Wireless issues (again)

[sdibias]

If there is one thing I can't stand about Linux it's wireless networking using 3rd party PCMCIA cards

On the other hand if it just worked I suppose I would be bored...

In any event, I have just installed Kubuntu 7.10 on a IBM T23 ThinkPad. I have a Linksys WPC54G Ver2 PCMCIA card that I'm trying to get working, this is not fun.

I have to tell you, I'm tired of being tethered to the frikkin wall with Linux, and too think I had it working wonderfully in XP & Vista and decided it was time to move on.

Here is what I have done:

Took the PCMCIA card out
Installed the NDIS wrapper & utils
Downloaded the Linksys drivers
Extracted the drivers
Installed the drivers

At this point I put the card back in and if I open up a command line and type in this command here is my output:

$ ndiswrapper -l
lsbcmnds : driver installed
lstinds : driver installed
device (104C:9066) present (alternate driver: acx)

Obviously it sees the card now because If I take it out I see this:

$ ndiswrapper -l
lsbcmnds : driver installed
lstinds : driver installed

So, on my wireless card there is NO lights and if I use KNetworkManager I can't see anything wireless.

This is really annoying, I had the same issue using suse 10.2 a while back and ended up switching back to Windows.

I would really like to get it working this time, this will make or break linux for me!

Please Help!!!

[blobfish]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

Believe me! I understand your frustration, being recent convert myself. I have been on linux just long enough to realize it is a long road, but well worth it.

You have the card installed into ndiswrapper now you need to load ndiswrapper into kernel. try

sudo modprobe ndiswrapper.

this whole process amazes me! Just think you are running a windows driver in linux!!!

[sdibias]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

Well at least I don't feel alone anymore

I actually did forget to mention, I have run that command as well to no avail. There has to be an easier way, If I could just see some lights on the card that would make me happy. What the heck am I doing wrong?

[lingenfr]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

Before modprobe, you need to run

ndiswrapper -m to create the alias.

Just because your driver loaded does not mean the driver will work. I have that card, but have not used it with linux. My experience with other broadcom cards says that the drivers don't consistently work. I would like to see if you can find a link to some that are known to work rather than downloading them or even using the ones that came with the card. Good luck.

[sdibias]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

I found some other info on the Ubuntu forums for a previous release but here is what I followed (it still wont work)

Here is my how to:
Installation of Linksys WPC54G v2 wireless card
remove card
in terminal:
sudo aptitude install ndiswrapper-common ndiswrapper-utils-1.9

mkdir linksys
cd linksys
wget ftp://ftp.linksys.com/pub/network/wp...ility_v2.0.zip
unzip wpc54g_v2_driver_utility_v2.0.zip

mv tnet1130.sys TNET1130.sys

sudo ndiswrapper -i lsbcmnds.inf
sudo ndiswrapper -i LSTINDS.INF
sudo modprobe ndiswrapper

Now we are going to set up your system to initialize on boot-up
sudo nano /etc/modules

add the following line at the end of the file
ndiswrapper
then ctrl-x
y
enter
Now insert your card and enter
ndiswrapper -l

the screen should read:
Installed drivers:
lsbcmnds driver installed
lstinds driver installed, hardware present
Disable your wired network connectio
Now run dmesg and look for the following lines:
ndiswrapper: driver lstinds (Linksys,03/10/2004,6.0.0.1 loaded
ndiswrapper: using irq <irq#>
wlan0: vendor: 'TNET1130'
wlan0: ethernet device 00:0f:66:d8:a7:88 using NDIS driver lstinds, 104C:9066:1737:0033.5.conf

Now restart networking with the following command:
sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart

[sdibias]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

Here is my iwconfig

~$ iwconfig
lo no wireless extensions.

eth0 no wireless extensions.

irda0 no wireless extensions.

[lingenfr]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

Those instructions are a bit different than I am familiar with. I still suggest adding ndiswrapper -m before the modprobe. Do an ndiswrapper -l then ndiswrapper -e for eveything that is currently loaded. Then go back through the ndiswrapper -i lines, then ndiswrapper -m, then modprobe and post any output after the modprobe.

[sdibias]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

Err here is what I see when entering the following command

~$ ndiswrapper -m
module configuration already contains alias directive

Can someone break down exactly what i need to do, I have 2 different cards I can try this with.

1) Linksys WPC54G Ver2

or

2) A Belkin card (which I can't currently find so I can't give youthe model #)

I just need wireless to work with WPA support

[sdibias]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

YES!!!

& no :S

I finally got my Linksys card to work and I'm browsing this site wirelessly using Konqueror!!!

Now my new issue... My card only works about 15% of the time, most of the time it wont work. There will be no lights on my card and KNetworkManager will does not see it. If I issue the ndiswrapper -l command it shows that the drivers are installed and that the card is present.

Any ideas?

I'm very excited that it's working, I just need it to work ALL the time. Kubuntu (Linux) gurus please HELP!

[marshallbanana]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

What do the contents of your /etc/network/interfaces look like?

[sdibias]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

Here is what it currently looks like. My card is not working again :S

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
address 127.0.0.1
netmask 255.0.0.0


iface eth0 inet dhcp

auto eth0

I know I can statically set the wlan parameters in here, would that help?

Also, I just plugged my card back in and it slows the machine to a halt, I can barely do anything...

I just wish I could get this to work, I'm getting closer than I did using OpenSuSE 10.2, maybe I need a different card?

[sdibias]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

I added the following to /etc/network/interfaces

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
address 127.0.0.1
netmask 255.0.0.0


iface eth0 inet dhcp

auto eth0

auto wlan0
 iface wlan0 inet static
 wpa-driver wext
 wpa-conf managed
 wpa-ssid [::1]]
 wpa-ap-scan 1
 wpa-proto WPA
 wpa-pairwise TKIP
 wpa-group TKIP
 wpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
 wpa-psk <KEY OMITTED>
 address 172.14.1.10
 netmask 255.255.255.0
 network 172.14.1.0
 broadcast 172.14.1.255
 gateway 172.14.1.1
 dns-nameservers 68.111.16.30 68.111.16.25

Needless to say this did nothing. I don't understand, it worked for a 1/2 hour yesterday without these settings, it worked for 5 minutes the day before and today I'm tethered to the wall with a CAT5 cable because it just wont work.

Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Is there a card that will work? My poor wife and kids are tired of me trying to get this to work

[bootdoc]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

easiest thing to do is get a d-link dwl g-630. works out of the box.

[kbunt]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

That is no solution. My USB wireless adapter (Belkin) works 'out of the box' too. But, if you disconnect and accidentally hit a wrong key (whatever that means), the wireless options mysteriously disappear and KNetwork Manager won't allow you to get them back. There are certain situations in which WPA is available but mostly WEP is and there are often situations in which you cannot even get the wireless to work again.

I've experienced all of these situations first-hand. I had wireless working for a while but if you reboot or restart the computer, there is a chance that you might lose the wireless. I have to connect each time and a wrong "choice" loses your connection and there is no selection of wireless again for some reason. KDE has been going towards ver. 4.0 so is the KNetwork Manager improved? I doubt it. Anybody know? It's the worst program in any KDE distro as far as I'm concerned.

[sdibias]

Re: Wireless issues (again)

Well my Linksys card worked like crap on 7.10 and didn't work at all in SuSE. I just bought that D-Link card from Fries and it works like a charm using WPA personal / TKIP.

No more ndiswrapper and trying to figure out which Linksys or Texas instrument drivers to use!

Thanks for the tip on that card, I spent a week playing with that Linksys card and I'm finally working they way I should be with this D-Link!!

Thanks bootdoc!