[SOLVED] Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

[SOLVED] Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Jan 30th, '17, 11:46

Sorry to involve you in my adventures of buying a new laptop in this way. After various hardware issues with my first and second attempt, I'm now on the third machine that I hope will be my new laptop. It's an HP 15-ba-055na. I have installed Mageia 5.1 from the installation DVD, and so far everything seems to be working fine except the wifi connection. I have searched the forum for the name of the chipset (Realtek 8723BE) but the few results don't seem to describe the same problem as mine.

Mageia recognises the wifi adapter and has a dedicated driver for it. The problem is that - although not blocked - the device usually can't see any wireless networks. On the rare occasions where it has detected my router (about 6 metres away) it fails to connect. I have found information about weak signal with this adapter and some solutions relating to Ubuntu (http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/ubun ... altek.html and http://www.linuxlinx.com/2016/05/instal ... xmint.html) but I don't have the knowledge to judge whether the solutions could work in Mageia. For the moment, I'm connecting to the wifi via my mobile phone using USB tethering. But it would be great to get this to work.

Here is the output requested in the networking wiki:

Code: Select all
[root@localhost dennis]# iwconfig
lo        no wireless extensions.

wlo1      IEEE 802.11bgn  ESSID:off/any 
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.462 GHz  Access Point: Not-Associated   
          Tx-Power=20 dBm   
          Retry short limit:7   RTS thr=2347 B   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:off
          Power Management:off
         
enp3s0    no wireless extensions.

enp0s16u2  no wireless extensions.


I think this shows that the wifi adapter is there.

Code: Select all
[root@localhost dennis]# rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no
1: hci0: Bluetooth
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no


... and not blocked.

Code: Select all
[root@localhost dennis]# lspcidrake | grep -i net
r8169           : Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.|RTL8101/2/6E PCI Express Fast/Gigabit Ethernet controller [NETWORK_ETHERNET] (rev: 07)
rtl8723be       : Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.|RTL8723BE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter [NETWORK_OTHER]


Code: Select all
[root@localhost dennis]# rpm -qa|grep rtl
rtlwifi-firmware-20160914-1.mga5.nonfree


Code: Select all
[root@localhost dennis]# lspcidrake -v
r8169           : Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.|RTL8101/2/6E PCI Express Fast/Gigabit Ethernet controller [NETWORK_ETHERNET] (vendor:10ec device:8136 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 07)
rtl8723be       : Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.|RTL8723BE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter [NETWORK_OTHER] (vendor:10ec device:b723 subv:103c subd:81c1)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1585 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1585)
fam15h_power    : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1584 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1584)
k10temp         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1583 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1583)
amd64_edac_mod  : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1582 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1582)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1581 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1581)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1580 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1580)
sdhci_pci       : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH SD Flash Controller (vendor:1022 device:7813 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 01)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH LPC Bridge [BRIDGE_ISA] (vendor:1022 device:780e subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 11)
snd_hda_intel   : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH Azalia Controller [MULTIMEDIA_AUDIO_DEV] (vendor:1022 device:780d subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 02)
i2c_piix4       : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH SMBus Controller [SERIAL_SMBUS] (vendor:1022 device:780b subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 42)
ehci_pci        : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH USB EHCI Controller [SERIAL_USB] (vendor:1022 device:7808 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 39)
ehci_pci        : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH USB EHCI Controller [SERIAL_USB] (vendor:1022 device:7808 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 39)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode] [STORAGE_SATA] (vendor:1022 device:7804 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 39)
xhci_pci        : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH USB XHCI Controller [SERIAL_USB] (vendor:1022 device:7814 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 11)
ccp             : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1537 [CRYPT_OTHER] (vendor:1022 device:1537)
shpchp          : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1 [BRIDGE_PCI] (vendor:1022 device:1439)
shpchp          : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1 [BRIDGE_PCI] (vendor:1022 device:1439)
shpchp          : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1 [BRIDGE_PCI] (vendor:1022 device:1439)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 156b [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:156b)
snd_hda_intel   : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI]|Kabini HDMI/DP Audio [MULTIMEDIA_AUDIO_DEV] (vendor:1002 device:9840 subv:103c subd:81f5)
Card:ATI Radeon HD 5000 to HD 6300 (radeon/fglrx): Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI]|Mullins [Radeon R4/R5 Graphics] [DISPLAY_VGA] (vendor:1002 device:9851 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 45)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1566 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1566 subv:103c subd:81f5)
hub             : Linux 4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5 xhci-hcd|xHCI Host Controller [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:1d6b device:0003)
hub             : Linux 4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5 xhci-hcd|xHCI Host Controller [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:1d6b device:0002)
rndis_host      : SAMSUNG|SAMSUNG_Android [Wireless|Radio Frequency|RNDIS] (vendor:04e8 device:6863)
hub             : Linux 4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5 ehci_hcd|EHCI Host Controller [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:1d6b device:0002)
hub             : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.|Unknown [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:0438 device:7900)
uvcvideo        : Generic|HP TrueVision HD [Video|Video Control] (vendor:04f2 device:b56c)
hub             : Linux 4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5 ehci_hcd|EHCI Host Controller [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:1d6b device:0002)
hub             : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.|Unknown [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:0438 device:7900)
btusb           : Realtek |Bluetooth Radio  [Wireless|Radio Frequency|Bluetooth] (vendor:0bda device:b008)


Code: Select all
[root@localhost dennis]# journalctl -ab | grep -iE "fw|firmware|iwl|wifi|wire|80211"
Jan 30 09:08:37 localhost.localdomain kernel: [Firmware Bug]: ACPI: BIOS _OSI(Linux) query ignored
Jan 30 09:08:37 localhost.localdomain kernel: [Firmware Bug]: ACPI: No _BQC method, cannot determine initial brightness
Jan 30 09:08:37 localhost.localdomain kernel: [Firmware Bug]: ACPI: No _BQC method, cannot determine initial brightness
Jan 30 09:08:37 localhost.localdomain kernel: acpi PNP0A08:00: [Firmware Info]: MMCONFIG for domain 0000 [bus 00-3f] only partially covers this bridge
Jan 30 09:08:40 localhost.localdomain kernel: input: HP Wireless hotkeys as /devices/virtual/input/input5
Jan 30 09:08:40 localhost.localdomain kernel: [Firmware Bug]: ACPI: No _BQC method, cannot determine initial brightness
Jan 30 09:08:41 localhost.localdomain kernel: rtl8723be: Using firmware rtlwifi/rtl8723befw.bin
Jan 30 09:08:42 localhost.localdomain kernel: ieee80211 phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'rtl_rc'
Jan 30 09:08:42 localhost.localdomain kernel: rtlwifi: rtlwifi: wireless switch is on
Jan 30 09:08:42 localhost.localdomain kernel: psmouse serio1: synaptics: Touchpad model: 1, fw: 8.1, id: 0x1e2b1, caps: 0xf00123/0x840300/0x2e800/0x0, board id: 3127, fw id: 8526786
Jan 30 09:08:42 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:  DFS Master region: unset
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (start_freq - end_freq @ bandwidth), (max_antenna_gain, max_eirp), (dfs_cac_time)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (N/A, 2000 mBm), (N/A)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (2457000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @ 20000 KHz, 92000 KHz AUTO), (N/A, 2000 mBm), (N/A)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (2474000 KHz - 2494000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (N/A, 2000 mBm), (N/A)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (5170000 KHz - 5250000 KHz @ 80000 KHz, 160000 KHz AUTO), (N/A, 2000 mBm), (N/A)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (5250000 KHz - 5330000 KHz @ 80000 KHz, 160000 KHz AUTO), (N/A, 2000 mBm), (0 s)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (5490000 KHz - 5730000 KHz @ 160000 KHz), (N/A, 2000 mBm), (0 s)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (5735000 KHz - 5835000 KHz @ 80000 KHz), (N/A, 2000 mBm), (N/A)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (57240000 KHz - 63720000 KHz @ 2160000 KHz), (N/A, 0 mBm), (N/A)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211: Regulatory domain changed to country: GB
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:  DFS Master region: ETSI
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (start_freq - end_freq @ bandwidth), (max_antenna_gain, max_eirp), (dfs_cac_time)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (2402000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (N/A, 2000 mBm), (N/A)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (5170000 KHz - 5250000 KHz @ 80000 KHz, 160000 KHz AUTO), (N/A, 2000 mBm), (N/A)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (5250000 KHz - 5330000 KHz @ 80000 KHz, 160000 KHz AUTO), (N/A, 2000 mBm), (0 s)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (5490000 KHz - 5710000 KHz @ 160000 KHz), (N/A, 2700 mBm), (0 s)
Jan 30 09:08:43 localhost.localdomain kernel: cfg80211:   (57000000 KHz - 66000000 KHz @ 2160000 KHz), (N/A, 4000 mBm), (N/A)
Jan 30 09:08:44 localhost.localdomain kernel: Bluetooth: hci0: rtl: loading rtl_bt/rtl8723b_fw.bin
Jan 30 09:08:54 localhost.localdomain network[1229]: Configuring wireless regulatory domain  [  OK  ]
Jan 30 09:08:56 localhost.localdomain network[1229]: Bringing up interface wlo1:  Error for wireless request "Set Encode" (8B2A) :
Jan 30 09:09:07 localhost.localdomain kernel: IFWLOG: register target


The output for this command alters between "device busy" and "no scan results":
Code: Select all
[root@localhost dennis]# iwlist wlo1 scan
wlo1      Interface doesn't support scanning : Device or resource busy

[root@localhost dennis]# iwconfig
lo        no wireless extensions.

wlo1      IEEE 802.11bgn  ESSID:off/any 
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.462 GHz  Access Point: Not-Associated   
          Tx-Power=20 dBm   
          Retry short limit:7   RTS thr=2347 B   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:off
          Power Management:off
         
enp3s0    no wireless extensions.

enp0s16u2  no wireless extensions.

[root@localhost dennis]# iwlist wlo1 scan
wlo1      No scan results


Code: Select all
[dennis@localhost ~]$ ps -ef | grep -v grep | grep -i net
root        23     2  0 09:08 ?        00:00:00 [netns]
systemd+  1189     1  0 09:08 ?        00:00:00 /usr/lib/systemd/systemd-networkd
dennis    2882  2630  0 09:09 ?        00:00:09 /usr/bin/perl /usr/bin/net_applet


And this is the output when I try to connect to my router using drakconnect, entering only my network name and password and leaving other settings as per default:
Code: Select all
 [root@localhost dennis]# drakconnect
Ignore the following Glib::Object::Introspection & Gtk3 warnings
Too late to run INIT block at /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.20.1/x86_64-linux-thread-multi/Glib/Object/Introspection.pm line 257.
Subroutine Gtk3::main redefined at /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.20.1/Gtk3.pm line 296.
Selected interface 'wlo1'
OK
Error for wireless request "Set Encode" (8B2A) :
    SET failed on device wlo1 ; Invalid argument.
Successfully initialized wpa_supplicant
ioctl[SIOCSIWENCODEEXT]: Invalid argument
ioctl[SIOCSIWENCODEEXT]: Invalid argument


I hope this is the information you need in order to help. Perhaps some settings can be changed to make this work. If I understand those Ubuntu-related postings correctly, the problem may have something to do with the power management of the combined wifi/Bluetooth adapter. I know that my router is sending a strong enough signal because all other devices (mobile phone, tablet, desktop PC, old laptop) can connect to it.

Thank you!
Last edited by Gelsenbury on Feb 9th, '18, 20:08, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby doktor5000 » Jan 30th, '17, 19:58

Looks good in general. Did you try the solution from the links you posted? Not the part about compiling different drivers, but trying the rtl8723be module options to see whether that changes the behaviour?
This post also shows how to unload the driver and load it with different options in the lower half of the post: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=208472

If that doesn't work you may need to build the driver from https://github.com/lwfinger/rtlwifi_new

Also it might help if you could show the available options for that module, as root via
Code: Select all
modinfo rtl8723be
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby wintpe » Jan 31st, '17, 12:22

if all fails, with this, yet another poor wifi card, theres always something like this.

http://www.handtec.co.uk/intel-dual-ban ... 7QodHPwLGw

swap the card itself for something that is more supportable.

OK it could invalidate the warrentee, just depends how badly you want good wifi

Now im not 100% sure on the support status in linux of this, as it was an example, but generally the intel cards are much better supported than the
rest of them.

ive got one of the 6260's in my laptop and that was supported from mageia 2 onwards, with absolutely no issues at all.

regards peter
Redhat 6 Certified Engineer (RHCE)
Sometimes my posts will sound short, or snappy, however its realy not my intention to offend, so accept my apologies in advance.
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Feb 2nd, '17, 03:17

Thank you for the replies. The file /etc/modprobe.d/rtl8723be.conf doesn't exist on my system. But if I understand correctly, these are the driver settings, which I can also modify in the Mageia Control Centre. Following the advice from https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=208472, I have made the following settings (the other page, http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/ubun ... altek.html, mentions a subset of the same settings):

swenc = 1
ips = 0
swlps = 0
fwlps = 0
disable_watchdog = 1

According to the explanation, this enables software encryption and disables the power management options and the watchdog. I don't fully understand what this all means! Using these settings, I could see my router after several attempts and connect to it, but with very poor signal strength (22% apparently) and slow speed, and with frequent drop-outs. I would expect to see my neighbours' networks as well, and have a stronger and much more stable connection.

The pages http://www.linuxlinx.com/2016/05/instal ... xmint.html and https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=208472 both seem to be about antenna selection. The Mageia Control Centre already allows me to select the antenna, and I assume it wouldn't do that if the driver didn't allow it. So I don't know if the alternative driver recommended there (for Ubuntu and Arch, respectively) is different at all to the one already used by Mageia.

But I did go through the antenna selection from the command line as detailed on https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=208472. On the first attempt, I appeared to find that both antennas detected my own router equally badly (34/70 was mentioned for signal strength). From the second attempt onwards (with the intention to replicate this output and post it here), things got even worse, with the network-related applets and the root konsole window in which I typed the commands becoming unresponsive. According to the System Activity monitor that I can look at after pressing Ctrl-Esc, net_applet and iwlist have gone to "disk sleep". But I can't terminate those processes from there. I have tried and re-tried this with several reboots, and the issue occurs sometimes after the "rmmod rtl8723be" command and sometimes after the "iwlist wlo1 scan" command. Very frustrating.

The network adapter still works under Windows, so I don't think it's damaged. There just seems to be something wrong with what I'm trying to do here. Surely there must be a solution?
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Feb 2nd, '17, 04:05

Sorry, I still owe you this:

Code: Select all
[root@localhost dennis]# modinfo rtl8723be
filename:       /lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8723be/rtl8723be.ko.xz
firmware:       rtlwifi/rtl8723befw.bin
description:    Realtek 8723BE 802.11n PCI wireless
license:        GPL
author:         Realtek WlanFAE <wlanfae@realtek.com>
author:         PageHe  <page_he@realsil.com.cn>
srcversion:     3B2ECD9306CE299232BAE5D
alias:          pci:v000010ECd0000B723sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
depends:        rtlwifi,rtl8723-common,rtl_pci,btcoexist,mac80211
intree:         Y
vermagic:       4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5 SMP mod_unload modversions
parm:           swenc:Set to 1 for software crypto (default 0)
 (bool)
parm:           ips:Set to 0 to not use link power save (default 1)
 (bool)
parm:           swlps:Set to 1 to use SW control power save (default 0)
 (bool)
parm:           fwlps:Set to 1 to use FW control power save (default 1)
 (bool)
parm:           msi:Set to 1 to use MSI interrupts mode (default 0)
 (bool)
parm:           debug:Set debug level (0-5) (default 0) (int)
parm:           disable_watchdog:Set to 1 to disable the watchdog (default 0)
 (bool)
parm:           ant_sel:Set to 1 or 2 to force antenna number (default 0)
 (int)


And, just in case this is useful information: I have managed to connect to the network at work, by sitting directly underneath a router (about 1 metre away). The signal strength according to the Network Centre is 52%. The scan of available networks gives the following:

Code: Select all
[root@localhost dennis]# iwlist wlo1 scan
wlo1      Scan completed :
          Cell 01 - Address: 04:BD:88:9C:D5:61
                    Channel:1
                    Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
                    Quality=24/70  Signal level=-86 dBm 
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"eduroam"
                    Bit Rates:5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s
                              36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=00000000c028cb81
                    Extra: Last beacon: 11ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 0007656475726F616D
                    IE: Unknown: 01088B1698243048606C
                    IE: Unknown: 030101
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : 802.1x
                    IE: Unknown: 32028C12
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1AAD1917FFFF000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1601080400000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 4A0E14000A002C01C800140005001900
                    IE: Unknown: 7F080500080000000040
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101800003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
          Cell 02 - Address: 04:BD:88:9C:D5:60
                    Channel:1
                    Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
                    Quality=24/70  Signal level=-86 dBm 
                    Encryption key:off
                    ESSID:"WiFi Guest"
                    Bit Rates:5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s
                              36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=00000000c028c8bc
                    Extra: Last beacon: 11ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 000A57694669204775657374
                    IE: Unknown: 01088B1698243048606C
                    IE: Unknown: 030101
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: Unknown: 32028C12
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1AAD1917FFFF000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1601080400000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 4A0E14000A002C01C800140005001900
                    IE: Unknown: 7F080500080000000040
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101800003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00
          Cell 03 - Address: 04:BD:88:9C:D5:63
                    Channel:1
                    Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
                    Quality=24/70  Signal level=-86 dBm 
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"cccu-wifi"
                    Bit Rates:5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s
                              36 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=00000000c028ce74
                    Extra: Last beacon: 11ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 0009636363752D77696669
                    IE: Unknown: 01088B1698243048606C
                    IE: Unknown: 030101
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0100
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : 802.1x
                    IE: Unknown: 32028C12
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1AAD1917FFFF000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D1601080400000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 4A0E14000A002C01C800140005001900
                    IE: Unknown: 7F080500080000000040
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101800003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00


I am connected to the first of these networks. So it seems as if connecting to a router that is very nearby can work. The signal just isn't detected well. This causes problems unless you are sitting right next to the router.
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby doktor5000 » Feb 2nd, '17, 20:36

Well, you have a few options

- play around with the options of the currently used driver, but you're on your own on that as probably nobody else here has the same wireless combination that you have
- try the newer alternative driver, which you need to compile beforehand
- get a different wireless card/chipset
- use a wired connection
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Feb 3rd, '17, 01:00

Thank you for the overview. I think I have experimented enough with the driver settings. There aren't that many of them, and any improvements have been modest.

It's useful information that the alternate driver is newer than the one currently installed. I wasn't sure about that. I've never successfully compiled anything and it's been years since I've even tried, but I'll have a go.
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby jiml8 » Feb 9th, '17, 08:05

And, just in case this is useful information: I have managed to connect to the network at work, by sitting directly underneath a router (about 1 metre away). The signal strength according to the Network Centre is 52%. The scan of available networks gives the following:


Sounds to me like an antenna problem.
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby doktor5000 » Feb 9th, '17, 14:23

From what I read in various places about the older driver it's more a combination of the options, as with some there will be no signal if you use the wrong ant_sel settings, it will use a different antenna port where nothing is connected on the internal ports.
Also see some of the discussion regarding the options at e.g. https://github.com/lwfinger/rtlwifi_new/issues/34
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Feb 13th, '17, 01:27

I'm not having much luck with this. I built the driver from https://github.com/lwfinger/rtlwifi_new successfully as far as I can tell. I downloaded the zip archive and unpacked it. The "make" command completes without error message, and "make install" (as root) finishes with a "success" message. I have also created /etc/modprobe.d/50-rtl8723be.conf as instructed. I have also tried selecting one antenna or the other manually, but can still not see any networks. Incidentally, the same happens with the driver from https://github.com/lwfinger/rtlwifi_new ... new_btcoex.

Here are the current contents of /etc/modprobe.d/50-rtl8723be.conf, after some experimentation. The file name is straight from https://github.com/lwfinger/rtlwifi_new/issues/34, but I have created the symbolic links rtl8723be.conf and 50_rtl8723be.conf in the same directory pointing at that file, just in case.

Code: Select all
options rtl8723be fwlps=0 ips=0 swlps=0 swenc=0 disable_watchdog=1


Here is the output of iwconfig ...
Code: Select all
lo        no wireless extensions.

wlo1      IEEE 802.11bgn  ESSID:off/any 
          Mode:Managed  Access Point: Not-Associated   Tx-Power=20 dBm   
          Retry short limit:7   RTS thr=2347 B   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:off
          Power Management:off
         
enp3s0    no wireless extensions.

enp0s16u1  no wireless extensions.


... and rfkill ...

Code: Select all
1: hci0: Bluetooth
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no
4: phy3: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no


... and the output of modinfo rtl8723be:

Code: Select all
filename:       /lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8723be/rtl8723be.ko.xz
firmware:       rtlwifi/rtl8723befw_36.bin
firmware:       rtlwifi/rtl8723befw.bin
description:    Realtek 8723BE 802.11n PCI wireless
license:        GPL
author:         Realtek WlanFAE <wlanfae@realtek.com>
author:         PageHe  <page_he@realsil.com.cn>
srcversion:     2C82AEBD843DD8F2598579A
alias:          pci:v000010ECd0000B723sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
depends:        rtlwifi,rtl8723-common,rtl_pci,btcoexist,mac80211
vermagic:       4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5 SMP mod_unload modversions
parm:           swenc:Set to 1 for software crypto (default 0)
 (bool)
parm:           ips:Set to 0 to not use link power save (default 1)
 (bool)
parm:           swlps:Set to 1 to use SW control power save (default 0)
 (bool)
parm:           fwlps:Set to 1 to use FW control power save (default 1)
 (bool)
parm:           msi:Set to 1 to use MSI interrupts mode (default 0)
 (bool)
parm:           debug:Set debug level (0-5) (default 0) (int)
parm:           disable_watchdog:Set to 1 to disable the watchdog (default 0)
 (bool)
parm:           ant_sel:Set to 1 or 2 to force antenna number (default 0)
 (int)


And the results of trying to scan for networks:

Code: Select all
[root@manchot_trois dennis]# iwlist wlo1 scan
wlo1      No scan results

[root@manchot_trois dennis]# rmmod rtl8723be
[root@manchot_trois dennis]# modprobe rtl8723be ant_sel=2
[root@manchot_trois dennis]# iwlist wlo1 scan
wlo1      No scan results

[root@manchot_trois dennis]# rmmod rtl8723be
[root@manchot_trois dennis]# modprobe rtl8723be ant_sel=1
[root@manchot_trois dennis]# iwlist wlo1 scan
wlo1      No scan results


At least that is the usual result. Very rarely, the scan has revealed one or more networks, but they disappear before I can connect to them.

Again, the wireless adapter works under Windows, and I am currently connected to the internet via USB tethering through my Android phone, which is connected to my router by wifi. So I think the hardware is OK.

Have I overlooked something? For example, do I have to remove the existing driver in some way before building the new one? I followed the hints and instructions, but bear in mind that my knowledge is limited.
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby doktor5000 » Feb 13th, '17, 09:33

Gelsenbury wrote:... and the output of modinfo rtl8723be:

filename: /lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8723be/rtl8723be.ko.xz


Still seems to be the original mga5 driver. Do you have the "make install" output available, or can you run "make uninstall" and "make install" again and add the output, it should show where the newer drivers gets installed. Maybe we need to adapt the module search order for that path. Do you also happen to remember if make install ran depmod ?
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Feb 13th, '17, 13:13

Thank you for the response. I was wondering if something like that was happening. Apologies for my ignorance.

I have gone back into the download directory, authenticated as root, run "make uninstall" and then "make install" again. Here is the output:

Code: Select all
[root@manchot_trois rtlwifi_new-master]# make uninstall
Restoring backups
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8723com/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8723com/rtl8723-common.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192ce/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192ce/rtl8192ce.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtlwifi.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192se/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192se/rtl8192se.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192cu/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192cu/rtl8192cu.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8188ee/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8188ee/rtl8188ee.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl_usb.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/btcoexist/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/btcoexist/btcoexist.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8821ae/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8821ae/rtl8821ae.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192c/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192c/rtl8192c-common.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl_pci.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192ee/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192ee/rtl8192ee.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8723ae/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8723ae/rtl8723ae.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192de/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8192de/rtl8192de.ko.xz
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8723be/
/lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8723be/rtl8723be.ko.xz
Uninstall rtlwifi SUCCESS
[root@manchot_trois rtlwifi_new-master]#


Code: Select all
[root@manchot_trois rtlwifi_new-master]# make install
make -C /lib/modules/4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5/build M=/home/dennis/Downloads/rtlwifi/rtlwifi_new-master modules
make[1]: Entering directory '/usr/src/kernel-4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5'
  Building modules, stage 2.
  MODPOST 15 modules
make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/kernel-4.4.39-desktop-1.mga5'
Install rtlwifi SUCCESS
[root@manchot_trois rtlwifi_new-master]#
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby jiml8 » Feb 14th, '17, 06:33

Have you compared the size of the driver in /lib/modules with the size of the one you compiled? Perhaps the one you compiled did not replace the one in /lib/modules...permissions problem perhaps?

Try this. From the directory you compiled the driver in, as root, execute "rmmod rtl8723be" (or rmmod rtl8723be.ko ...I never remember which it is). After you confirm the driver is unloaded, execute "insmod ./rtl8723be.ko" and see what happens.

You might also try entering the line "rtl8723be fwlps=0 ips=0 swlps=0 swenc=0 disable_watchdog=1" in /etc/modules. I'm not optimistic that will work, but I am hearkening back a long long time, to a day when this was how you set options for kernel drivers in Linux. I seem to recall that the file was named modules.conf there, but I'm not positive and would have to root through some really musty archives to sort it out for sure.
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby jiml8 » Feb 14th, '17, 06:35

You also should have a log entry when you try to load a kernel module. What does that say? Should be in the journal.
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Feb 16th, '17, 01:06

The directory in which I compiled the driver doesn't contain a file called rtl8723be.ko. Here are the contents:

Code: Select all
[root@manchot_trois rtlwifi_new-master]# ls
backup_drivers.tar  debug.o         ps.o         rtl8192ee/     rtlwifi.ko
base.c              dkms.conf       pwrseqcmd.h  rtl8192se/     rtlwifi.mod.c
base.h              efuse.c         rc.c         rtl8723ae/     rtlwifi.mod.o
base.o              efuse.h         rc.h         rtl8723be/     rtlwifi.o
btcoexist/          efuse.o         rc.o         rtl8723com/    stats.c
cam.c               firmware/       README.md    rtl8821ae/     stats.h
cam.h               Makefile        regd.c       rtl_pci.ko     stats.o
cam.o               modules.order   regd.h       rtl_pci.mod.c  tools/
compat.h            Module.symvers  regd.o       rtl_pci.mod.o  usb.c
core.c              pci.c           rtl8188ee/   rtl_pci.o      usb.h
core.h              pci.h           rtl8192c/    rtl_usb.ko     usb.o
core.o              pci.o           rtl8192ce/   rtl_usb.mod.c  wifi.h
debug.c             ps.c            rtl8192cu/   rtl_usb.mod.o
debug.h             ps.h            rtl8192de/   rtl_usb.o


The sub-directory rtl8723be contains a file called rtl8723be.ko:
Code: Select all
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# ls
def.h  hw.c      modules.order  pwrseqcmd.o  rtl8723be.ko     table.c
dm.c   hw.h      phy.c          pwrseq.h     rtl8723be.mod.c  table.h
dm.h   hw.o      phy.h          pwrseq.o     rtl8723be.mod.o  table.o
dm.o   led.c     phy.o          reg.h        rtl8723be.o      trx.c
fw.c   led.h     pwrseq.c       rf.c         sw.c             trx.h
fw.h   led.o     pwrseqcmd.c    rf.h         sw.h             trx.o
fw.o   Makefile  pwrseqcmd.h    rf.o         sw.o


I'm not sure what you mean by seeing what happens, but I tried your recommendation in this sub-directory:

Code: Select all
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# rmmod rtl8723be.ko
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# insmod ./rtl8723be.ko
insmod: ERROR: could not insert module ./rtl8723be.ko: File exists
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# rmmod rtl8723be.ko   
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# insmod ./rtl8723be.ko
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# iwlist wlo1 scan       
wlo1      Scan completed :
          Cell 01 - Address: 00:24:17:AD:C9:BB
                    Channel:1
                    Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
                    Quality=24/70  Signal level=-86 dBm 
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"PlusnetWireless"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                              24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=000000067d941184
                    Extra: Last beacon: 884ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 000F506C75736E6574576972656C657373
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B962430486C
                    IE: Unknown: 030101
                    IE: Unknown: 050401030000
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0104
                    IE: Unknown: 2F0104
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (2) : CCMP TKIP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 32040C121860
                    IE: Unknown: DD060010180204F0
                    IE: WPA Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (2) : CCMP TKIP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK


The first attempt fails for some reason. After the second, iwlist wlo1 scan shows my home router ... but only that one. I'm expecting to see the neighbours' networks too, so we still seem to be weak at picking up signal. It's similar to the phenomenon I said I occasionally get with the original driver.

Here are the last few lines from dmesg:

Code: Select all
[ 7716.187568] rtl8723be: watchdog disabled
[ 7716.187629] rtl8723be: Using firmware rtlwifi/rtl8723befw_36.bin
[ 7716.189291] ieee80211 phy4: Selected rate control algorithm 'rtl_rc'
[ 7716.190139] rtlwifi: rtlwifi: wireless switch is on
[ 7716.197045] rtl8723be 0000:02:00.0 wlo1: renamed from wlan0
[ 7716.631640] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlo1: link is not ready
[ 7717.075522] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlo1: link is not ready
[ 7727.565621] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlo1: link is not ready
[ 7739.787665] rtl8723be: Using firmware rtlwifi/rtl8723befw_36.bin
[ 7739.789248] ieee80211 phy5: Selected rate control algorithm 'rtl_rc'
[ 7739.791436] rtlwifi: rtlwifi: wireless switch is on
[ 7739.796339] rtl8723be 0000:02:00.0 wlo1: renamed from wlan0
[ 7740.306575] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlo1: link is not ready
[ 7740.752594] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlo1: link is not ready


I'm not sure what I'm looking for here, so there may be something more relevant earlier on. I just looked for any mention of rtl8723be. Everything after the module insertion should be there.

/etc/modules seems to be an empty file on my system, just containing comments:
Code: Select all
[root@manchot_trois etc]# cat modules
# /etc/modules: kernel modules to load at boot time.
#
# This file should contain the names of kernel modules that are
# to be loaded at boot time, one per line.  Comments begin with
# a `#', and everything on the line after them are ignored.
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Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Feb 17th, '17, 02:16

Three updates on this:

1.) I should have checked iwconfig after following your instruction to insert the rtl8723be.ko module manually. It seems to create an interface labelled wlan0, not wlo1. But the outcome actually remains the same: No scan results from iwlist wlan0 scan either.

2.) Having tried this a couple of times, I now can't seem to do it any more. Since doing this alone didn't solve the problem, perhaps it isn't important. But I don't understand this behaviour.

Code: Select all
 [root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# rmmod rtl8723be.ko
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# insmod ./rtl8723be.ko
insmod: ERROR: could not insert module ./rtl8723be.ko: File exists
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# rmmod rtl8723be.ko
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# insmod ./rtl8723be.ko
insmod: ERROR: could not insert module ./rtl8723be.ko: File exists
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# rmmod rtl8723be.ko
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# insmod ./rtl8723be.ko
insmod: ERROR: could not insert module ./rtl8723be.ko: File exists
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# rmmod rtl8723be.ko
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# insmod ./rtl8723be.ko
insmod: ERROR: could not insert module ./rtl8723be.ko: File exists
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# rmmod rtl8723be.ko
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# insmod ./rtl8723be.ko
insmod: ERROR: could not insert module ./rtl8723be.ko: File exists
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# rmmod rtl8723be.ko
[root@manchot_trois rtl8723be]# insmod ./rtl8723be.ko
insmod: ERROR: could not insert module ./rtl8723be.ko: File exists


3.) There seems to be a more general problem with the net applet / network centre, which may or may not be related. As an interim measure while trying to work out the rtl8723be driver, I have tried three (!) different USB wifi adapters with three different chipsets. I can get a good wifi connection with one of them (after building the driver, which is not relevant here), but only by changing to a text-only environment with Ctrl-Alt-F2 and running drakconnect in text mode. In the graphical interface, the networks are not shown although iwlist ra0 scan in a console window shows them. (More competent users may be able to connect via the command line interface from there, but I need drakconnect, which works in text-only but not in graphical mode.)

I'm finding this truly bizarre.
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Gelsenbury
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Jun 1st, '11, 21:00

Re: Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Mar 8th, '17, 01:05

Quick update on this: I'm trying the sta2 of Mageia 6 (Live DVD), and unfortunately the problem is the same. The wireless connection is weak, slow, and unreliable. Either the driver in kernel 4.9.13 is still the same, or it's no better than the old one. My hopes are fading.
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Gelsenbury
 
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Re: [SOLVED] Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Oct 2nd, '17, 19:31

This issue seems to have been solved by a recent update. I can now connect to wi-fi and get a stable connection. Note that I'm still running Mageia 5.1 on this machine. I don't know whether Mageia 6 will work equally well.
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Gelsenbury
 
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Re: [SOLVED] Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Jan 16th, '18, 00:57

Right, I'm now getting exactly the same problem again after upgrading to Mageia 6. This is an upgrade rather than a fresh install (went fine, by the way - pleasant experience!), so all the user settings should still be the same. It must be something outside of my home directory that's causing the problem.

Under Mageia 5.1, the issue just "went away" as documented above. One day, it just started working. I obviously have no idea how that happened, but perhaps it will happen with Mageia 6 too. In the meantime, please let me know any new ideas.

Just in case it's useful, here's the output corresponding to what I posted at the start of the thread, when I was still running Mageia 5.1:
Code: Select all
[root@manchot03 dennis]# iwconfig
enp0s18u1u1  no wireless extensions.

enp3s0    no wireless extensions.

wlo1      IEEE 802.11  ESSID:off/any 
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.462 GHz  Access Point: Not-Associated   
          Tx-Power=20 dBm   
          Retry short limit:7   RTS thr=2347 B   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:off
          Power Management:off
         
lo        no wireless extensions.

[root@manchot03 dennis]# rfkill list all
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no
1: hci0: Bluetooth
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no

[root@manchot03 dennis]# lspcidrake | grep -i net
rtl8723be       : Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.|RTL8723BE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter [NETWORK_OTHER]
r8169           : Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.|RTL8101/2/6E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller [NETWORK_ETHERNET] (rev: 07)

[root@manchot03 dennis]# rpm -qa|grep rtl
rtlwifi-firmware-20171220-1.mga6.nonfree
lib64kaddressbookimportexportlibprivate5-16.12.3-1.mga6

[root@manchot03 dennis]# lspcidrake -v
shpchp          : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1 [BRIDGE_PCI] (vendor:1022 device:1439)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH LPC Bridge [BRIDGE_ISA] (vendor:1022 device:780e subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 11)
ehci_pci        : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH USB EHCI Controller [SERIAL_USB] (vendor:1022 device:7808 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 39)
rtl8723be       : Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.|RTL8723BE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter [NETWORK_OTHER] (vendor:10ec device:b723 subv:103c subd:81c1)
Card:ATI Radeon HD 5000 to HD 6300 (radeon/fglrx): Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI]|Mullins [Radeon R4/R5 Graphics] [DISPLAY_VGA] (vendor:1002 device:9851 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 45)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1581 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1581)
xhci_pci        : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH USB XHCI Controller [SERIAL_USB] (vendor:1022 device:7814 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 11)
shpchp          : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1 [BRIDGE_PCI] (vendor:1022 device:1439)
sdhci_pci       : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH SD Flash Controller (vendor:1022 device:7813 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 01)
k10temp         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1583 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1583)
ccp             : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1537 [CRYPT_OTHER] (vendor:1022 device:1537)
r8169           : Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.|RTL8101/2/6E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller [NETWORK_ETHERNET] (vendor:10ec device:8136 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 07)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1585 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1585)
i2c_piix4       : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH SMBus Controller [SERIAL_SMBUS] (vendor:1022 device:780b subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 42)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 156b [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:156b)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode] [STORAGE_SATA] (vendor:1022 device:7804 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 39)
snd_hda_intel   : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH Azalia Controller [MULTIMEDIA_AUDIO_DEV] (vendor:1022 device:780d subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 02)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1580 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1580)
shpchp          : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1 [BRIDGE_PCI] (vendor:1022 device:1439)
snd_hda_intel   : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI]|Kabini HDMI/DP Audio [MULTIMEDIA_AUDIO_DEV] (vendor:1002 device:9840 subv:103c subd:81f5)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1582 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1582)
ehci_pci        : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|FCH USB EHCI Controller [SERIAL_USB] (vendor:1022 device:7808 subv:103c subd:81f5) (rev: 39)
fam15h_power    : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1584 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1584)
unknown         : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]|Device 1566 [BRIDGE_HOST] (vendor:1022 device:1566 subv:103c subd:81f5)
hub             : Linux 4.14.13-desktop-1.mga6 xhci-hcd|xHCI Host Controller [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:1d6b device:0002)
hub             : Linux 4.14.13-desktop-1.mga6 xhci-hcd|xHCI Host Controller [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:1d6b device:0003)
hub             : Linux 4.14.13-desktop-1.mga6 ehci_hcd|EHCI Host Controller [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:1d6b device:0002)
hub             : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.|Unknown [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:0438 device:7900)
rndis_host      : HUAWEI|HUAWEI [Wireless|Radio Frequency|RNDIS] (vendor:12d1 device:108a)
btusb           : Realtek |Bluetooth Radio  [Wireless|Radio Frequency|Bluetooth] (vendor:0bda device:b008)
hub             : Linux 4.14.13-desktop-1.mga6 ehci_hcd|EHCI Host Controller [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:1d6b device:0002)
hub             : Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.|Unknown [Hub|Unused|Full speed (or root) hub] (vendor:0438 device:7900)
uvcvideo        : Generic|HP TrueVision HD [Video|Video Control] (vendor:04f2 device:b56c)

[root@manchot03 dennis]# journalctl -ab | grep -iE "fw|firmware|iwl|wifi|wire|80211"
Jan 15 22:02:10 manchot03 kernel: ACPI: [Firmware Bug]: BIOS _OSI(Linux) query ignored
Jan 15 22:02:10 manchot03 kernel: acpi PNP0A08:00: [Firmware Info]: MMCONFIG for domain 0000 [bus 00-3f] only partially covers this bridge
Jan 15 22:02:10 manchot03 kernel: [drm] Found UVD firmware Version: 1.64 Family ID: 9
Jan 15 22:02:10 manchot03 kernel: [drm] Found VCE firmware/feedback version 40.2.2 / 15!
Jan 15 22:02:17 manchot03 kernel: input: HP Wireless hotkeys as /devices/virtual/input/input6
Jan 15 22:02:17 manchot03 kernel: rtl8723be: Using firmware rtlwifi/rtl8723befw_36.bin
Jan 15 22:02:17 manchot03 kernel: psmouse serio1: synaptics: Touchpad model: 1, fw: 8.1, id: 0x1e2b1, caps: 0xf00123/0x840300/0x2e800/0x0, board id: 3127, fw id: 8526786
Jan 15 22:02:17 manchot03 kernel: ieee80211 phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'rtl_rc'
Jan 15 22:02:17 manchot03 kernel: rtlwifi: rtlwifi: wireless switch is on
Jan 15 22:02:18 manchot03 kernel: bluetooth hci0: Direct firmware load for rtl_bt/rtl8723b_config.bin failed with error -2
Jan 15 22:02:18 manchot03 kernel: Bluetooth: hci0: rtl: loading rtl_bt/rtl8723b_fw.bin
Jan 15 22:02:24 manchot03 service_harddrake[841]: FIREWIRE_CONTROLLER took:  0:00:00
Jan 15 22:02:29 manchot03 network[1079]: Configuring wireless regulatory domain  [  OK  ]
Jan 15 22:02:31 manchot03 network[1079]: Bringing up interface wlo1:  Error for wireless request "Set Encode" (8B2A) :
Jan 15 22:02:42 manchot03 kernel: IFWLOG: register target
Jan 15 22:02:42 manchot03 systemd[1]: Started Network monitoring daemon (Interactive Firewall and wireless).
Jan 15 22:03:04 manchot03 kernel: rtlwifi: AP off, try to reconnect now
Jan 15 22:04:49 manchot03 plasmashell[3769]:  New Notification:  "Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.|RTL8723BE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter" "Network is up on interface Wireless (Wi-Fi) (wlo1).\nIP address: 192.168.1.7\nGateway: 192.168.1.254\nDNS: 192.168.1.254" 5000 & Part of: 0
Jan 15 22:05:09 manchot03 kernel: rtlwifi: AP off, try to reconnect now
Jan 15 22:05:44 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'GetMode' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.ifw'
Jan 15 22:05:44 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'GetReports' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.ifw'
Jan 15 22:05:44 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'GetMode' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.ifw'
Jan 15 22:05:48 manchot03 plasmashell[3769]:  New Notification:  "Network connection" "Network is down on interface Wired (Ethernet) (enp0s18u1u1)." 5000 & Part of: 0
                                               lsb-lib64 lib64alsa-plugins rfkill lsb-core-lib64 wireless-tools aoss iw pulseaudio-module-bluetooth wireless-regdb crda wpa_supplicant bluedevil alsa-utils
Jan 15 22:05:55 manchot03 kernel: rtl8723be: error H2C cmd because of Fw download fail!!!
Jan 15 22:05:55 manchot03 kernel: WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 478 at drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtlwifi/rtl8723be/fw.c:227 rtl8723be_fill_h2c_cmd+0x547/0x570 [rtl8723be]
Jan 15 22:05:55 manchot03 kernel: Modules linked in: cmac rfcomm ipt_IFWLOG ipt_psd xt_set ip_set_hash_ip ip_set iptable_nat nf_nat_ipv4 ipt_REJECT nf_reject_ipv4 xt_recent ip6table_nat nf_nat_ipv6 xt_comment ip6t_REJECT nf_reject_ipv6 xt_addrtype ip6table_mangle bridge stp llc ip6table_raw xt_mark iptable_mangle xt_tcpudp xt_CT iptable_raw xt_multiport nf_conntrack_ipv4 nf_defrag_ipv4 nf_log_ipv4 nf_conntrack_ipv6 nf_defrag_ipv6 nf_nat_tftp nf_nat_snmp_basic xt_conntrack nf_conntrack_snmp nf_nat_sip nf_nat_pptp nf_nat_proto_gre nf_nat_irc nf_nat_h323 xt_NFLOG nfnetlink_log xt_LOG nf_nat_ftp nf_log_ipv6 nf_nat_amanda nf_nat nf_log_common nf_conntrack_tftp nf_conntrack_sip nf_conntrack_sane nf_conntrack_pptp nf_conntrack_proto_gre nf_conntrack_netlink nfnetlink nf_conntrack_netbios_ns nf_conntrack_broadcast nf_conntrack_irc
Jan 15 22:05:55 manchot03 kernel:  nf_conntrack_h323 ts_kmp nf_conntrack_ftp nf_conntrack_amanda nf_conntrack ccm iptable_filter ip_tables ip6table_filter ip6_tables x_tables af_packet bnep vboxnetadp(O) vboxnetflt(O) vboxdrv(O) msr dm_mirror dm_region_hash dm_log dm_mod fuse nls_utf8 nls_cp437 vfat fat btusb btrtl btbcm btintel uvcvideo videobuf2_vmalloc videobuf2_memops videobuf2_v4l2 videobuf2_core videodev bluetooth media ecdh_generic joydev kvm_amd kvm snd_hda_codec_realtek irqbypass wmi_bmof hp_wmi arc4 sparse_keymap crct10dif_pclmul crc32_pclmul crc32c_intel ghash_clmulni_intel snd_hda_codec_generic snd_hda_codec_hdmi rtl8723be pcbc snd_hda_intel aesni_intel snd_hda_codec snd_hda_core aes_x86_64 snd_hwdep btcoexist rtl8723_common rtl_pci snd_pcm crypto_simd snd_timer rtlwifi glue_helper ccp cryptd mac80211 psmouse
Jan 15 22:05:55 manchot03 kernel:  k10temp fam15h_power input_leds r8169 mii wmi sp5100_tco ac tpm_crb tpm_tis snd tpm_tis_core rng_core cfg80211 rfkill battery tpm thermal sha1_generic i2c_piix4 i2c_scmi hp_wireless shpchp soundcore video button acpi_cpufreq evdev nvram sch_fq_codel efivarfs ipv6 crc_ccitt autofs4 sdhci_pci mmc_block sdhci ehci_pci ehci_hcd serio_raw xhci_pci xhci_hcd mmc_core usbcore sr_mod usb_common amdgpu amdkfd amd_iommu_v2 radeon i2c_algo_bit drm_kms_helper ttm drm
Jan 15 22:05:55 manchot03 kernel: Workqueue: rtl8723be_pci rtl_c2hcmd_wq_callback [rtlwifi]
Jan 15 22:05:55 manchot03 kernel:  rtl_c2hcmd_launcher+0xa3/0x100 [rtlwifi]
Jan 15 22:06:09 manchot03 drakhardware[9038]: set option "ant_sel=2 fwlps=0 disable_watchdog=1 ips=0 swlps=0" for module "rtl8723be"
Jan 15 22:07:15 manchot03 kernel: rtlwifi: AP off, try to reconnect now
Jan 15 22:08:02 manchot03 plasmashell[3769]:  New Notification:  "Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.|RTL8723BE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter" "Network is up on interface Wireless (Wi-Fi) (wlo1).\nIP address: 192.168.1.7\nGateway: 192.168.1.254\nDNS: 192.168.1.254\nConnected to PLUSNET-CTCM9N (link level: 34 %)" 5000 & Part of: 0
Jan 15 22:08:33 manchot03 kernel: rtlwifi: AP off, try to reconnect now
Jan 15 22:08:40 manchot03 plasmashell[3769]:  New Notification:  "Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.|RTL8723BE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter" "Network is down on interface Wireless (Wi-Fi) (wlo1)." 5000 & Part of: 0
Jan 15 22:08:50 manchot03 plasmashell[3769]:  New Notification:  "HUAWEI|HUAWEI" "Network is up on interface Wired (Ethernet) (enp0s18u1u1).\nIP address: 192.168.42.190\nGateway: 192.168.42.129\nDNS: 192.168.42.129" 5000 & Part of: 0
Jan 15 22:09:11 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'GetMode' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.ifw'
Jan 15 22:09:11 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'GetMode' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.ifw'
Jan 15 22:09:11 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'GetMode' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.ifw'
Jan 15 22:09:11 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'ScanResults' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.wireless'
Jan 15 22:09:11 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'ListNetworks' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.wireless'
Jan 15 22:09:11 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'ScanResults' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.wireless'
Jan 15 22:09:11 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'ListNetworks' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.wireless'
Jan 15 22:09:11 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'ScanResults' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.wireless'
Jan 15 22:09:11 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'ListNetworks' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.wireless'
Jan 15 22:09:11 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'GetMode' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.ifw'
Jan 15 22:09:11 manchot03 mandi[2424]: handling method call 'GetMode' on interface 'org.mageia.monitoring.ifw'
Jan 15 22:18:48 manchot03 kernel: rtlwifi: AP off, try to reconnect now
Jan 15 22:29:08 manchot03 kernel: rtlwifi: AP off, try to reconnect now
Jan 15 22:43:14 manchot03 kernel: rtlwifi: AP off, try to reconnect now
Jan 15 22:49:10 manchot03 kernel: rtlwifi: AP off, try to reconnect now
Jan 15 22:52:47 manchot03 kernel: rtlwifi: AP off, try to reconnect now

[root@manchot03 dennis]# iwlist wlo1 scan
wlo1      Scan completed :
          Cell 01 - Address: F8:AB:05:B4:00:19
                    Channel:11
                    Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
                    Quality=24/70  Signal level=-86 dBm 
                    Encryption key:on
                    ESSID:"PLUSNET-CTCM9N"
                    Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
                              24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                    Bit Rates:6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s
                    Mode:Master
                    Extra:tsf=0000009394194fb7
                    Extra: Last beacon: 20ms ago
                    IE: Unknown: 000E504C55534E45542D4354434D394E
                    IE: Unknown: 010882848B962430486C
                    IE: Unknown: 03010B
                    IE: Unknown: 0706474220010D14
                    IE: Unknown: 2A0104
                    IE: Unknown: 2F0104
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : CCMP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: Unknown: 32040C121860
                    IE: Unknown: 2D1AFC181BFFFF000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: 3D160B080400000000000000000000000000000000000000
                    IE: Unknown: DD800050F204104A0001101044000102103B000103104700105864B167E920C89F68FA79F144486C911021000842726F6164636F6D1023000842726F6164636F6D1024000631323334353610420004313233341054000800060050F20400011011000A42726F6164636F6D415010080002200C103C0001011049000600372A000120
                    IE: Unknown: DD090010180205F02C0000
                    IE: Unknown: DD180050F2020101800003A4000027A4000042435E0062322F00

[root@manchot03 dennis]# ps -ef | grep -v grep | grep -i net
root        28     2  0 22:01 ?        00:00:00 [netns]
systemd+  1042     1  0 22:02 ?        00:00:00 /usr/lib/systemd/systemd-networkd
dennis    3817  3741  0 22:03 ?        00:00:11 /usr/bin/perl /usr/bin/net_applet


The network detected by iwlist wlo1 scan is my home network. But the signal is weak, and the connection is unreliable. Sometimes this doesn't show up at all. It's exactly as it first was under Mageia 5.1.

Again, this is not a hardware issue because it eventually worked (reliably and for a long time) under Mageia 5.1. The problem is that I don't know what caused it to work back then!
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Gelsenbury
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Jun 1st, '11, 21:00

Re: [SOLVED] Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Feb 9th, '18, 20:10

And, again, after several days of running and updating (using USB tethering with my phone), the problem seems to be solved.

Either my setting of the driver parameters needed more than one restart and finally stuck; or a recent update has fixed the issue. I still don't know which is correct, but I'm marking this as solved again.
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Gelsenbury
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Jun 1st, '11, 21:00

Re: [SOLVED] Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » May 20th, '18, 19:39

It's probably an issue with the driver itself, not the driver settings. The most recent kernel update has caused the wifi to malfunction in the same way again (not seeing networks, dropping connections, and basically being unreliable). I tried changing the various driver settings, with no effect. I uninstalled kernel 4.14.40 and booted back into kernel 4.14.30, and the problems are gone.

This may be a step closer to identifying the issue. I have filed a bug report: https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=23066
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Gelsenbury
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Jun 1st, '11, 21:00

Re: [SOLVED] Realtek 8723BE adapter not seeing networks

Postby Gelsenbury » Jun 27th, '18, 01:43

The most recent update to kernel 4.14.50 seems to have fixed the problem. Thank you to Thomas Backlund for all the help.
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Gelsenbury
 
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