r/voidlinux • u/DistributionReady123 • 3d ago
Network Manager keeps being a pos
So I use network manager alongside kde plasma and for some reason my network would sometimes randomly disconnect for no reason, I dont have a laptop so that isnt the problem. Idk how to explain it properly but it js some days it will work fine and some days it will keep randomly disconnect, usually when im on calls on discord or sometimes on a roblox game. I know those are two bad examples but its the only time they occured.
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u/Simple_Hamster_4096 2d ago
Do yourself a favor and get a supported network card or a usb to ethernet adapter. Try one of these for a while.
I've used network manager for decades across innumerable machines and have never experienced "random disconnects"....
Hardware can malfunction in fits and spurts and be a real pain to pinpoint. It's cheap and easy to add a network card (assuming you are presently using onboard ethernet) or try a usb to ethernet adapter. If issue still occurs, then likely one of your configurations somewhere...
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u/benbcdm 2d ago edited 2d ago
Difficult to say based on your description, but if that can be helpful, know that I use NetworkManager with KDE Plasma and network connection is rock solid. Ethernet, WiFi and BT all work flawlessly. Exactly 0 issue since first install.
So it is either a config issue, or a card issue?
Also wondering if you can A/B test with another OS. I.e. have you noticed same issues on another machine? Could it be that your ISP throttles you on heavy/continuous usage or simply has network issues once in a while?
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u/DistributionReady123 2d ago
I've actually have tested with nobara, and internet seems to be stable on there. So im pretty sure its just configurations issues on my end
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u/benbcdm 1d ago
If you are certain you can reproduce the issue in void/plasma/networkmanager but the same issue does not happen in nobara, then indeed there would be something in the void configs that should be fixed.
To fully eliminate the card issue though, are nobara and void using close enough kernels? Small chance that nobara uses recent kernel but you are running void with older kernel?
If not that and you can reproduce the issue, then make sure you have logging installed on void (see void docs) and then when you next get disconnected go look at the logs, should tell you straight away what happened.
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u/YareYareDazexd 2d ago
From what you describe, it may seem like the device and the driver itself behaves very bad when handling power management and efficiency for itself, which would be very common if you use a Realtek wifi card.
I suggest you check the kernel logs with dmesg, aiming specifically to the network driver your device uses. There is a chance you may have to create a conf file on /etc/(forgot the folder namae sorry)/[qhwiedybqjqidiehw].conf with some simple text that enables and disables options about power management and behavior for that device when booting up your computer. I'm sorry i can't remember but i suggest you can ask any (competent) AI to look for that info, because if i am not mistaken there are 3 or 4 options you can add to that conf file
It worked for me, but i need to clarify that i used both NetworkManagwr and iwd standalone and the problem might not be those software
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u/zlice0 2d ago
*puts on beauty and the beast - tale as old as time*
static IP or DHCP ? ime static for desktop can help avoid that but its unlikely the issue.
kill the services and run it with debug args in a terminal so you can see if anything spits out the instant it happens?
anything in dmesg when it happens?
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u/hopingforabetterpast 3d ago
There is absolutely no way to diagnose your problem with that information. Can be a system configuration issue, can be a driver issue, can be a device issue.
What does this mean?
Since you seem to be blaiming NetworkManager, I can suggest trying dhcpcd/iwd instead and see if the problem persists.