QCA9565 / AR9565 WiFi (ath9k) keeps disconnecting and failing to re-associate on Fedora 44

Ask Fedora
1

Hardware:

  • Laptop: HP 14-cf0xxx
  • WiFi chip: Qualcomm Atheros QCA9565 / AR9565 (PCI, driver: ath9k)
  • Kernel: 7.0.12-201.fc44.x86_64 (also tested on 7.0.11, same issue)
  • Fedora 44 Workstation (GNOME, Wayland)

Problem: WiFi connects successfully but disconnects every 20–60 seconds, then fails to re-associate (association timeout after 3 tries), eventually reconnects, and repeats. The issue occurs with every access point tested (home router + iPhone hotspot). WiFi works perfectly on the same machine under Windows 11 (dual boot).

What the kernel log shows (dmesg pattern):

wlp2s0: associated          ← connects fine
wlp2s0: authenticate ...    ← disconnects ~20-60s later
wlp2s0: associate (try 1/3) ← fails to re-associate
wlp2s0: associate (try 2/3)
wlp2s0: associate (try 3/3)
wlp2s0: association timed out ← fails completely
← 30s gap, then tries again
wlp2s0: associated          ← eventually reconnects
← repeat forever

No hardware resets, no driver errors, no firmware errors in dmesg.

What I’ve tried:

  • Disabled power save: ps_enable=0 nohwcrypt=1 use_msi=0 in /etc/modprobe.d/ath9k.conf
  • Added pcie_aspm=off kernel boot parameter (ASPM L1 was enabled on the PCI slot)
  • Disabled bgscan via wpa_supplicant (bgscan="" in /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf and via wpa_cli at runtime — NM overrides it with simple:30:-65:300 regardless of any NM config)
  • Fixed MAC randomization (set permanent MAC per connection)
  • Set regulatory domain to 00 to fix TX power being capped to 0 dBm by AP’s country IE
  • Disabled NM connectivity checking
  • Tested on kernel 7.0.11 — same issue
  • Tested with iwd backend — same issue
  • Forced 802.11b/g only mode — same issue

What partially helped:

  • pcie_aspm=off reduced packet loss from ~80% to ~50%
  • Disabling bgscan at runtime via a persistent systemd service reduced drop frequency slightly
  • The combination brought packet loss from ~80% down to ~50-60%, but drops still occur

Key observation: The drops happen regardless of signal strength (tested at -67 dBm, which is good). The AP (SFR router) sometimes rejects re-association with timeout after the laptop disconnects, suggesting the rapid disconnect/reconnect cycle confuses the AP.

Current modprobe config:

options ath9k ps_enable=0 nohwcrypt=1 use_msi=0

Kernel boot params: pcie_aspm=off

Questions:

  1. Is there a known regression in the ath9k driver in recent Fedora 44 kernels affecting AR9565?
  2. Is there a way to permanently and reliably disable bgscan that NetworkManager doesn’t override?
  3. Has anyone with the same chipset found a working configuration?

Any help appreciated.

2

I used to have a qualcom wifi adapter and it began exhibiting similar behavior.
After replacing it with an intel AX210 adapter I have had no issues.

While I don’t know how your laptop is designed, most that I have seen have the wifi adapter where it is easily replaceable so maybe that would be an inexpensive option for you. An intel wifi adapter is about $25 on amazon.com

3

If you are unwilling to replace the existing ath9k wifi hardware, consider adding a USB WiFi dongle with a model that has in-kernel support (see https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi). WiFi issues after upgrades are not unusual so if you rely on WiFi it is important to have an alterative.

4

I’ll try that.