[ltp] Re: Thinkpad T60 Wireless LED on Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex)

[Micha Feigin]

On Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:27:34 -0500
Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> wrote:

> >> I'm using iwl3945 with Debian's kernel 2.6.26 and the wireless led
> >> "works", but I wonder if we all agree on the term "works": it does turn
> >> ON and OFF and sometimes flashes as well, but I find that I don't really
> >> know what ON and flashing means and it overall doesn't really give me
> >> the information I want.  E.g. it basically never turns OFF.
> 
> > At least with iwl4965 it turns on when wifi is active (antena is on)
> > and turns of when antena is disabled.  flashing usually
> > means transmission.
> 
> That kind of what it looks like, indeed.  Except that its notion of
> "antenna on" is different from my notion of "wifi on".  E.g. it's always
> lit when I "turn off wifi" (which basically means that it's not
> associated).  If I flip the rfkill switch, then it turns itself off, but
> otherwise it's always lit (or flashing).
> 

That's the way I like it, because it tells you if the transiver is on. For
example on planes this way you know you are safe. Unassociated doesn't mean
that it's not transmeeting either I'm here, does anyone want to connect, or is
there anybody out there, which is not the same as antena off.

Usually if you are associated there is at least some blinking.

What madwifi did is blink when there is traffic and otherwise stay off which I
liked less.

> In ipw3945, the led was a lot more useful since it indicated
> association status.  I'd expect a behavior along the lines of:
> - led OFF = no communication can take place (whether the antenna is ON
>   or not doesn't really matter: it's a question of power-management).
> - led blinking slowly = trying to associate.
> - led ON = associated.
> - maybe the led could blink quickly when there's transmission, trying to
>   reproduce a typical HDD led behavior (where the blinking is *very* quick).
> 
> 
>         Stefan
>