Wireless tx/rx antenna & diversity settings via GUI?

verta

Hi,

I've had an issue with three pfSense 1.2.3 systems running the following hardware configuration:

#1
alix2d2
1x Winstron CM9
1x Winstron DCMA81

#2
alix2d2
2x Winstron CM9

#3
alix6e1
1x Winstron CM9

Now on to the problem…

I quickly realised that the wireless signal in any mode (IBSS, BSS or HostAP) was very sporadic, jumping from excellent to very poor every second or two. I began investigating and eventually found out that pfSense had set the wireless cards to use Antenna 1 for Transmit, Antenna 2 for Receive and turned Diversity on. There are quite a few forum posts from around 2007/2008 regarding this and the only way to get around it (that I found) was to modify two system files:

Add the following to /etc/sysctl.conf
dev.ath.0.txantenna=1
dev.ath.0.rxantenna=1
dev.ath.0.diversity=0

Add the following to /conf/config.xml above the line
<shellcmd>sysctl dev.ath.0.txantenna=1</shellcmd>
<shellcmd>sysctl dev.ath.0.rxantenna=1</shellcmd>
<shellcmd>sysctl dev.ath.0.diversity=0</shellcmd>

The numbers at the end of each command correspond to the following (I think):
Antenna settings: 0 = both, 1 = main, 2 = aux.
Diversity settings: 0 = off, 1 = on.

There was a bounty out for these settings to be added to the GUI back in 2006 (here: http://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=1172.0), I know Scott Ullrich said it wasn't going to be in 1.0 but were now on 1.2.3 and I can't find this setting in the GUI or referenced anywhere in the pfSense Definitive Guide. Does anyone know if this is going to be, or has already been, included in 2.0? I've no coding knowledge otherwise I'd submit my own patch!

Thanks,

Verta.

Edit: I've also seen a few people say that you need to add the following commands to /conf/config.xml to keep the diversity settings after firewall changes are made;

<afterfilterchangeshellcmd>sysctl dev.ath.0.txantenna=1; sysctl dev.ath.0.rxantenna=1; sysctl dev.ath.0.diversity=0</afterfilterchangeshellcmd>

But there are conflicting reports, some people have spaces between each semicolon and command (as above) some just write the next command without a space - does it really matter, will the commands get executed correctly anyway?

dotdash

The settings are in the GUI in 2.0