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Date:      Wed, 31 Dec 2003 17:04:47 -0800
From:      Sam Leffler <sam@errno.com>
To:        David Gilbert <dgilbert@dclg.ca>, freebsd-current@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: ath driver and turning wireless off.
Message-ID:  <200312311704.47749.sam@errno.com>
In-Reply-To: <200312311657.54270.sam@errno.com>
References:  <16371.15032.415568.367500@canoe.dclg.ca> <200312311657.54270.sam@errno.com>

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On Wednesday 31 December 2003 04:57 pm, Sam Leffler wrote:
> On Wednesday 31 December 2003 01:08 pm, David Gilbert wrote:
> > BTW... this Dell (D800) has the ability to turn the wireless hardware
> > off.  For the bluetooth, this is simple: it's like disconnecting a USB
> > dongle.  For the mini-pci slot, it appears to power it down.  pciconf
> > -lv shows the current (non-supported non-ath) card as present when
> > wireless is "on" and not present when wireless is "off"
> >
> > Is the ath driver able to handle this with any degree of
> > gracefullness?
>
> If you mark the interface down the radio should be turned off.  I can't
> tell if you're asking for a hookup to a button on the laptop.  Some
> Atheros-based cards have an rfkill input via a gpio pin that's hooked to a
> switch on the laptop (e.g. IBM T40*).  This mechanism isn't yet in the ath
> driver but should be there soon (someone is testing the changes and they'll
> be rolled in once we know they work).

Actually, now that I think some more, these cards vary as to whether the 
rfkill switch is handled in software or hardware.  If the card needs software 
support to turn off the radio then it's not there but will be soon.

	Sam



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