port-i386/59908: NOCARRIER_ROAMING wifi dissociation loop on NetBSD11-beta/i386

To: port-i386-maintainer%netbsd.org@localhost,gnats-admin%netbsd.org@localhost,netbsd-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost
Subject: port-i386/59908: NOCARRIER_ROAMING wifi dissociation loop on NetBSD11-beta/i386
From: "rqm%0xde501a7a.net@localhost via gnats" <gnats-admin%NetBSD.org@localhost>
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2026 23:30:00 +0000 (UTC)

>Number:         59908
>Category:       port-i386
>Synopsis:       NOCARRIER_ROAMING wifi dissociation loop on NetBSD11-beta/i386
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       serious
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    port-i386-maintainer
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Sun Jan 11 23:30:00 +0000 2026
>Originator:     requiem
>Release:        11-Beta
>Organization:
endless sleep deprivation
>Environment:
NetBSD 11.0_BETA NetBSD 11.0_BETA (GENERIC) #0: Sun Dec 28 11:27:42 UTC 2025
    mkrepro%mkrepro.NetBSD.org@localhost:/usr/src/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC i386
>Description:
NetBSD-11 Beta fails to associate to WiFi. Below is a slightly redacted log from the Network Configuration tool in the installer itself:

Logs are machine-transcribed from photos of the screen.

```
Command: /sbin/dhcpcd -d -n athn0

dhcpcd-10.2.3 starting
sandbox: posix resource limited
spawned manager process on PID 288
spawned privileged proxy on PID 351
spawned network proxy on PID 290
spawned controller proxy on PID 291
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks PREINIT
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks NOCARRIER
athn0: waiting for carrier
[  32.517222] acpibat0: normal capacity on "charge state"
athn0: carrier acquired
athn0: connected to Access Point: MYWIFINETWORK
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks CARRIER
DUID 00:01:00:01:30:f6:af:04:XX:XX:e5:43:19:a9:b1
athn0: IAID 43:19:a9:b1
athn0: delaying IPv6 Router Solicitation for LL address
athn0: delaying IPv4 for 1.8 seconds
athn0: carrier lost - roaming
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks NOCARRIER_ROAMING
athn0: carrier acquired
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks CARRIER
athn0: IAID 43:19:a9:b1
athn0: delaying IPv6 Router Solicitation for LL address
athn0: delaying IPv4 for 1.6 seconds
athn0: carrier lost - roaming
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks NOCARRIER_ROAMING
athn0: carrier acquired
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks CARRIER
athn0: IAID 43:19:a9:b1
athn0: delaying IPv6 Router Solicitation for LL address
athn0: delaying IPv4 for 0.3 seconds
athn0: carrier lost - roaming
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks NOCARRIER_ROAMING
```
And then this carries on with ever increasing delays between retries.

The same things happens with rtwn-based cards -- possibly others; I only had these two available for testing.

The problem remains after installation too. I can scan for networks, the interface comes up, all seems to work, but I get stuck in the same NOCARRIER_ROAMING loop.

By comparison the NetBSD10.1 installer connects to WiFi perfectly. Log from installer Network Config utility below:

```
Status: Running
Command: /sbin/dhcpcd -d -n athn0

dhcpcd-9.4.1 starting
chrooting as _dhcpcd to /var/chroot/dhcpcd
sandbox: posix resource limited
spawned manager process on PID 161
spawned privileged proxy on PID 162
spawned network proxy on PID 163
spawned controller proxy on PID 164
DUID 00:04:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:4d:1e:c5:78:e9
spawned listener fe80::76e5:43ff:XXXX:XXXX:a9b1 on PID 165
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks PREINIT
athn0: connected to Access Point: MYWIFINETWORK
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks CARRIER
athn0: IAID 43:19:a9:b1
athn0: delaying IPv6 router solicitation for 0.6 seconds
athn0: delaying IPv4 for 1.7 seconds
athn0: soliciting an IPv6 router
athn0: sending Router Solicitation
athn0: Router Advertisement from fe80::6697:14ff:XXXX:XXXX:3b4d
athn0: adding address fd8e:4b26:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:a6cd:155/64
athn0: pltime 1800 seconds, vltime 1800 seconds
athn0: adding route to fd8e:4b26:XXXX:XXXX::/64
athn0: waiting for Router Advertisement DAD to complete
athn0: No DHCPv6 instruction in RA
athn0: Router Advertisement from fe80::b620:4cff:XXXX:XXXX:a52d
athn0: adding address fd8e:4b26:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:a6cd:155/64
athn0: pltime 1800 seconds, vltime 1800 seconds
athn0: waiting for Router Advertisement DAD to complete
athn0: No DHCPv6 instruction in RA

Status: Finished
Command: /sbin/dhcpcd -d -n athn0

athn0: sending DISCOVER (xid 0x1ec3db92), next in 3.9 seconds
athn0: spawned BPF BOOTP on PID 360
athn0: Router Advertisement DAD completed
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks ROUTERADVERT
athn0: sending NA for fd8e:4b26:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:a6cd:155/64
athn0: Router Advertisement DAD completed
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks ROUTERADVERT
athn0: sending NA for fd8e:4b26:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:a6cd:155/64
athn0: Router Advertisement DAD completed
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks ROUTERADVERT
athn0: sending NA for fd8e:4b26:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:a6cd:155/64
athn0: Router Advertisement DAD completed
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks ROUTERADVERT
spawned listener fd8e:4b26:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:a6cd:155 on PID 335
athn0: sending NA for fd8e:4b26:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:a6cd:155/64
athn0: offered 192.XXX.X.163 from 192.XXX.X.1
athn0: sending REQUEST (xid 0x1ec3db92), next in 3.8 seconds
athn0: acknowledged 192.XXX.X.163 from 192.XXX.X.1
athn0: adding IP address 192.XXX.X.163/24 broadcast 192.XXX.X.255
athn0: sending NA for fd8e:4b26:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:a6cd:155/64
athn0: sending NA for fd8e:4b26:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:XXXX:a6cd:155/64
athn0: DAD completed for 192.XXX.X.163
athn0: leased 192.XXX.X.163 for 7200 seconds
athn0: renew in 3600 seconds, rebind in 6300 seconds
athn0: writing lease: /var/db/dhcpcd/athn0-MYWIFINETWORK.lease
athn0: IP address 192.XXX.X.163/24 already exists
athn0: adding route to 192.XXX.X.0/24
athn0: adding default route via 192.XXX.X.1
athn0: spawned BPF ARP on PID 343
athn0: ARP announcing 192.XXX.X.163 (1 of 2), next in 2.0 seconds
athn0: executing: /libexec/dhcpcd-run-hooks BOUND
forked to background, child pid 161
```
The WiFi network is an eero mesh. (So NOT 802.11s). It works OK with NetBSD10.1 and everything else, really.

Wired connections work.

Tried updating to 11 from a 10.1 install with wifi. After a successful upgrade dhcpd times out on boot, and `dmesg | grep athn0` gives me this:

```
$ dmesg | grep athn0
[    1.014835] athn0 at pci1 dev 0 function 0: Atheros AR9280
[    1.014835] athn0: rev 2 (2T2R), ROM rev 22, address 74:e5:43:19:a9:b1
[    1.014835] athn0: interrupting at ioapic0 pin 16
[    1.015700] athn0 at pci1 dev 0 function 0: Atheros AR9280
[    1.015700] athn0: rev 2 (2T2R), ROM rev 22, address 74:e5:43:19:a9:b1
[    1.015700] athn0: interrupting at ioapic0 pin 16
[    1.022853] athn0 at pci1 dev 0 function 0: Atheros AR9280
[    1.022853] athn0: rev 2 (2T2R), ROM rev 22, address 74:e5:43:19:a9:b1
[    1.022853] athn0: interrupting at ioapic0 pin 16
[    1.019848] athn0 at pci1 dev 0 function 0: Atheros AR9280
[    1.019848] athn0: rev 2 (2T2R), ROM rev 22, address 74:e5:43:19:a9:b1
[    1.019848] athn0: interrupting at ioapic0 pin 16
```
For the sake of usability I have downgraded to NetBSD10.1.
>How-To-Repeat:
Try to connect to WiFi on i386 in the NetBSD11-beta installer.
>Fix:
Not known. (Downgrade to NetBSD 10.1...)

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