Wireless LAN card not visible

[fusion1275]

Hi all,

Can someone help me with this one please....

I have just bought a wireless LAN card (http://www.qtds.com/products.asp?recnumber=798) and then booted up the server but it cannot recognise the device. I have tried the usual "iwlist", "iwconfig" & "ifconfig" but it cant see either eth0 or wlan0.

I looked in the logs and it doesnt mention anything to do with the LAN card. "lspci" states:

0000:00:0f.0 Ethernet Controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.: Unknown Device 8185 (rev 20)

I've gone into the kernel configs and switched on ALL modules for wireless lan as I didnt know what drivers are needed for this type of card. But still nothing.

What can I do??

Thanks in advance

[My_World]

Do the following:

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emerge -uD ndiswrapper wireless-tools

Get the driver CD you got with the card and copy the Windows XP driver somewhere.
Now as root again:

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ndiswrapper -i /path/to/driver/file.INF
modprobe ndiswrapper
iwconfig

1) Installs the driver.
2) Loads the driver.
3) Verify the device is running.

Now all that is left is to configure it.

[FantomKnight]

I don't know why people keep using ndiswrapper. The manufacturer has written linux drivers for this card. I'm using a wireless card based on it right now. When I get a chance I'm going to write a HOWTO on it WITHOUT ndiswrapper. What you need to do is to emerge rtl8180. Then, make sure that you modprobe r8180. If you need to use WEP, then also modprobe ieee80211_crypt_wep-r8180. In your /etc/init.d, link net.wlan0 to net.lo by using ln -s net.lo net.wlan0. Then, do an ifconfig wlan0 up and /etc/init.d/net.wlan0 start. You may have to fiddle with your /etc/conf.d/wireless file quite a bit. Start off by explicitly specifying your ESSID and your WEP key. Two other key settings that I found that I must set on mine are as follows:

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sleep_scan_wlan0="10"
sleep_associate_wlan0="30"

If I didn't set those parameters, I would not get connected to my AP. That should get you started. It is possible to have it scan and find APs. I was finally able to do it, but other parameters need to be set correctly in order for it to happen. Get it working by explicitly specifying your ESSID first and then I can help you with the rest.

[My_World]

I knew there was something I forgot about this card, I now remeber the drivers in portage.

Aditionally the drivers in portage will let you use the card as an access point as well, the reason I got it a year ago for my server (which I no longer use).

Sorry, my bad!

[fusion1275]

cheers guys for all your help.

Now I have the card up as wlan0... BUT for some reason the lights on the back of the card fail to come on and I cannot ping anything on the network.

I have added all the relevant info in /etc/conf.d/net & wireless files but still nothing. When I try to route add my gateway it says that the file exists (which is correct).

The startup states that the card is up and doing its job but when I ping it says "network is unreachable". I have dropped the WEP so its just a basic connection I am trying to find for the time being but still the same error.

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on this?

[FantomKnight]

Is your card getting an IP via DHCP? What does an ifconfig wlan0 tell you?

[skippern]

Is your card getting an IP via DHCP? What does an ifconfig wlan0 tell you?

Either

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wlan0        Link encap:ethernet    HWaddr 00:0F:1F:1D:11:25

and some other stuff about you network settings, or

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wlan0: error fetching interface information. Device not found.

if your device doesn't exist

[FantomKnight]

Actually, we're specifically looking for a line that reads something like the following:

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inet addr:192.168.0.8  Bcast:192.168.0.255  Mask:255.255.255.0

If the card is getting its IP via DHCP, then this will tell us if it actually got a valid IP.

[fusion1275]

yep its all doing what it should do and its all within the IP range set via the DHCP settings on the router.

ifconfig wlan0

inet addr:192.168.0.4 Bcast:192.168.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0

Just still no lights on the back of the card and no reception to any AP around here. The router is working fine as I have my xbox 360 & 2 laptops running off it via wireless.

Its sooo weird, never had this amount of trouble with any wireless card.

[FantomKnight]

OK, now post the output of route and cat /etc/hosts and cat /etc/resolv.conf

[fusion1275]

ok still no joy with this damn thing... here is the info requested:

/etc/hosts

127.0.0.1 localhost
192.168.0.5 fusion
192.168.0.1 gateway

/etc/resolve.conf

nameserver 212.135.1.**
nameserver 195.40.1.**

route

Kernel IP routing table

Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
192.168.0.0 * 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 wlan0
loopback * 255.0.0.0 U 0 0 0 lo
default * 0.0.0.0 UG 0 0 0 wlan0

I have assigned an IP to the card. Assigned a gateway route (route add default gw 192.168.0.1) and when I do an net.wlan0 start it works. But still cant reach any Ip's on the network and still cant ping the gateway.

HEEEEEELP!!

[fusion1275]

ok an update...

I followed link http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-48 ... altek.html and the chap here got a result. I managed to get all lights on the card now but 1 is flashing. I cannot link to my access point. All the info is in and I can even do a scan now and it finds my AP but just wont connect to it.

Any ideas???

[James Wells]

Greetings,

I have assigned an IP to the card. Assigned a gateway route (route add default gw 192.168.0.1) and when I do an net.wlan0 start it works. But still cant reach any Ip's on the network and still cant ping the gateway.

Let's go back to the basics, I suspect the problem is much more simple. First, stop the wireless device '/etc/init.d/net.wlan stop'. Once it is stopped, go to /var/lib/dhcp and move the dhcp-leases to /tmp or /root. Now, power off your access point. Now we are going to restart the wireless device with '/etc/init.d/net.wlan0 start'.

Once the wireless device is up, run 'iwconfig wlan0'. You should get something like;

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dragonfly ~ # iwconfig wlan0
wlan0     IEEE 802.11b  ESSID:"Arvada"  Nickname:"Colorado"
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.437 GHz  Access Point: 00:16:B6:AF:FA:A0
          Bit Rate=11 Mb/s   Tx-Power:16 dBm
          Retry min limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Encryption key:none  Security mode:open
          Power Management:off
          Link Quality=100/100  Signal level=-50 dBm
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

The first thing to look at is the ESSID. If the ESSID is not one you want to connect to, then blacklist it with;

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blacklist_aps=("Arvada")

Restart your access device and repeat the above steps for each of the access points that you get until you get an indication that there are no configured access points. For example, my blacklist_aps line looks like the following;

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blacklist_aps=("conf" "Denver" "hb" "linksys" "Linksys01" "default")

At this point, you want to add your preferred access point to an entry like;

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preferred_aps_wlan0=("Arvada")

Now power on your access point and restart your wireless device. If you are still unable to get an access point, then you need to check your configuration on the access point. Also, if your access point has logging, check the logs to see if it even sees your wireless device.

If you connect to your access point, then, you want to check your DHCP configuration.

[fusion1275]

Thanks James but it seems to be a config problem. I can see the AP if I do a scan but not when I try to connect or even ping the router. I have followed your instructions but using a static IP instead of DHCP.

All files are set as they should I think but I will copy what I have so you can go through them:

/etc/conf.d/net:-

##############################################################################
# QUICK-START
#
# The quickest start is if you want to use DHCP.
# In that case, everything should work out of the box, no configuration
# necessary, though the startup script will warn you that you haven't
# specified anything.
#
# If you want to use a static address or use DHCP explicitly, jump
# down to the section labelled INTERFACE HANDLERS.
#
# If you want to do anything more fancy, you should take the time to
# read through the rest of this file.


##############################################################################
# MODULES
#
# We now support modular networking scripts which means we can easily
# add support for new interface types and modules while keeping
# compatability with existing ones.
#
# Modules load by default if the package they need is installed. If
# you specify a module here that doesn't have it's package installed
# then you get an error stating which package you need to install.
# Ideally, you only use the modules setting when you have two or more
# packages installed that supply the same service.
#
# In other words, you probably should DO NOTHING HERE...

# Prefer iproute2 over ifconfig
#modules=( "iproute2" )

# You can also specify other modules for an interface
# In this case we prefer udhcpc over dhcpcd
#modules_eth0=( "udhcpc" )

# You can also specify which modules not to use - for example you may be
# using a supplicant or linux-wlan-ng to control wireless configuration but
# you still want to configure network settings per ESSID associated with.
#modules=( "!iwconfig" )


##############################################################################
# INTERFACE HANDLERS
#
# We provide two interface handlers presently: ifconfig and iproute2.
# You need one of these to do any kind of network configuration.
# For ifconfig support, emerge sys-apps/net-tools
# For iproute2 support, emerge sys-apps/iproute2

# If you don't specify an interface then we prefer ifconfig it it's installed
# Prefer iproute2 over ifconfig
#modules=( "iproute2" )

# For a static configuration, use something like this
# (They all do exactly the same thing btw)
#config_eth0=( "192.168.0.2/24" )
#config_eth0=( "192.168.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0" )

# We can also specify a broadcast
#config_eth0=( "192.168.0.2/24 brd 192.168.0.255" )
#config_eth0=( "192.168.0.5 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.0.255" )
config_wlan0=( "192.168.0.4 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.0.255" )

# If you need more than one address, you can use something like this
# NOTE: ifconfig creates an aliased device for each extra IPv4 address
# (eth0:1, eth0:2, etc)
# iproute2 does not do this
#config_eth0=(
# "192.168.0.2/24"
# "192.168.0.3/24"
# "192.168.0.4/24"
#)

# You can also use IPv6 addresses
#config_eth0=(
# "192.168.0.2/24"
# "4321:0:1:2:3:4:567:89ab"
# "4321:0:1:2:3:4:567:89ac"
#)

# If you wish to keep existing addresses + routing and the interface is up,
# you can specify a noop (no operation). If the interface is down or there
# are no addresses assigned, then we move onto the next step (default dhcp)
# This is useful when configuring your interface with a kernel command line
# or similar
#config_eth0=( "noop" "192.168.0.2/24" )

# If you don't want ANY address (only useful when calling for advanced stuff)
#config_eth0=( "null" )

# Here's how todo routing if you need it - the below sets the default gateway
#routes_eth0=( "default gw 192.168.0.1" )
routes_wlan0=( "default gw 192.168.0.1" )

# If a specified module fails (like dhcp - see below), you can specify a
# fallback like so
#fallback_eth0=( "192.168.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0" )
#fallback_route_eth0=( "default via 192.168.0.1" )

# NOTE: fallback entry must match the entry location in config_eth0
# As such you can only have one fallback route.


##############################################################################
# OPTIONAL MODULES

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# WIRELESS (802.11 support)
# Wireless can be provided by iwconfig or wpa_supplicant

# iwconfig
# emerge net-wireless/wireless-tools
# Wireless options are held in /etc/conf.d/wireless - but could be here too
# Consult the sample file /etc/conf.d/wireless.example for instructions
# iwconfig is the default

# wpa_supplicant
# emerge net-wireless/wpa-supplicant
# Wireless options are held in /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
# Consult the sample file /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf.example for instructions
# To choose wpa_supplicant over iwconfig
#modules=( "wpa_supplicant" )
# To configure wpa_supplicant
#wpa_supplicant_eth0="-Dprism54" # For Prism54 based cards
#wpa_supplicant_ath0="-Dmadwifi" # For Atheros based cards
# Consult wpa_supplicant for more drivers
# By default we give wpa_suppliant 60 seconds to associate and authenticate
#wpa_timeout_eth0=60

# GENERIC WIRELESS OPTIONS
# PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS IN /etc/conf.d/wireless.example FOR
# HOW TO USE THIS ESSID VARIABLE
# You can also override any settings found here per ESSID - which is very
# handy if you use different networks a lot
config_ESSID=( "Wireless" )
#dhcpcd_ESSID="-t 5"

# Setting name/domain server causes /etc/resolv.conf to be overwritten
# Note that if DHCP is used, and you want this to take precedence then
# set dhcp_ESSID="nodns"
#dns_servers_ESSID=( "192.168.0.1" "192.168.0.2" )
#dns_domain_ESSID="some.domain"
#dns_search_domains_ESSID="search.this.domain search.that.domain"
# Please check the man page for resolv.conf for more information
# as domain and search (searchdomains) are mutually exclusive and
# searchdomains takes precedence

# You can also override any settings found here per MAC address of the AP
# incase you use Access Points with the same ESSID but need different
# networking configs. Below is an example - of course you use the same
# method with other variables
#mac_config_001122334455=( "dhcp" )
#mac_dhcpcd_001122334455="-t 10"
#mac_dns_servers_001122334455=( "192.168.0.1" "192.168.0.2" )

# When an interface has been associated with an Access Point, a global
# variable called ESSID is set to the Access Point's ESSID for use in the
# pre/post user functions below (although it's not available in preup as you
# won't have associated then)

# If you're using anything else to configure wireless on your interface AND
# you have installed any of the above packages, you need to disable them
#modules=( "!iwconfig" "!wpa_supplicant" )

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# DHCP
# DHCP can be provided by dhcpcd, dhclient, udhcpc or pump
#
# dhcpcd: emerge net-misc/dhcpcd
# dhclient: emerge net-misc/dhcp
# udhcpc: emerge net-misc/udhcp
# pump: emerge net-misc/pump

# If you have more than one DHCP client installed, you need to specify which
# one to use - otherwise we default to dhcpcd if available
#modules=( "udhcpc" ) # to select udhcpc over dhcpcd
#
# Notes:
# - dhcpcd, udhcpc and pump send the current hostname
# to the DHCP server by default
# - dhcpcd does not daemonize when the lease time is infinite
# - udhcp-0.9.3-r3 and earlier does not support getting NTP servers
# - dhclient does not support getting NTP servers
# - pump does not support getting NIS servers
# - DHCP tends to erase any existing device information - so add
# static addresses after dhcp if you need them

# Regardless of which DHCP client you prefer, you configure them the
# same way using one of following depending on which interface modules
# you're using.
#config_eth0=( "dhcp" )

# For passing custom options to dhcpcd use something like the following. This
# example reduces the timeout for retrieving an address from 60 seconds (the
# default) to 10 seconds.
#dhcpcd_eth0="-t 10"

# dhclient, udhcpc and pump don't have many runtime options
# You can pass options to them in a similar manner to dhcpcd though
#dhclient_eth0="..."
#udhcpc_eth0="..."
#pump_eth0="..."

# To set options for dhclient, you need to have an /etc/dhclient.conf file
# See the dhclient man page for details

# GENERIC DHCP OPTIONS
# Set generic DHCP options like so
#dhcp_eth0="release nodns nontp nonis"

# This tells the dhcp client to release it's lease when it stops and not to
# overwrite dns, ntp and nis settings when it starts. You can use any
# combination of the above options - the default is not to use any of them

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA)
# For APIPA support, emerge net-misc/iputils or net-analyzer/arping

# APIPA is a module that tries to find a free address in the range
# 169.254.0.0-169.254.255.255 by arping a random address in that range on the
# interface. If no reply is found then we assign that address to the interface

# This is only useful for LANs where there is no DHCP server and you don't
# connect directly to the internet.
#config_eth0=( "dhcp" )
#fallback_eth0=( "apipa" )

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# VLAN (802.1q support)
# For VLAN support, emerge net-misc/vconfig

# Specify the VLAN numbers for the interface like so
# Please ensure your VLAN IDs are NOT zero-padded
#vlans_eth0="1 2"

# You can also configure the VLAN - see for vconfig man page for more details
#vconfig_eth0=( "set_name_type VLAN_PLUS_VID_NO_PAD" )
#vconfig_vlan1=( "set_flag 1" "set_egress_map 2 6" )
#config_vlan1=( "172.16.3.1 netmask 255.255.254.0" )
#config_vlan2=( "172.16.2.1 netmask 255.255.254.0" )

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Bonding
# For link bonding/trunking emerge net-misc/ifenslave

# To bond interfaces together
#slaves_bond0="eth0 eth1 eth2"
#config_bond0=( "null" ) # You may not want to assign an IP the the bond

# If any of the slaves require extra configuration - for example wireless or
# ppp devices - we need to write a depend function for the bond so they get
# configured correctly.
# This is exactly the same as a depend() function in our init scripts
#depend_br0() {
# need net.eth0 net.eth1
#}

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# ADSL
# For ADSL support, emerge net-dialup/rp-pppoe
# You should make the following settings and also put your
# username/password information in /etc/ppp/pap-secrets

# Configure the interface to use ADSL
#config_eth0=( "adsl" )

# You probably won't need to edit /etc/ppp/pppoe.conf if you set this
#adsl_user_eth0="my-adsl-username"

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# ISDN
# For ISDN support, emerge net-dialup/isdn4k-utils
# You should make the following settings and also put your
# username/password information in /etc/ppp/pap-secrets

# Configure the interface to use ISDN
#config_ippp0=( "dhcp" )
# It's important to specify dhcp if you need it!
#config_ippp0=( "192.168.0.1/24" )
# Otherwise, you can use a static IP

# NOTE: The interface name must be either ippp or isdn followed by a number

# You may need this option to set the default route
#ipppd_eth0="defaultroute"

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# MAC changer
# For changing MAC addresses emerge net-analyzer/macchanger

# - to set a specific MAC address
#mac_eth0="00:11:22:33:44:55"
# - to randomize the last 3 bytes only
#mac_eth0="random-ending"
# - to randomize between the same physical type of connection (eg fibre,
# copper, wireless) , all vendors
#mac_eth0="random-samekind"
# - to randomize between any physical type of connection (eg fibre, copper,
# wireless) , all vendors
#mac_eth0="random-anykind"
# - full randomization - WARNING: some MAC addresses generated by this may NOT
# act as expected
#mac_eth0="random-full"
# custom - passes all parameters directly to net-analyzer/macchanger
#mac_eth0="some custom set of parameters"

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# TUN/TAP
# For TUN/TAP support emerge sys-apps/usermode-utilities
#
# NOTE: The interface name must be either tun or tap followed by a number
#config_tun1=( "192.168.0.1/24")

# For passing custom options to tunctl use something like the following. This
# example sets the owner to adm
#tunctl_tun1="-u adm"

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Bridging (802.1d)
# For bridging support emerge net-misc/bridge-utils

# To add ports to bridge br0
#bridge_br0="eth0 eth1"

# You need to configure the ports to null values so dhcp does not get started
#config_eth0=( "null" )
#config_eth1=( "null" )

# Finally give the bridge an address - dhcp or a static IP
#config_br0=( "dhcp" )
#config_br0=( "192.168.0.1/24" )

# If any of the ports require extra configuration - for example wireless or
# ppp devices - we need to write a depend function for the bridge so they get
# configured correctly.
# This is exactly the same as a depend() function in our init scripts
#depend_br0() {
# need net.eth0 net.eth1
#}

# NOTE: This creates an interface called br0 - you can give the interface
# any name you like

# Below is an example of configuring the bridge
# Consult "man brctl" for more details
#brctl_br0=( "setfd 0" "sethello 0" "stp off" )

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Tunnelling
# For GRE tunnels
#iptunnel_vpn0="mode gre remote 207.170.82.1 key 0xffffffff ttl 255"

# For IPIP tunnels
#iptunnel_vpn0="mode ipip remote 207.170.82.2 ttl 255"

# To configure the interface
#config_vpn0=( "192.168.0.2 pointopoint 192.168.1.2" ) # ifconfig style
#config_vpn0=( "192.168.0.2 peer 192.168.1.1" ) # iproute2 style

##############################################################################
# ADVANCED CONFIGURATION
#
# Four functions can be defined which will be called surrounding the
# start/stop operations. The functions are called with the interface
# name first so that one function can control multiple adapters.
#
# The return values for the preup and predown functions should be 0
# (success) to indicate that configuration or deconfiguration of the
# interface can continue. If preup returns a non-zero value, then
# interface configuration will be aborted. If predown returns a
# non-zero value, then the interface will not be allowed to continue
# deconfiguration.
#
# The return values for the postup and postdown functions are ignored
# since there's nothing to do if they indicate failure.
#
# ${IFACE} is set to the interface being brought up/down
# ${IFVAR} is ${IFACE} converted to variable name bash allows

#preup() {
# # Test for link on the interface prior to bringing it up. This
# # only works on some network adapters and requires the mii-diag
# # package to be installed.
# if mii-tool ${IFACE} 2> /dev/null | grep -q 'no link'; then
# ewarn "No link on ${IFACE}, aborting configuration"
# return 1
# fi
#
# # Test for link on the interface prior to bringing it up. This
# # only works on some network adapters and requires the ethtool
# # package to be installed.
# if ethtool ${IFACE} | grep -q 'Link detected: no'; then
# ewarn "No link on ${IFACE}, aborting configuration"
# return 1
# fi
#
# # Remember to return 0 on success
# return 0
#}

#predown() {
# # The default in the script is to test for NFS root and disallow
# # downing interfaces in that case. Note that if you specify a
# # predown() function you will override that logic. Here it is, in
# # case you still want it...
# if is_net_fs /; then
# eerror "root filesystem is network mounted -- can't stop ${IFACE}"
# return 1
# fi
#
# # Remember to return 0 on success
# return 0
#}

#postup() {
# # This function could be used, for example, to register with a
# # dynamic DNS service. Another possibility would be to
# # send/receive mail once the interface is brought up.
# return 0
#}

#postdown() {
# # This function is mostly here for completeness... I haven't
# # thought of anything nifty to do with it yet
# # Return 0 always
# return 0
#}

##############################################################################
# FORCING MODULES
# The Big Fat Warning :- If you use module forcing do not complain to us or
# file bugs about it not working!
#
# Loading modules is a slow afair - we have to check each one for the following
# 1) Code sanity
# 2) Has the required package been emerged?
# 3) Has it modified anything?
# 4) Have all the dependant modules been loaded?

# Then we have to strip out the conflicting modules based on user preference
# and default configuration and sort them into the correct order.
# Finally we check the end result for dependancies.

# This, of course, takes valuable CPU time so we provide module forcing as a
# means to speed things up. We still do *some* checking but not much.

# It is essential that you force modules in the correct order and supply all
# the modules you need. You must always supply an interface module - we
# supply ifconfig or iproute2.

# The Big Fat Warning :- If you use module forcing do not complain to us or
# file bugs about it not working!

# Now that we've warned you twice, here's how to do it
#modules_force=( "ifconfig" )
#modules_force=( "iproute2" "dhcpcd" )

# We can also apply this to a specific interface
#modules_force_eth1=( "iproute2" )

# The below will not work
#modules_force=( "dhcpcd" )
# No interface (ifconfig/iproute2)
#modules_force=( "ifconfig" "essidnet" "iwconfig" )
# Although it will not crash, essidnet will not work as it has to come after
# iwconfig
#modules_force=( "iproute2" "ifconfig" )
# The interface will be setup twice which will cause problems

/etc/conf.d/wireless:-

# /etc/conf.d/wireless:
# Global wireless config file for net.* rc-scripts

##############################################################################
# IMPORTANT
# linux-wlan-ng is not supported as they have their own configuration program
# ensure that /etc/conf.d/net has the entry "!iwconfig" in it's modules line
# Try and use an alternative driver if you need to use this - hostap-driver
# supports non-usb linux-wlan-ng driven devices
##############################################################################

##############################################################################
# HINTS
##############################################################################
# Remember to change eth0 to your wireless interface which may be
# eth0, eth1, wlan0, ath0 - you get the idea. If you're not sure
# you can type "iwconfig" at the command prompt and it will tell you which
# interfaces are wireless.
# Say that your wireless interface is ath0 - the line
# #essid_eth0="any"
# becomes
# #essid_ath0="any"
#
# Remember to change ESSID to your ESSID.
# Say that your ESSID is My NET - the line
# #key_ESSID="s:passkey"
# becomes
# #key_My_NET="s:passkey"
# Notice that the space has changed to an underscore - do the same with all
# characters not in a-z A-Z (english alphabet) 0-9. This only applies to
# variables and not values.
#
# Any ESSID's in values like essid_eth0="My NET" may need to be escaped
# This means placing the character \ before the character
# \" need to be escaped for example
# So if your ESSID is
# My "\ NET
# it becomes
# My \"\\ NET
# for example
# #essid_eth0="My\"\\NET"
#
# So using the above we can use
# #dns_domain_My____NET="My\"\\NET"
# which is an invalid dns domain, but shows the how to use the variable
# structure
#
# As a final note, most users will just need to set the following options
# key_ESSID1="s:yourkeyhere enc open" # s: means a text key
# key_ESSID2="aaaa-bbbb-cccc-dd" # no s: means a hex key
# preferred_aps=( "ESSID1" "ESSID2" )
#
# Clear? Good. Now configure your wireless network below
#########################################################

##############################################################################
# SETTINGS
##############################################################################
# Hard code an ESSID to an interface - leave this unset if you wish the driver
# to scan for available Access Points
# Set to "any" to connect to any ESSID - the driver picks an Access Point
# This needs to be done when the driver doesn't support scanning
# This may work for drivers that don't support scanning but you need automatic
# AP association
# I would only set this as a last resort really - use the preferred_aps
# setting at the bottom of this file

# However, using ad-hoc (without scanning for APs) and master mode
# do require the ESSID to be set - do this here
essid_wlan0="Wireless"

# Set the mode of the interface (managed, ad-hoc, master or auto)
# The default is auto
# If it's ad-hoc or master you also may need to specify the channel below
mode_wlan0="ad-hoc"

# If managed mode fails, drop to ad-hoc mode with the below ESSID?
#adhoc_essid_wlan0="WLAN"

#Channel can be set (1-14), but defaults to 3 if not set.
#
# The below is taken verbatim from the BSD wavelan documentation found at
# http://www.netbsd.org/Documentation/net ... velan.html
# There are 14 channels possible; We are told that channels 1-11 are legal for
# North America, channels 1-13 for most of Europe, channels 10-13 for France,
# and only channel 14 for Japan. If in doubt, please refer to the documentation
# that came with your card or access point. Make sure that the channel you
# select is the same channel your access point (or the other card in an ad-hoc
# network) is on. The default for cards sold in North America and most of Europe
# is 3; the default for cards sold in France is 11, and the default for cards
# sold in Japan is 14.
channel_wlan0="3"

# Setup any other config commands. This is basically the iwconfig argument
# without the iwconfig $iface
#iwconfig_eth0=""

# Set private driver ioctls. This is basically the iwpriv argument without
# the iwpriv $iface
#iwpriv_eth0=""

# Seconds to wait before scanning
# Some drivers need to wait until they have finished "loading"
# before they can scan - otherwise they error and claim that they cannot scan
# or resource is unavailable. The default is to wait zero seconds
sleep_scan_wlan0="5"

# Seconds to wait until associated. The default is to wait 10 seconds
sleep_associate_wlan0="5"

# By default a successful association in Managed mode sets the MAC
# address of the AP connected to. However, some drivers (namely
# the ipw2100) don't set an invalid MAC address when association
# fails - so we need to check on link quality which some drivers
# don't report properly either.
# So if you have connection problems try flipping this setting
# Valid options are MAC, quality and all - defaults to MAC
#associate_test_eth0="MAC"

# Some driver/card combinations need to scan in Ad-Hoc mode
# After scanning, the mode is reset to the one defined above
scan_mode_wlan0="ad-hoc"

# Below you can define private ioctls to run before and after scanning
# Format is the same as the iwpriv_eth0 above
# This is needed for the HostAP drivers
#iwpriv_scan_pre_eth0="host_roaming 2"
#iwpriv_scan_post_eth0="host_roaming 0"

# Define a WEP key per ESSID or MAC address (of the AP, not your card)
# The encryption type (open or restricted) must match the
# encryption type on the Access Point
# You can't use "any" for an ESSID here
#key_ESSID="1234-1234-1234-1234-1234-1234-56"
# or you can use strings. Passphrase IS NOT supported
# To use a string, prefix it with s:
# Note - this example also sets the encryption method to open
# which is regarded as more secure than restricted
#key_ESSID="s:foobar enc open"
#key_ESSID="s:foobar enc restricted"

# If you have whitespace in your key, here's how to set it and use other
# commands like using open encryption.
#key_ESSID="s:'foo bar' enc open"

# WEP key for the AP with MAC address 001122334455
#mac_key_001122334455="s:foobar"

# Here are some more examples of keys as some users find others work
# and some don't where they should all do the same thing
#key_ESSID="open s:foobar"
#key_ESSID="open 1234-5678-9012"
#key_ESSID="s:foobar enc open"
#key_ESSID="1234-5678-9012 enc open"

# You may want to set muliple keys - here's an example
# It sets 4 keys on the card and instructs to use key 2 by default
#key_ESSID="[1] s:passkey1 key [2] s:passkey2 key [3] s:passkey3 key [4] s:passkey4 key [2]"

# You can also override the interface settings found in /etc/conf.d/net
# per ESSID - which is very handy if you use different networks a lot
#config_ESSID=( "Wireless" )
#dhcpcd_ESSID="-t 5"
#routes_ESSID=()
#fallback_ESSID=()

# Setting name/domain server causes /etc/resolv.conf to be overwritten
# Note that if DHCP is used, and you want this to take precedence then
# please put -R in your dhcpcd options
#dns_servers_ESSID=( "192.168.0.1" "192.168.0.2" )
#dns_domain_ESSID="some.domain"
#dns_search_domains_ESSID="search.this.domain search.that.domain"
# Please check the man page for resolv.conf for more information
# as domain and search (searchdomains) are mutually exclusive and
# searchdomains takes precedence

# You can also set any of the /etc/conf.d/net variables per MAC address
# incase you use Access Points with the same ESSID but need different
# networking configs. Below is an example - of course you use the same
# method with other variables
#mac_config_001122334455=( "dhcp" )
#mac_dhcpcd_001122334455="-t 10"
#mac_dns_servers_001122334455=( "192.168.0.1" "192.168.0.2" )

# Map a MAC address to an ESSID
# This is used when the Access Point is not broadcasting it's ESSID
# WARNING: This will override the ESSID being broadcast due to some
# Access Points sending an ESSID even when they have been configured
# not too!
# Change 001122334455 to the MAC address and ESSID to the ESSID
# it should map to
#mac_essid_001122334455="ESSID"

# This lists the preferred ESSIDs to connect to in order
# ESSID's can contain any characters here as they must match the broadcast
# ESSID exactly.
# Surround each ESSID with the " character and seperate them with a space
# If the first ESSID isn't found then it moves onto the next
# If this isn't defined then it connects to the first one found
#preferred_aps=( "Wireless" )

# You can also define a preferred_aps list per interface
preferred_aps_wlan0=( "Wireless" )

# You can also say whether we only connect to preferred APs or not
# Values are "any", "preferredonly", "forcepreferred", "forcepreferredonly" and "forceany"
# "any" means it will connect to visible APs in the preferred list and then any
# other available AP
# "preferredonly" means it will only connect to visible APs in the preferred list
# "forcepreferred" means it will forceably connect to APs in order if it does not find
# them in a scan
# "forcepreferredonly" means it forceably connects to the APs in order and does not bother
# to scan
# "forceany" does the same as forcepreferred + connects to any other available AP
# Default is "any"
#associate_order="forceany"
#associate_order_eth0="any"

# You can define blacklisted Access Points in the same way
#blacklist_aps=( "ESSID 1" "ESSID 2" )
#blacklist_aps_eth0=( "ESSID 3" ESSID 4" )

# If you have more than one wireless card, you can say if you want
# to allow each card to associate with the same Access Point or not
# Values are "yes" and "no"
# Default is "yes"
#unique_ap="yes"
#unique_ap_eth0="yes"

# IMPORTANT: preferred_only, blacklisted_aps and unique_ap only work when
# essid_eth0 is not set and your card is capable of scanning

# NOTE: preferred_aps list ignores blacklisted_aps - so if you have
# the same ESSID in both, well, you're a bit silly :p


##############################################################################
# ADVANCED CONFIGURATION
#
# Two functions can be defined which will be called surrounding the
# associate function. The functions are called with the interface
# name first so that one function can control multiple adapters.
#
# The return values for the preassociate function should be 0
# (success) to indicate that configuration or deconfiguration of the
# interface can continue. If preassociate returns a non-zero value, then
# interface configuration will be aborted.
#
# The return value for the postassociate function is ignored
# since there's nothing to do if it indicates failure.

#preassociate() {
# # The below adds two configuration variables leap_user_ESSID
# # and leap_pass_ESSID. When they are both confiugred for the ESSID
# # being connected to then we run the CISCO LEAP script
#
# local user pass
# eval user=\"\$\{leap_user_${ESSIDVAR}\}\"
# eval pass=\"\$\{leap_pass_${ESSIDVAR}\}\"
#
# if [[ -n ${user} && -n ${pass} ]]; then
# if [[ ! -x /opt/cisco/bin/leapscript ]]; then
# eend "For LEAP support, please emerge net-misc/cisco-aironet-client-utils"
# return 1
# fi
# einfo "Waiting for LEAP Authentication on \"${ESSID//\\\\//}\""
# if /opt/cisco/bin/leapscript ${user} ${pass} | grep -q 'Login incorrect'; then
# ewarn "Login Failed for ${user}"
# return 1
# fi
# fi
#
# return 0
#}

#postassociate() {
# # This function is mostly here for completeness... I haven't
# # thought of anything nifty to do with it yet
# # Return 0 always
# return 0
#}

ping 192.168.0.1
PING 192.168.0.1 (192.168.0.1) 56(84) bytes of data.
From 192.168.0.4 icmp_seq=2 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.0.4 icmp_seq=4 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.0.4 icmp_seq=5 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.0.4 icmp_seq=8 Destination Host Unreachable

--- 192.168.0.1 ping statistics ---
11 packets transmitted, 0 received, +4 errors, 100% packet loss, time 10030ms

I hope you can come up with something from this?

Thanks in advance

[fusion1275]

YIPPPEE got the damn card working at last!!! It was the drivers. I went to the Realtek website and found the drivers that actually relate to the chipset as opposed to earlier drivers that I got "emerge".

Try to configure wpa_supplicant now and followed the manual+wiki to the letter but I get pages upon pages of one line errors in /var/log/messages everytime I try to fire up the NIC:

unknown crypto alg 'TKIP'

What is gods name does that mean????

[fusion1275]

trying to use "PSK" as my encryption method and everytime I start the card it states the following:

* Caching service dependencies ... [ ok ]
* Starting wlan0
* Starting wpa_supplicant on wlan0 ...
Line 384: Invalid PSK '87y42950v46y294568y468v36y4022v02574vn46024706vn6740673046v3046'.
Line 384: failed to parse psk '87y42950v46y294568y468v36y4022v02574vn46024706vn6740673046v3046'.
Line 386: WPA-PSK accepted for key management, but no PSK configured.
Line 386: failed to parse network block.
Failed to read read or parse configuration '/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf'. [ !! ]

Any ideas as to what I am doing wrong because the length of the key works fine with the wifes laptop just not on here. I can get the card to work like a treat without any encryption but as soon as I start activating the lines in the "net" file, "wireless" file & "wpa_supplicant.conf" file it dies on me.

Can someone please give me a cut and paste of their files so I can see what it should look like and what I need to amend. I am using a static IP for the card and not DHCP.

Thanks for your help.

[fusion1275]

Any ideas anyone? This is really doing my head in and I obviously dont want to work without any encryption running from the router.

Cheers

[fusion1275]

Ok I have been trying all sorts of things to get this to work now but still no joy. Does anyone have any ideas what I am doing wrong here?????