Authorization supplicant timed out (Kubuntu 24.04 LTE)

Help
1

image
image339×203 39.2 KB

Attempt two of making this post. Last attempt got eaten by the very problem I’m trying to get a solution to.

My internet intermittently cuts out, with this error message. This (with a different error message) was admittedly an issue I had with Windows 10, before installing Kubuntu; it was a problem that seemed to go away after installing Kubuntu but now it’s back with a vengeance.

I tried this solution https://www.reddit.com/r/framework/comments/1cygh8t/how_to_fixing_authorization_supplicant_timed_out/ but it only made things worse; I have since completely reinstalled Kubuntu. Issue is still here.

A factor that may be contributing or causing this: I am in an apartment building with many other Wi-Fi routers besides the one I’m trying to connect to. I do not have the luxury of moving to a less congested apartment. Despite this, my phone has zero issues connecting to Wi-Fi.

Any solution is appreciated.

1 Like
2

What sort of AP are you using? How are your channels configured?

That both windows and ubuntu do it on the same system, seems like the AP and Wireless card aren’t playing nicely. What wireless nic is in it? I’d make sure it’s got latest firmware, kernel, etc, but if still so, maybe look at your AP.

You mention the framework forum, their use of mediatek chips was somewhat nefarious for how bad they were, most replacing them with an Intel nic as a fix, so ymmv with the chip, and usually pretty easy/cheap to replace if you had to.

Make sure you don’t have anything like roaming enabled on the AP, if just wpa2-psk, you don’t need it with 1 or 10 ap’s, and also make sure any band steering is off. I just had a customer with Cisco/Meraki frankenstein they do now that their AP’s were misbehaving (read: bug) and enabling client load-balancing even with my disabling it it administratively that was causing massive de-auths to clients trying to move them around. Sometimes things like 802.11k/v/r causes weirdness, keep them disabled at home unless you know what you are doing and why you want them.

Otherwise just make sure you’re using as open a channel as possible (only 1/6/11 for 2.4ghz), and ensure you’re only enabling 20mhz channels (no multi-channel/mimo/bonding/whatever-they-call-it), particularly in a crowded apartment.

Do yourself a favor and download a wifi scanning app for your phone or linux and see what channels are least used, particularly 5ghz where you have 11 options instead of 3. This is a good read about your wireless channels and what they do. List of WLAN channels - Wikipedia

If all that still doesn’t help, I’d install kismet and start sniffing wireless frames to see what is causing your radio to de-auth and not re-auth.

Depending where you’re at, I’ve been recommending people start moving to 6ghz with wifi6e(not wifi6) or wifi7, as it’s not overused as 2.4 or 5ghz spectrums, only some countries make that difficult with regulatory concerns, but most allow for it.

If not, I’d probably just buy a used a 6ghz AP and nic from somewhere else and hope your local FCC doesn’t come knocking with antennas in hand and a foul look on their face.

3

I’ll be honest, you lost me near immediately– I’m not sure what you mean by “AP” or “nic”, and/or how to configure channels

4

Okay after actually looking up the terminology– AP as in the router, nic as in the chip in my laptop responsible for actually connecting me to wi-fi– I understand your post a little better?

-As far as I know the AP was obtained by my fiancee and came with our ISP. I don’t know how to check information for, or modify settings, on it.
-I similarly don’t know how to check for information for, or update firmware/kernel on, the NIC in my laptop. If it helps it’s a Thinkpad T440p
-I didn’t know anything at all about the Framework forum; the thing that drew me to that post was that it’s one of the first Google search results for “Authorization supplicant timed out”

5

If the laptop has a Mediatek wireless card, there may be something to the idea that it’s a hardware issue or a hardware-specific firmware/driver issue. I also have a Mediatek card in my laptop and similar random infrequent network issues have been driving me crazy for months. Some internet research has suggested that it’s not just me, either.

So if the wireless card is made by Mediatek and is replaceable, you might try replacing it with an Intel one. They’re plug-and-play and not very expensive. I got a replacement Mediatek card for mine for under $20 on eBay, to test whether it was a hardware issue (it wasn’t, so it might be a firmware or driver issue).

Thankfully your Thinkpad T440p is highly repairable, so you can indeed open it up and replace the wireless card if you want.

1 Like
6

Update: Figured out how to access my AP’s settings (it’s an xfinity router); said router has an active 6ghz band, with the same name as its 5ghz and 2.4ghz bands (this is apparently best practices, as it allows the router to figure out which band it should connect with???)

image
image695×179 19.4 KB

I’m still unsure how to find information about the nic in my laptop; which seems more and more pertinent as to trying to figure out what the heck I need to do to fix this

7

Update the 2nd: A google search told me that the right path was

sudo lshw -C network

which brought me the following info:

image
image901×266 31.5 KB

Which then leads me here:

…So I’m not able to access 6ghz bands and am stuck with the 5ghz and 2.4ghz bands rn, fun

8

…Suddenly it’s dawning on me a little what’s happening– it’s possibly band steering– which IS the “router determining which band I’m supposed to be connecting to”– that’s possibly the issue. I’m wondering if the router is attempting to steer my laptop over to 6ghz which it can’t follow it to, or simply the laptop getting confused by the band steering in general ‘cause of the older NIC chip

And unfortunately I can’t say “HEY, XFINITY ROUTER, DON’T DO THAT” because I need the xfinity app to change that setting (which apparently involves throwing out the “best practices” and renaming the bands to different names), which my fiancee is the one with the login for that and she’s asleep right now so X~X

Have I mentioned that I’m growing to hate xfinity; and that I honestly miss ISPs that didn’t give you a proprietary router that needed a goddamn phone app to access settings on?

9

With Xfinity you’re forced to accept a proprietary router and can’t get one of your own? That’s wild. Is it a fiber connection or something?

1 Like
10

I wasn’t present when my fiancee got the router (I was in another state x3) so I don’t know those sneaky deets. What I can say: Fiancee is awake now, and has separated out the names. We shall see if this works? It’s really a “wait until it happens and you know if it’s fixed or not by if the issue crops up again; if it crops up again it hasn’t been fixed” sort of issue

Interestingly enough my laptop can only find Fluffsden 2.4; it can’t find Fluffsden 5. Huh.