From: Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>
To: patches@lists.linux.dev, stable@vger.kernel.org
Cc: Bitterblue Smith <rtl8821cerfe2@gmail.com>,
Ping-Ke Shih <pkshih@realtek.com>,
Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>,
Jes.Sorensen@gmail.com, linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.12] wifi: rtl8xxxu: Fix HT40 channel config for RTL8192CU, RTL8723AU
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2025 09:02:13 -0500 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <20251206140252.645973-8-sashal@kernel.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20251206140252.645973-1-sashal@kernel.org>
From: Bitterblue Smith <rtl8821cerfe2@gmail.com>
[ Upstream commit 5511ba3de434892e5ef3594d6eabbd12b1629356 ]
Flip the response rate subchannel. It was backwards, causing low
speeds when using 40 MHz channel width. "iw dev ... station dump"
showed a low RX rate, 11M or less.
Also fix the channel width field of RF6052_REG_MODE_AG.
Tested only with RTL8192CU, but these settings are identical for
RTL8723AU.
Signed-off-by: Bitterblue Smith <rtl8821cerfe2@gmail.com>
Reviewed-by: Ping-Ke Shih <pkshih@realtek.com>
Signed-off-by: Ping-Ke Shih <pkshih@realtek.com>
Link: https://patch.msgid.link/1f46571d-855b-43e1-8bfc-abacceb96043@gmail.com
Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>
---
LLM Generated explanations, may be completely bogus:
## COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS
### 1. COMMIT MESSAGE ANALYSIS
**Subject:** "wifi: rtl8xxxu: Fix HT40 channel config for RTL8192CU,
RTL8723AU"
- Contains "Fix" keyword indicating a bug fix
- Describes specific affected hardware: RTL8192CU, RTL8723AU USB WiFi
adapters
- Explains user-visible symptom: "low speeds when using 40 MHz channel
width"
- Provides diagnostic evidence: "`iw dev ... station dump` showed a low
RX rate, 11M or less"
- **No** "Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org" tag
- **No** "Fixes:" tag pointing to the original buggy commit
- **Has** "Reviewed-by: Ping-Ke Shih" (Realtek's kernel maintainer)
- **Has** "Tested only with RTL8192CU" - real-world testing performed
### 2. CODE CHANGE ANALYSIS
**Two distinct bugs are fixed:**
**Bug #1: RSR (Response Rate Set) subchannel configuration (lines
1255-1258):**
```c
// BEFORE (buggy):
if (sec_ch_above)
rsr |= RSR_RSC_UPPER_SUB_CHANNEL;
else
rsr |= RSR_RSC_LOWER_SUB_CHANNEL;
// AFTER (fixed):
if (!sec_ch_above)
rsr |= RSR_RSC_UPPER_SUB_CHANNEL;
else
rsr |= RSR_RSC_LOWER_SUB_CHANNEL;
```
The logic was inverted - when secondary channel is above, LOWER should
be set, not UPPER. Comparison with RTL8188E driver (8188e.c:462-465)
confirms the fix matches the correct pattern.
**Bug #2: RF6052_REG_MODE_AG bandwidth configuration (lines
1322-1328):**
```c
// BEFORE (buggy):
if (hw->conf.chandef.width == NL80211_CHAN_WIDTH_40)
val32 &= ~MODE_AG_CHANNEL_20MHZ;
else
val32 |= MODE_AG_CHANNEL_20MHZ;
// AFTER (fixed):
val32 &= ~MODE_AG_BW_MASK; // Clear both bits 10 and 11
if (hw->conf.chandef.width != NL80211_CHAN_WIDTH_40)
val32 |= MODE_AG_CHANNEL_20MHZ;
```
Two issues: (1) Only cleared bit 10, not the full bandwidth mask (bits
10-11), and (2) the logic flow was awkward - proper pattern is to clear
mask first, then set appropriate bit only when needed.
The gen2 driver (`rtl8xxxu_gen2_config_channel` at line 1446) already
uses `MODE_AG_BW_MASK` correctly, confirming this is the right approach.
### 3. CLASSIFICATION
- **Bug Type:** Logic error causing severe performance degradation
- **NOT a feature:** No new functionality added
- **NOT a quirk/workaround:** This is fixing incorrect code logic
- **Hardware affected:** RTL8192CU, RTL8723AU (older but still commonly
used USB WiFi adapters)
### 4. SCOPE AND RISK ASSESSMENT
- **Lines changed:** ~8 lines modified
- **Files touched:** 1 file (core.c)
- **Complexity:** LOW - simple logic inversions and proper mask usage
- **Scope:** Confined to `rtl8xxxu_gen1_config_channel()` function, only
affects 40MHz mode
- **Risk of regression:** LOW - brings gen1 config in line with gen2 and
8188e implementations
- **Dependencies:** `MODE_AG_BW_MASK` exists since 2016 (commit
c3f9506f2374), present in all stable kernels
### 5. USER IMPACT
- **Affected users:** Anyone using RTL8192CU or RTL8723AU USB WiFi
adapters with 40MHz channels
- **Severity:** MODERATE-HIGH - WiFi functional but severely degraded
speeds (capped at 11M vs expected 40MHz HT speeds which could be
150-300Mbps)
- **Impact scope:** These are common, inexpensive USB WiFi adapters;
many users in production environments
- **Visibility:** Users would notice unusably slow WiFi and might
mistakenly blame their router or network
### 6. STABILITY INDICATORS
- Reviewed by Realtek's Linux kernel maintainer (Ping-Ke Shih)
- Tested on actual hardware (RTL8192CU)
- Consistent with how other chip variants in the same driver family
handle this
- Small, surgical changes with clear correctness rationale
### 7. DEPENDENCY CHECK
- `MODE_AG_BW_MASK` macro is defined in regs.h since 2016
- No other commits needed for this fix to work
- The affected function `rtl8xxxu_gen1_config_channel()` exists in all
stable kernels that have the rtl8xxxu driver
### VERDICT
**Positive factors:**
- Fixes a real, user-visible performance bug (severely degraded WiFi
speeds)
- Small, contained changes (8 lines)
- Low regression risk - aligns with established patterns in related code
- Reviewed and tested
- No dependencies on other commits
- Affects real hardware that users own
**Negative factors:**
- No explicit "Cc: stable@" tag from maintainer
- No "Fixes:" tag to trace original bug introduction
**Risk vs Benefit:**
- Benefit: Restores proper HT40 performance for RTL8192CU/RTL8723AU
users
- Risk: Very low - logic corrections that match other implementations in
the same driver
This is a clear bug fix for user-visible performance degradation. The
changes are minimal, well-understood, properly reviewed, and consistent
with how other chip variants in the same driver family handle channel
configuration. The lack of explicit stable tags appears to be an
oversight rather than an intentional exclusion. Users with these common
USB WiFi adapters would benefit significantly from this fix.
**YES**
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8xxxu/core.c | 7 +++----
1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8xxxu/core.c b/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8xxxu/core.c
index 3ded5952729fc..d2d3bbac2861f 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8xxxu/core.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8xxxu/core.c
@@ -1252,7 +1252,7 @@ void rtl8xxxu_gen1_config_channel(struct ieee80211_hw *hw)
opmode &= ~BW_OPMODE_20MHZ;
rtl8xxxu_write8(priv, REG_BW_OPMODE, opmode);
rsr &= ~RSR_RSC_BANDWIDTH_40M;
- if (sec_ch_above)
+ if (!sec_ch_above)
rsr |= RSR_RSC_UPPER_SUB_CHANNEL;
else
rsr |= RSR_RSC_LOWER_SUB_CHANNEL;
@@ -1321,9 +1321,8 @@ void rtl8xxxu_gen1_config_channel(struct ieee80211_hw *hw)
for (i = RF_A; i < priv->rf_paths; i++) {
val32 = rtl8xxxu_read_rfreg(priv, i, RF6052_REG_MODE_AG);
- if (hw->conf.chandef.width == NL80211_CHAN_WIDTH_40)
- val32 &= ~MODE_AG_CHANNEL_20MHZ;
- else
+ val32 &= ~MODE_AG_BW_MASK;
+ if (hw->conf.chandef.width != NL80211_CHAN_WIDTH_40)
val32 |= MODE_AG_CHANNEL_20MHZ;
rtl8xxxu_write_rfreg(priv, i, RF6052_REG_MODE_AG, val32);
}
--
2.51.0
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2025-12-06 14:03 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 30+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2025-12-06 14:02 [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.1] ksmbd: fix use-after-free in ksmbd_tree_connect_put under concurrency Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.12] fs/ntfs3: check for shutdown in fsync Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.1] smb/server: fix return value of smb2_ioctl() Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.1] gfs2: Fix use of bio_chain Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-5.10] Bluetooth: btusb: Add new VID/PID 13d3/3533 for RTL8821CE Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.12] Bluetooth: btusb: Add new VID/PID 0x0489/0xE12F for RTL8852BE-VT Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-5.10] btrfs: scrub: always update btrfs_scrub_progress::last_physical Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` Sasha Levin [this message]
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.12] Bluetooth: btusb: MT7920: Add VID/PID 0489/e135 Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.12] Bluetooth: btusb: MT7922: Add VID/PID 0489/e170 Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.12] wifi: cfg80211: use cfg80211_leave() in iftype change Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.1] kbuild: Use objtree for module signing key path Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.1] wifi: brcmfmac: Add DMI nvram filename quirk for Acer A1 840 tablet Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-5.10] hfsplus: Verify inode mode when loading from disk Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.6] gfs2: fix remote evict for read-only filesystems Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.17] Bluetooth: btusb: add new custom firmwares Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18] hfsplus: fix volume corruption issue for generic/101 Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-5.10] hfsplus: fix missing hfs_bnode_get() in __hfs_bnode_create Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-5.10] hfsplus: fix volume corruption issue for generic/070 Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-5.15] fs/ntfs3: Support timestamps prior to epoch Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.6] Bluetooth: btusb: Add new VID/PID 2b89/6275 for RTL8761BUV Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.6] ntfs: set dummy blocksize to read boot_block when mounting Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-5.10] hfsplus: fix volume corruption issue for generic/073 Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.12] wifi: mt76: mt792x: fix wifi init fail by setting MCU_RUNNING after CLC load Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.12] gfs2: Fix "gfs2: Switch to wait_event in gfs2_quotad" Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.12] wifi: cfg80211: stop radar detection in cfg80211_leave() Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:55 ` Johannes Berg
2025-12-06 22:49 ` Sasha Levin
2025-12-06 14:02 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.6] ksmbd: vfs: fix race on m_flags in vfs_cache Sasha Levin
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
2025-12-09 0:14 [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.1] ksmbd: fix use-after-free in ksmbd_tree_connect_put under concurrency Sasha Levin
2025-12-09 0:15 ` [PATCH AUTOSEL 6.18-6.12] wifi: rtl8xxxu: Fix HT40 channel config for RTL8192CU, RTL8723AU Sasha Levin
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