/comp/ - Buying WiFI adapter for use with Linux

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 2:49

I've just installed Ubuntu on the machine next to me. Everything went great. Went to System > Administration > Networking and saw:

>Wireless connection
The interface wlan0 is active
>Ethernet connection
The interface eth0 is active
>Modem connection
The interface ppp0 is not configured

I'm using a Phoebe OCT11G-USB WiFi adapter. All my other hardware works great.

So, I click on Wireless Connection > Preferences and I DO get a list of all the WiFi networks about my area, including my home network. I select "Enable this connection", I select my home network. I select Hexadecimal for keytype and enter my home's WEP key. For configuration I choose DHCP, I click OK, and a loading screen "Activating interface 'wlan0'" appears for a few seconds. I try Firefox, nothing. So I go back, choose Static IP, enter the appropriate information, same Subnet mask as this machine, IP address incrementally one up with only the last octet as this machine, same router address. No luck.

So /comp/ is my WiFi adapter just not supported? If so, any useful sites for drivers, or info on which retail adapters I could buy that WOULD be supported?

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 8:37

>>1
If the wireless interface is up (which it is, according to the information you pasted), the kernel sees the adapter and can talk to it, so it's definitely supported. Something's wrong with your configuration.

Are you getting any connection at all? Try pinging sites, or, if that fails, your router.

Also, unless you want your Internet activity and bandwidth to be public property, turn of the router's SSID broadcast and use WPA. WEP is worthless.

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 10:59

I've tried every small variation of the configuration I can imagine.

I did notice that if I open Networking Tools and select the Wireless Adapter from the dropbox, I get no information.

I can't ping anything except they 127.0.0.1 loopback and such. I'll keep messing with my configuration but if It doesnt work, can I just run into town and get a PCI Linksys card or something?

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 15:10

Signal strength? Its theonly thing which comes to mind other than configuration

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 15:47

Im now trying to install something called Ndiswrapper, which allows Linux to see Windows WiFi adapters' drivers by installing some sort of Windows API. Anyhow, Im using the Terminal (bash) according to the instructions, and I get to the point where I extracted the files from the ndiswrapper.tar.gz2 and am in the directory. The instructions then say:

"Go to the source-directory and run 'make distclean' and 'make'. As root, run 'make install'. This should compile and install both the kernel module and the userspace utilities."

Here I am lost because I don't see a file called 'make distclean' nor 'make', and neither of those are commands from the shell.

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 16:16

You don't need or want ndiswrapper. You definitely can't use it unless you know what you're doing.

In your original post, the copy pasta you served us says that your wireless device is up and running. You need to ditch the shitty GUI and learn about the console. The commands you want in the console are the following:

iwlist wlan0 scanning #shows you a list of all available wireless networks in range

ifconfig wlan0 #shows you all the relevant information of the wlan0 adapter

iwconfig wlan0 #used to configure wireless network configuration options

For example, when I want to connect to a network with my laptop, I do:

iwlist wlan0 scanning (look at it, pick the network "linksys" that one of my neighbors is sucking at)

ifdown wlan0 (brings wlan0 down)
iwconfig wlan0 ssid=linksys (where linksys is the broadcast ssid of the network [some distributions use bssid instead of ssid])
iwconfig wlan0 channel=6 (where 6 is the channel of the network name)
iwconfig wep enabled (if wep is enabled, don't do this if wep is not enabled)
iwconfig key1 7d234d21c8 (where this is the wep key of the wireless network you're accessing)
ifup -a (brings up all network interfaces)

ping www.google.com and you may just get a reply

When you understand wtf this is doing, you can simply do a iwconfig wlan0 ssid=auto;iwconfig wlan0 channel=auto;ifup wlan0 and automatically connect to the strongest insecure connection. Or write a bash script to connect to your home network automagically.

Next time use Google you tard I spent like 10 minutes writing this.

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-26 0:16

By console, you mean Terminal, yes?

Oddly enough, this doesn't work.

iwlist wlan0 scanning: works. I see all the local networks.

ifdown wlan0 gives me permission denied, so I skip it.

iwconfig wlan0 ssid=netgear gives me "unknown blah blah 'ssid=netgear'

iwconfig wlan0 bssid=netgear gives the same.

Perhaps my WiFi nic just isn't being supported correctly, console skills or not.

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-26 10:27

Obviously your card works, or you wouldn't be able to get a list of nearby WiFi networks. That sort of thing means that the OS is able to properly talk to the card.

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-26 16:52

So what kind of solution would I look for?

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 1:14

Ok, it is not my configuration. I've got everything right. I've got the right network selected, I've got the right subnet mask, the right gateway address, my IP is fine, I've got the right WEP key.

I cannot ping anything, according to the Network Tools Ping tab, 'www.google.com'; is not a valid domain. Nothing is. Not a single thing.

Can I not just go to a store, buy a fucking Linksys card, put that shit in and get this shit working? This is very frustrating.

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 8:47

How did you set all that stuff if you weren't root?

You said you got a permission denied error when you were following my tutorial. This means you are not logged in as a superuser, and there's no way you could get it to run properly.

You're too stupid to run linux. If you really want it to work, fed-ex me your computer and $50 cash and I'll set it up for you.

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 9:18

Can you ping the router/access point? I assume you must be able to since you set a gateway address, which would be the address of the router/AP you connected to...
What is the output of ifconfig?

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 13:57

I know the gateway address because I've got three other computer correctly working on this network.

And, the command to log in as a superuser is 'su' right?

I am asked to enter my password, which I do and all goes well, until I get that error.

When I configure from the gui, I am asked to enter my password, which clears.

These passwords are to permit administration privleges, how am I not logged in as a superuser at this point?

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 13:57

When I said I can't ping anything I but the loopback address I didn't mean the loopback address AND the router.

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 14:27

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-28 2:49

Obviously you don't know shit about Linux. Fucking faggots need to get off my board.

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-28 23:27

turn off wep and see if your wireless connects. if it does, you know it is a problem with configuration

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-30 17:53

go back to windows you faggot

Buying WiFI adapter for use with Linux

1 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 2:49

2 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 8:37

3 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 10:59

4 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 15:10

5 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 15:47

6 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 16:16

7 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-26 0:16

8 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-26 10:27

9 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-26 16:52

10 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 1:14

11 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 8:47

12 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 9:18

13 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 13:57

14 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 13:57

15 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 14:27

16 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-28 2:49

17 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-28 23:27

18 Name: Anonymous 2006-07-30 17:53

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 2:49

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 8:37

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 10:59

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 15:10

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 15:47

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-25 16:16

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-26 0:16

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-26 10:27

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-26 16:52

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 1:14

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 8:47

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 9:18

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 13:57

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 13:57

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-27 14:27

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-28 2:49

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-28 23:27

Name: Anonymous 2006-07-30 17:53