Losing Wifi hotspot when connecting to signal

[Vanadium 50]

That doesn't look healthy. A Google search on the message string shows that many people are struggling with that driver.

I'd spend the $13.

 

[russ_watters]

...the hotspot network rapidly disconnects by itself in my PC.

What does this even mean? What is being disconnected and how do you know? A network is something outside your PC, not inside. Your wording (here and earlier) implies something is going wrong with the hotspot device or software before you even connect your phone to it. What exactly are you seeing? An error message?

 

[Svein]

here is a copy of dmesg (It is only the last part of a longer output. At this point the phone is on and the connection is constantly opening and closing):

After wading through the messages, it seems to me that the WiFi USB interface shuts down because it cannot get enough power to transmit. My first guess would be that your WiFi USB interface is not connected directly to your PC (you cannot use an unpowered USB hub).

 

[jack action]

In a PM with @pbuk , we came to the conclusion of buying a used router that should be good for my needs, and that I found on a local classified ad for 20 $CAD. I'm supposed to get it tomorrow. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Thank you all for your help.

 

[Vanadium 50]

it seems to me that the WiFi USB interface shuts down because it cannot get enough power to transmit

Are you sure? I looked at the messages, briefly at the source and other people's complaints and it seems more like going into some power-save mode when it shouldn't. Not only is it happening here, but it is a common problem. Sometimes even updating a kernel can cause it.

In any event, the $20 router is likely the right fix.

 

[jack action]

I got the used router for 20 $CAD (TP-Link N600) today. The installation was basically plug'n'play and I got wifi now.

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[pbuk]

That's great. I notice you were worried upthread about neighbors trying to connect to your WiFi. TP-Link broadcasts its station ID (SSID) by default; you can change that by following the instructions at https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2653/ (change the SSIDs to something only you know and hide them all). This does make it harder to add new devices (you have to enter the SSID on the phone or whatever instead of selecting it from a list), but that is the idea!

 

[jack action]

That's great. I notice you were worried upthread about neighbors trying to connect to your WiFi. TP-Link broadcasts its station ID (SSID) by default; you can change that by following the instructions at https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/2653/ (change the SSIDs to something only you know and hide them all). This does make it harder to add new devices (you have to enter the SSID on the phone or whatever instead of selecting it from a list), but that is the idea!

I didn't know that; and now it's done.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Having a strong password is more important than hiding the SSID (which is an example of "security through obscurity"). If your password is "123456" or "password", hiding the SSID is not going to make you secure. If your password is 9j&Z017N4k3NZ1yi#Ted. things are more secure. Well, not any more after I posted it, but you get the idea.

Entering that in your phone from the phone's keyboard will not be fun. But you only need to do it once.

It's worth pointing out that hiding the SSID doesn't really hide the SSID. What it does is prevent the router from announcing its presence "Here is my SSID! Come connect to me!" But `there are a number of other ways to find the SSID.