Strange connection issues
Forum: Networking
Topic: Strange connection issues
started by: apw546
Posted by apw546 on Jan. 10 2009,18:34
I'm trying to set up a wireless internet connection, and I'm having some some weird results. I've already set up ndiswrapper with the appropriate drivers, and I'm using wpa_supplicant for wpa authentication. If I start everything up after a fresh reboot, it works fine (meaning I have connection, and can browse the web). But after a while, pages won't load, and the browser gives me a connection timeout error. If I restart wpa_supplicant and pump, I get the error from pump, "operation failed" and nothing I can think of to do will fix it except rebooting.Regardless of whether it works, I get this error while wpa_supplicant is running: "ioctl[SIOCSIWSCAN{,EXT}]: Operation not supported"
Also, iwconfig gives me this message: "Warning: Driver for device wlan0 recommend version 18 of Wireless Extension, but has been compiled with version 16, therefore some driver features may not be available..."
Posted by apw546 on Feb. 24 2009,19:33
No ideas? Anybody?
Posted by apw546 on Mar. 14 2009,05:32
Seriously, no one has any suggestions? Do I need to give more information? If there's something I'm doing wrong, tell me so I can fix it. I'm practically ripping out my hair over this. I just need some clue of what's going on.
Posted by WDef on Mar. 14 2009,11:44
Unusual wifi issues under linux can be extremely tricky even for experts, which most us here definitely aren't. With ndiswrapper - even tricker.What is your wifi card? Isn't there a native alternative to ndiswrapper?
Posted by apw546 on Mar. 14 2009,15:54
The card is a Linksys WMP11v4 PCI. I don't really know anything about native drivers. It didn't automatically configure, so I assumed it wouldn't work that way. Besides, from my point of view, ndiswrapper makes more sense---probably because leftover bits of the windows paradigm clogging up my mind. 
But if you could explain to me how to make sure if there's a native driver, then I'm certainly willing to try.
Posted by WDef on Mar. 14 2009,19:47
Google suggests there is no native linux driver for this card; if so, ndiswrapper appears to be your only choice.Came across these links:
< http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-7319.html >
< http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/showproduct.php/product/2437/cat/all >
Note this last one: be sure you find and use the windows driver version that has been reported working with this card under ndiswrapper on the list on the ndiswrapper website.
Another alternative is just to buy a cheap pcmcia wifi card with a chipset that is known to work out of the box with dsl - see the wiki for a list of those. People talk about picking them up from eBay or clearance sales for next to nothing.
You always have to configure wifi on dsl though - whereas ethernet usually configures itself during boot if it's plugged in.
Posted by apw546 on Mar. 14 2009,22:32
There seems to some sort of trouble with the ndiswrapper site. The list that's supposed to tell me which driver version to get is nowhere to be found. There are a couple of posts in their forum talking about this problem, one of which gives a link to an old archived version of the list, but it doesn't have my card on it.I'm not sure where to go at this point...
Posted by stunix*com on Mar. 18 2009,11:32
easy,change your nic.I have a few thinkpad600e's with one acting as a server/router and all work out of the box with orinoco cards. ok,its slower 802.11b but no issues. the server has one and a 3com 589 to connect cat5.
I also use a Netgear MA311 PCI in a mini-itx box which is essentially a pci version of an orinoco pcmcia card.
i should note that i didnt get a usb orinoco adapter working.
you should find one of these on ebay for a few sobs.