[SOLVED] Wifi fluctuate on BCM43142 adapter

[tshala]

Hello, I have been facing this issue from my previous distro mx linux and since then I have switched to manjaro and to linux mint finally. The wifi strength is around 40-60% even the hotspot is very nearby to my laptop. The problem started when I tried to connect my Bluetooth headset for the first to my laptop. I have noticed that the Bluetooth was incapable of searching devices around it and I somehow got some hint that the drivers can be missing for the Bluetooth and hence I followed this tutorial for manual installation of my adapter BCM43142. The link to the document is here.. https://github.com/winterheart/broadcom-bt-firmware .
This solves the Bluetooth issue but I notice the strength of my wifi is now reduced to half. I thought switching to mint may somehow solve the issues as Ubuntu which its parent have a broader community for solving all sort of issues but it didn't. So for I have tried doing different solution like tried to find different Broadcom drivers via the software manager or upgrading it via all sort of apt commands but it didn't.

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sudo apt purge bcmwl-kernel-source

and

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sudo apt install broadcom-sta-dkms

My system's : inxi -Fxz

System:
Kernel: 5.4.0-58-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0
Desktop: Cinnamon 4.8.5 Distro: Linux Mint 20.1 Ulyssa
base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal
Machine:
Type: Laptop System: HP product: HP Notebook v: Type1ProductConfigId
serial: <filter>
Mobo: HP model: 81EC v: 61.29 serial: <filter> UEFI: Insyde v: F.13
date: 07/21/2016
Battery:
ID-1: BAT1 charge: 26.5 Wh condition: 26.5/32.1 Wh (83%)
model: Hewlett-Packard PABAS0241231 status: Full
CPU:
Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core i5-6200U bits: 64 type: MT MCP
arch: Skylake rev: 3 L2 cache: 3072 KiB
flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
bogomips: 19200
Speed: 600 MHz min/max: 400/2800 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 569 2: 587
3: 567 4: 553
Graphics:
Device-1: Intel Skylake GT2 [HD Graphics 520] vendor: Hewlett-Packard
driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0
Device-2: AMD Sun XT [Radeon HD 8670A/8670M/8690M / R5 M330 / M430 /
Radeon 520 Mobile]
vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: radeon v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.0
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: ati,modesetting,radeon
unloaded: fbdev,vesa resolution: 1366x768~60Hz, 1360x768~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics 520 (SKL GT2) v: 4.6 Mesa 20.2.6
direct render: Yes
Audio:
Device-1: Intel Sunrise Point-LP HD Audio vendor: Hewlett-Packard
driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1f.3
Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-58-generic
Network:
Device-1: Realtek RTL810xE PCI Express Fast Ethernet
vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: r8169 v: kernel port: 3000 bus ID: 02:00.0
IF: enp2s0 state: down mac: <filter>
Device-2: Broadcom and subsidiaries BCM43142 802.11b/g/n
vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: wl v: kernel port: 3000 bus ID: 03:00.0
IF: wlp3s0 state: up mac: <filter>
Drives:
Local Storage: total: 931.51 GiB used: 28.09 GiB (3.0%)
ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Toshiba model: MQ01ABD100 size: 931.51 GiB
Partition:
ID-1: / size: 178.67 GiB used: 28.06 GiB (15.7%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3
ID-2: swap-1 size: 14.34 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda2
Sensors:
System Temperatures: cpu: 42.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: radeon temp: 10 C
Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Info:
Processes: 207 Uptime: 7m Memory: 7.67 GiB used: 2.00 GiB (26.0%)
Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 Shell: bash v: 5.0.17
inxi: 3.0.38

[sleeper12]

See if power management is on:

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 iwconfig 

If so, turn it off:

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 sudo sed -i 's/3/2/' /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/default-wifi-powersave-on.conf 

Reboot

[tshala]

See if power management is on:

Code: Select all

 iwconfig 

If so, turn it off:

Code: Select all

 sudo sed -i 's/3/2/' /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/default-wifi-powersave-on.conf 

Reboot

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 sudo sed -i 's/3/2/' /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/default-wifi-powersave-on.conf 

this didn't turned off power management . But why turning off power management can solve the issue?

[sleeper12]

Try this one:

Code: Select all

 sudo sed -i 's/wifi.powersave = 3/wifi.powersave = 2/' /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/default-wifi-powersave-on.conf 

Reboot

[tshala]

See if power management is on:

Code: Select all

 iwconfig 

If so, turn it off:

Code: Select all

 sudo sed -i 's/3/2/' /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/default-wifi-powersave-on.conf 

Reboot

Code: Select all

 sudo sed -i 's/3/2/' /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/default-wifi-powersave-on.conf 

this didn't turned off power management . But why turning off power management can solve the issue?

It changed power management to off.. sorry to misinform, forgot to reboot. I notice an increase in my wifi strength. Thanks, man but I hoped to restore the full strength.

[sleeper12]

Not sure if it will help, but try Disable IPv6:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... html#ID2.2

[sleeper12]

Also, update your kernel to 5.4.0-72 & see if that helps.

[SMG]

While you are updating your kernel, you should run the rest of the updates as well. You are not using the most recent version of Cinnamon and some other files.

The ISO is frozen in time and just because you installed it now does not mean you have the latest software patches for all the software in the ISO. You only have the files which were available at the time the ISO was originally made.

[tshala]

Not sure if it will help, but try Disable IPv6:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... html#ID2.2

Thanks a lot, you have stopped a headache. But will disabling IPv6 make restrictions while accessing websites?

[tshala]

Also, update your kernel to 5.4.0-72 & see if that helps.

Okay, I ll try

[tshala]

While you are updating your kernel, you should run the rest of the updates as well. You are not using the most recent version of Cinnamon and some other files.

The ISO is frozen in time and just because you installed it now does not mean you have the latest software patches for all the software in the ISO. You only have the files which were available at the time the ISO was originally made.

How do I do that now? I am new to mint

[sleeper12]

Go to Update Manager, click Refresh, then install all the updates it shows.

[sleeper12]

Thanks a lot, you have stopped a headache. But will disabling IPv6 make restrictions while accessing websites?

I don't think so, but someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[hglee]

But will disabling IPv6 make restrictions while accessing websites?

Someday.

The supply of IPv4 addresses is exhausted. The Internet of Things (IoT) growth increases IPv6-only online resources.