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From: rupo
Newsgroups: alt.os.linux.ubuntu
Subject: I'm going backwards on wireless
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2007 22:57:31 -0800
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Xref: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com alt.os.linux.ubuntu:9944
I downloaded ISO files of Ubuntu(CD), Knoppix(CD) and Kubuntu(DVD)
and burned them to CD/DVD. None of them recognized the modem or the
wireless on my Compaq Presario 2209CL. I am only able to connect to the
internet through an external modem that I hooked to a serial port on my
HP Pavillion (Pentium III and plenty of ram) desktop. My laptop's WiFi
on-off switch wouldn't work with any of the above distros.
Sourceforge told me about ndiswrapper and I followed their
instructions and I got my WiFi switch to go on and off. I'm running
Dapper 6.06.1 Gnome on this laptop. I had to BLACKLIST Dapper's kernel
broadcom driver to get the wirelss on-off switch to work with my Win XP
broadcom driver and ndiswrapper. I then installed network-manager-gnome
and VOILA! I was able to pick up SSIDs in the surrounding area and I
thought that I had it made. I don't have a wireless router at home. I
use the laptop at libraries, cafes and while traveling. I've only done
free, unsecured hotspots with it. I went to the library and I clicked
on the library's SSID and the network manager icon turned to an orbiting
electron(?) and twirled for about a minute and then went back to a
terminal icon and said "not connected" WTF? How could I get that
close but no cigar? Sourceforge told me if it didn't connect to do a
(in terminal) "sudo killall dhclient" and then "sudo ifdown eth0" (I
think those were the commands, the laptop's in the other room). Not
only didn't that fix anything, I no longer pick up the SSIDs in the
surrounding area when I click on the network manager terminal icon. I
did "sudo dhclient" and "sudo ifup eth0" to try to get my SSIDs back and
that made no difference. My on-off switch still works. My questions:
1. Why does network settings, ifconfig and iwconfig all report my
wireless as eth1? I was expecting wlan0 since sourceforge told me
that's what it should say.
2. Why is eth0 active? I don't have anything plugged into the RJ45
connector. I have no network at home. Turning eth0 off makes no
difference.
3. What did killall do that permanently left me without seeing SSIDs in
the surrounding ether when I click the network manager icon? I've
turned eth0 on and off and it seems to make no difference. Oh, I did
(in terminal) a "iwlist eth1 scanning" and that DID report the SSIDs in
the surrounding area so I know something is picking up the SSID signals.
4. Could I use two ndiswrappers to get both my modem and wireless
working with the Win XP drivers? Can you have two ndiswrappers? Maybe
with a template like wlan%d where d can change numbers for the modem and
then the wireless. They wouldn't be used at the same time, of course.
I don't have one of them working and already I'm thinking about two of them.
5. Do you think bcm43xx-fwcutter would work better than ndiswrapper?
It's supposed to cut the firmware from the Windows driver and stick it
in some firmware folder. Would that make the wireless run faster than
ndiswrapper runs wireless or would there be no difference?
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Omicron Theta BBS (1:261/20)
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