K/Ubuntu - not for me

[kbunt]

I think it's ridiculous that you go through two versions, Gutsy and now Hardy and soon 'Intrepid' and you still don't have a decent wireless configuration program. Not only that but it doesn't even detect. There is almost no documentation either in how to do so. I don't have a problematic or incompatible device. It's not a 'Windows only' device. In fact, it's a device with a chipset that is on the main wireless page for Linux. Everyone has said that Network Manager / KNetwork Manager is a POS and that it is plagued with problems. It's already a major hassle to configure wireless with these devices that have manufacturers only care about Windows drivers. Yet Ubuntu/Kubuntu still have crappy wireless/network programs to use.

I don't know what people do with laptops. Perhaps, the Intel wireless hardware is much more easier to configure or maybe the Ubuntu developers concentrate on these chips because they're so widespread.

I have had little luck in getting wireless to work with Debian-based distros but I thought K/Ubuntu might allow it to work since I've read some users claim their devices work. However, there are also long threads in the Ubuntu forums of people claiming their devices don't work even though there is claimed support. This includes both the zydas-based (zd1211 chipset) and the Ralink-based devices which are supposed to be among the most supported wireless hardware in Linux.

It just boggles my mind that the developers don't care enough to work on these wireless issues. They would rather have pretty colours and other non-essential software programs in the repositories/menus than critical and important programs.

At least Fedora has it work out of the box. I do prefer Synaptic and the APT packaging system but I just think it's crazy when you can't get wireless to work without major tweaking and configuring. No one cares about this?

[askrieger]

Re: K/Ubuntu - not for me

Before you give up, I suggest that you take a look at this page on the Ubuntu Community Help Wiki. I think you'll find that people do care.

[toad]

Re: K/Ubuntu - not for me

I had a ralink wireless pcmcia card for my old laptop once upon a time and it worked. I did not, however, have knetworkmanager do my connecting but did everything by hand. The commands ifconfig and dhclient did the trick for me. AFAIK it was recognised as ral0 or some such, not your usual ethx, but I may be getting thins mixed up with the atheros driver...

[kbunt]

Re: K/Ubuntu - not for me

Before you give up, I suggest that you take a look at this page on the Ubuntu Community Help Wiki. I think you'll find that people do care.

Of course, I've visited that page. It would be wrong to assume I haven't at least tried. I already been through this before with earlier versions of Debian/K/Ubuntu.

I suspect much of the problem has to do with the fact that the distros don't want to include drivers/firmware due to the 'non-free' situation. But, I assumed there would be less problems due to reading the drivers were 'built-in' to the kernel. I thought with the updates with the kernel (being 2.6.24+), that would be less manual configuration.

I don't even mind some manual work to get a workable device but the problem is there is nothing confirming this works. If there was a sticky, 'how to' or tutorial to get this particular chipset working, it would be less frustrating but there is nothing available. I would want something in which several people confirmed it worked and that that were the particular steps to try.

I believe the problem is specific to many of the distros, at least, to the Debian-based ones I've tried. Therefore, those distros have decided to handle the issue in the same way - let the user tolerate it and it's their problem. That is frustrating, sorry.

[toad]

Re: K/Ubuntu - not for me

Well, if you don't mind dabbling with stuff to get it working, perhaps you could get it to work and then write a howto yourself, thus acting in the true spirit of helping yourself and helping others at the same time. I am sure we on the kubuntu forum would do our utmost to get your wireless working

What does lspci and ifconfig say? Any mention of your device at all?

[kbunt]

Re: K/Ubuntu - not for me

I don't know why but I'm having problems accessing the forum. Perhaps, I've been moved to the 'blacklist' or something?

Anyway, I have tried 'lsusb' and other commands to obtain info.

I tried my other device (has zydas/zd1211 chipset as well, though so should behave similarly?) and received the following output:
lsusb ---> Bus 001 Device 004: ID 050d:705c Belkin Components

# iwconfig
lo no wireless extensions.

eth0 no wireless extensions.

eth1 IEEE 802.11b/g ESSIDff/any Nickname:"zd1211"
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.412 GHz Access Point: Invalid
Bit Rate=1 Mb/s
Encryption key:0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-00 Security modepen
Link Quality:0 Signal level:0 Noise level:0
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

Other Debian flavours give practically the same results and I have no wireless with this usb adapter. Both usb adapters are based on the same chipset and give a device number and ID number. When I was trying to get it to work in the past, I have tried commands with modprobe etc. to no avail. I tried installing firmware by enabling 'non-free' repositories but again, no luck.

I think I should accept that I won't get this working by myself and that it's too much of a chore to undergo further frustration with it. Thanks for the offer of help, though.

[haggus]

Re: K/Ubuntu - not for me

I have had wireless working for me before under ubuntu I found it rather hit and miss myself although my d-link usb was quite painful to install it did work. I also had an Airlink pci that worked as well. Anyway did some searching and you are right there is no easy point and click solution but I found this link if your interested

hxxp://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-92327.html

[kbunt]

Re: K/Ubuntu - not for me

Well, lspci is for PCI devices. My wireless device is a USB dongle.

I have tried to configure in Debian, Kubuntu and Sidux. I was under the impression that the device had a chipset which had native drivers in Linux and that the configuration would be practically 'out of the box.' But, some distros require manual configuration methods because of 'non-free' circumstances requiring further tweaking.

My 'experiments' did not work. It's way too frustrating and infuriating when every single distro is like this. Only Fedora was different. It is also frustrating and annoying that no one seems to care about hosting a better wireless/network software program. The programs that are included or available in the repositories are absolute garbage pardon my french. It's like the distro developers don't care what is available or out there.

I don't even mind manual configuration but there are so many write-ups, places steering you in different directions and misleading info, it gets to be too much. But, what bothers me most is that it is implied that it's easy and that 'Device A' works so mine should work. Well, USB WIRELESS ADAPTERS are not just hit and miss in Linux, it's a whole lot of missing. Even when there is supposedly native support, there is tons to do. I can suggest you take 5 mins to search forums in which people are trying to configure usb wireless adapters in Linux (any distro). Most threads end without any solution or conclusion.