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Linux Laptop WiFi Access Point Selection (social.packetloss.gg)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg to c/linux@programming.dev

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Hi all,

I'm visiting a relative that has a Google WiFi system with multiple access points. There's an access point literally right next to me that I can see in the KDE BSSID list with 100% connection strength.

For some reason, it's instead picking a BSSID with only 60% strength. Does anyone have any thoughts on why it's choosing this access point instead of one of the others? Is this something the Google WiFi controls/suggests to the laptop, is something bugged, or is there a good reason Linux might be choosing this particular access point?

EDIT: It turns out the access point placement was actually just really bad, and the access point in question was not even making it to the rest of the LAN... The speed difference between my phone and laptop seems to be just that, something to do with a difference between the framework and the Pixel's wireless cards (or drivers). Even with everything corrected, the Pixel is significantly out performing the framework.

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[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Usually it's the supplicant that picks the AP, though the controller can suggest a particular AP through 802.11k and r.

You'd have to dig through your supplicant logs to see if this is happening. Perhaps your location results in poor service due to weird wave shapes. Try moving a bit further away and see what happens.

Although if you're still getting good speed from the AP you're using, I would just not worry about it.

[–] Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Well for context, my laptop (Framework 13 AMD) is getting ~40Mbps while my phone (Pixel 7) is getting ~232Mbps from the same location. There's a definitive issue in the selection of the AP.

EDIT: The phone is now getting similarly poor performance/they seem to be agreeing on a non-optimal access point.

EDIT 2: It turns out the access point placement was actually just really bad, and the access point in question was not even making it to the rest of the LAN... The speed difference between my phone and laptop seems to be just that, something to do with a difference between the framework and the Pixel's wireless cards (or drivers). Even with everything corrected, the Pixel is significantly out performing the framework.