Pi 3: wlan power-save enable by default

kar82 · May 10, 2016 at 6:46 PM

Hello,

my "problem" is, that the power-save feature of the integrate wlan on Raspberry Pi 3 is enable by default in LibreELEC 7.0.0 and maybe, it's a bug?

Last week a have "upgraded" from Rasperry Pi 2 to Pi 3 and using the same SD-Card with LibreELEC 7.0.0 (which was upgraded from OpenELEC 6.0.3 on Pi 2). But I'm not sure, maybe the following issue is solved in LibreELEc 7.0.0 (with a "fresh" installation, without ballast from OpenELEC or Pi2).

I have found the solution in the OpenELEC forum (OpenELEC Mediacenter - OpenELEC Forum - Raspberry Pi 3 wlan issues (1/1)). But the name of the addon in LibreELEC 7.0.0 is "Network Tools".

The current power-save status of the integrate wlan in the Pi 3 can see with the following command (by default it's activate):

Code

LibreELEC:~ # /storage/.kodi/addons/virtual.network-tools/bin/iw wlan0 get power_save
Power save: on

With the command

Code

LibreELEC:~ # /storage/.kodi/addons/virtual.network-tools/bin/iw wlan0 set power_save off

you can disable it. But it's only temporary. After a restart of LibreELEC it's enable again.

With the script "autostart.sh" (it should contain the last command) you can do this automaticly. You have to put it on the SD-Card (/storage/.config/). Now the power-saving of the integrate wlan on Pi 3 is disable by "default".

But is this a bug? Can somebody confirm this?

For me it's working now and I have no problems, but maybe other users have same problem and that's why I have open this topic.

Thank you.

**popcornmix** · May 10, 2016 at 8:41 PM

Powersave *is* disabled, but in the kernel, so iw isn't aware of it.
You should the message "brcmfmac: power management disabled" in dmesg log.

kar82 · May 10, 2016 at 9:22 PM

Ok, I can see the message, but without disable the power-save with "iw" the wlan goes in power-save modus after a few minutes (e.g. I can't open SSH, sftp or samba connections anymore and the internet-connection on Kodi is very slow).

After I have disable the power-save mode with "iw" everything is fine and I have absolutly no problems with wlan anymore!

[EDIT]

Here is my dmesg log:
[Bash] LibreELEC:~ # dmesg log [ 0.000000] Booting Linux on physical CPU 0x0 [ - Pastebin.com

zygote · July 25, 2016 at 12:59 PM

Hello,
on LibreELEC (official) Version: 7.0.2 (on RPI3)
first install -> Libreelec Addons/Program Addons/Network Tools

reboot

logon via ssh and test -> iwconfig

wlan0 shows up like -> Power Management:on

then -> nano /storage/.config/autostart.sh

add -> iw wlan0 set power_save off

-> save and exit
-> reboot

logon via ssh and test -> iwconfig

wlan0 shows up like -> Power Management:off

...maybe the solution

Yabbo · February 27, 2017 at 3:01 AM

This worked perfect for me. I had to install iw and iwconfig through the unofficial openelec repo but was able to get this working by creating the autostart.sh and pointing to the location of my iwconfig ( /storage/.kodi/addons/http://tools.iw/bin/iw wlan0 set power_save off )

Quote from zygote

Hello,
on LibreELEC (official) Version: 7.0.2 (on RPI3)
first install -> Libreelec Addons/Program Addons/Network Tools

reboot

logon via ssh and test -> iwconfig

wlan0 shows up like -> Power Management:on

then -> nano /storage/.config/autostart.sh

add -> iw wlan0 set power_save off

-> save and exit
-> reboot

logon via ssh and test -> iwconfig

wlan0 shows up like -> Power Management:off

...maybe the solution

Display More

Mario77 · August 16, 2019 at 1:26 AM

Has this been fixed or do we still have to add the code to autostart.sh??

soultv · August 25, 2019 at 5:40 PM

I had to do it today on on an RPi 4 running 9.1.002 It's pretty easy tho. Not sure if it helped

Mario77 · August 25, 2019 at 6:15 PM

Thanks...done it here too...wasn't sure if it was still an issue...but it was and now is working fine..

Tenbrink · February 18, 2021 at 11:48 AM

Hi!

I need to disable wlan power save because it renders my kodi remote apps on my iPhone and iPad useless if I'm on wifi.

I have installed the addon Network Tools and tried the various paths suggested in this thread but no matter what I do I can't set power_save to off.

If I try any of the commands

/storage/.kodi/addons/virtual.network-tools/bin/iw wlan0 get power_save

or

/storage/.kodi/addons/virtual.network-tools/bin/iw wlan0 set power_save off

I get

iw: not found

However I can use the iwconfig command, which is how I know that power_save is not off.

In /storage/.kodi/addons/virtual.network-tools/bin there is no iw. There are:

iwconfig

iwgetid

iwlist

iwmulticall

iwpriv

iwspy

Edit: I figured it out, the command is "iwconfig wlan0 power off"

How do I install iw?

**mglae** · February 18, 2021 at 4:33 PM

Somewhere down the line iw moved to the image. Just type iw.

**chewitt** · February 20, 2021 at 11:42 AM Official Post

iw was moved to the image when we added the wireless regdomain feature, so between 9.0 and 9.2