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I'm new to Ubuntu OS. I've installed ubuntu 14.04 x64 on my ASUS X550LC laptop yesterday. The wifi signal is weak & getting disconnected sometimes.

Searched all over the web but many site/forums has discussed with Atheros network adapter but the one I have is Ralink RT3290.

This what my iwconfig gives:

ppp0      no wireless extensions.
eth0      no wireless extensions.
lo        no wireless extensions.
usbpn0    no wireless extensions.
wlan0     IEEE 802.11bgn  ESSID:off/any  
      Mode:Managed  Access Point: Not-Associated   Tx-Power=20 dBm   
      Retry  long limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
      Power Management:off
Surya
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1 Answers1

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We need to install the 3290 driver go here and download the driver then:

We need to install some prerequisites to be able to compile the new driver.

sudo apt-get install --reinstall linux-headers-generic linux-headers-$(uname -r) build-essential dkms

We need to change to the directory the driver was downloaded too which should be the downloads folder.

Please copy and paste all commands one line at a time for accuracy:

cd Downloads

Now untar the driver to /usr/src directory

 sudo tar -xf rt3290sta-2.6.0.0.dkms.tar -C /usr/src

then do:

sudo dkms install -m rt3290sta -v 2.6.0.0 --force
echo "blacklist rt2800pci" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
echo "blacklist rt2x00pci" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

Reboot. The directions to install come from the readme file of the driver and my own.

Now, check the settings in the router. WPA2-AES is preferred; not WPA and WPA2 mixed mode and certainly not TKIP. Second, if your router is capable of N speeds, I have better luck with a channel width of 20 MHz in the 2.4 GHz band instead of automatic 20/40 MHz.

I also have better luck with a fixed channel, either 1, or 11, rather than automatic channel selection. After making these changes, reboot the router.

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-fits-all setting. Find yours here: Country Code Then set it temporarily:

sudo iw reg set IS

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

gksudo gedit /etc/default/crda

Use nano or kate or leafpad if you don't have the text editor gedit.

Change the last line to read:

REGDOMAIN=IS

Proofread carefully, save and close the text editor.

Next, I'd set IPv6 to Ignore in Network Manager: IPV6 setting This example is for ethernet, but you want wireless.

Wild Man
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  • Thank you very much, the signal seems to be improved now. :) But, It is still getting disconnected frequently. And its not the with the router/ISP because the windows laptop next to time is working perfectly. Any Idea about that? – Surya Jul 20 '14 at 04:48
  • How often does it disconnect? Run the script again with the new driver and post the results. – Wild Man Jul 20 '14 at 04:50
  • It is almost getting disconnected & connected repeatedly every minute or so. Here is the code http://pastebin.ubuntu.com/7823213/ – Surya Jul 20 '14 at 05:23
  • I edited my answer to include settings in the router that have a great impact on linux being able to connect and function properly. – Wild Man Jul 20 '14 at 15:17
  • Hello again, It seemed to work then but afterwards it started to disconnect again. It is loosing the signal or disconnected every few minutes (around 5-10 mins). Here's the link again.. http://paste.ubuntu.com/7847358. Please help. – Surya Jul 24 '14 at 12:26