I have an old Toshiba machine with wireless. I notice this machine always gets a much weaker signal that my other computer (they’re sitting right next to each other), as well as any other computer that might be around. Sometimes it does not even connect at all. I quickly assume that my wireless is getting weaker and older? Is that even possible? Do they burn-out eventually? I don’t really know…
Anyway, I went out and snagged-up a FAST Mini 150M wireless device (USB) to bypass the old system and openSUSE doesn’t even see the hardware, let alone the software for it.
Could this be one of those pieces of hardware that openSUSE is incompetent to handle?
I just snagged up a used computer that has no wireless unit in it at all (it was removed by the previous owner). That machine is running Windows XP and the FAST Mini 150M runs like a million bucks on that machine. Quick, powerful signal every time. However, I want to get rid of Windows on that machine and run openSUSE instead. But I dare not wipe out windows until either I know how to install the FAST Mini wireless unit on openSUSE–or find out that openSUSE is incompetent to handle this hardware and software.
It is possible for wireless cards to fail with degraded sensitivity. (I work as a wireless broadband engineer, and have this experienced even with carrier-class hardware), but the first thing to check would be the internal antenna connection to the card (provided you feel confident to do so).
Anyway, I went out and snagged-up a FAST Mini 150M wireless device (USB) to bypass the old system and openSUSE doesn’t even see the hardware, let alone the software for it.
Could this be one of those pieces of hardware that openSUSE is incompetent to handle?
No, but it could well be a that the vendor has been remiss in providing the necessary information for the open source community to support with an open source driver.
As a starting point, you could try to identify the chipset. With the device plugged in, observe and report the output from the following commands
If the signal strength of your old wireless device has been degrading with time,
then your hardware could be failing, but I suspect a better interpretation.
Very few wireless devices provide a quantity named “signal strength”. Instead
the driver coder needs to take some other quantity such as signal-to-noise ratio
and convert it into a measure of the signal strength. I have seen the source for
several Windows drivers, and most of them have contained a comment that says
something like “make it pretty for the customer”. In the drivers that I work on,
making the device “work” is much more important than making the user feel happy
about the “apparent” signal strength or quality.
I doubt that Linux did not see the hardware for your new USB device. The lsusb
output will tell that for sure. If it really is not seen in that list, then you
have a problem with the USB hardware.
Thanks for the tips. The computer is seeing the device after all…
dmesg|tail
909.338329] SFW2-INext-DROP-DEFLT IN=wlp2s0 OUT= MAC= SRC=fe80:0000:0000:0000:0213:02ff:fec6:c909 DST=ff02:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:00fb LEN=258 TC=0 HOPLIMIT=255 FLOWLBL=0 PROTO=UDP SPT=5353 DPT=5353 LEN=218
909.561183] SFW2-INext-DROP-DEFLT IN=wlp2s0 OUT= MAC= SRC=fe80:0000:0000:0000:0213:02ff:fec6:c909 DST=ff02:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:00fb LEN=428 TC=0 HOPLIMIT=255 FLOWLBL=0 PROTO=UDP SPT=5353 DPT=5353 LEN=388
909.811924] SFW2-INext-DROP-DEFLT IN=wlp2s0 OUT= MAC= SRC=fe80:0000:0000:0000:0213:02ff:fec6:c909 DST=ff02:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:00fb LEN=428 TC=0 HOPLIMIT=255 FLOWLBL=0 PROTO=UDP SPT=5353 DPT=5353 LEN=388
910.012187] SFW2-INext-DROP-DEFLT IN=wlp2s0 OUT= MAC= SRC=fe80:0000:0000:0000:0213:02ff:fec6:c909 DST=ff02:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:00fb LEN=398 TC=0 HOPLIMIT=255 FLOWLBL=0 PROTO=UDP SPT=5353 DPT=5353 LEN=358
958.415180] usb 1-7: new high-speed USB device number 3 using ehci-pci
958.530196] usb 1-7: New USB device found, idVendor=0bda, idProduct=8179
958.530208] usb 1-7: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
958.530215] usb 1-7: Product: 802.11n NIC
958.530220] usb 1-7: Manufacturer: Realtek
958.530226] usb 1-7: SerialNumber: 00E04C0001
lsusb
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0bda:8179 Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 0483:2016 STMicroelectronics Fingerprint Reader
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 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 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Now to try and figure out why the software won’t install. I’m on it!
On 02/13/2014 10:56 AM, Ted Behr wrote:
>
> Thanks for the tips. The computer is seeing the device after all…
>
> dmesg|tail
> 909.338329] SFW2-INext-DROP-DEFLT IN=wlp2s0 OUT= MAC=
> SRC=fe80:0000:0000:0000:0213:02ff:fec6:c909
> DST=ff02:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:00fb LEN=258 TC=0 HOPLIMIT=255
> FLOWLBL=0 PROTO=UDP SPT=5353 DPT=5353 LEN=218
> 909.561183] SFW2-INext-DROP-DEFLT IN=wlp2s0 OUT= MAC=
> SRC=fe80:0000:0000:0000:0213:02ff:fec6:c909
> DST=ff02:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:00fb LEN=428 TC=0 HOPLIMIT=255
> FLOWLBL=0 PROTO=UDP SPT=5353 DPT=5353 LEN=388
> 909.811924] SFW2-INext-DROP-DEFLT IN=wlp2s0 OUT= MAC=
> SRC=fe80:0000:0000:0000:0213:02ff:fec6:c909
> DST=ff02:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:00fb LEN=428 TC=0 HOPLIMIT=255
> FLOWLBL=0 PROTO=UDP SPT=5353 DPT=5353 LEN=388
> 910.012187] SFW2-INext-DROP-DEFLT IN=wlp2s0 OUT= MAC=
> SRC=fe80:0000:0000:0000:0213:02ff:fec6:c909
> DST=ff02:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:00fb LEN=398 TC=0 HOPLIMIT=255
> FLOWLBL=0 PROTO=UDP SPT=5353 DPT=5353 LEN=358
> 958.415180] usb 1-7: new high-speed USB device number 3 using
> ehci-pci
> 958.530196] usb 1-7: New USB device found, idVendor=0bda,
> idProduct=8179
> 958.530208] usb 1-7: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2,
> SerialNumber=3
> 958.530215] usb 1-7: Product: 802.11n NIC
> 958.530220] usb 1-7: Manufacturer: Realtek
> 958.530226] usb 1-7: SerialNumber: 00E04C0001
> lsusb
> Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0bda:8179 Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
> Bus 003 Device 002: ID 0483:2016 STMicroelectronics Fingerprint Reader
> Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
> Bus 002 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 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
> Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
>
> Now to try and figure out why the software won’t install. I’m on it!
>
Your device is a Realtek RTL8188EU. The driver for it has only been in the
kernel since version 3.12. As a result, it does not matter what version of
openSUSE you are using, your kernel is too old. BTW, always list the version -
it does make a difference.
There are several ways to get a driver for your device. The easiest is to add
the repo at http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Kernel:/stable/standard/
to your list using YaST => Software Repositories. Once it is added, then you can
use YaST => Software Management to add the kernel-desktop-base package from that
repo. You should also ensure that the kernel-firmware package is installed.
After installing the packages above, then check directory /lib/firmware/rtlwifi/
to make sure that file rtl8188eufw.bin is there. It should be, but if not, then
let me know here, and I will provide an alternative URL.
I understand. Thanks. I will try and get the drivers and see if I can make it work.
Also, this whole thing of messing around with this device is silly. The best thing to do would be just to find the wireless unit that goes in the computer and replace it and be done with it. Much easier said than done here in Thailand, of course, but still worth a try.
Well, that was interesting! I followed the link and got the repository. But it downloaded so quickly that I can’t really tell what happened…
Is the repository now installed, or do I need to go into YaST and find it and install it? I’m searching the list for the repository. An aside – Man, there is a ton of stuff in there! Found some very cool new programs I need to get on my machine!
And I also realize… none of this is going to work for the new machine…
Once I wipe Windows off the new machine, there will be no way to connect to the Internet to go in and get the repository to install the drivers.
This exercise will be fine for the Toshiba, whether it works or not, because it already has wireless built-in.
Back to the drawing board! Off to look for that wireless part!
On 02/13/2014 07:46 PM, Ted Behr wrote:
>
> Ted_Behr;2624618 Wrote:
>> I understand. Thanks. I will try and get the drivers and see if I can
>> make it work.
>>
>> Also, this whole thing of messing around with this device is silly. The
>> best thing to do would be just to find the wireless unit that goes in
>> the computer and replace it and be done with it. Much easier said than
>> done here in Thailand, of course, but still worth a try.
>
> Well, that was interesting! I followed the link and got the repository.
> But it downloaded so quickly that I can’t really tell what happened…
>
> Is the repository now installed, or do I need to go into YaST and find
> it and install it? I’m searching the list for the repository. An aside
> – Man, there is a ton of stuff in there! Found some very cool new
> programs I need to get on my machine!
>
> And I also realize… none of this is going to work for the new
> machine…
>
> Once I wipe Windows off the new machine, there will be no way to connect
> to the Internet to go in and get the repository to install the drivers.
>
>
> This exercise will be fine for the Toshiba, whether it works or not,
> because it already has wireless built-in.
>
> Back to the drawing board! Off to look for that wireless part!
There are ways to add all this stuff on a machine that does not have a network
connection, but good luck in getting a new wireless part.
