My Realtek RTW89 wireless card worked reliably for months, then suddenly became unstable on my laptop without any obvious hardware, configuration, or update change. I tested Fedora, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint. On the installed systems, Wi-Fi either fails completely or works for only a few minutes before disconnecting. I have tried disabling power saving, installing newer drivers and firmware, manually loading modules with modprobe, and using DKMS packages, but nothing has provided a lasting fix. Interestingly, the card works normally when booting Ubuntu or Linux Mint from a live USB, so I am unsure whether this is a hardware problem or a difference in kernels, firmware, or installed configuration. What should I compare or troubleshoot next?
2 Answers
First rule out a configuration difference rather than immediately replacing hardware. Compare the working live session with the installed system for kernel version, linux-firmware package, loaded modules, and power-management settings. Run `rfkill list`, inspect `journalctl -k -b`, and check the NetworkManager log immediately after the connection dies. If the live image uses a newer kernel or firmware, install that same version on the regular system and test it. If the logs show the RTW89 device repeatedly resetting, try a known-good kernel version and update firmware; DKMS drivers can sometimes make things less stable than the in-kernel driver.
The live-USB result is an important clue: the card probably is not completely dead, but the installed systems may be using a different kernel, firmware package, or driver configuration. Compare the live and installed environments with commands such as `uname -r`, `lspci -nnk`, and `dmesg | grep -iE 'rtw|firmware|wifi'`. Check whether they load the same RTW89 module and firmware version. Also look for repeated firmware crashes, timeouts, or resets in the kernel log. NetworkManager is usually just managing the connection; changing desktop distributions may not change the underlying kernel driver.
Ubuntu and Linux Mint both work from live USB, while their installed versions eventually lose Wi-Fi. I had assumed that meant the hardware was fine, but I had not compared the kernel and firmware versions directly.
A temporary USB adapter can be a practical workaround, but it does not explain why the live environments work. I would capture the kernel messages while the connection fails before buying a replacement card.