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Before I explain my problem, I will list my specs:

  • Macbook Pro early 2015 model.
  • RAM: 7,7 GiB
  • Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-5257U CPU @ 2.70GHz × 4
  • Graphics: Mesa Intel® Iris(R) Graphics 6100 (BDW GT3)
  • OS: Ubuntu 20.04.4 LTS
  • GNOME Version: 3.36.8

Note: I'm running a complete installation of Ubuntu from a USB.

As mentioned before, I decided to do a full installation of Ubuntu to a USB (for memory reasons). Everything is working great except that I noticed that my screens flickers sometimes. At the beginning I didn't know what was causing this problem, so I searched and tried different methods, such as using Wayland as the windowing system. It didn't work, but I noticed that when I turned off the wifi connection, the flickering stopped completely.I also came across this post: Serious screen flickering when WiFi is on (Dell XPS 15) and I tried putting the instruction mentioned (i915.edp_vswing=2) by using this method How do I add a kernel boot parameter? I first added the parameter from the grub advanced options by modifying the kernel I was going to use and when I booted Ubuntu, everything worked fine (the only "strange" thing that happened was that everything [apps, menu] appeared smaller) so I restarted my computer and decided to add the instruction permanently to the kernel. When I did this, the problem returned as soon as I turned on the wifi. I used the following instruction cat /proc/cmdline and the changed did appear:

cat /proc/cmdline 
BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.13.0-39-generic root=UUID=29a99125-24c5-492c-bc8e-cadf595662b0 ro quiet splash i915.edp_vswing=2 vt.handoff=7

But the flickering still occurs. I don't know why this happens and I don't know if there is any solution to this. I don't even know if the added instruction help in anything. I just know that as soon as I connect to a Wifi connection, the flickering occurs. Sometimes the flickering occurs randomly and few times, sometimes it happens in a row.

Carlos Quesada
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1 Answers1

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I might have the solution to your problem. I have the same laptop with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS installed. I also followed all the different steps like the one you mentioned but nothing worked, as soon as I started wifi the flickering started...

The solution: The flickering was caused by the interaction between router and my laptop, but just my router. As soon as I was using a different router (even at the same location) the problem totally disappeared. (There might be some interference effects or connecting problems between certain routers and our macbook).

Therefore, just try using a different router. I hope it works also for you :D

Max Block
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  • Hi, thanks for the answer! I didn't add this in my original question, but I also connected the USB to another laptop and the flickering stopped. Tried your answers and it also worked. Maybe there is a problem with the drivers that causes the flickering when connecting? Who knows. Would upvote but I can't :( – Carlos Quesada May 16 '22 at 01:34