Blaarrrggghh! Damnable intel 2200BG wireless

Mutant_Fruit

I'm not the only one to have problems getting this damnable adapter working in linux, but for some reason i can't seem to follow any of the instructions/guides available on the web successfully.

I've checked out random threads found via google, a good few found in www.ubuntuforums.org (i'm running ubuntu) and i've even tried manually setting it up using the drivers as created by intel and found at http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net/. None of which successfully results in my wireless card activating.

At this stage i think i just want someone to recommend a distribution that will auto detect this card, 100% guaranteed! Or someone to write a step-by-stupid-step guide for me, cos this is driving me bananas! Its the only thing i cant seem to get working!

pickarooney

How far have you got into it? I'm trying to set up a (linksys) wireless card on a laptop with Ubuntu at the moment, with limited success. I managed to get the modules loaded and the card more or less configured, but I can't connect to the router for some reason.
Ubuntu won't let me configure the card with its wizard, telling me when I click on eth1, configure that "no such interface exists". Which is an obvious lie.

Mutant_Fruit

Well, i seem to have had partial success. As far as i can tell i have it all setup correctly, Ubuntu will allow me to select the card, type in IP addresses etc, but i can't activate the damnable thing. It remains deactivated no matter what i do. With plain debian i couldn't even get the card configured. (thats because i hadn't a clue how t o use linux back then, i now know how to install stuff )

Capt'n Midnight

Just to mention that Knoppix 3.6 picks up centrino card. (It's also debian)
when booting with 2.4 kernel
desn't work with 2.6 but that might be due to me pressing Y instead of N during Apt-get upgrade -t "stable"

Are there any config files I can upload for you that would indicate which driver etc. is in use ?

Mutant_Fruit

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Are there any config files I can upload for you that would indicate which driver etc. is in use ?

I wish i knew

Heres a few things you could paste that might help. If they don't make sense to me, they might make sense to someone else. type these in root and tell me what pops up.

1) lsmod
2)modprobe ipw2200 (or modprobe CARDTYPE, e.g. modprobe orinco)
3) ndiswrapper -l

also check if anything driver related is listed in the "networking" window
thanks

Mutant_Fruit

Never mind, i finally got the bitch working!

Now, if only i knew an easy way to see all the available networks, and then choose the one i want to connect to from that list, just like i can in windows.

At the moment i seem to have to specify the network i want to connect to when i start up the wireless card, meaning i'm connected to that, and only that until i remove the card, and set it up again for a different network name.

Anyone know a way around that obstacle? I would like to have it automagically log onto whatever open network it finds itself around (or give me the option to select one).

Capt'n Midnight

If it's wireless networks then either set the ESSID to any (or is it ANY) to lock on to the strongest signal

Kismet is good too to list local networks.

iwconfig eth0 essid X

modprobe ipw2100 -v -l
/lib/modules/2.6.7/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/ipw2100/ipw2100.ko

settings in kismet.conf
#source=cisco,eth0,ciscosource
source=orinoco,eth0,orinocosource

# Users outside the US might want to use this list:
defaultchannels=IEEE80211b:1,7,13,2,8,3,14,9,4,10,5,11,6,12

Mutant_Fruit

grand thanks, i'll give that a shot when i get the chance. That would be much better than the current setup i have running. I'll give this some more testing tomorrow (when i'm back in UCD) and i'll see if i can come up with some more questions for ye. Thanks for all yer help!

Note to self: Buy wireless router for home use.