Good morning,
I have an Alfa high-powered USB adapter with the RTL 8187 chipset. I saw that the kernel doesn’t support this adapter (natively), so I used ndiswrapper. The machine sees the adapter, sees the MAC address, but it won’t connect. I’m running OpenSUSE 11.0 64-bit version on a custom-built AMD 5400-based chip (that is 64 bit), and 4 GB of RAM. Everything else is working (NVIDIA, wired LAN, codecs, etc.).
Also, when I type the iwconfig or ifconfig commands – even as root – they return a command not found error. Mind you, I’m typing the commands without arguments or parameters, which might be why.
I’ve entered the SSID and the 128-bit WEP key that is used on my network in the YAST config.
I would still consider myself a noob in the Linux world (with only three months experience), but I know my way around command prompts and have worked with MS products for nearly 15 years now.
Thanks much.
which version of suse are you using? which program are you trying to connect with? try disabling IPv6 as well in yast. if you are using 10.3 may i suggest trying to connect using a diff program as a check. switch to traditional method with ifup and then try connecting with kinternet, or better yet (if you have cable access) download wifi-radar and try that. if none of this works we will try some more settings.
Thistig,
Thank you…I’m using OpenSuse 11.0 KDE 4 with latest updates.
I was trying to configure the adapter in YAST and connect with KDEWifi, or connect through YAST itself.
IPV6 is currently enabled … i’ll shut it off when I get to the machine later and download wi-fi radar.
I have Verizon FIOS 20 MB down 5 MB up, and right now I’m using the wired LAN with a 100-foot cable (actually two 50s joined with a coupler) running from the 3rd fl. of my house down to the 1st fl family room (hence my getting a high-powered adapter). The machine is connected to a 46-inch Samsung LCD.
OK…I shut off IPV6 and took the reboot. I also downloaded today’s patches and took the reboot. IWCONFIG started working. I also ran the scan utility and it found the networks in my immediate area including mine. I can now authenticate to my AP, but not get an IP address.
My card is set to 27 mw. I need to crank it up. I know there is a text file I can edit, which basically invokes the ndiswrapper, starts the wifi, and also lets me set the power among other things.
I tried the one-click 10.2/10.3 for WiFi Radar, but that did not work. I’m going to have to download the rpm and do it manually, so no WiFi Radar yet.
yeh there is no wifi-radar for suse 11 yet, i thought you could get it if you were running an earlier version but never mind that now. you should try knetworkmanager, it works fine for most people. you say ‘the machine’, are we talking laptop or desktop? if laptop it would be ideal to go round a mates house or whatever (in the least geeky way as possible…) and try and conect there, since if it still doesn’t work there, you know it’s your machines set up, not the network. strange it can’t get an IP, and you say it found the network fine. this means the card is working at least, what is the signal strength?
post the results of
iwlist scan
iwconfig
cheers
Thistig,
Thank you…the machine is a desktop. Knetwork manager doesn’t work for some reason. I’ll post the output later, but from what I saw, the signal strength was good, but the transmission speed was awful – 1 MB. That could account for why DHCP wouldn’t work.
Thistig,
Here is the output (please note, I obscured my ESSID and encryption key in the output, but it’s otherwise unchanged). My SSID is also not broadcast (on purpose). The empty SSID in Cell 1 scan is mine.
linux-s8e5:~ # iwconfig wlan0
wlan0 IEEE 802.11g ESSID:"*****"
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.412 GHz Access Point: 00:0F:66:2C:46:E8
Bit Rate=1 Mb/s Tx-Power=27 dBm
Retry min limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr=2352 B
Encryption key:****************************
Link Quality=54/64 Signal level=29/65
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0
linux-s8e5:~ # iwlist scan
lo Interface doesn’t support scanning.
eth0 Interface doesn’t support scanning.
wmaster0 Interface doesn’t support scanning.
wlan0 Scan completed :
Cell 01 - Address: 00:0F:66:2C:46:E8
ESSID:""
Mode:Master
Channel:1
Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
Quality=20/64 Signal level=27/65
Encryption key:on
Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
12 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s
Extra:tsf=000000a537d6618e
Cell 02 - Address: 00:1D:7E:E9:E0:A9
ESSID:“raidensworld”
Mode:Master
Channel:6
Frequency:2.437 GHz (Channel 6)
Quality=7/64 Signal level=13/65
Encryption key:on
IE: WPA Version 1
Group Cipher : TKIP
Pairwise Ciphers (1) : TKIP
Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
12 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s
Extra:tsf=000000deddfad1aa
Cell 03 - Address: 00:1E:2A:61:08:D6
ESSID:“Lynn”
Mode:Master
Channel:11
Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
Quality=58/64 Signal level=38/65
Encryption key:on
IE: WPA Version 1
Group Cipher : TKIP
Pairwise Ciphers (1) : TKIP
Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
12 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
Extra:tsf=000000e1424a2cbf
Cell 04 - Address: 00:18:01:E5:06:96
ESSID:“PR710”
Mode:Master
Channel:11
Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
Quality=9/64 Signal level=12/65
Encryption key:on
Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s
48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
Extra:tsf=0000003f351bb3e6
Cell 05 - Address: 00:19:7D:AF:49:50
ESSID:“63b8”
Mode:Master
Channel:1
Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
Quality=25/64 Signal level=13/65
Encryption key:on
Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s
24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
12 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s
Extra:tsf=000000e1430ed019
Cell 06 - Address: 00:1F:90:E2:3B:79
ESSID:“IQ100”
Mode:Master
Channel:1
Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
Quality=30/64 Signal level=14/65
Encryption key:on
Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
11 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s
48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
Extra:tsf=000000012c89afe2
Cell 07 - Address: 00:18:01:EC:18:D2
ESSID:“The Box”
Mode:Master
Channel:6
Frequency:2.437 GHz (Channel 6)
Quality=47/64 Signal level=16/65
Encryption key:on
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) : TKIP
Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
11 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s
48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
Extra:tsf=00000001b3a6bc53
Cell 08 - Address: 00:1F:90:E1:35:96
ESSID:“30458”
Mode:Master
Channel:11
Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
Quality=28/64 Signal level=14/65
Encryption key:on
Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s
11 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s
48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
Extra:tsf=000000269f06a54e
Now…this adapter is an Alfa AWUS036H, which is based on the RTL 8187 chip. The adapter cranks out 500mw of power (which is 27 DBM – I was wrong the other night – it’s 27dbm, not 27 mw!), when fitted with its factory default 2.5 db antenna. The output you see above is with the factory antenna.
I also have a 9-dbm omni “rubber duckie,” and a 12-dbm Super Cantenna, which is a directional antenna with a 30-degree spread. I noticed that the signal actually deteriorated when the higher-gain antennae were fitted, which suggests that the bigger antennae were introducing noise. I’m not sure, but my Cantenna (12 dbm antenna) combined with this adapter (27 dbm power) might bust the FCC’s 30-dbm (1-watt) maximum tx power, or if not will be right at the margin. The 9-dbm might be in the same boat. So, for now, I’m staying with factory.
Thistig,
Just real quick…I put the Cantenna on and moved it to the doorway just outside my family room. Speed went from 1 MB to the full 54, and signal quality and level dramatically improved. Maybe, I’m down to just a DHCP issue now?
linux-s8e5:~ # iwconfig wlan0
wlan0 IEEE 802.11g ESSID:“GBOAD”
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.412 GHz Access Point: 00:0F:66:2C:46:E8
Bit Rate=54 Mb/s Tx-Power=27 dBm
Retry min limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr=2352 B
Encryption key:1068-6A8A-0B76-1651-6C8C-A794-8C
Link Quality=57/64 Signal level=38/65
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0
seems strange it won’t connect still after much better signal quality, means this is no longer the issue at least.
what type of encryption are you using? WPA, WEP??
have you tried disabling the router security and trying to connect then? to see if this is the issue.
i had a reallt weird problem once where my laptop would not connect, disabled the security, got on fine, re-enabled the security and it worked (just ask deltaflyer44 on here!! :))
then get back to me. it sounds like it’s not getting the IP like you say. are you using traditional method with ifup?
as thestig said, try with security off, even if you are using MAC address filtering,turn it off.also, check your firewall,ensure you haven’t made any typo’s ( & yep, i remember it as if it were yesterday 
)
Andy
Deltaflyer and Thistig,
I’m using WEP 128. I don’t have MAC filtering, but my SSID broadcast is shut off. I have a complex little network at home.
Here goes: I’m using a Linksys WRT54G with 7-DBM omnis and the Talisman firmware set to 79 mw. The unit is actually set as a DHCP forwarder on my main LAN. It is wired to a Verizon MI424WR which is the DHCP server on my network (same LAN). Wireless is shut off on the Verizon box. I have Linksys RT31P2 which hangs off the Verizon box (this device is wired only and is for VOIP – in my case Vonage). The IP subnet is different, but that box acts as a router, so anything connected to that box gets Internet access). Hanging off the RT31P2 is a wired Motorola VOIP box that Vonage also supplied. Confused yet? 
I have two other machines which connect to the wireless LAN: a laptop running PCLinuxOS and an ancient Compaq Deskpro with a Linksys WMP54G card and a 9-dbm “rubber duck” running TinyMe.
My entire network had been flaking out and I reset the Verizon box, but not the Linksys…So, I just did that right now and see what happens when I fire up the SUSE machine.
Andy,
I tried the WIRELESS_AP_SCANMODE=‘2’ command in the config file. Didn’t help.
I tried broadcasting the SSID. Didn’t help either.
I enabled the DHCP server in the router and set up a reservation by card MAC address and machine host name. Nothing.
And I don’t think it’s the router, because as I wrote prior, two other wireless clients – also Linux distros – get on just fine – as does my XP Pro work laptop. I’m going to set the router back the way it was.
This is either a SUSE/driver thing, or it’s a signal thing related to that location, where no gear will work because of the number of walls and ceilings it must pass through. I’ll report back in a bit and let you know if the work laptop works in that location.
Ok…I tried with the work laptop. I was able to connect and get an address through DHCP (ruling out DHCP issues), but the connection would drop to 5.5 mb and after that disconnect. It was like that on my whole first floor. Now, the work laptop is a Lenovo T-61 and it outputs 25.1 mw or 14 dbm. Signal quality ranged from 60% to 95% and generally hovered in the 80s. But link speed was poor.
Still, I was able to get an IP address on a machine outputting much less power – even if it dropped.
I am resistant to shutting off security, because I have three other machines that work with the wireless. I’m going to bring the PCLinuxOS laptop down tomorrow and see how it behaves in the same environment
I don’t know what to make of this, except perhaps it might be a physical signal problem.
For one thing, I brought the PCLOS laptop down and the whole first fl was a huge dead zone. Then I realized that when I first installed my Linksys, I had a Hawking 6-DBM adjustable antenna that worked very well. I pulled off the other 7-dbm antenna and connected my 9-dbm omni just to give it a little more “oomph.” The first floor except the family room is working fine, and my PCLOS machine works anywhere except the family room.
Now…check this out…
00:0F:66:1D:3E:14 signal -87dBm (2nd Fl)
00:C0:CA:1A:B0:12 signal 0dBm (SUSE)
00:90:4B:7B:62:47 signal -87dBm (PCLOS)
The Cantenna for the SUSE machine is right next to the PCLOS machine (which normally resides on my third fl). I’m waiting for a 7-foot extension cable on the Cantenna to arrive. I can also put a 10-foot USB extension on the card and see if relocating the antenna 17 feet further out makes a difference. The SUSE machine is getting a signal, but no DHCP.
BTW…I tried my XP work laptop again. It could not maintain a connection, but my work machine has all types of security stuff on it, so it’s not a fair test.
My best bet would be to run a CAT-5e drop down there.
hmmm very strange indeed. have you tried connecting the suse machine to another network? would rule out set up issues.
it doesn’t seem to me a security issue, at least not now, and it’s def a signal quality. try sitting next to the router
Just a while ago, I tried connecting to an open network still set to “linksys.” It actually gave me an IP address, but the signal was weak, and I don’t think that box was dishing out DNS, so I couldn’t get out. BTW, I extended my USB cord by 10 feet to get the antenna out of the family room and into the same location where my PCLOS machine worked fine. That did not help.
I had a similar issue with a WMP54G PCI card on my Mandriva machine. It would scan and see networks, but never get on any of them. When I moved it off and put it on my TinyMe machine, it worked fine. Maybe, it’s just that OpenSUSE doesn’t like this card, but I really would rather not leave SUSE. For one thing, it’s currently the only Linux distro with an easy-to-install latest Nvidia driver.
I have an XP 64-bit CD that’s legal for me to use, but I’d rather not deal with “patch of the week,” “security this,” “antivirus that,” and 10 million things in my system tray all vying for my attention. I could use those adapters that put Ethernet over the house wiring, but that technology is really in its infancy. Running CAT-5e drops in my house will be very troublesome for me to do and very expensive to contract out (The contractors I use at my job charge about $1,000/drop).
I think as far as this card and SUSE are concerned, I might be running out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas all at the same time…
OK…I tried XP-64 bit. That lasted all of two hours on my machine. Long story short, not only would the wireless card not work, the sound, which worked fine under SUSE wouldn’t work either. Then for kicks and giggles I tried a Linksys WUSB54GP USB. That’s when XP 64-bit told me, it could not install a 32-bit driver. XP then went into an endless loop of blue screens. So much for that and SUSE went back on…this time with KDE 3.5, not 4. The card picked up and actually got an IP this time, but then I couldn’t ping anything outside the card.
***This got me thinking…My RTL8187 driver is most definitely 32-bit. I’m running 64-bit SUSE and “NDISwrapping” a 32-bit driver. Could that be why the card doesn’t work? ***
I’m running a 64-bit processor with 4 GB, but I have run 32-bit distros (Mandriva) on this machine before without issue (I left Mandriva for the NVIDIA video driver).
Should I re-format this disk (I have no data that I care about on that machine) and load 32-bit SUSE instead of the 64, so that I’m NDISwrapping a 32-bit driver on a 32-bit system?
32bit wireless tends to work a lot better on a 32bit system.64bit drivers are a bit hit & miss at the moment. Give 32bit a try. YMMV
Andy
OK…
My first attempt at installing SUSE 32-bit bombed, because I did not format the whole disk and had remnants of the 64-bit left. So, I did it over again – and you know what happens when a geek gets bored? Well…I had this idea that I wanted to be able to pick between GNOME and KDE4, so I loaded both. I can’t pick between them, but I may have invented “KDGNOME.” (I think the GNOME is the dominant system on mine with elements of KDE4 thrown in…btw is it pronounced “gee-nome” or “nome”?). As a separate question…I’d like to get rid of KDE4, as it’s installed and then re-install it so that it is a window system I can pick from separately. Any way I can do that, or do I have to nuke the disk and rebuild the OS again?
Back to wireless…I got the card to connect to someone’s unsecured network (the aforementioned linksys network in my neighborhood), get an IP address and even download a web page before it dropped.
I started broadcasting the ESSID and I noticed that the network manager kept prompting me to enter my static 128-bit WEP key. Now the key that kept showing up in there was not mine, but some other key. My static WEP is nothing more than a passphrase. Regardless, I think the card is working better under 32 bits, than 64. It couldn’t even get an a connection to drop, so this might still point to a physical signal issue.
I’m going to leave SUSE alone for now and try shutting off the Linksys and running the wireless off the Verizon box and see how that works. This will eliminate the IP forwarding between the Linksys and the Verizon boxes (and it’s the Verizon box where there DHCP server resides), and simplify matters.