOLVED] Hardware problem with wifi dongle

business_kid · 07-17-2022, 01:53 PM

This is a hardware problem with a wifi dongle RTL8812BU. The network side of a wifi connection I do in the init scripts

Code:

  /sbin/ip address flush dev  wlan2
  /sbin/ip link set wlan2 up 
wpa_supplicant -B -i wlan2 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf && /sbin/dhcpcd  wlan2

The dongle works in a RazPi 4B, worked previously on this one, but won't work in my new PC. It's irritating because it worked for weeks. I upgraded the kernel modules, which lost me the driver. Now I've reverted, and the same module (recompiled) isn't doing it. What's worse is that my retired laptop with the identical OS compiled the PC module today and got online no trouble

. The only difference really is the usb ports' versions: USB2=v2.1(laptop) vs v2.4 on the PC. USB3=.3.0 on the laptop is vs 3.2(?) on the PC.

But I tried the dongle in usb-2.x & usb-3.x ports with no joy. Here's the dhcpcd dialogue

Code:

bash-5.1$ sudo dhcpcd -dd wlan2
Password: 
dhcpcd-9.4.1 starting
chrooting as dhcpcd to /var/lib/dhcpcd
sandbox: seccomp
spawned manager process on PID 5515
spawned privileged proxy on PID 5516
spawned network proxy on PID 5517
spawned controller proxy on PID 5518
DUID 00:04:ef:ef:16:89:a4:a4:96:12:af:70:d8:bb:c1:16:e2:1e
wlan2: executing: /lib/dhcpcd/dhcpcd-run-hooks PREINIT
wlan2: executing: /lib/dhcpcd/dhcpcd-run-hooks NOCARRIER
wlan2: waiting for carrier
timed out
wlan2: executing: /lib/dhcpcd/dhcpcd-run-hooks STOPPED
bash-5.1$

The 'carrier,' I gather, is a reply from the DHCP server. When the dongle works, it hears a message back after that 'waiting for carrier' line. It connects, everywhere but in the box I want it for

There's madness in dmesg also when I insert the dongle. Things argue, snap at each other, and crash. I'll trap that. Any thoughts welcome.

frankbell · 07-17-2022, 08:32 PM

This article may help: https://tutorialforlinux.com/how-to-...-linux-distro/

I have no way of testing it.

TheTKS · 07-18-2022, 07:31 AM

I just responded on your other thread about the RTL8188CU. I can't help you, but maybe you can find a hint on the Arch Linux wiki.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Net...reless#Realtek

TKS

business_kid · 07-18-2022, 03:09 PM

Here's usb insertions to usb2 & usb3
https://pastebin.com/C450RQyg
https://pastebin.com/yd1pYdtD

The other oddity screaming at me is that 'ifconfig wlan2 up' takes 10 seconds the first time it's called. 'iw link set wlan2 up' takes about the same, and I can find no debug info on that.

business_kid · 07-19-2022, 06:27 AM

Summing this up, I have 2 computers side by side atm, one old & slow, the other shiny & new. The wifi dongle works reliably in the old & slow one and won't work where I need it, in the new one.

Old & Slow: i3 twin core @ 2.4Ghz, Intel Series 7 Chipset, HD4000 Ivy Bridge Graphics, UEFI disabled. USB-2.1(?) & 3.0

Shiny & New: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 @3.5Ghz, MSI B550M Bazooka m/b, Radeon RX6600XT Graphics UEFI enabled. USB-2.4(?) & 3.2(?)

The dongle itself is clearly junk or non standards compliant. But suspicion also points at the new box.

Something crashes any time I insert the dongle into a usb port. The dmesg in the previous post refers.
The commands
Code:
```
ip link set wlan2 up OR 
ifconfig wlan2 up
```
first time after a boot take 10 seconds to return a prompt in my new box, but only 2-3 seconds in my old laptop. After that, they are instant.
The dongle WORKS in my old laptop, but won't work in my new box.

I would appreciate any insights on

How to find what's going on when ip or ifconfig go out to lunch trying to bring up the dongle.
How to make sense of the dmesg disasters.

business_kid · 07-20-2022, 03:26 AM

Well, on my shiny new pc which always fights with this dongle, I've discovered a perfectly clean saved off dmesg.log, which was done days ago to trap the usb ID. Now it crashes the kernel.

So it is the hardware, and I have proof. I treated myself to a pcie wifi card.