From owner-freebsd-i386@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Aug 3 15:40:02 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-i386@hub.freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CC1341065670 for ; Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:40:02 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from gnats@FreeBSD.org) Received: from freefall.freebsd.org (freefall.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::28]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A93C78FC18 for ; Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:40:02 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from gnats@FreeBSD.org) Received: from freefall.freebsd.org (gnats@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.14.2/8.14.2) with ESMTP id m73Fe2Ao042622 for ; Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:40:02 GMT (envelope-from gnats@freefall.freebsd.org) Received: (from gnats@localhost) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.14.2/8.14.1/Submit) id m73Fe226042621; Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:40:02 GMT (envelope-from gnats) Resent-Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:40:02 GMT Resent-Message-Id: <200808031540.m73Fe226042621@freefall.freebsd.org> Resent-From: FreeBSD-gnats-submit@FreeBSD.org (GNATS Filer) Resent-To: freebsd-i386@FreeBSD.org Resent-Reply-To: FreeBSD-gnats-submit@FreeBSD.org, Mohammad Ikram Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A828E1065670 for ; Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:32:51 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from nobody@FreeBSD.org) Received: from www.freebsd.org (www.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::21]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8B81C8FC12 for ; Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:32:51 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from nobody@FreeBSD.org) Received: from www.freebsd.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by www.freebsd.org (8.14.2/8.14.2) with ESMTP id m73FWnK7097662 for ; Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:32:49 GMT (envelope-from nobody@www.freebsd.org) Received: (from nobody@localhost) by www.freebsd.org (8.14.2/8.14.1/Submit) id m73FWn7E097660; Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:32:49 GMT (envelope-from nobody) Message-Id: <200808031532.m73FWn7E097660@www.freebsd.org> Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 15:32:49 GMT From: Mohammad Ikram To: freebsd-gnats-submit@FreeBSD.org X-Send-Pr-Version: www-3.1 Cc: Subject: i386/126214: txpower problem with Atheros wifi card X-BeenThere: freebsd-i386@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: I386-specific issues for FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:40:02 -0000 >Number: 126214 >Category: i386 >Synopsis: txpower problem with Atheros wifi card >Confidential: no >Severity: serious >Priority: medium >Responsible: freebsd-i386 >State: open >Quarter: >Keywords: >Date-Required: >Class: sw-bug >Submitter-Id: current-users >Arrival-Date: Sun Aug 03 15:40:02 UTC 2008 >Closed-Date: >Last-Modified: >Originator: Mohammad Ikram >Release: 7.0 >Organization: WIDEBAND >Environment: FreeBSD WIDEBAND-AP.wideand.com.pk 7.0-RELEASE FreeBSD 7.0-RELEASE #0: Sun Feb 24 19:59:52 UTC 2008 root@logan.cse.buffalo.edu:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/GENERIC i386 (date and time are not set on the machine) >Description: I am using a wireless card. EPI-EN360S1 with Atheros chipset. The card has a reported ouput power of 27dBm. WIDEBAND-AP# ifconfig -v ath0 ath0: flags=8843 metric 0 mtu 1500 ether 00:02:6f:4c:83:bd inet 192.168.20.1 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.20.255 media: IEEE 802.11 Wireless Ethernet autoselect mode 11b status: associated ssid WIDEBAND-ATH channel 2 (2417 Mhz 11b) bssid 00:02:6f:4c:83:bd authmode OPEN privacy OFF deftxkey UNDEF powersavemode OFF powersavesleep 100 txpower 31.5 txpowmax 18.0 rtsthreshold 2346 fragthreshold 2346 bmiss 7 scanvalid 60 bgscan bgscanintvl 300 bgscanidle 250 roam:rssi11a 7 roam:rate11a 12 roam:rssi11b 7 roam:rate11b 1 roam:rssi11g 7 roam:rate11g 5 -pureg protmode RTSCTS -ht -htcompat -ampdu ampdulimit 8k ampdudensity - -amsdu -shortgi htprotmode RTSCTS -puren -wme burst -ff -dturbo -hidessid apbridge dtimperiod 1 doth inact bintval 100 FreeBSD is only able to raise its power to 18dBm as shown by 'ifconfig -v ath0' I tried it on a Linux Machine (madwifi 0.9.4) with same results maximum 18dBm. when i used the latest ath9k drivers on a linux machine it took the power to 27dBm. I tried the commercial Router OS (Mikrotik) which suggested that it has take power level to 27dBm. Now after searching the mailing lists some people had suggested that whatever the ifconfig suggests is incorrect and the txpower is up to it's full. I do not have any spectrum analyzer to measure the output power, but the results the with ROUTER OS were much much better ( at the distance of 1.2 Km i was able to establish a link of 4 Mbps with ROUTER OS & with Freebsd a sloppy 256 Kbps (AP ROUTER OS & FreeBSD with omni/client Windows Dell D505 Laptop). I tried PFSense but with same results. I tried many different parameters (antenna, diversity, tpc etc)with sysctl, but just could not get any close to what ROUTER OS was able to perform, here is the ouput from WIDEBAND-AP# sysctl -a | grep ath kern.clockrate: { hz = 1000, tick = 1000, profhz = 666, stathz = 133 } kern.init_path: /sbin/init:/sbin/oinit:/sbin/init.bak:/rescue/init:/stand/sysinstall kern.module_path: /boot/kernel;/boot/modules vfs.nfs.diskless_rootpath: vfs.cache.numfullpathfound: 45 vfs.cache.numfullpathfail4: 0 vfs.cache.numfullpathfail2: 0 vfs.cache.numfullpathfail1: 0 vfs.cache.numfullpathcalls: 45 vfs.nfsrv.gatherdelay_v3: 0 vfs.nfsrv.gatherdelay: 10000 net.inet.tcp.path_mtu_discovery: 1 net.inet.sctp.path_rtx_max: 5 net.wlan.0.%parent: ath0 debug.disablefullpath: 0 hw.ath.hal.swba_backoff: 0 hw.ath.hal.sw_brt: 10 hw.ath.hal.dma_brt: 2 hw.ath.hal.version: 0.9.20.3 hw.ath.txbuf: 200 hw.ath.rxbuf: 40 hw.ath.regdomain: 0 hw.ath.countrycode: 0 hw.ath.xchanmode: 1 hw.ath.outdoor: 1 hw.ath.calibrate: 30 user.cs_path: /usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin: dev.npx.0.%desc: math processor dev.ath.0.%desc: Atheros 5212 dev.ath.0.%driver: ath dev.ath.0.%location: slot=1 function=0 dev.ath.0.%pnpinfo: vendor=0x168c device=0x0013 subvendor=0x168c subdevice=0x2051 class=0x020000 dev.ath.0.%parent: pci4 dev.ath.0.smoothing_rate: 95 dev.ath.0.sample_rate: 10 dev.ath.0.countrycode: 0 dev.ath.0.regdomain: 55 dev.ath.0.slottime: 9 dev.ath.0.acktimeout: 48 dev.ath.0.ctstimeout: 48 dev.ath.0.softled: 0 dev.ath.0.ledpin: 0 dev.ath.0.ledon: 0 dev.ath.0.ledidle: 2700 dev.ath.0.txantenna: 0 dev.ath.0.rxantenna: 1 dev.ath.0.diversity: 1 dev.ath.0.txintrperiod: 5 dev.ath.0.diag: 0 dev.ath.0.tpscale: 0 dev.ath.0.tpc: 0 dev.ath.0.tpack: 63 dev.ath.0.tpcts: 63 dev.ath.0.fftxqmin: 2 dev.ath.0.fftxqmax: 50 dev.ath.0.monpass: 24 WIDEBAND-AP# >How-To-Repeat: Just add a high power PCI Atheros based Card >Fix: Maximum txpower should be ablel to be achived. >Release-Note: >Audit-Trail: >Unformatted: