[PATCH ath-next 3/3] wifi: ath11k: add a module parameter to select the hardware mode

[Jeff Johnson]

On 10/27/2026 12:55 AM, Julius Bairaktaris wrote:
> ath11k always uses the highest priority hardware mode the firmware
> advertises. On the Zyxel NBG7815 that is DBS+SBS, which splits the
> eight 5 GHz chains between two radios, neither with a 160 MHz channel
> width. The firmware also advertises DBS, which gives one 5 GHz radio
> with all eight chains and 160 MHz. Add a hw_mode parameter that selects
> any mode the firmware advertises; for a mode it does not advertise, warn
> with the modes it does advertise and keep the default.
> 
> On the NBG7815, hw_mode=1 brings up the 8-chain 5 GHz radio. iperf3
> from the router to a 2x2 HE client with 4 streams gave 1.22 and
> 1.20 Gbit/s at 160 MHz (two 20 s runs), against 886 Mbit/s at 80 MHz
> with the unpatched driver (one run).
> 
> Tested-on: IPQ8074 hw2.0 AHB WLAN.HK.2.9.0.1-02146-QCAHKSWPL_SILICONZ-1
> 
> Tested-by: Semih Baskan <strst.gs at gmail.com>
> Signed-off-by: Julius Bairaktaris <julius at bairaktaris.de>
> ---
>  drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath11k/core.c |  6 ++++++
>  drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath11k/core.h |  1 +
>  drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath11k/wmi.c  | 17 +++++++++++++++--
>  3 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath11k/core.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath11k/core.c
> index 766ae27306f43..e1a6085a065a6 100644
> --- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath11k/core.c
> +++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath11k/core.c
> @@ -38,6 +38,12 @@ bool ath11k_ftm_mode;
>  module_param_named(ftm_mode, ath11k_ftm_mode, bool, 0444);
>  MODULE_PARM_DESC(ftm_mode, "Boots up in factory test mode");
>  
> +/* hw mode values are mapped as per enum wmi_host_hw_mode_config_type */
> +unsigned int ath11k_hw_mode = WMI_HOST_HW_MODE_MAX;
> +module_param_named(hw_mode, ath11k_hw_mode, uint, 0444);
> +MODULE_PARM_DESC(hw_mode,
> +		 "Hardware mode (0: single, 1: DBS, 2: SBS passive, 3: SBS, 4: DBS+SBS, 5: DBS or SBS, default: preferred mode the firmware supports)");
> +

Is there a different way?
Adding new module params is frowned upon.
https://msgid.link/6d553cffcb0ae84e141006ae1430f6f37909ad2b.camel@sipsolutions.net