Re: WiFi: Problem with Entreprise networks (with multiple routers)

[Dan Williams <dcbw redhat com>]

On Mon, 2013-10-14 at 03:36 -0400, Pavel Simerda wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Matthieu Baerts" <matttbe gmail com>
> > To: "networkmanager-list" <networkmanager-list gnome org>
> > Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2013 6:23:03 PM
> > Subject: WiFi: Problem with Entreprise networks (with multiple routers)
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> > Firstly, thank you for developing and maintaining NetworkManager!
> >
> > I'm using NetworkManager on my campus' WiFi (WPA2 Enterprise with PEAP
> > and MSCHAPv2) and I've a problem only with this network: after a few
> > time, I'm disconnected or I'm still connected but I can no longer ping a
> > random server.
> >
> > Note I'm not the only one which is using NM and which has this problem.
> > I don't have any other OS on my computer but it seems there are less
> > problem when using another OS (e.g. MacOSX) or another network manager
> > (e.g. Wicd).
> >
> > I suspect that NM often switches from a router to another one (there are
> > always a few WiFi routers around me with the same name and using the
> > same network) and my drivers, my WiFi card and/or the routers/network
> > don't support that.
>
> It's more about multiple access points than multiple routers, then?
>
> > If I'm just next to a router (when the signal level is ~100%), it seems
> > that I don't have this problem.
> > Also, I think that my WiFi driver doesn't detect very well the
> > quality/signal level of non connected routers (many routers have a
> > signal level of 100% even if they are not next to me).
> >
> > Is there a way to configure NM to be "less aggressive" when switching
> > between routers? (e.g. only switch if we're about to be disconnected and
> > not just to have the router with the higher signal level?)
> > Or an option to just disable this feature?
> > (I didn't find any option about that, sorry if I miss something!)
>
> Sounds more like wpa_supplicant or the driver. You'd have to know what exactly you expect from 
> NetworkManager, i.e. how exactly its communication to wpa_supplicant differs from that of Wicd. I'm not a 
> Wi-Fi guru, though.

This problem is most definitely a supplicant issue.  The supplicant
roams too aggressively, even if the currently associated access point
has a very good signal.  We've patched that in Fedora, but as you
indicate, your kernel wifi driver is also not working correctly when
reporting signal strength.

Dan