[Impact]
Impacts all users of ipw2x00-based hardware, for the ipw2200 and ipw2100 drivers: this is fairly common Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless hardware present in at least quite a few Thinkpad laptops.
[Test Case]
On a system with an Intel PRO/Wireless card:
1) Click the network indicator/applet.
2) Observe the detected signal level.
3) Try to connect to a secured wireless network.
Connection should be successful and ask for the wifi network password (if it's not already entered)
Alternatively:
1) Run the command 'nmcli dev wifi'.
Signal level should be low (usually visible as simply '0').
[Regression Potential]
This change will modify the detection behavior for the wireless framework to use for wireless cards. It needs to be properly tested with the affected devices to make sure the signal level and encryption capabilities are properly detected; but should also be tested with other devices to make sure signal levels and encryption capabilities remain properly detected. A possible regression scenario would be if a device that works with nl80211 (without the patch) would get detected as needing wext when it is not implemented. This would likely cause such a device to not be able to see wireless networks and connect to them.
----
With 3.2.0-29-generic the nm-applet no longer reports the wireless signal strength. If I reboot into 3.2.0-27-generic this problem does not occur.
I am using a Toshiba Equium M70-339 laptop, and my wireless card is listed on the manufacturer's webpage as being an Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 LAN Mini PCI adaptor integrated in Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology. I've purged and reinstalled network-manager to no effect. The only way for me to get the signal strength reported by the nm-applet is to use an earlier kernel. iwconfig reports the correct signal quality.
lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
Release: 12.04
apt-cache policy network-manager
network-manager:
Installed: 0.9.4.0-0ubuntu4.1
Candidate: 0.9.4.0-0ubuntu4.1
Version table:
*** 0.9.4.0-0ubuntu4.1 0
500 http://mirrors.coreix.net/ubuntu/ precise-updates/main i386 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
0.9.4.0-0ubuntu3 0
500 http://mirrors.coreix.net/ubuntu/ precise/main i386 Packages
apt-cache policy linux-image-3.2.0-29-generic
linux-image-3.2.0-29-generic:
Installed: 3.2.0-29.46
Candidate: 3.2.0-29.46
Version table:
*** 3.2.0-29.46 0
500 http://mirrors.coreix.net/ubuntu/ precise-updates/main i386 Packages
500 http://mirrors.coreix.net/ubuntu/ precise-security/main i386 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
I expect nm-applet to display the signal strength of my WPA2 wireless AP, but instead no signal is reported. This behaviour is only observed with the newest kernel.
ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: linux-image-3.2.0-29-generic 3.2.0-29.46
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-29.46-generic 3.2.24
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-29-generic i686
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.24.
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu12
Architecture: i386
AudioDevicesInUse:
USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
/dev/snd/controlC0: andrew 1846 F.... pulseaudio
Card0.Amixer.info:
Card hw:0 'ICH6'/'Intel ICH6 with ALC250 at irq 17'
Mixer name : 'Realtek ALC250 rev 2'
Components : 'AC97a:414c4752'
Controls : 33
Simple ctrls : 21
CurrentDmesg:
[ 30.415898] lib80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'TKIP'
[ 41.056026] eth1: no IPv6 routers present
[ 100.046529] ACPI: EC: GPE storm detected, transactions will use polling mode
Date: Sat Aug 11 10:54:17 2012
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=2b27764c-cdb9-4a40-b4dd-e4148a6c0309
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release i386 (20111012)
Lsusb:
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
MachineType: TOSHIBA 00000000000000000000
PccardctlIdent:
Socket 0:
no product info available
PccardctlStatus:
Socket 0:
no card
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-29-generic root=UUID=81d9afb8-c58e-4eea-8277-4a3a34732119 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
linux-restricted-modules-3.2.0-29-generic N/A
linux-backports-modules-3.2.0-29-generic N/A
linux-firmware 1.79
RfKill:
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-04-26 (106 days ago)
UserAsoundrc:
# ALSA library configuration file
# Include settings that are under the control of asoundconf(1).
# (To disable these settings, comment out this line.)
</home/andrew/.asoundrc.asoundconf>
dmi.bios.date: 12/26/2005
dmi.bios.vendor: TOSHIBA
dmi.bios.version: V1.30
dmi.board.name: HTW00
dmi.board.vendor: TOSHIBA
dmi.board.version: Null
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: *
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: TOSHIBA
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnTOSHIBA:bvrV1.30:bd12/26/2005:svnTOSHIBA:pn00000000000000000000:pvr0000000000000000:rvnTOSHIBA:rnHTW00:rvrNull:cvnTOSHIBA:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: 00000000000000000000
dmi.product.version: 0000000000000000
dmi.sys.vendor: TOSHIBA
I am having the exact same problem on my Dell600m. When I upgraded to the new kernel 3.2.0-29, the signal strength applet shows zero (completely dimmed out) when it usually shows 3 out of 4 lines bright on my home network. Booting to the previous kernel 3.2.0-27 fixes the problem.