Intermittent Wireless Connection

Hi. Just installed Opensuse 10.2 on Sunday. All hardware, etc went fine.
However, my wireless connection keeps dropping every so often (about
every hour).

The Network Manager asks for my WPA password but reconnection hangs at
28%. Then the password screen comes up again.I always need to restart my
laptop to reconnect.

I am using a Sony Vaio FE11S with an Intel Pro/Wireless 3945ABG wireless
card.

Any help would be appreciated as it's 'doing my head in' particularly
since I just made the full switch to Linux full-time (wiped Vista and
installed Opensuse - no dual-booting). Plan to use XEN if I need windows.

Thanks in advance.

Ish,

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I'm having a very similar problem - I put in my WEP passcode and it hangs at
28%. Thing is, it works fine on an open network. I'd rather not
run 'open' though, for obvious reasons.
When you get it sorted, I'd like to hear how.

Doug Black wrote:
> I'm having a very similar problem - I put in my WEP passcode and it hangs at
> 28%. Thing is, it works fine on an open network. I'd rather not
> run 'open' though, for obvious reasons.
> When you get it sorted, I'd like to hear how.

The 28% mark means that it has associated (connected) but not yet authenticated. Your passcode is
wrong. Be aware that their are two methods for generating a WEP key from a passphrase. I think that
your AP and NM are using different ones. The safe way with WEP is to use the key generated by your
AP and enter it into NM. BTW, this is no longer a problem with WPA as that method has only one
method for converting a passphrase to a key.

Larry

Larry Finger,
>
> The 28% mark means that it has associated (connected) but not yet authenticated. Your passcode is
> wrong. Be aware that their are two methods for generating a WEP key from a passphrase. I think that
> your AP and NM are using different ones. The safe way with WEP is to use the key generated by your
> AP and enter it into NM. BTW, this is no longer a problem with WPA as that method has only one
> method for converting a passphrase to a key.
>

I am using the key (10-digit hex) that my AP created from the passphrase
I entered. I guess I could switch my AP to use WPA easily enough, if
that's a more reliable method.

Doug Black wrote:
> Larry Finger,
>>
>> The 28% mark means that it has associated (connected) but not yet
>> authenticated. Your passcode is
>> wrong. Be aware that their are two methods for generating a WEP key
>> from a passphrase. I think that
>> your AP and NM are using different ones. The safe way with WEP is to
>> use the key generated by your
>> AP and enter it into NM. BTW, this is no longer a problem with WPA as
>> that method has only one
>> method for converting a passphrase to a key.
>>
>
> I am using the key (10-digit hex) that my AP created from the passphrase
> I entered. I guess I could switch my AP to use WPA easily enough, if
> that's a more reliable method.

If you have copied the 10-digit hex code correctly, then my analysis is not correct. Check the NM
log at /var/log/NetworkManager to see what it says.

I don't know that WPA is more reliable than WEP; however, it certainly is much more secure.

Larry

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Hash: SHA1

Larry Finger wrote:
> Doug Black wrote:
>> Larry Finger,
>>> The 28% mark means that it has associated (connected) but not yet
>>> authenticated. Your passcode is
>>> wrong. Be aware that their are two methods for generating a WEP key
>>> from a passphrase. I think that
>>> your AP and NM are using different ones. The safe way with WEP is to
>>> use the key generated by your
>>> AP and enter it into NM. BTW, this is no longer a problem with WPA as
>>> that method has only one
>>> method for converting a passphrase to a key.
>>>
>> I am using the key (10-digit hex) that my AP created from the passphrase
>> I entered. I guess I could switch my AP to use WPA easily enough, if
>> that's a more reliable method.
>
> If you have copied the 10-digit hex code correctly, then my analysis is not correct. Check the NM
> log at /var/log/NetworkManager to see what it says.
>
> I don't know that WPA is more reliable than WEP; however, it certainly is much more secure.
>
> Larry
>
>
I was always using WPA anyway and still had the problem. What I've
actually done, is switch to the
Tradional (ifup) method. works fine except:
* It's somewhat slower (not markedly).
* Disconnects for about 5 seconds and then automatically reconnects.
This happens after , say
about every hour.
Do you reckon the NM's broken?
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Ish Aden wrote:
> Larry Finger wrote:
>> Doug Black wrote:
>>> Larry Finger,
>>>> The 28% mark means that it has associated (connected) but not yet
>>>> authenticated. Your passcode is
>>>> wrong. Be aware that their are two methods for generating a WEP key
>>>> from a passphrase. I think that
>>>> your AP and NM are using different ones. The safe way with WEP is to
>>>> use the key generated by your
>>>> AP and enter it into NM. BTW, this is no longer a problem with WPA as
>>>> that method has only one
>>>> method for converting a passphrase to a key.
>>>>
>>> I am using the key (10-digit hex) that my AP created from the passphrase
>>> I entered. I guess I could switch my AP to use WPA easily enough, if
>>> that's a more reliable method.
>> If you have copied the 10-digit hex code correctly, then my analysis is not correct. Check the NM
>> log at /var/log/NetworkManager to see what it says.
>
>> I don't know that WPA is more reliable than WEP; however, it certainly is much more secure.
>
>> Larry
>
>
> I was always using WPA anyway and still had the problem. What I've
> actually done, is switch to the
> Tradional (ifup) method. works fine except:
> * It's somewhat slower (not markedly).
> * Disconnects for about 5 seconds and then automatically reconnects.
> This happens after , say
> about every hour.
> Do you reckon the NM's broken?

All I can say is that NM on openSUSE 10.2 works fine. As my WPA passphrase has a $ character in it,
the ifup method has given me problems as some parts of the system try to do a bash-like variable
substitution on it and the $ and characters following disappear from the wpa_supplicant
configuration file. Not a problem with NM.

Larry