WLAN Radio Switch not working at all, have no WLAN connection

English Hardware
1

Hello SuseFolks,

I have tried nearly everything in the blue moon that I can think of to get the WLAN on this computer enabled. The Wireless Radio switch does not do anything when pressed no matter what and therefore I can’t get WLAN enabled to establish a wireless connection. Is there any way to get this switch turned on?? I had read in another board that dual installing windows with the WLAN switch to enabled should solve the issue, but that has not worked for me. WLAN worked in Windows and after switching over to SUSE, it is once again disabled by RF Switch. This laptop’s mobile functionality is limited without wireless and where I live, its the best way to have internet. The wireless card is a Intel PRO Wireless 2100B. I am running SUSE 11.2 KDE. NDISwrapper is installed along with NDISinstaller, even though neither have done much for me as far as this issue goes. If anyone has answers for me, please reply cause I need your help! And please don’t tell me to refer to the wireless help in the SUSE wiki. That information I can memorize now I have read it so much. Nothing in there helps me one bit. Your answers are very much welcomed in regards to this issue.

Thanks All!

2

j-dub wrote:

> I have tried nearly everything in the blue moon that I can think of

did you think of looking in the wireless forum?

at the 3 stickies at the top of the list named:

Getting Your Wireless to Work
My wireless doesn’t work - a primer on what I should do next
Welcome

http://forums.opensuse.org/network-internet/wireless/

if you didn’t think of that, then do so now…

and, when you have worked your way through all of those then post any
questions to the wireless forumm

–
palladium

3

As I said in the post, this ‘wiki’ **** did not work for me. I followed the steps, tried multiple things to include windows drivers via ndiswrapper. The issue I am referring to IS indeed a hardware issue pertaining to the RF switch not working, which is the reason why I have no wireless. Until this RF kill switch issue (which is not mentioned in the ‘Getting wireless to work’ sticky) is solved, I will remain in the same place I have been, without wireless networking. I have posted this issue in the wireless section 2 times before and no one seemed to be able to answer or cared to answer. So the questions are:

How do I get this RF switch to work?
What software/modules are needed to get it to work?
Will it work at all?

When the answers solve the RF switch issue, then I will remain with Suse. When the answers don’t solve the issue, I will unfortunately have to return to Windoze because I need wireless mobility. Referring to the wireless forums has gotten me nowhere twice. So that shows me that the issue can’t be solved there or isn’t interesting enough for someone to take a shot at the cause and effect, which is why I posted it here.

4

On 03/31/2010 04:36 PM, j-dub wrote:
>
> As I said in the post, this ‘wiki’ **** did not work for me. I followed
> the steps, tried multiple things to include windows drivers via
> ndiswrapper. The issue I am referring to IS indeed a hardware issue
> pertaining to the RF switch not working, which is the reason why I have
> no wireless. Until this RF kill switch issue (which is not mentioned in
> the ‘Getting wireless to work’ sticky) is solved, I will remain in the
> same place I have been, without wireless networking. I have posted this
> issue in the wireless section 2 times before and no one seemed to be
> able to answer or cared to answer. So the questions are:
>
> How do I get this RF switch to work?
> What software/modules are needed to get it to work?
> Will it work at all?
>
> When the answers solve the RF switch issue, then I will remain with
> Suse. When the answers don’t solve the issue, I will unfortunately have
> to return to Windoze because I need wireless mobility. Referring to the
> wireless forums has gotten me nowhere twice. So that shows me that the
> issue can’t be solved there or isn’t interesting enough for someone to
> take a shot at the cause and effect, which is why I posted it here.

You post in the wrong forum, then complain that no one is answering your
questions. I never saw your post in wireless, and I make a point of not
answering wireless questions in any other forum.

In fact you have not given enough information for us to get anywhere in
answering your question. The problem arises bewcause the vendor of your
beloved Windows invented something called the Windows Management
Interface (WMI) to handle all the special keys. If your hardware vendor
had been smart enough to put a real switch on the computer, it would
have worked “out-of-the-box” the way my computer does. As they did not,
you will need to use one of the special drivers, but without knowing
which one to use, I cannot help you any more. Given your attitude, I
might not help you anyway, but that decision will be based on where you
post, and your attitude when you do!!!

5

Larry Finger wrote:
>> I will unfortunately have
>> to return to Windoze because I need wireless mobility.

the best way to have a computer that works with Linux is to purchase
it with Linux installed…many manufacturers now have Linux loaded
computers, including Dell, HP, Asus, IBM, Lenovo and others…

otherwise, are lots of ways to lock the wandering herd into return
to 30 year old VirusBait Ultimate Professional 2010

> The problem arises bewcause the vendor of your
> beloved Windows invented something called the Windows Management
> Interface (WMI) to handle all the special keys. If your hardware vendor
> had been smart enough to put a real switch on the computer, it would
> have worked “out-of-the-box” the way my computer does.

appears you only have a software switch…

to get it working (if possible) i can only suggest returning to your
thread in wireless
<http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=433388> (which i only
just now visited)

i personally can’t tell from your last post there the outcome of what
you did in response to the google link…

in fact, i can’t tell if you did anything when following those leads…

what did you try and what were the new error messages?

personally, i think your best course is to go there and have a
attitude which causes the folks there to want to help you…

showing a willingness to google an error message and then follow the
trail to happiness is always helpful–remember, the likelihood that
any of your helpers actually HAS a Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo M7400 and has
done all of the steps to know IF there even is a solution or not is
highly unlikely…

it is YOUR machine and YOUR problem…no one here can possibly be as
interested in fixing it as you…but, if you don’t care enough to try
to help yourself (via google), then why should anyone else?

so, maybe you did all of that–that is, you tried each fix you found
which was successful for another linux machine, but you still got the
same errors…if so you have to write that…

if you got new errors don’t just come back and report them, GOOGLE
again and see what is wrong now…

if you found no successes you have to write that (or, do you expect
someone here to do all of that reading for you?)

let me ask: have you found anyone who has been successful in getting
that WinTel lock-me-into-using-Windoz-&-Intel-switch to do wireless
with Linux…any Linux? that is a crucial question…if no one has
ever gotten it to work then your probability to be successful goes way
down…

no need to post in this thread…it is your move, over in wireless…

maybe there is no solution…as far as i know (back in the '90s) no
one ever figured out how to make a Win-modem or a Win-printer work
without buying Redmond software…the same may be true for your
Win-switch…

–
palladium

6

@j-dub
Give us some details about your notebook: make, model, etc.
Some models need you to load extra modules to control the wireless switch.

7

whych wrote:
> @j-dub
> Give us some details about your notebook: make, model, etc.
> Some models need you to load extra modules to control the wireless
> switch.

that info is in his other thread:
http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=433388

–
palladium

8

@palladium
Sorry, I missed that thread.

9

j-dub, is this the same problem as reported here: Intel PRO 2100 not working, RF killswitch button not working at all - openSUSE Forums

If so and if this is the Amilo 7400M laptop, then you should not be using ndiswrapper. This wireless should “just work”. It does for me on same laptop. Unfortunately I do not know enough about wireless to help you. But please ensure you have the necessary firmware rpm installed.