diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/Kconfig b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/Kconfig
index dc8ed1527666..6491e27baac5 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/Kconfig
@@ -30,9 +30,11 @@ config IWLWIFI_DEBUG
 
 config IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
         bool "iwlagn debugfs support"
-        depends on IWLWIFI && IWLWIFI_DEBUG && MAC80211_DEBUGFS
+        depends on IWLWIFI && MAC80211_DEBUGFS
         ---help---
-	  Enable creation of debugfs files for the iwlwifi drivers.
+	  Enable creation of debugfs files for the iwlwifi drivers. This
+	  is a low-impact option that allows getting insight into the
+	  driver's state at runtime.
 
 config IWLWIFI_DEVICE_TRACING
 	bool "iwlwifi device access tracing"
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-3945.c b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-3945.c
index 5ffbce8f4563..f9b6e3972bef 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-3945.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-3945.c
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ static void iwl3945_rx_reply_tx(struct iwl_priv *priv,
  *  RX handler implementations
  *
  *****************************************************************************/
-#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG
+#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
 /*
  *  based on the assumption of all statistics counter are in DWORD
  *  FIXME: This function is for debugging, do not deal with
@@ -459,7 +459,7 @@ void iwl3945_hw_rx_statistics(struct iwl_priv *priv,
 	IWL_DEBUG_RX(priv, "Statistics notification received (%d vs %d).\n",
 		     (int)sizeof(struct iwl3945_notif_statistics),
 		     le32_to_cpu(pkt->len_n_flags) & FH_RSCSR_FRAME_SIZE_MSK);
-#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG
+#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
 	iwl3945_accumulative_statistics(priv, (__le32 *)&pkt->u.raw);
 #endif
 	iwl_recover_from_statistics(priv, pkt);
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ void iwl3945_reply_statistics(struct iwl_priv *priv,
 	__le32 *flag = (__le32 *)&pkt->u.raw;
 
 	if (le32_to_cpu(*flag) & UCODE_STATISTICS_CLEAR_MSK) {
-#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG
+#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
 		memset(&priv->_3945.accum_statistics, 0,
 			sizeof(struct iwl3945_notif_statistics));
 		memset(&priv->_3945.delta_statistics, 0,
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-agn.c b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-agn.c
index f91024616822..5bfa7b310c1a 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-agn.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-agn.c
@@ -1465,7 +1465,12 @@ bool iwl_good_ack_health(struct iwl_priv *priv,
 				" expected_ack_cnt = %d\n",
 				actual_ack_cnt_delta, expected_ack_cnt_delta);
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG
+#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
+		/*
+		 * This is ifdef'ed on DEBUGFS because otherwise the
+		 * statistics aren't available. If DEBUGFS is set but
+		 * DEBUG is not, these will just compile out.
+		 */
 		IWL_DEBUG_RADIO(priv, "rx_detected_cnt delta = %d\n",
 				priv->_agn.delta_statistics.tx.rx_detected_cnt);
 		IWL_DEBUG_RADIO(priv,
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-core.c b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-core.c
index f007b36ec54e..5f56a0e539b1 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-core.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-core.c
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ u8 iwl_is_ht40_tx_allowed(struct iwl_priv *priv,
 		if (!sta_ht_inf->ht_supported)
 			return 0;
 	}
-#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG
+#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
 	if (priv->disable_ht40)
 		return 0;
 #endif
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-dev.h b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-dev.h
index 05a7a0dd5b70..57a3c579c870 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-dev.h
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-dev.h
@@ -1255,7 +1255,7 @@ struct iwl_priv {
 			struct delayed_work rfkill_poll;
 
 			struct iwl3945_notif_statistics statistics;
-#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG
+#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
 			struct iwl3945_notif_statistics accum_statistics;
 			struct iwl3945_notif_statistics delta_statistics;
 			struct iwl3945_notif_statistics max_delta;
@@ -1299,7 +1299,7 @@ struct iwl_priv {
 			struct completion firmware_loading_complete;
 
 			struct iwl_notif_statistics statistics;
-#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG
+#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
 			struct iwl_notif_statistics accum_statistics;
 			struct iwl_notif_statistics delta_statistics;
 			struct iwl_notif_statistics max_delta;
@@ -1347,7 +1347,7 @@ struct iwl_priv {
 			    iwl_debug_level if set */
 	u32 framecnt_to_us;
 	atomic_t restrict_refcnt;
-	bool disable_ht40;
+#endif /* CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG */
 #ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
 	/* debugfs */
 	u16 tx_traffic_idx;
@@ -1356,8 +1356,8 @@ struct iwl_priv {
 	u8 *rx_traffic;
 	struct dentry *debugfs_dir;
 	u32 dbgfs_sram_offset, dbgfs_sram_len;
+	bool disable_ht40;
 #endif /* CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS */
-#endif /* CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG */
 
 	struct work_struct txpower_work;
 	u32 disable_sens_cal;
diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-rx.c b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-rx.c
index aea5cf41f4bb..e11898473603 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-rx.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi/iwl-rx.c
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ static void iwl_rx_calc_noise(struct iwl_priv *priv)
 			last_rx_noise);
 }
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG
+#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
 /*
  *  based on the assumption of all statistics counter are in DWORD
  *  FIXME: This function is for debugging, do not deal with
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ void iwl_rx_statistics(struct iwl_priv *priv,
 		    STATISTICS_REPLY_FLG_HT40_MODE_MSK) !=
 		   (pkt->u.stats.flag & STATISTICS_REPLY_FLG_HT40_MODE_MSK)));
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG
+#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
 	iwl_accumulative_statistics(priv, (__le32 *)&pkt->u.stats);
 #endif
 	iwl_recover_from_statistics(priv, pkt);
@@ -480,7 +480,7 @@ void iwl_reply_statistics(struct iwl_priv *priv,
 	struct iwl_rx_packet *pkt = rxb_addr(rxb);
 
 	if (le32_to_cpu(pkt->u.stats.flag) & UCODE_STATISTICS_CLEAR_MSK) {
-#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUG
+#ifdef CONFIG_IWLWIFI_DEBUGFS
 		memset(&priv->_agn.accum_statistics, 0,
 			sizeof(struct iwl_notif_statistics));
 		memset(&priv->_agn.delta_statistics, 0,