[SOLVED] WiFi keeps shutting down when system is idle

Laptop: Lenovo Thinkpad X61, 4GB Ram, 2 Ghz
OS: Debian 9 (Stretch) with Plasma 5.8.6
Kernel: 4.9.0.8-amd64

Every time my system goes idle, my WiFi connection shuts down and NM won't let me re-connect, the only options are to edit or delete. NM ver is 1.6.2. The only thing that fixes it is a reboot. I know there is probably a simple fix for this. I had a similar problem in the last thread I posted, and I thought this was fixed, but no.
Thank you so much for your help. You guys are the best! I mean it!

iwconfig reports:

wls3 IEEE 802.11 ESSID:"MySpectrumWiFib8-5G"
Mode:Managed Frequency:5.785 GHz Access Point: 085:9D:8E:3B:BF
Bit Rate=48 Mb/s Tx-Power=16 dBm
Retry short limit:7 RTS thrff Fragment thrff
Encryption keyff
Power Managementff
Link Quality=44/70 Signal level=-66 dBm
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:54 Missed beacon:0

lo no wireless extensions.

enp0s25 no wireless extensions.

So, does this mean it is power managed and if so, how do I turn that off?


Bill

What wifi device is in use here?

lspci -nnk|egrep -iA3 "wireless|network"

Please enclose output within code tags when responding to preserve formatting (refer to the '#' button in the advanced forum editor).

The iwconfig output seems to suggest the power management is off already...

Power Management:off

Check that interference isn't causing any issues here perhaps eg nearby APs on the same/overlapping channel.

You could keep a watch on NetworkManager for any messages relating wifi status changes

sudo journalctl -fu NetworkManager

and report back when such an event occurs.

So I figured out that it's when I close the lid, the WiFi goes to sleep. Is there a way I can prevent this?

Sep 15 21:46:32 debian NetworkManager[557]: <info>  [1537062392.2291] manager: sleep requested (sleeping: no  enabled: yes)
Sep 15 21:46:32 debian NetworkManager[557]: <info>  [1537062392.2338] manager: sleeping...
Sep 15 21:46:32 debian NetworkManager[557]: <info>  [1537062392.4696] manager: NetworkManager state is now ASLEEP
Sep 15 21:46:32 debian NetworkManager[557]: <info>  [1537062392.5210] device (wls3): state change: activated -> deactivating (reason 'sleeping') [100 110 37]
Sep 15 21:46:33 debian NetworkManager[557]: <info>  [1537062393.2964] device (wls3): state change: deactivating -> disconnected (reason 'sleeping') [110 30 37]
Sep 15 21:46:34 debian NetworkManager[557]: <info>  [1537062394.0371] dhcp4 (wls3): canceled DHCP transaction, DHCP client pid 685
Sep 15 21:46:34 debian NetworkManager[557]: <info>  [1537062394.0373] dhcp4 (wls3): state changed bound -> done
Sep 15 21:46:34 debian NetworkManager[557]: <info>  [1537062394.7958] device (wls3): set-hw-addr: set MAC address to AA:88:B0:CF:E1:48 (scanning)
Sep 15 21:46:35 debian NetworkManager[557]: <info>  [1537062395.3390] device (wls3): state change: disconnected -> unmanaged (reason 'sleeping') [30 10 37]
Sep 15 21:46:35 debian NetworkManager[557]: <info>  [1537062395.3506] device (wls3): set-hw-addr: reset MAC address to 00:1C:BF:25:46:29 (unmanage)

So I figured out that it's when I close the lid, the WiFi goes to sleep. Is there a way I can prevent this?

Nice troubleshooting. Every new fact moves the process forward.

Try suspending the system before you close the lid, rather than letting closing the lid initiate the suspending.

That works for me with Mageia on my Zareason laptop.

Well, the point is, I don't want to suspend when I close the lid and I have my system set that way. When I close it, only the screen shuts off, so when I open it back up the system is awake already. I just want to know if there is a way to prevent the WiFi connection from going to sleep. Thanks.

Check the KDE power management settings...

System Settings > Hardware > Power Management

Make sure that the 'Button events handling' and 'Wireless' settings are as desired.

That was it. Thanks again.

Glad that it was a simple desktop config fix!