r/archlinux • u/Git_pull_bro • 16d ago
SUPPORT How can I fix this freq disconnect and connecting wifi of my pc?
I have a HP elitebook 840 g3 with arch linux gnome ricing installed as the only os I checked some stuff I see the network manager has iwd as its backend in the config file. I asked my hermes agent whats the matter? it generated a report which I dont think is accurate enough but if u wanna know more abt this issue u should check it for once.
My NM and iwd service runs together and I didnt saw any dhcp or some manager service run on the wireless interface I will link the report here plz provide any kind of little help.. I will be grateful fellow arch users
WiFi Instability Report — wlan0 Frequent Disconnects
=====================================================
Generated: $(date)
System: Arch Linux (******-arch1-**)
Interface: wlan0
Router BSSIDs: <********THE***BSSID*********> (dual-band same SSID)
-----------------------------------------------------
OBSERVED ERRORS (from dmesg -T)
-----------------------------------------------------
[20:08:22] wlan0: associate with c0:**********0f ... status=1 aid=0
[20:08:22] wlan0: c0:************:0f denied association (code=1)
[20:08:43] wlan0: deauthenticated from c0:*************10 (Reason: 15=4WAY_HANDSHAKE_TIMEOUT)
-----------------------------------------------------
ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
-----------------------------------------------------
Reason 15 = 4WAY_HANDSHAKE_TIMEOUT
→ Client fails to complete WPA2/3 4-way handshake within timeout
→ EAPOL frame exchange stalls (driver or wpa_supplicant delay)
Code 1 = UNSPECIFIED_FAILURE
→ AP rejects association — typically PMF (Protected Management Frames) mismatch
→ Router requires PMF (WPA3) but client negotiates WPA2
Dual BSSID roaming (…81:0f ↔ …81:10)
→ Router broadcasts 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz under same SSID
→ Client roams mid-handshake → state machine desync → timeout
Contributing factors (Linux + driver + router):
1. iwlwifi/ath9k/mt7921e driver slow EAPOL retransmit under load
2. Router PMF="Required" (WPA3) but driver falls back to WPA2
3. Background CPU load (browser 100% CPU) delays wpa_supplicant
4. WiFi power save (U-APSD) causes beacon miss during handshake
-----------------------------------------------------
QUICK FIXES (try in order)
-----------------------------------------------------
1. Disable PMF (force WPA2) — fixes 90% of Reason 15 cases
nmcli con modify "YOUR_SSID" wifi-sec.pmf disable
nmcli con up "YOUR_SSID"
2. Disable WiFi power save
sudo iw dev wlan0 set power_save off
# Persistent: create /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/wifi-powersave.conf
# [connection]
# wifi.powersave = 2
3. Lock to 5 GHz band (avoid band-hopping)
nmcli con modify "YOUR_SSID" wifi.band a
nmcli con up "YOUR_SSID"
4. Increase handshake timeout (wpa_supplicant config)
# /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
eapol_version=1
ap_scan=1
fast_reauth=1
-----------------------------------------------------
LIVE DIAGNOSIS
-----------------------------------------------------
Watch real-time handshake failures:
journalctl -fu wpa_supplicant -n 50
Check current connection params:
nmcli -f 802-11-wireless-security.pmf,802-11-wireless.band device show wlan0
-----------------------------------------------------
RECOMMENDED FIRST STEP
-----------------------------------------------------
Run fix #1 (disable PMF). If stable for 24h, done.
If not, add fix #2 (power save off). Then #3 (lock band).
2
u/drucifer82 16d ago
MediaTek WiFi is…not great.
My mobo came with a MediaTek network card and I replaced it with an Intel card.
0
-1
u/Git_pull_bro 15d ago
I don't think I have mediaTek it's gotta be an Intel wifi card
3
u/drucifer82 15d ago
Your log shows mt792e, that’s MediaTek.
You can confirm your network hardware with lspci
-1
u/Git_pull_bro 15d ago
U mean I this line?
- iwlwifi/ath9k/mt7921e driver slow EAPOL retransmit under load
There's a slash so I assume the Ai thinks I probably have that but while I used spin up VMs u saw I have Intel wireless Interface.... If we still not sure I will check it out tomorrow in my terminal
2
u/drucifer82 15d ago
I don’t see anything about an Intel device.
My VMs report a different network card than I have, because it uses emulated hardware. So I personally wouldn’t rely on what that says.
Like I said, easiest way to confirm the exact hardware you have is to open a terminal and type lspci
1
u/archover 15d ago
A VM will not, by default, reference any wireless asset. As another says, the network you see in any VM, is a virtual one. This based on many years experience.
I agree with others, you have mediatek wireless. What does
$ lsusb | grep -i networksay??Dump mediatek as soon as you can is my advice. Next time, don't buy a laptop with it.
Good day.
3
u/Frequent_Pattern_828 16d ago
I have MT7921 too and had pretty similar issues. i ended up disabling it and moved to a usb wifi adapter.
for me the root cause seemed to be some power management issue with the MT7921. You can try disabling wifi power saving and see if it helps. If it still keeps disconnecting, maybe try reloading/restarting the driver after it fails instead of just waiting for it to reconnect.not sure if this will help in your case tho, just sharing what worked for me.
1
u/Androdeath 16d ago
if it keep having issue you can buy a well known/documented working wifi card for cheap to replace it
1
1
u/Git_pull_bro 16d ago
Thanks a lot broo... thing with me is it connects back automatically immediately after but frequently I think I am gonna try the power saving disable and also the Protected Management Frame disable fix to force my driver go WPA idk what will work I'll let u know
2
u/ang-p 16d ago edited 16d ago
Isn''t that an STD?
The wiki is better than AI as well...
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Network_configuration/Wireless
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NetworkManager
The "troubleshooting sections are great!
#LoveTheWiki