Wireless network conectivity

I should add that I am using the latest Debian image.

If it does work, what are the commands to install this?

Fergus,

I would try here first:

http://elinux.org/RPi_VerifiedPeripherals#USB_WiFi_Adapters

There is also a guide for installing if yours is on the working list.

Steve

I took a gamble on a cheap Wireless Dongle, hoping they would be a fairly generic chipset and bought this one from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-Internet-Adaptor-150Mbps-Windows/dp/B003BKBGF4/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339940385&sr=8-1-spell

I'm pleased to say that the gamble worked for once, as my Pi is currently connected wirelessly - Keyboard and Dongle both plugged directly into the Pi.

apt-get install firmware-ralink first

Then followed the guide here: http://elinux.org/RPi_Peripherals#Wireless:_TP-Link_TL-WN722N_USB_wireless_adapter_.28Debian_6.29 from where it says: Add adapter definition to network config - eg: sudo vi /etc/network/interfaces - add the wlan0 section:

Personally, I used Nano to edit rather than Vi as I find it as lot easier.

Hope this helps someone to a cheap wireless Pi!

Steve Read wrote:

 

Personally, I used Nano to edit rather than Vi as I find it as lot easier.

It's Sunday.  That comment wasn't anywhere near strong enough to stir people out of bed and into a decent editors flame war.

Oops, perhaps I should be careful of what I say :-)

It's just as a beginner in all this, Vi seems a little, er, can I say arcane ?

It just seems like trying to type a sentence using alt codes !

Steve

Steve,

I installed the ralink firmware but I have few problems:

1. The W/LAN adapter is not outputing any power: and power management is "on"

  wlan0     IEEE 802.11bgn  ESSID:off/any

            Mode:Managed  Access Point: Not-Associated   Tx-Power=0 dBm

            Retry  long limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off

            Encryption key:off

            Power Management:on

2. When I type: "sudo iwlist wlan0 scan" the wlan0 replys:

wlan0          Interface does not support scanning

Any fixes.

Fergus,

The wireless dongle you link to appears to use the realtek chipset, not the ralink firmware as mine does, so I would try

apt-get install firmware-realtek

then the rest as I linked to.

It may also be worth having a play with the Beta of Debian Wheezy, as I think that has more support for wireless stuff : http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/1435

I would also try using the dongle in a powered hub, rather than directly into the pi as it may not be able to supply enough juice.

Steve

Steve,

If i heve installed the wrong fireware (which you say) how do I uninstall the ralink fireware?

Installing an extra package isn't going to hurt your 'pi. It'll take a few bytes of SD-card-space, but that's all.

If you installed it using apt-get, the command to uninstall is:

   apt-get remove <package name>

(where you fill in the package name (without the brackets)).

The realtek firmware lives in a file with "realtek" in it. When the system detects the insertion of a realtek wifi card, the driver will say: "Hey, I need the firmware for this realtek card". The system will look in a specific file and if that doesn't exist, that's the end of it. The driver will not be able to use your realtek wifi module.

If you have an ra-link, the filename will be different, so it will load the proper firmware even if the realtek firmware is installed. Or the other way around.

Anyone,

After I added the lines to the /etc/network/interfaces I have lost all ethernet connections to the RPi.  Any fixes?   I can't change the fireware if I have no internet.

EDIT: I have uninstalled the ralink fireware.and... still no ethernet!

EDIT (2): seems that the ethernet cable was not plug-in correctly.  Now onto the fixing that wireless card.

Thanks for that, old fireware removed and new one installed.

This does not look good for the Raspberry Pi:

     DHCPDISCOVER on wlan0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 1

     send_packet: Network is down

     phy0 -> rt2x00lib_request_firmware: Error - Fail to request Fireware.

     No DHCPOFFERS recieved.

     No working lease in persistent database - sleeping.

Make any sense to anyone?

This does not look good for the Raspberry Pi:

     DHCPDISCOVER on wlan0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 1

     send_packet: Network is down

     phy0 -> rt2x00lib_request_firmware: Error - Fail to request Fireware.

     No DHCPOFFERS recieved.

     No working lease in persistent database - sleeping.

Make any sense to anyone?

Can someone please tell me what drivers/firmware I need for my particular model of card, None of the above firmwares seem to be working.  Link to download: http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=YN8306&keywords=high+power+wireless+n&form=KEYWORD

All the Linux drivers are in the download.  Can someone please look though them and see what needs to be done.  I have no idea what is what and how to install this USB card.

Fergus Byrne wrote:

This does not look good for the Raspberry Pi:

     phy0 -> rt2x00lib_request_firmware: Error - Fail to request Fireware.

This is what I like about Linux, and dislike about Windows: When something goes wrong, you get an error message that makes sense. In this case you're missing the firmware files for your wireless card.

If you've messed up your "interfaces" file so you no longer have any internet put:

  iface eth0 inet dhcp

back in there. I have it there while my 'pi has wlan as well.

Try "lsusb" to see the brand of your wlan chipset.

[q] Try "lsusb" to see the brand of your wlan chipset. [/q]

Will Do.  Away for weekend but will try to do some raspberry pi testing.

I can now confirm that it is a RALINK w/lan card (Ralink Technology Corp. RT2870 Wireless Adaptor).  I am going back to the Ralink Drivers now and then seeing what else I can do.  If this can help others to point me in the right direction after installing fireware, that would be much apreciated.

I read a step in a previous post and on the wiki that you need to get "wifi-utils" but I can't seem to be able to install them.  Any help here?

Fergus

PS: Thanks in advanced.

maybe

  sudo apt-get install iw

http://wiki.debian.org/rt2800usb

This looks hopeful (but it is for the Wheezy Debian not Squeeze, does that matter?)

Roger Wolff wrote:

 

maybe

  sudo apt-get install iw

Seems to have worked.  I will try the other commands and see if that has fixed other problems.

Also ( as a side question):

How do you create a shortcut to a folder in linux to a networked share drive?

I know how to connect to it by typing

smb: <location>

But how do you create a shortcut?

Progress made:  The Wlan adapter has power (which it didn't before) but the RPi is playing up, The RPi does not like the iwconfig command.  Any thoughts?

I got this error:

wpasupplicant deamon failed to start

Which means I have an error in the:

/etc/wpa.conf

...file. 

But I don't know where they are.  I can tell you that I have a WPA+WPA2 sercurity setting active on the router but I don't know how that information translates into the /etc/wpa.conf file.

This is what I curently have: (minus the ssid and password - security purposes )

network={

ssid="network2.4"

proto=RSN

key_mgmt=WPA-PSK

pairwise=CCMP TKIP

group=CCMP TKIP

psk="passwordisfake"

}

Can anyone help me get the correct information into that file???

EDIT: Just found an error but that has not fixed the problem.