Slow speed on Hotspot created from Ubuntu 16.04 with RTL8723BE Wireless Network Adapter

Question

History

I ran into a weird problem yesterday(on 13 Jan 2018). My Ubuntu was not able to get strong signals of Wifi. I once encountered this problem before and was able to fix it using this post. The solution was to make a config file as follows -

sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/rtl8723be.conf <<< "options rtl8723be ant_sel=1"

But this time it was not working. I found this article and was able to resolve the "weak Wifi signal" issue successfully. It asked to download drivers from this repo and install it using

sudo make install

Followed by executing these commands and then making a config file to make the setting permanent

sudo modprobe -rv rtl8723be
sudo modprobe -v rtl8723be ant_sel=2
sudo ip link set wlp13s0 up
echo "options rtl8723be ant_sel=2" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/50-rtl8723be.conf

The Problem

But soon I discovered that the hotspot I used to enjoy created from my laptop was giving terrible speed(of only around 0.5Mbps). The speed I get on my LAN is around 80Mbps. I switched to Windows and found that the Hotspot created there gives Wifi speed of around 30 Mbps. I would also like to add that I am using Speedtest by Ookla and the Ping in each speedtest is normal(in range of 8 to 10), which I used to get before. So there is no change in ping. I tried searching for this issue but was not able to find anything related. Your help will be appreciated.

Related Information

My wireless driver is rtl8723be

Output of `iwconfig`

enp2s0    no wireless extensions.

lo        no wireless extensions.

wlo1      IEEE 802.11  Mode:Master  Tx-Power=20 dBm   
          Retry short limit:7   RTS thr=2347 B   Fragment thr:off
          Power Management:on

Output of `ifconfig`

enp2s0    Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr a0:8c:fd:4d:1b:0d  
          inet addr:172.25.30.203  Bcast:172.25.30.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::90b5:2747:93a9:f969/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:39347 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:22188 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:9004186 (9.0 MB)  TX bytes:14741038 (14.7 MB)

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:65536  Metric:1
          RX packets:1608 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:1608 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:141049 (141.0 KB)  TX bytes:141049 (141.0 KB)

wlo1      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 74:df:bf:8b:11:17  
          inet addr:10.42.0.1  Bcast:10.42.0.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::76df:bfff:fe8b:1117/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:12069 errors:0 dropped:1 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:8846 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:13285506 (13.2 MB)  TX bytes:2959250 (2.9 MB)

Output of `lspci | grep Wireless`

03:00.0 Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8723BE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter

Output of `route`

Here 10.42.0.47 is my device connected to the hotspot.

Kernel IP routing table
Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Iface
default         172.25.30.1     0.0.0.0         UG    100    0        0 enp2s0
10.42.0.0       *               255.255.255.0   U     600    0        0 wlo1
link-local      *               255.255.0.0     U     1000   0        0 enp2s0
172.25.30.0     *               255.255.255.0   U     100    0        0 enp2s0

Recent Software Update Log

I think there is a high probability that the problem is due to auto-update of some software. I am sure that this problem started between 8-11 Jan and it was definitely discovered on 13 Jan.
EDIT #1- I see that the kernel was updated to v4.13 on 11 Jan. I suspect that the problem occurred because of this update.
EDIT #2- I tried reverting back to previous kernel (v4.10) through grub and followed this post which explains what to do when kernel is upgraded(or perhaps even downgraded). It didn't work.

Start-Date: 2018-01-05  10:31:01
Commandline: /usr/bin/unattended-upgrade
Upgrade: ruby2.3:amd64 (2.3.1-2~16.04.2, 2.3.1-2~16.04.4), apport:amd64 
(2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), libruby2.3:amd64 (2.3.1-2~16.04.2, 
2.3.1-2~16.04.4), python3-apport:amd64 (2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), 
libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37:amd64 (2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), 
apport-gtk:amd64 (2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), gir1.2-webkit2-4.0:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), libjavascriptcoregtk-4.0-18:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), python3-problem-report:amd64 
(2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37-gtk2:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), gir1.2-javascriptcoregtk-4.0:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1)
Error: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)
End-Date: 2018-01-05  10:31:01

Start-Date: 2018-01-07  08:51:55
Commandline: /usr/bin/unattended-upgrade
Upgrade: ruby2.3:amd64 (2.3.1-2~16.04.2, 2.3.1-2~16.04.4), apport:amd64 
(2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), libruby2.3:amd64 (2.3.1-2~16.04.2, 
2.3.1-2~16.04.4), python3-apport:amd64 (2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), 
libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37:amd64 (2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), 
apport-gtk:amd64 (2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), gir1.2-webkit2-4.0:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), libjavascriptcoregtk-4.0-18:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), python3-problem-report:amd64 
(2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37-gtk2:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), gir1.2-javascriptcoregtk-4.0:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1)
Error: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)
End-Date: 2018-01-07  08:51:55

Start-Date: 2018-01-08  16:34:54
Commandline: /usr/bin/unattended-upgrade
Upgrade: ruby2.3:amd64 (2.3.1-2~16.04.2, 2.3.1-2~16.04.4), apport:amd64 
(2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), libruby2.3:amd64 (2.3.1-2~16.04.2, 
2.3.1-2~16.04.4), python3-apport:amd64 (2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), 
libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37:amd64 (2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), 
apport-gtk:amd64 (2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), gir1.2-webkit2-4.0:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), libjavascriptcoregtk-4.0-18:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), python3-problem-report:amd64 
(2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37-gtk2:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), gir1.2-javascriptcoregtk-4.0:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1)
Error: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)
End-Date: 2018-01-08  16:34:54

Start-Date: 2018-01-09  16:32:45
Commandline: /usr/bin/unattended-upgrade
Upgrade: ruby2.3:amd64 (2.3.1-2~16.04.2, 2.3.1-2~16.04.4), apport:amd64 
(2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), libruby2.3:amd64 (2.3.1-2~16.04.2, 
2.3.1-2~16.04.4), python3-apport:amd64 (2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), 
libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37:amd64 (2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), 
apport-gtk:amd64 (2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), gir1.2-webkit2-4.0:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), libjavascriptcoregtk-4.0-18:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), python3-problem-report:amd64 
(2.20.1-0ubuntu2.14, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15), libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37-gtk2:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), gir1.2-javascriptcoregtk-4.0:amd64 
(2.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1)
End-Date: 2018-01-09  16:34:23

Start-Date: 2018-01-10  16:55:32
Commandline: /usr/bin/unattended-upgrade
Upgrade: poppler-utils:amd64 (0.41.0-0ubuntu1.5, 0.41.0-0ubuntu1.6), linux-libc-dev:amd64 
(4.4.0-104.127, 4.4.0-108.131), firefox-locale-en:amd64 (57.0.3+build1-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 
57.0.4+build1-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), firefox:amd64 (57.0.3+build1-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 
57.0.4+build1-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), libpoppler-glib8:amd64 (0.41.0-0ubuntu1.5, 
0.41.0-0ubuntu1.6), libpoppler58:amd64 (0.41.0-0ubuntu1.5, 0.41.0-0ubuntu1.6)
End-Date: 2018-01-10  16:56:08

=====================================================================
Start-Date: 2018-01-11  14:39:00
Commandline: /usr/bin/unattended-upgrade
Install: linux-image-4.13.0-26-generic:amd64 (4.13.0-26.29~16.04.2, automatic), 
linux-headers-4.13.0-26:amd64 (4.13.0-26.29~16.04.2, automatic), 
linux-signed-image-4.13.0-26-generic:amd64 (4.13.0-26.29~16.04.2, automatic), 
linux-image-extra-4.13.0-26-generic:amd64 (4.13.0-26.29~16.04.2, automatic), 
linux-headers-4.13.0-26-generic:amd64 (4.13.0-26.29~16.04.2, automatic)
Upgrade: linux-libc-dev:amd64 (4.4.0-108.131, 4.4.0-109.132), ruby2.3:amd64 
(2.3.1-2~16.04.4, 2.3.1-2~16.04.5), linux-image-generic-hwe-16.04:amd64 (4.10.0.42.44, 
4.13.0.26.46), linux-signed-generic-hwe-16.04:amd64 (4.10.0.42.44, 4.13.0.26.46), 
linux-generic-hwe-16.04:amd64 (4.10.0.42.44, 4.13.0.26.46), 
linux-signed-image-generic-hwe-16.04:amd64 (4.10.0.42.44, 4.13.0.26.46), libruby2.3:amd64 
(2.3.1-2~16.04.4, 2.3.1-2~16.04.5), linux-headers-generic-hwe-16.04:amd64 (4.10.0.42.44, 
4.13.0.26.46)
End-Date: 2018-01-11  14:42:54
=====================================================================

Start-Date: 2018-01-13  15:57:28
Commandline: apt upgrade
Requested-By: rohan (1000)
Install: libllvm5.0:amd64 (1:5.0-3~16.04.1, automatic), libdrm-common:amd64 
(2.4.83-1~16.04.1, automatic)
Upgrade: suru-icon-theme:amd64 (14.04+16.04.20161024-0ubuntu1, 
14.04+16.04.20171116-0ubuntu1), libgles2-mesa:amd64 (17.0.7-0ubuntu0.16.04.2, 
17.2.4-0ubuntu1~16.04.2), libseccomp2:amd64 (2.2.3-3ubuntu3, 2.3.1-2.1ubuntu2~16.04.1), 
intel-microcode:amd64 (3.20170707.1~ubuntu16.04.0, 3.20180108.0~ubuntu16.04.2), 
libdrm-nouveau2:amd64 (2.4.76-1~ubuntu16.04.1, 2.4.83-1~16.04.1), libgweather-3-6:amd64 
(3.18.2-0ubuntu0.1, 3.18.2-0ubuntu0.2), grub-common:amd64 (2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.14, 
2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.15), libglapi-mesa:amd64 (17.0.7-0ubuntu0.16.04.2, 
17.2.4-0ubuntu1~16.04.2), snapd:amd64 (2.28.5, 2.29.4.2), squashfs-tools:amd64 
(1:4.3-3ubuntu2, 1:4.3-3ubuntu2.16.04.1), google-chrome-stable:amd64 (63.0.3239.108-1, 
63.0.3239.132-1), libxatracker2:amd64 (17.0.7-0ubuntu0.16.04.2, 17.2.4-0ubuntu1~16.04.2), 
grub2-common:amd64 (2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.14, 2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.15), libegl1-mesa:amd64 
(17.0.7-0ubuntu0.16.04.2, 17.2.4-0ubuntu1~16.04.2), initramfs-tools-bin:amd64 
(0.122ubuntu8.9, 0.122ubuntu8.10), libgbm1:amd64 (17.0.7-0ubuntu0.16.04.2, 
17.2.4-0ubuntu1~16.04.2), adapta-gtk-theme:amd64 (3.92.2.57-0ubuntu1~xenial1, 
3.93.0.38-0ubuntu1~xenial1), libdrm-amdgpu1:amd64 (2.4.76-1~ubuntu16.04.1, 
2.4.83-1~16.04.1), grub-efi-amd64-bin:amd64 (2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.14, 
2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.15), libwayland-egl1-mesa:amd64 (17.0.7-0ubuntu0.16.04.2, 
17.2.4-0ubuntu1~16.04.2), ubuntu-core-launcher:amd64 (2.28.5, 2.29.4.2), libdrm2:amd64 
(2.4.76-1~ubuntu16.04.1, 2.4.83-1~16.04.1), libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37:amd64 
(2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.5-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), ubuntu-mobile-icons:amd64 
(14.04+16.04.20161024-0ubuntu1, 14.04+16.04.20171116-0ubuntu1), libgl1-mesa-dri:amd64 
(17.0.7-0ubuntu0.16.04.2, 17.2.4-0ubuntu1~16.04.2), grub-efi-amd64:amd64 
(2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.14, 2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.15), xserver-xorg-core-hwe-16.04:amd64 
(2:1.19.3-1ubuntu1~16.04.4, 2:1.19.5-0ubuntu2~16.04.1), light-themes:amd64 
(14.04+16.04.20161024-0ubuntu1, 14.04+16.04.20171116-0ubuntu1), ubuntu-artwork:amd64 
(1:14.04+16.04.20161024-0ubuntu1, 1:14.04+16.04.20171116-0ubuntu1), libgl1-mesa-glx:amd64 
(17.0.7-0ubuntu0.16.04.2, 17.2.4-0ubuntu1~16.04.2), grub-efi-amd64-signed:amd64 
(1.66.14+2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.14, 1.66.15+2.02~beta2-36ubuntu3.15), 
gir1.2-webkit2-4.0:amd64 (2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.5-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), 
unattended-upgrades:amd64 (0.90ubuntu0.8, 0.90ubuntu0.9), libdrm-intel1:amd64 
(2.4.76-1~ubuntu16.04.1, 2.4.83-1~16.04.1), libdrm-radeon1:amd64 (2.4.76-1~ubuntu16.04.1, 
2.4.83-1~16.04.1), xserver-xorg-legacy-hwe-16.04:amd64 (2:1.19.3-1ubuntu1~16.04.4, 
2:1.19.5-0ubuntu2~16.04.1), mesa-vdpau-drivers:amd64 (17.0.7-0ubuntu0.16.04.2, 
17.2.4-0ubuntu1~16.04.2), libjavascriptcoregtk-4.0-18:amd64 (2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 
2.18.5-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), ubuntu-mono:amd64 (14.04+16.04.20161024-0ubuntu1, 
14.04+16.04.20171116-0ubuntu1), libgweather-common:amd64 (3.18.2-0ubuntu0.1, 
3.18.2-0ubuntu0.2), initramfs-tools-core:amd64 (0.122ubuntu8.9, 0.122ubuntu8.10), 
initramfs-tools:amd64 (0.122ubuntu8.9, 0.122ubuntu8.10), libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37-gtk2:amd64 
(2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.5-0ubuntu0.16.04.1), gir1.2-javascriptcoregtk-4.0:amd64 
(2.18.4-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 2.18.5-0ubuntu0.16.04.1)
End-Date: 2018-01-13  16:00:19

Start-Date: 2018-01-13  18:09:45
Commandline: apt install papirus-icon-theme
Requested-By: rohan (1000)
Install: libreoffice-style-papirus:amd64 (20170914-44+pkg3~ubuntu16.04.1, automatic), 
papirus-icon-theme:amd64 (20180113-2047+pkg17~ubuntu16.04.1)
End-Date: 2018-01-13  18:10:12

Start-Date: 2018-01-13  18:14:39
Commandline: apt-get install arc-theme
Requested-By: rohan (1000)
Install: gnome-themes-standard:amd64 (3.18.0-2ubuntu1, automatic), 
gnome-themes-standard-data:amd64 (3.18.0-2ubuntu1, automatic), arc-theme:amd64 
(1488477732.766ae1a-0)
End-Date: 2018-01-13  18:14:43

Start-Date: 2018-01-13  21:22:41
Commandline: apt autoremove
Requested-By: rohan (1000)
Remove: linux-image-4.10.0-40-generic:amd64 (4.10.0-40.44~16.04.1), 
linux-signed-image-4.10.0-40-generic:amd64 (4.10.0-40.44~16.04.1), libllvm4.0:amd64 
(1:4.0-1ubuntu1~16.04.2), linux-image-extra-4.10.0-40-generic:amd64 
(4.10.0-40.44~16.04.1), linux-headers-4.10.0-40:amd64 (4.10.0-40.44~16.04.1), 
linux-headers-4.10.0-40-generic:amd64 (4.10.0-40.44~16.04.1)
End-Date: 2018-01-13  21:24:20

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 13 '18 at 13:13

I think that wifi power management is responsible for the slow speeds, it can be disabled with

echo "options rtl8723be ips=0" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/50-rtl8723be.conf
sudo sed -i 's/wifi.powersave = 3/wifi.powersave = 2/' /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/default-wifi-powersave-on.conf

Reboot

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 16 '18 at 17:04

Check your entropy available:

cat /proc/sys/kernel/random/entropy_avail

from an arch wiki on haveged and entropy:

If [entropy] is rather low (<1000), you should probably install haveged. Otherwise cryptographic applications will block until there is enough entropy available, which eg. could result in slow wlan speed, if your server is a Software access point.

Install haveged:

sudo apt install haveged

Check your wifi speed then start haveged:

sudo service haveged start

Now start your AP and check the speed again. Hopefully your issue should be resolved

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Jan 15 '18 at 17:38

Regarding to https://forum.ubuntuusers.de/topic/w-lan-geht-nicht-auf-laptop-bzw-hat-starke-sch/#post-8108483 (German Forum) the cause might be a setting that you can check and reset.

To check use modinfo -F parm rtl8723be

The output should look like this:

parm:           swlps:bool
parm:           swenc:using hardware crypto (default 0 [hardware]) (bool)
parm:           ips:using no link power save (default 1 is open) (bool)
parm:           fwlps:using linked fw control power save (default 1 is open) (bool)
parm:           msi:Set to 1 to use MSI interrupts mode (default 0) (bool)
parm:           debug:Set debug level (0-5) (default 0) (int)
parm:           disable_watchdog:Set to 1 to disable the watchdog (default 0) (bool)
parm:           ant_sel:Set to 1 or 2 to force antenna number (default 0) (int)

The last line is the interesting one. You can change the value of ant_sel from 0 to 1 to 2. Reboot and check. - You have to try and find out the correct value on your own.

echo "options rtl8723be swenc=1 fwlps=0 ips=0 ant_sel=1" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/rtl8723be.conf

I dont know if this resolves your problem, but you could give it a try.

WinEunuuchs2Unix · Answer 4 · 2018-01-23T23:54:54.443

Antennae #2 used to be the solution

Looking back through github bug reports, setting your Wifi to use Antennae #2 used to be the solution on kernels >= to 4.12. One person found success switching it back to Antennae #1 under kernel 4.13:

Ah yes, after finding that my kernel loads a firmware that it didn't before (rtl8723befw_36.bin instead of the regular one) i found this issue, very glad!

As far as i see it, 4.13.7 already includes the patch so no action to be made there. in /etc/modprobe.d/rtl8723be.conf i used to have
options rtl8723be fwlps=0
options rtl8723be ant_sel=2
But now i need to ant_sel=1 for a good signal. took me quite a long time figuring this out.

Lots of reports when Ubuntu HWE (Hardware Enablement Stack) took users from Kernel 4.10 branch to kernel 4.13 branch around January 11, 2018. As far as your attempts to downgrade to kernel 4.10 some have had success. Others report success manually installing kernel 4.14 for RTL non-WiFi problems. Still others stayed on 4.13 kernel branch and used rmmod and modprobe as temporary fixes.

Turn off Network Manager WiFi Power saving

Network Manager Power Saving may be enabled by default. Someone reports disabling it improves speed. Look into the file /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/default-wifi-powersave-on.conf:

[connection]
#wifi.powersave = 3
# Slow speed fix: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1670041
wifi.powersave = 2

Commenting out powersave = 3 and using powersave = 2 disables power saving.

All the available options are:

NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_DEFAULT (0): use the default value
NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_IGNORE (1): don't touch existing setting
NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_DISABLE (2): disable powersave
NM_SETTING_WIRELESS_POWERSAVE_ENABLE (3): enable powersave

Turn off ALL WiFi Power Saving

There are three areas of power saving. To turn off all three use:

cat > /etc/modprobe.d/options-rtl8723be.conf <<EOF
options rtl8723be ips=0 swlps=0 fwlps=0
EOF

Don't download and `make` old drivers

At one time you had to download source code and make the drivers yourself. This is no longer necessary:

The rtl8723ae and rtl8723be modules are included in the mainline Linux kernel.

If you are using DKMS make sure it's not recompiling an old driver with every kernel update.

Slow speed on Hotspot created from Ubuntu 16.04 with RTL8723BE Wireless Network Adapter

History

The Problem

Related Information

Output of `iwconfig`

Output of `ifconfig`

Output of `lspci | grep Wireless`

Output of `route`

Recent Software Update Log

4 Answers4

Antennae #2 used to be the solution

Turn off Network Manager WiFi Power saving

Turn off ALL WiFi Power Saving

Don't download and `make` old drivers

Linked

Slow speed on Hotspot created from Ubuntu 16.04 with RTL8723BE Wireless Network Adapter

History

The Problem

Related Information

Output of iwconfig

Output of ifconfig

Output of lspci | grep Wireless

Output of route

Recent Software Update Log

4 Answers4

Antennae #2 used to be the solution

Turn off Network Manager WiFi Power saving

Turn off ALL WiFi Power Saving

Don't download and make old drivers

Linked

Output of `iwconfig`

Output of `ifconfig`

Output of `lspci | grep Wireless`

Output of `route`

Don't download and `make` old drivers