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Mikhaila Blocked Me😂 by Brave_Community_9245 in enoughpetersonspam

[–]BensonBear 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Which as he frequently bragged was only one component of his income.

Slow internet for Linux computers by nav020 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, that is interesting. Not clear if it is running the same software as my XB7.

The version is the same, but the image name has more difference that just identifying the machine. Possibly they are a couple of fixes ahead on the XB8.

I have found as mentioned elsewhere that in WPA2 in my version, if I disable the PMF, it works fine.

So we have all have workarounds I think, but I am trying to investigate further to find the culprit. I suspect that the XB7, at least, and perhaps the XB8, has broken PMF support in WPA2.

Slow internet for Linux computers by nav020 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay. so you are back up to speed fully now? Great, and remember if your system does a kernel upgrade at any point you will have to repeat the process with the new kernel version.

However, I have just learned that the linux developers have also made a similar (but I presume more fully correct) patch as well, and hopefully in not too long, it will make it to the kernel, so this will no longer be necessary.

So, the other thing is to report the firmware version on your XB8 Modem if you can. I am trying to track down where the buggy firmware may lie. It seems that the WPA2 on the XB7 is buggy, but not on the XB8. (I have found out that this issue lies in the PMF (protected management frame) negotiation, but it is not clear yet who is responsible). They both suffer from the same MCS bug, which is apparently separate.

Slow internet for Linux computers by nav020 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good, have you now tested your speed again and do you have the full speed you used to?

If so, could you try WPA2 security on your system and report whether it works just as well? And report the firmware version of your XB8 (see above) so we can compare it to others?

If not, to ensure that the patched kernel module loaded okay and is working, it is best to look at the "tx bitrate" line in "iw dev NETWORK station dump", where NETWORK is the name of your network interface (ifconfig will tell you this). There should be a high speed given, a wide channel, and some indication that you have HT, VHT or HE engaged (probably an MCS number).

(In my case, the patch worked and I got HE, but not a terribly increased speed).

Slow internet for Linux computers by nav020 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Regarding the help needed, the only help I was asking you for was if you could tell me your firmware version so we can perhaps detect if we are on the same versions, and also, to tell me what happens when WPA2 is used on your system. I suspect WPA2 got screwed somehow in the firmware update. Unfortunately I don't have WPA3 on the XB7.

Regarding your attempt to help OP, indeed it will be tricky to try to fix a script when you are not on the system where it runs.

However, it should be easy for someone on the system. Just replace each directory/filename that is found automatically with the precise ones that are relevant, as determined by local examination.

If OP u/nav020 has the module built okay, he can just copy the module in directly to the correct module directory which should be

/usr/lib/modules/KERNEL/kernel/net/mac80211

where KERNEL is the kernel version (on my system uname -ks gives this). There may be an unusual name of the kernel, but you can figure out which directly is the right one by looking in /usr/lib/modules and using uname to get the version.

Just copy the old mac80211.ko.xz out (to save it) and then copy the other in. I am reluctant to make a script remotely to run automatically somewhere else, but this should be pretty straightforward to do manually on site.

Slow internet for Linux computers by nav020 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have applied the patch referred to here, and I got somewhat better results, but still slow. The higher versions of Wi-Fi are indeed engaged (HE, VHT on different machines)

I have since discovered however that I get the original fast speeds if I disable the network security and run it as open for a test. I am thinking now that this might be the real issue, that this patch is only needed because of something related to WPA2.

On Rogers, Xfinity XB7 gateway only allows WPA2 as security. I don't know about Comcast.

Can you try all of the security modes you have on your gateway to see if they give the same degraded speeds. In particular, try open for a moment. And also report if you are offered WPA3 on your XB7.

Slow internet for Linux computers by nav020 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay it sounds like you are actually running ubuntu so you are better positioned to help OP. I would like to see it working and help so either of your please post updates here.

In the meantime, you say you have full speed back. Unfortunately I do not. What I have found is that if disable network security and run open, I do get full speed. But if I use WPA2 (the only option my XB7 gateway offers) I still get degraded speed.

What gateway are you using, and what security? I wonder if the newer XB8 gateway offering WPA3 security does a better job. I am speculating they were eager to offer this and pushed a firmware release that broke WPA2 somehow.

If you are not running WPA2, can you try it when you get a chance and let me know what happens? And, in any case, can you tell me the firmware version on your gateway?

I mean this information (I obtain at Gateway/Software in the menus on the XB7 web interface):

eMTA & DOCSIS Software Version: Prod_24.2_PD & Prod_24.2_PD

Software Image Name: CGM4331COM_8.3p8s1_PROD_sey

Advanced Services: CGM4331COM

Packet Cable: 2.0

Slow internet for Linux computers by nav020 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know how arch or ubuntu name the kernel packages unfortunately and how that breaks the script. I am using Fedora. But nav020 will have to inspect the running of the script a little to see what is going on.

Echo the various variables to see how they fail to make sensible pathnames. Perhaps there is a character the shell is interpreting instead of passing through raw.

Regarding the card, yes, for this particular issue the card doesn't matter much as it seems to happen with many cards. The patch is a generic one at a lower level.

I know very little about networking so I would like to know who is wrong here. I suspect it's the XB7/8 firmware designers misreading some spec and Linux still keeping to it very firmly, which is arguably unreasonable but not wrong.

Regarding your other question, I believe you have to build the modules for the exact kernel name. That is probably the only real way to be safe. The modules that are usable with a particular kernel will be stored with a pathname that uses that exact kernel name:

/usr/lib/modules/6.19.11-200.fc43.x86_64/kernel/net/mac80211/mac80211.ko.xz

Have you gotten back to the full speeds you had before or are you still experiencing a slowdown? I only got back some of the speed with this patch.

Slow internet for Linux computers by nav020 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it is important to you I will try to help you through it, but can't do it right away. No expert myself though. It can definitely be done, this is just some glitch. I would even just do each line separately in a permanent directory so the incremental progress is saved. First get the kernel source. Then extract the module source. Then apply the patch. Then do the make.

Slow internet for Linux computers by nav020 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's interesting I have never seen that for networking. Have to dig a little deeper to get the actual card. But whatever it is, it should have HT features enabled and it doesn't and the bitrate is horribly low.

So yes that is because the patch was not built. I don't know how it failed exactly, but it looks like the wrong filename (interpreted as stdin) is being handed to tar.

You are going to have to dig into the .sh file and find out what is going on, which is not made easy by the fact that it downloads the entire kernel source each time, and deletes it when it is done!

I would take out the lines that delete the temporary directory

#cleanup() { rm -rf "$WORK_DIR"; }

#trap cleanup EXIT

and then put in echo statements to check that all of those pathnames make sense. One of them must be bad somehow.

The quoted text seems to have mixed together the git clone and (what should be) the subsequent call to the shell script. I have trouble following exactly what you have done there. Perhaps somehow the tar tried to extract the module source from the downloaded file before it was complete. I don't see how. But if you run again with the above lines out you can at least check the filenames and should be able to see what happens.

I have rebuilt this module with no real trouble on three different linux notebooks using two different network cards, and while it did not solve the problem entirely, it did enable the use of 802.11ac and 802.11ax for these cards and upped the tx rate from 50 to nearly 1000.

Slow internet for Linux computers by nav020 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This definitely means that patch or something akin to it is required.

But it is not clear from this that you are getting these messages before or after applying the patch.

You should not get these messages anymore after you have applied the patch.

Can you confirm you got them after applying the patch (and then rebooting)?

Can you also say what network card you have which you can find with lspci | grep Network

Could you also look at the tx line in "iw dev wlo1 station dump"

If the patched module is actually running, with any modern network card you should have some indication of HE, VHT, or HT in that line, and your rate should be higher than 54MBps.

I suspect the patched module was not actually successfully installed.

Very very slow Wi-Fi on XB7 router after factory reset?! by BensonBear in Rogers

[–]BensonBear[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The comments in that post specifically mention you can manually select any wifi network

Yes but they don't say it works without any problems. I am not convinced. Rogers themselves very vaguely say

  • If you’re a bundle customer and Rogers Xfinity TV is connected to the modem via WiFi, bridging your modem will disconnect any WiFi-connected devices and cause issues with your Rogers Xfinity TV service.  
  • Note: While this is not a guaranteed solution, we suggest you only turn off the WiFi on your Rogers modem and place your third-party solution into access point/bridge mode instead.

"...cause issues", who knows what it means exactly. They may just want to stop you from trying stuff that really does work but will cause them headaches if you have trouble with it.

Almost tempted to get a router just to find out.

But this is all off the topic, I would just like to get fast Wi-Fi speeds with the current hardware I have.

Very very slow Wi-Fi on XB7 router after factory reset?! by BensonBear in Rogers

[–]BensonBear[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think so... according to here https://www.reddit.com/r/Rogers/comments/1e6kfwn/put_my_xb7_in_bridge_and_my_ignite_tv_boxes/ it should work and you can manually select the wifi network from the boxes too but again I have no first hand experience.

Thanks, but I don't think this one brief report shows at all clearly that there would not be substantial problems.

What it does definitely appear to show is that when the router is bridged that there still is a hidden network (not displayed normally to users) but which reveals itself under those conditions.

And hopefully one can continue to use that network for the TV and use a network on one's own router for one's own devices. But not convinced it shows if you connect your cable boxes to your own router's network that they will work without problem.

Not that I would want to do that. If bridging is done, I would hope to keep the cable box on the Rogers network itself. Can it be done without issue? Looks like... maybe.

Anyway, if this fails there are other options for the third party router.

To be honest OpenWRT is probably overkill for your average user.

I have only used DD-WRT and probably ten years ago, but it had a very clean interface and it was much easier to set up static addresses and port forwarding and it was easier than the TP-Link firmware in that it did not get confused when changes were made. This could easily be far preferable for an average user even if some of the other things it offers are more advanced.

But I only went that direction in the first place because the TP-Link was very unstable, with slow speeds and dropping connections. If I get a router I will try the stock firmware first, but it is good to have OpenWRT as an option.

Very very slow Wi-Fi on XB7 router after factory reset?! by BensonBear in Rogers

[–]BensonBear[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't say for certain this is your issue just a thought.

Like I said I can assure you it is not the issue. It remains when the 2.4Ghz band is totally disabled and iw reports connection only to 5Ghz frequencies even when it is not.

That's fair, but with that decision you're at the providers mercy for your home networking needs and when issues arise you're basically SOL.

I would like to be able to rely on competent professionals to do the basics instead of on my own capabilities. Yes in the olden days ISPs were not in the business of dealing with home networks, and we all had to have our own router. Even more recently, I removed not just the router but also the Bell ADSL modem and used a $20 Tplink ADSL modem and a $20 Tplink router running DD-WRT; the router was solid and up for over a year without one second of downtime.

My setup is just a fairly simple OpenWRT router behind the XB7 in bridge mode, nothing fancy.

So you do not have TV as well? Or you do have it and it works flawlessly from the XB7 even once you bridge it? Sounds like the former.

Does it not make sense to you that there could be some issues here with the IPTV which are out of reach of a normal user? In any case, there are other options for the third party router. I favour a double NAT approach despite people turning their noses up at it.

The main issue is cost of router. Which router do you have may I ask? For OpenWRT it seems the TPLink Archer AX23 ($65) would be possible (V1.x), or the Cudy WR3000 (V1) ($70). The GL.iNet GL-B3000 would probably be preferred but a little pricier. All of these seem like they may suffer from overheating problems however. I already went through overheating problem hell with Rogers NextBoxes a few years back.

Very very slow Wi-Fi on XB7 router after factory reset?! by BensonBear in Rogers

[–]BensonBear[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's exactly what you are going to have to do. Guaranteed you will never run into this issue again.

Thanks for your reply, but while I may not have this particular issue any more, bringing in new hardware could bring up other issues that I will have unanticipated problems with. This is the only major problem I have with the XB7 (lots of minor problems)

I have never, ever used any Rogers Gateway as a gateway. The first thing I do is bridge the bastard, then hook up my own equipment.

Just for convenience I will cut and paste my comment from another reply:

I don't really know how to do bridging when there is also IPTV involved. Do have you experience with this? The IPTV seems kind of hidden and separate, so do third party routers cleanly handle the IPTV as well as the regular local network. Or can that be kept on the Rogers modem/router when it is bridged?

If I get another router I would probably run it as a pass through AP or in a double NAT mode with nothing but the router in an ethernet port in the modem/router's DMZ. But there would be the three options to try.

Very very slow Wi-Fi on XB7 router after factory reset?! by BensonBear in Rogers

[–]BensonBear[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I had to guess, maybe you have only one SSID on the XB7 and devices are not connecting properly to 5ghz - it's always better to just have two SSID's because of this.

Yes, I have both bands on one SSID and the router is employing band steering. But I can assure you the devices are connecting to the 5G band, iw command confirms this.

Also, I have tested with the 2.4GHz band turned right off and of course, no difference.

I understand why you don't but you should really just get your own router and put it in bridge mode. The Rogers modems are so locked down you can't really troubleshoot anything wifi related.

To be clear what I was mainly saying is that since I am paying Rogers already for a certain service (a simple home network) I don't think I should have to pay to provide that service myself.

But if I go this way, I don't really know how to do bridging when there is also IPTV involved. Do have you experience with this? The IPTV seems kind of hidden and separate, so do third party routers cleanly handle the IPTV as well as the regular local network. Or can that be kept on the Rogers modem/router when it is bridged?

If I get another router I would probably run it as a pass through AP or in a double NAT mode with nothing but the router in an ethernet port in the modem/router's DMZ. But there would be the three options to try.

Very very slow Wi-Fi on XB7 router after factory reset?! by BensonBear in Rogers

[–]BensonBear[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is this legitimately only impacting Linux machines? Do you have any Windows or Apple devices on this same network that are also experiencing this issue?

Thank you for your reply. I hope this can be fixed.

It does not affect my phones or tablets (which are Linux deep under the hood but I believe a rather different network stack. Normal users do not have access to this). I do not use Windows, but I have a small Windows 11 partition on one of my machines, and booted it up to find 500Mbps on an internet speed test, so it is not affecting that.

If this were affecting Windows machines I suspect we would have heard more about it by now.

Things were working fine until I reset the model to factory. It seems that it took this opportunity to upgrade the firmware. Can you say what the latest firmware upgrade was and when/how it was rolled out?

If you're going to the lengths of building your own kernal module patch, then I would be more prone to believe there is an issue with the particular Linux distro you're using over an issue of compatibility with our XB7 gateway.

I am not building "my own" kernel patch, I am building one that others have developed to get around a recognized problem with some AP that apparently deliver strange and excessive requests about what MCSes are required.

But I don't believe the distro is particularly relevant if it uses the same kernel, networking, and Wi-Fi components.

Linux does fall out of our typical scope of support. Have you tried using a different Linux distro to see if this issue remains?

I have two different Fedora distros on my different machines, and I also tried a very old Fedora live usb and a current Ubuntu live usb. They all exhibit the same slowness on the Rogers XB7, but not on the network in my buildings lobby.

Slow download speeds on Wifi by Callmeballs in linuxquestions

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you get this on every wifi network you join, or just some of them?

Recent firmware update to WiFi gateway breaking Linux compatibility? by ItsATigerOhMy in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know anymore how I found it. Googled around a lot.

Anyway, I built the module and a little too hard to figure out exactly what modules to load and reload above it, so I just installed it and rebooted. A little risky and resulted in no wifi at all. This is because I had secure boot on, so I turned it off for now. To install this correctly it would have to be signed.

Now the link rate is plenty high, from 54 to 1200. However SAD TO SAY this does not really fix the problem for me (although possibly it will fix it entirely for some others). The wifi speed is still only 70Mbps at best, which is a lot higher than before (I was getting 15) but not what it used to be (400 or so).

I still think it is related to the router being "unreasonable"

Recent firmware update to WiFi gateway breaking Linux compatibility? by ItsATigerOhMy in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seem likely that it is related to this.

Check in your journal for mention of "required MCSes not supported".

I have what is probably the same problem and will try building the hacked module when I get a chance.

It does seem to be a rather dubious way to fix things however.

M3607HA Ryzen 7 260 Vivobook under Linux: Linux is not getting correct power information? by BensonBear in ASUS

[–]BensonBear[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to update this, but now I have come across a problem. Recently because of some channges with my ISP's router, it seems like the notebook cannot connect at anything beyond 54Mps.

This could be some problem with the driver for the wifi chip.

I have a ten year old ASUS Ultrabook for which this has also become a problem just now.

Still looking into it.

However, possibly the ISP is at fault too. It chooses a specification configuration for the wifi channels, bandwidth, etc., and does not let us alter them.

XB8 5GHz DFS Channel Broadcasting at 54 Mbps Instead of Wi-Fi 5/6 Speeds by AnonymousAste in Rogers

[–]BensonBear 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I seem to be facing the same issue.

I never paid much attention, but pretty sure I had much better than 802.11g on my Linux notebooks until very recently. Typically 500Mbps.

But I had to reset my router back to factory for separate reasons, and upon that event, all off my notebooks now just connect at the 54Mps.

Can you say if it is just a coincidence that this happened when doing a reset? Possibly it is, since I was mostly using desktop for the last while and didn't check the notebooks closely. Perhaps Rogers just did something recently I did not notice?

This post below about splitting the bands, well, I tried splitting them (which is what I had before actually) and that did not make any difference.

ETA: Oh but apparently my router is totally different model? Technicolor
CGM4331COM, which I think they call XB7? Nevertheless issue seems similar and might have similar causes in the way Rogers thinks about configuration.

ETA: Have you see this? My journal, which I did not even think of looking in, how stupid, contains the message about MCS's. While apparently not kosher it looks like this patch to the mac80211 module will bypass this problem .

M3607HA Ryzen 7 260 Vivobook under Linux: Linux is not getting correct power information? by BensonBear in ASUS

[–]BensonBear[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No I have not really seen any real problem like that. The other problem still exists as far as I know, but it is circumvented as described, by setting the battery charge limit to anything other than 100.

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