Fix: Intel Wi-Fi Drops on Battery (Fedora/Linux)
If you have a laptop with Intel Wi-Fi, you might notice your internet stops working the moment you unplug your charger. Usually, the only way to fix it is to restart the whole computer.
The Problem
The Intel driver (iwlwifi) tries to save battery by putting your Wi-Fi card to "sleep." Sometimes, the card fails to wake up properly, causing it to ignore your router. This leads to the "Authentication Failed" errors you see in your logs.
The Solution: Disable Power Save
You can stop the Wi-Fi card from falling into this "deep sleep" by changing a single setting.
1. Create the configuration file
Open a terminal and create a settings file for your Wi-Fi driver:
sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/iwlwifi.conf
2. Add the "Always On" rule
Paste this line into the file:
options iwlwifi power_save=0
(Save and exit by pressing Ctrl+O, Enter, then Ctrl+X.)
3. Reload the driver (No restart needed)
To make the change work immediately without rebooting your laptop, run these commands to "kick" the driver:
sudo modprobe -r iwlmvm
sudo modprobe -r iwlwifi
sudo modprobe iwlwifi
A Better Way for the Future
While the fix above works great, it is a "workaround." Here is how you should handle this long-term:
- Keep your System Updated: Intel frequently releases "Firmware" updates. Run
sudo dnf updateregularly. These updates often contain the actual bug fixes that allow power saving to work without crashing. - Remove the Workaround: Once you have updated your kernel and firmware (e.g., a few months from now), try deleting the file you created:
sudo rm /etc/modprobe.d/iwlwifi.conf - Test it: If the Wi-Fi stays stable on battery after an update, you no longer need the workaround, and your battery life will be slightly better with the fix removed.
