From owner-freebsd-wireless@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Aug 8 18:07:25 2011 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-wireless@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6D3A31065680 for ; Mon, 8 Aug 2011 18:07:25 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from lev@serebryakov.spb.ru) Received: from onlyone.friendlyhosting.spb.ru (onlyone.friendlyhosting.spb.ru [IPv6:2a01:4f8:131:60a2::2]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id EA7248FC1B for ; Mon, 8 Aug 2011 18:07:24 +0000 (UTC) Received: from lion.home.serebryakov.spb.ru (unknown [IPv6:2001:470:923f:1:40d5:9d99:be75:3272]) (Authenticated sender: lev@serebryakov.spb.ru) by onlyone.friendlyhosting.spb.ru (Postfix) with ESMTPA id 2736E4AC1C for ; Mon, 8 Aug 2011 22:07:23 +0400 (MSD) Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2011 22:07:20 +0400 From: Lev Serebryakov X-Priority: 3 (Normal) Message-ID: <1151152206.20110808220720@serebryakov.spb.ru> To: freebsd-wireless@freebsd.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1251 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Subject: Bad host-vased AP performace -- and qouple of questions about FreeBSD WiFi stack tuning X-BeenThere: freebsd-wireless@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Discussions of 802.11 stack, tools device driver development." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:07:25 -0000 Hello, Freebsd-wireless. I have host-based AP, which is running FreeBSD 8.2-STABLE (i386) and equipped with Senao EMP 8602 Plus-S Mini-PCI WiFi card. It is Atheros 5413 based 600mW card: ath0: mem 0xa0060000-0xa006ffff irq 15 at device 17.0 on pci0 ath0: [ITHREAD] ath0: AR5413 mac 10.4 RF5413 phy 6.1 I'm using it with 10dBi omnidirectional antenna in 802.11g (2.4Ghz) standard. It worked well some time ago, but now its performance is horrible. Main clients are Intel-based notebooks with Intel 3945ABG cards, Windows-based. Typical "Real" (file copy) bandwidth with only one client active is 500-600KiB/s. Windows shows "Excellent" signal level and 54Mbit. InSSIDer (Windows-based WiFi monitoring software) shows RSSI between -50 and -40 (dBm)m but I can not trust it, as it shows some very distant APs with RSSI 100-120 (yes, +100 - +120), and it is nonsense. I've bring additional notebook with Linux and Kismet installed. Kismet shows, that my AP oscillate between -80 and -40 dBm RSSI permanently, even if here is connected (and doenloading!) client connected. Signal level jumps up and down, and often Kismet receive frames with broken SSID (one-two chars are replaced by other). "ifconfig wlan0 list sta" on AP shows something like this (running in cycle with "sleep 1", one client copy big file, 600-700KiB/s): 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 24M 14.5 0 23084 35488 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 18M 11.0 0 23612 39952 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 24M 13.5 0 24116 44320 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 24M 13.0 0 24688 49104 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 24M 13.0 0 25341 54720 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 24M 13.0 0 25813 58640 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 54M 11.0 0 26092 61104 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 54M 12.0 0 26782 1424 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 54M 14.0 0 27241 5312 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 24M 14.0 0 27615 8496 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 24M 12.5 0 27872 10768 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 24M 14.0 0 28302 14432 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 24M 13.5 0 28912 19600 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 18M 14.0 0 29501 24624 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 24M 13.5 0 30305 31440 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 24M 13.5 0 31971 45584 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 36M 13.0 0 32429 49472 EPS AQE RSN W= ME 00:18:de:08:e8:1d 1 9 11M 12.5 0 32758 52288 EPS AQE RSN W= ME Also, tcpdump shows, that AP announce only speeds up to 18Mbit (tag number 1 in beacon frame, list of supported speeds -- 1, 2, 5.5, 11, 6, 9, 12, 18). Here is my setting of AP: ifconfig_wlan0=3D"inet 192.168.135.1 netmask 255.255.255.0 mode 11g channel= 9 ssid home.serebryakov.spb.ru country ru regdomain row txpower 30" So, Questions are: (1) Hopping signal strength and total terrible WiFi network performance -- is it broken hardware or something strange in FreeBSD code? (2) Why card announce only 18Mbit, but not more? (3) What "txpower" setting means? dBm is relative unit. My 600mW card lists "30" as max, and simple notebook Intel card lists "30" as max too. Is it relative to max power of card (100mW for standard cards, 400-600-1000mW for high-power "procider-grade" cards from Ubiquiti and other such wendors, like Senao) or 1W or 100mW or what? Manual pages didn't give answer. (4) What units are uses for RSSI output in "ifconfig list sta"? --=20 // Black Lion AKA Lev Serebryakov