5GHz AP on a QCA988x

[Michal Kazior]

On 21 January 2016 at 09:38, Jeroen Roovers <jeroen.roovers at airfi.aero> wrote:
> 02:00.0 Network controller: Qualcomm Atheros QCA986x/988x 802.11ac
> Wireless Network Adapter
>         Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 28
>         Memory at fe200000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=2M]
>         Expansion ROM at fe400000 [disabled] [size=64K]
>         Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2
>         Capabilities: [50] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/8 Maskable+ 64bit-
>         Capabilities: [70] Express Endpoint, MSI 00
>         Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting
>         Capabilities: [140] Virtual Channel
>         Capabilities: [160] Device Serial Number 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00
>         Kernel driver in use: ath10k_pci
>         Kernel modules: ath10k_pci
>
> Vendor/device ID: 168c:003c
>
> I am trying to get a 5GHZ AP working on the above device, using a
> Linux 4.4.0 kernel on a generic PC right now, in hopes of getting same
> to work on an embedded (ARM, but it's not important) system in the
> near future.
>
> Any attempt to get that up ends in a regulatory-based refusal to open
> IR on any 5GHz band frequency, even when I add "regulatory onus" and a
> new XZ region (hey, this is intended to work especially in
> "international waters") in a db.txt I define myself which should grant
> everything I ever wanted. Is there something the firmware is
> overriding here?
>
> Firmware as of the latest would be:
>
> /lib/firmware/ath10k/QCA988X/hw2.0/firmware-5.bin_10.2.4.70.17-2
>
> I could attach logs but I thought I might be missing something very obvious.

"iw list" and "iw reg get" is very good start. Kernel log will be
useful as well to know device regulatory.

Do you have other wifi cards on this system? I recall this could cause
problems. Not sure if that's still the case but may be worth
considering.

In case you're not aware: channels rules are a result of intersected
system level regulatory and device (taken from eeprom) regulatory.
This can sometimes confuse because you think you're setting region XZ
which allows use of channel 36 but it remains unavailable due to the
device's regulatory.


Michał