Linux Mint Wifi keeps disconnecting at random times and asks for wifi password

Question

I have a fresh install of linux mint 16 cinnamon edition. I have a Netgear wireless dongle model: WNA1000M. Is there any command i should run to get more details?

Wifi drops about: 15min to 1hr.

Answer 1

Two common possibilities here are interference and a bad driver.

You can check about interference by means of the command:

iw dev wlan0 scan | grep 'SSID\|dB\|channel'

Check whether the signal of your wifi network is below 70dB (i.e., the number is bigger than 70), and/or there is another network in the same channel or right next to it.

If this is not the root of your problem (no nearby network in the same or nearby channel, and signal well above 70dB), then you have a problem with your driver. You can check the current driver by means of

lshw -C network

And check that this is also the driver suggested by WikiDevi: in your case, in this Web page. In your case, the suggested driver is rtl8192cu from the backports. If you are using already this driver, then I am at my wit's end. If instead you are not using this driver, you may install it and substitute it to your current driver. If you need instructions to do this, please make sure to post the output of the lshw command.

Answer 2

I had the same problem. I checked the blacklisting in etc/modprobe.d (found a file blacklist-ath_pci.conf) and I added a # in front of "blacklist ath_pci" and it seems to have worked, as soon as the problem starts again, I'll you know. I'm using Linux Mint 17.

Answer 3

I had this exact issue.

I recommend getting everything up-to-date ( LAN Cable if you have to ) .

After that update your kernel, restart and then your done - no more dropped WiFi, and slow internet connections.