Thinkpad T42 wireless can scan but not associate (ipw2200)

English Network/Internet
1

IBM Thinkpad T42
OpenSUSE 11.0

I’m really trying to use this old laptop with Linux, but have had the same problem on three distributions and so am looking for a bit more diagnosis.

The T42 has an IPW2200, which appears to have the firmware installed and is working correctly (most current firmware is in /lib/firmware, and startup messages include

ipw2200: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200/2915 Network Driver, 1.2.2kmprq
ipw2200: Copyright(c) 2003-2006 Intel Corporation
ipw2200: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection
ipw2200: Detected geography ZZM (11 802.11bg channels, 0 802.11a channels)

…this looks like a good startup. Using iwconfig shows that eth0 is the interface in question, and that it has wireless extensions, and that it works.

Using iwlist I can list available networks and relevant data, and it does see my home network (I’m unsecured for purposes of getting this laptop online). Using iwconfig I can set ssid…

…it just won’t associate. Ever.

If I try to associate using wpa_supplicant and an entry in wpa_supplicant.conf:

network={
ssid=“mynetwork”
key_mgmt=NONE
}

…then all I get are pages of

Trying to associate with 00:90:d0:ef:0e:de (SSID=‘mynetwork’ freq=2412 MHz)
CTRL-EVENT-DISCONNECTED - Disconnect event - remove keys

I’m absolutely stumped. If I can’t resolve this I may just have to put XP back on it – it could connect then, and other devices can connect to my home network, but this laptop is completely unable to do so (although it HAS happened, for periods of a few seconds or one exciting five-minute burst).

Any ideas on what’s going on here? I thought the ipw2200 was a “solved problem” as far as Linux support. Any ideas how I can further diagnose?

2

I know this may seem like a silly question, but is the hardware switch on at the front of your laptop? Have you checked your Bios settings as well. Coincidentally, I was putting opensuse on another laptop of mine, and it turned out that the bios switch was off…

also, can you give us the output of:

iwconfig

one last thing, what version of opensuse are you using?

3

On 07/05/2008 vputz wrote:
> > network={ > ssid=“mynetwork” > key_mgmt=NONE > } >

No key?
I wonder if you correctly configure everything to the needs of your access point.
Could you try and use the networkmanager applet? Maybe that makes the necesasary configuration steps more obvious.

Uwe

4

Thread moved to wireless section.

5

Thanks for replying!

(I have tried it with WEP and a key as well, and am leaving it unsecured until I can at least get it to CONNECT).

I tried networkmanager on Ubuntu and Fedora and had the same result (sees the network, cannot associate). This is now my attempt to analyze things at as low a level as possible. Since I have the same tools (iwlist, iwconfig) on my Zaurus handheld (which associates just fine) it lets me do the same series of steps on both.

Have you checked your Bios settings as well.

The only option I saw for the wireless was “enable/disable”, and it is enabled.

I know this may seem like a silly question, but is the hardware switch on at the front of your laptop?

I don’t have an obvious one, although the appropriate-looking icon is on “Function-F5”, and I’ve tried that. Either way, the wireless LED blinks sporadically, and checking the rf_kill entry shows that it’s on, ie

linux-bqs7:~ # cat /sys/bus/pci/drivers/ipw2200/0000:02:02.0/rf_kill
0

…which according to documentation I’ve found means “0 = RF kill not enabled (radio on)”. I’m not ruling out the possibility that something’s still not right, just saying that if there’s an additional switch, I can’t find it.

also, can you give us the output of:
Code:

iwconfig

Here’s a sequence (typing it in, so formatting is off but content is correct):


# iwconfig
...
eth0

unassociated ESSID: off/any
Mode: Managed Channel=0 Access Point: Not-Associated
Bit Rate: 0 kb/s  Tx-Power=20 dBm  Sensitivity=8/0
Retry limit: 7  RTS thr: off   Fragment thr: off
Encryption key: off
Power Management: off
Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level: 0
Rx invalid nwid: 0  Rx invalid crypt: 0  Rx invalid frag: 0
Tx excessive retries: 0  Invalid misc: 0  Missed beacon: 0

Now, iwlist DOES give me a result:


# iwlist eth0 scan

eth0

Scan completed:
Cell 01 - Address: ...
ESSID: "mynetwork"
Protocol: IEEE 802.11bg
Mode: Master
Frequency: 2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
Encryption key: off
Bit Rates: 1 Mb/s, 2Mb/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
Quality=77/100  Signal level=-52 dBm
Extra: Last beacon: 224ms ago

…so SOMETHING in the wireless is working, because it can see the station just fine and seems to be showing the right values in the scan. But while I can even use iwconfig to set the essid, etc–it still won’t associate. I’ve tried it before and after trying the “fn-F5” switch with no difference-- both ways it still blinks the wireless LED, still scans with iwlist, and still won’t associate.

6

…so SOMETHING in the wireless is working, because it can see the station just fine and seems to be showing the right values in the scan. But while I can even use iwconfig to set the essid, etc–it still won’t associate.

Since updating an openSuse-11.1 to a a 11.2-beta I have exactly the same problem with a ipw2100 hardware.
At the same time connecting with a smartphone to the access point just works.

Did you find a solution to the problem?

7

On 02/27/2010 05:06 PM, squan wrote:
>
> …so SOMETHING in the wireless is working, because it can see the
> station just fine and seems to be showing the right values in the scan.
> But while I can even use iwconfig to set the essid, etc–it still won’t
> associate.
>
> Since updating an openSuse-11.1 to a a 11.2-beta I have exactly the
> same problem with a ipw2100 hardware.
> At the same time connecting with a smartphone to the access point just
> works.
>
> Did you find a solution to the problem?

I would use an 11.2 final.

8

> I would use an 11.2 final.
I do use 11.2 final.
I just wanted to indicate when that started to go wrong (at least for me).

On ubuntu forums there is a bit more coverage of this problem:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ipw2100/+bug/30712
May be it was just luck that my wireless worked for some time.