Problems with Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter [168c:003e] (rev 32)

Question

I installed Ubuntu 18.04 on my new Dell XPS 13 9370. Everything seems to be working except for wi-fi.

Here are some details that might be useful.

$ lspci -nnk | grep -iA2 net; dmesg | grep ath10k
02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter [168c:003e] (rev 32)
    Subsystem: Bigfoot Networks, Inc. QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter [1a56:143a]
    Kernel driver in use: ath10k_pci
    Kernel modules: ath10k_pci
[    3.791838] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: enabling device (0000 -> 0002)
[    3.796672] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: pci irq msi oper_irq_mode 2 irq_mode 0 reset_mode 0
[    4.088658] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for ath10k/pre-cal-pci-0000:02:00.0.bin failed with error -2
[    4.088665] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for ath10k/cal-pci-0000:02:00.0.bin failed with error -2
[    4.088865] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-6.bin failed with error -2
[    4.088876] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin failed with error -2
[    4.090326] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: qca6174 hw3.2 target 0x05030000 chip_id 0x00340aff sub 1a56:143a
[    4.090328] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: kconfig debug 0 debugfs 1 tracing 1 dfs 0 testmode 0
[    4.090816] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: firmware ver WLAN.RM.2.0-00180-QCARMSWPZ-1 api 4 features wowlan,ignore-otp,no-4addr-pad crc32 75dee6c5
[    4.152888] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/board-2.bin failed with error -2
[    4.153049] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: board_file api 1 bmi_id N/A crc32 872f3cc5
[    4.738266] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0: htt-ver 3.26 wmi-op 4 htt-op 3 cal otp max-sta 32 raw 0 hwcrypto 1
[    4.830604] ath10k_pci 0000:02:00.0 wlp2s0: renamed from wlan0

Further I cannot find the files ath10k/pre-cal-pci-0000:02:00.0.bin and cal-pci-0000:02:00.0.bin. Also, even from this repository which I found to be the reference point, doesn't contain the QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin and QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-6.bin files at all.

Please help me out.

Edit 1:

$ sudo iw reg get
global
country IN: DFS-JP
    (2402 - 2482 @ 40), (N/A, 20), (N/A)
    (5170 - 5250 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (N/A), AUTO-BW
    (5250 - 5330 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (0 ms), DFS, AUTO-BW
    (5735 - 5835 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (N/A)

Most Linux drivers that require firmware are written to load the current version but also, if a newer version is released some time later, to load it instead. The fact that the driver can't find and load QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin and that, after a Google search, you can't find it either, strongly suggests that it hasn't been developed and released yet. Your log clearly shows that a firmware file was found and was loaded. If your wireless isn't working, something else is wrong. — chili555, Aug 06 '18 at 13:45
Please provide the diagnostic report from here: https://askubuntu.com/questions/425155/my-wireless-wifi-connection-does-not-work-what-information-is-needed-to-diagnos/425180?s=1|0.0000#425180 — chili555, Aug 06 '18 at 13:45
Here is the entire report: https://pastebin.ubuntu.com/p/rHGCHbzhNH/ — , Aug 06 '18 at 14:09
The wifi gets connected but the problem is, it keeps getting disconnected and once disconnected it takes quite a bit of time for the network SSID to show up and then to reconnect — , Aug 06 '18 at 14:13
Just out of curiosity. Would reverting back to an older version of the kernel solve the problem ? — , Aug 06 '18 at 16:32

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 06 '18 at 21:07

First, it is unlikely that switching to an earlier kernel version will fix your problem. However, it is easy enough to reboot, interrupt the boot process and select an earlier kernel version at the GRUB menu and try. If it helps, please report back. The searchers will appreciate it.

Second, it is often useful to disable power saving in Network Manager. It can be done from the terminal with:

sudo sed -i 's/3/2/' /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/*
sudo service network-manager restart

Next, I recommend that your regulatory domain be set explicitly. Check yours:

sudo iw reg get

If you get 00, that is a one-size-maybe-fits-all setting. Find yours here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2 Then set it temporarily:

sudo iw reg set IS

Of course, substitute your country code if not Iceland. Set it permanently:

sudo nano /etc/default/crda

Change the last line to read:

REGDOMAIN=IS

Proofread carefully, save and close the text editor.

I notice that you are connected to an unsecured network. Often, Linux drivers are more reliable connected to a WPA2 network. If you have the option, I’d see if the connection is more reliable connected to CAMPUS_SECURED.

Finally, I notice that the signal strength is quite low in every network that you scanned. I wonder if both antenna wires are securely snapped in place on the wireless card. If you can stand very close, say one meter or so, from a router, scan and get a good signal strength, say 90% and then stand 5-6 meters away and get a very low strength, say 35%, then I’d suspect that the antenna is not correctly connected.

Changing the kernel doesn't seem to work. I followed all the steps but that doesn't seem to work either. Signal strength seems to be okay when I go near the router. The signal strength mentioned in the above report were taken when the router was from the laptop. I have updated the question with output of some commands — , Aug 07 '18 at 13:26
"when the router was from the laptop..." Far from the laptop or which? How far? 5 meters, 20 meters? Across the street? — chili555, Aug 07 '18 at 13:51
Just ~5 meters far away. I don't think this has got to do with the router because the wifi keeps getting disconnected even when the strength is very good (when laptop is close to the router) — , Aug 07 '18 at 15:31

Problems with Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter [168c:003e] (rev 32)

1 Answers1