FYI: NM + Wi-Fi 7 MLO AP: boot-time association completes on 5 GHz only; MLO appears only after retrigger (reapply/clone)
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Hi linux-wireless,
FYI about a boot-time behavior affecting Wi-Fi 7 MLO (802.11be) on Ubuntu with NetworkManager.
Observed behavior:
- On boot, NetworkManager associates successfully but ends up in a single-link, non-MLO connection (observed as 5 GHz only).
- MLO (multi-link with 6 GHz + 5 GHz) forms reliably only after retriggering the connection (e.g., device reapply) or switching to a newly created “clone” profile.
Environment (redacted):
- Kernel: 6.18.7-061807-generic
- NetworkManager: 1.46.0
- Driver: iwlwifi
- Interface: wlp87s0f0
- AP: Wi-Fi 7 / 802.11be MLO-capable (SSID: <REDACTED_SSID>)
Evidence (journal, redacted):
- NM auto-activates the base profile and reaches “device activated” quickly after DHCP.
- A workaround service forces a delete/re-add/activate of a cloned NM profile and then logs: “SUCCESS: 6 GHz link detected”.
Hypothesis:
This looks like a connection orchestration timing issue (early completion on first viable link) rather than a hard driver failure, but I’m sharing here in case others have seen similar behavior in the Wi-Fi 7 MLO stack or have guidance on the correct “ready/complete” conditions for MLO.
I’m also filing with NetworkManager and hostap lists.
Thanks.
Alex