Help pleae: RT2870 WLAN (Siemens Gigaset USB adapter 300)

English Network/Internet
#1

I’ve just gone out and bought myself a shiny USB WiFi device with the following characteristics:

/usr/bin/lsusb
Bus 005 Device 003: ID 129b:1828 CyberTAN Technology 
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 046d:c517 Logitech, Inc. LX710 Cordless Desktop Laser
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub              

/usr/sbin/iwconfig                            
lo        no wireless extensions.                                   

ra0       RT2870 Wireless  ESSID:""  Nickname:"RT2870STA"
          Mode:Auto  Frequency=2.412 GHz  Access Point: Not-Associated   
          Bit Rate:1 Mb/s                                                
          RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off                                 
          Link Quality=10/100  Signal level:0 dBm  Noise level:-87 dBm   
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0       
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0       

eth0      no wireless extensions.


sudo /usr/sbin/iwlist scan
root's password:                                
lo        Interface doesn't support scanning.   

ra0       Scan completed :
          Cell 01 - Address: 00:15:E9:D7:97:0D
                    ESSID:"WackoJacko"        
                    Mode:Managed              
                    Channel:6                 
                    Quality:100/100  Signal level:-29 dBm  Noise level:-87 dBm
                    Encryption key:on                                         
                    Bit Rates:11 Mb/s                                         
                    IE: WPA Version 1                                         
                        Group Cipher : TKIP                                   
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : TKIP                           
                        Authentication Suites 



(1) : PSK                       
                    Cell 10 - Address: 00:0F:CC:B2:5C:78
                    ESSID:"JULIE"
                    Mode:Managed
                    Channel:7
                    Quality:0/100  Signal level:-90 dBm  Noise level:-87 dBm
                    Encryption key:on
                    Bit Rates:22 Mb/s
                    IE: WPA Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : TKIP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
                    IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1
                        Group Cipher : TKIP
                        Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP
                        Authentication Suites (1) : PSK

eth0      Interface doesn't support scanning.

Where networks two to nine were removed to shorten the list. I want to connect to the first entry in the list.

In theory, I should be able to do this in YaST, but unlike my old USB WiFi device (which couldn’t scan when probed) this Siemens device is not listed automatically, even after several reboots.

Advice on how to proceed here would be appreciated. I have read through the stickies, and looked at other posts. If there is a manual (i.e. non-GUI) or other way of associating this device to my AP, and establishing a connection I would be very pleased if someone could walk me through it.

Thanks in advance.

#2

Hmmm… I might be barking totally up the wrong tree (and after my contributions to your last thread on the subject, you probably don’t want any suggestions from me anyway ;))

But I have an RT2860 based card, and you used to have to compile drivers for it, but now they’re in kernel.

So there’s at least an outside chance that you don’t need to configure it at all.

Plug in the device, then try clicking on a network manager icon (possibly right clicking), and seeing if it’s got a list of networks (or a scan button). If it has, just click on what you’re after and enter your details.

Might be over hopeful, but it’s easy to overlook the possibility that something does ‘just work’ when you’re expecting to have to fiddle with it…

#3

I’m always grateful for suggestions; they can’t all be silver bullets!

I’m not sure what you mean by a network manager icon…the only place that I have such an icon is in YaST. And that doesn’t recognize RT2870.

The HCL advises compiling them*, but I haven’t a clue how to do this .

I downloaded the firmware, what next?(There is no Readme in the .zip which doesn’t help.)

(Plan B is to purchase WiFi devices from every computer shop in town and when I find one that works, take back all those that don’t. It could well be the quickest way of getting WiFi working on my machine. If only I could get my hands on the Sweex that was recommended.)

Thanks again.

*from the HCL:

Not detected by YAST. Download the latest source code from http://www.ralinktech.com/ralink/Home/Support/Linux.html (the one supplied with the adapter will not compile on later kernels) and follow the README_STA to build the driver. Module must then be configured to load at startup then wpa_supplicant and ifup configured. Could not get this configured within YAST or Network Manager but it works perfectly using ifup.