Netgear WNA1100 (N150 Wireless USB Adapter)

[Loko123]

I´ve got the same problem on my fresh ~amd64 install...

The strange thing is, that the USB Adapter is working like a charm on SystemRescueCd-x86-2.3.1. As SystemRescueCd is also Gentoo based, I am sure that it is also working with the default Gentoo build. I think we forgot an USB driver module.

Loko123

[Loko123]

I compiled every USB driver in my kernel (* prefix) - But it is still not working...

The stick is going to be initialized before mounting the root fs. After that, the system don't recognize the stick anymore.

[Gusar]

ath9k_htc devices require firmware. So install linux-firmware. Also, compile the driver as a module.

[Loko123]

Thanks Gusar! Now it works like a charm!

[gentooP4]

Gusar, yes I am.

But of course you are. Which makes it very, very obvious what the issue is.

Well please enlighten me then

[gentooP4]

everything except ifconfig says it works

modprobe ath9k_htc returns, FATAL module not found

does not fit with the lsmod result. modprobe for an already installed module should just return with no printed output.

reboot and as soon as up

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dmesg | wgetpaste

and post url
when convenient boot mint and compare dmesg

time for the drill or blow $20 on a not netgear not atheros not broadcom dongle. I'd send you my broadcom chip netgear packaged dongle ... but ... it has no linux driver ... not even one that doesn't work ...

Please see below DONAHUE, thanks for you continued assistance!
http://paste.pocoo.org/show/500089/

[DONAHUE]

@ Loko123 could you

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 dmesg | wgetpaste
lsmod | wgetpaste
wgetpaste /usr/src/linux/.config

and post url's so gentooP4 could compare?

@ P4 the dmesg looks good also but ..

[Loko123]

@ Loko123 could you

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 dmesg | wgetpaste
lsmod | wgetpaste
wgetpaste /usr/src/linux/.config

and post url's so gentooP4 could compare?

@ P4 the dmesg looks good also but ..

Sorry... :$ I forgot to mention, that it is also necessary to compile some modules. I'll attach it as code.

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[*] Networking support --->
  -*- Wireless
    <*> cfg80211 - wireless configuration API
    [*] enable powersave by default
    [*] cfg80211 wireless extensions compatibility
    [*] Wireless extensions sysfs files
    <M> Common routines for IEEE802.11 drivers
    <M> Generic IEEE 802.11 Networking Stack (mac80211)
    [*] Minstrel
    [*]   Minstrel 802.11n support

Device Drivers --->
    Generic Driver Options --->
    [*] Prevent firmware from being built
    -*- Userspace firmware loading support
    [*] Include in-kernel firmware blobs in kernel binary
  [*] Network device support --->
    [*] Wireless LAN --->
      <M> Atheros Wireless Cards --->
      <M> Atheros HTC based wireless cards support

After that I have emerged linux-firmware, made a reboot and suddenly the stick has worked like a charm.

Loko123

[DONAHUE]

@ Loko123

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emerge wgetpaste
dmesg | wgetpaste 
lsmod | wgetpaste 
wgetpaste /usr/src/linux/.config

and post the url's still might be helpful

@gusar

But of course you are. Which makes it very, very obvious what the issue is.

Not that obvious. What is the issue you see?

[*] Minstrel
[*] Minstrel 802.11n support

could be the magic bullet

[*] Include in-kernel firmware blobs in kernel binary

should not matter unless you told the kernel to build in some ath9k firmware in the line

( ) External firmware blobs to build into the kernel binary

which would expose the line

(firmware) Firmware blobs root directory (NEW)

[gentooP4]

Still no luck with this. I don't appear to have this option

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[*] Minstrel 802.11n support

it's more like

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-*- Minstrel

[DONAHUE]

-*- Minstrel means other choices have automatically enabled it.

[gentooP4]

Getting closer! (I think?)

I think I'm getting the wpa_supplicant application to recognise my USB dongle, these are the instructions I followed ....

Using wpa_supplicant for WPA Encrypted Networks
The wpa_supplicant tool is a software component which controls the wireless connection between
your system and an access point. A major advantage of wpa_supplicant over the previously described
wireless tools is its support for WPA/WPA2.
Before you can use wpa_supplicant, you first need to install it:

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# emerge -a wpa_supplicant

Accessing a Wireless Network
You need to configure your wpa_supplicant to support the wireless network(s) you want to access.
Suppose that your home network is called "home" and is a secured (WPA) environment with key
"myHomeKey" and at your work there is a wireless network called "CompanyGuests", secured (WPA)
environment with key "myCompanyKey" and a third network at your local computer club called
"hobby", not secured, then the following wpa_supplicant.conf configuration could work:

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ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
ctrl_interface_group=wheel
network={
ssid="home" ***I updated this of course***
psk="myHomeKey" ***and this one**
}

You can copy/paste the resulting information in wpa_supplicant.conf and remove the
(commented) plain-text key information.
If your wireless card is found by Linux (and its powered on), then running the following command
will activate the wpa_supplicant on top of it (assume the wireless interface is called wlan0):

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# wpa_supplicant -Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf

One interesting option is the -D option: with this you select the wireless driver to use. With -Dwext,
we use the Linux wireless extensions (which is quite generic). In certain cases you might need to use a
different driver - the Internet has many resources on how to configure your specific wireless network
card with Linux if the Linux wireless extensions don't work.
Of course, once the configuration file is finished, you can use Gentoo's networking scripts as well.

First, edit /etc/conf.d/net to use wpa_supplicant:

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modules="wpa_supplicant"
wpa_supplicant_wlan0="-Dwext"

To have the wireless support active when you boot up your system, enable the net.wlan0 init script.
If /etc/init.d/net.wlan0 doesn't exist yet, first create it:

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# cd /etc/init.d
# ln -s net.lo net.wlan0

Next, add the net.wlan0 init script to the default runlevel:

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# rc-update add net.wlan0 default

The light is now flashing intermittently but the application doesn't manage to connect.
It did find other wireless networks (neighbours) which I thought was a good sign!

Also during boot I get a message along the lines of "wlan0 found but not active" or words to that effect.

Many thanks

[DONAHUE]

that should mean that running ifconfig -a and ifconfig shows wlan0, major progress if so.

if you have USE="qt4" in /etc/make.conf or net-wireless/wpa_supplicant qt4 in /etc/portage/package.use and you

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emerge wpa_supplicant

you will have a GUI interface, wpa_gui, to manage network connections with.

hide passphrase but post results of

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cat /etc/conf.d/net
ls /etc/init.d/net*
rc-update show
cat /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf 

[gentooP4]

Hello DONAHUE,

Please see below outputs:

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hayden@sidcup ~ $ cat /etc/conf.d/net
# This blank configuration will automatically use DHCP for any net.*
# scripts in /etc/init.d.  To create a more complete configuration,
# please review /etc/conf.d/net.example and save your configuration
# in /etc/conf.d/net (this file :]!).
config_eth0=( "dhcp" )
modules="wpa_supplicant"
wpa_supplicant_wlan0="-Dwext"

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hayden@sidcup ~ $ ls /etc/init.d/net*
/etc/init.d/net.eth0  /etc/init.d/net.wlan0  /etc/init.d/network
/etc/init.d/net.lo    /etc/init.d/netmount

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hayden@sidcup ~ $ sudo rc-update show
            alsasound | boot                                          
             bootmisc | boot                                          
          consolefont | boot                                          
           consolekit |      default                                  
                 dbus |      default                                  
                devfs |                                        sysinit
        device-mapper | boot                                          
                dmesg |                                        sysinit
                 fsck | boot                                          
             hostname | boot                                          
              hwclock | boot                                          
              keymaps | boot                                          
            killprocs |                        shutdown               
                local |      default nonetwork                        
           localmount | boot                                          
              modules | boot                                          
             mount-ro |                        shutdown               
                 mtab | boot                                          
             net.eth0 |      default                                  
               net.lo | boot                                          
            net.wlan0 |      default                                  
             netmount |      default                                  
               procfs | boot                                          
                 root | boot                                          
            savecache |                        shutdown               
                 swap | boot                                          
               sysctl | boot                                          
            syslog-ng |      default                                  
         termencoding | boot                                          
                 udev |                                        sysinit
       udev-postmount |      default                                  
              urandom | boot                                          
           vixie-cron |      default                                  
                  xdm |      default 

No quite in the same directory, does this matter?

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hayden@sidcup ~ $ cat /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf 
ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
ctrl_interface_group=wheel

network={
ssid="BThub3-4RGK"
proto=WPA2
psk="my password goes here"
}

#network={
#ssid="CompanyGuests"
#psk="myCompanyKey"
#}

#network={
#ssid="hobby"
#key_mgmt=NONE
#}

Many thanks!

[DONAHUE]

Not quite in the same directory, does this matter?

It is the wrong place.

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mv /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf  /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
nano /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

edit to add

update_config=1
ap_scan=1

after ctrl_interface_group=wheel
then

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/etc/init.d/net.wlan0 restart

my current network entry fabricated by wpa_gui is:

network={
ssid="myssid"
psk="my psk"
proto=RSN
key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
pairwise=CCMP
auth_alg=OPEN
}

You might try matching it or using wpa_gui if your performance is still problematic.

Were you able to tell what finally caused the driver to start driving your interface?

[gentooP4]

It's working!!

Thanks a million for your assistance again DONAHUE!

And no, I didn't quite figure out the kernel config exactly. It was mostly trial and error around the settings you suggested until a reboot eventually lighted up the stick.

Very happy!

[DONAHUE]

god speed

[rg.viza]

+1 to this thread. It helped me get my driver working. From there it was easy