Wireless Internet

[tavvy]

ok im really noob when it comes to linux but i wanna learn how to use it .... i just downloaded ubuntu yesterday and i cant seem to connect to my wireless internet at home ... i connected my lan cable and it worked but i want my wireless to work too! ... how do i enable wifi on my ubuntu? ... and please use beginner terms i am not familiar with advanced terminology .... thanks :P

[waterhead]

First, in Ubuntu try this. Open this application:

System-->Administration-->Hardware Drivers.

If there is a wireless driver listed, click the Enable check box and let Ubuntu download and install it. If it isn't in the location that I specified, look around for it, it's there somewhere.

If this doesn't work, read through the post I linked to below, and then post the info it says to post, here in this thread.

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/wir...tml#post589924

[tavvy]

no hardware drivers appeared so i typed lspci -nn in terminal and this appeared:
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub [8086:27a0] (rev 03)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:27a2] (rev 03)
00:02.1 Display controller [0380]: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:27a6] (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device [0403]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller [8086:27d8] (rev 02)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 1 [8086:27d0] (rev 02)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 2 [8086:27d2] (rev 02)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 3 [8086:27d4] (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 [8086:27c8] (rev 02)
00:1d.1 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 [8086:27c9] (rev 02)
00:1d.2 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 [8086:27ca] (rev 02)
00:1d.3 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 [8086:27cb] (rev 02)
00:1d.7 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller [8086:27cc] (rev 02)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge [8086:2448] (rev e2)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge [0601]: Intel Corporation 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge [8086:27b9] (rev 02)
00:1f.1 IDE interface [0101]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) IDE Controller [8086:27df] (rev 02)
00:1f.2 SATA controller [0106]: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7 Family) SATA AHCI Controller [8086:27c5] (rev 02)
00:1f.3 SMBus [0c05]: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) SMBus Controller [8086:27da] (rev 02)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 88E8055 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller [11ab:4363] (rev 12)
05:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection [8086:4222] (rev 02)
08:03.0 CardBus bridge [0607]: O2 Micro, Inc. OZ711MP1/MS1 MemoryCardBus Controller [1217:7134] (rev 20)
08:03.1 CardBus bridge [0607]: O2 Micro, Inc. OZ711MP1/MS1 MemoryCardBus Controller [1217:7134] (rev 20)
08:03.2 SD Host controller [0805]: O2 Micro, Inc. Integrated MMC/SD Controller [1217:7120]
08:03.3 Bridge [0680]: O2 Micro, Inc. Integrated MS/xD Controller [1217:7130]

[waterhead]

This card requires firmware that is loaded when the wireless is initialized. Ubuntu should have installed it be default, but you can check to make sure it is there. Look in this folder:

/lib/firmware/<kernel version>

For these files:

iwlwifi-3945.ucode
iwwifi-3945-1.ucode

For <kernel version>, replace this with your current kernel.

Now check if the firmware is loading, and if your card is being recognized. Post the output.

dmesg | grep firmware

dmesg | grep wireless

dmesg | grep wlan

You may just need to make sure it is set up. From the menu, open the Network program. For the wirelss, enable roaming mode and close it. Now right-click the NetworkManager icon in the system tray (taskbar). Make sure that the Enable Wireless check box is checked. Now left click the same icon. If there is a wireless network available, it should be listed.

[tavvy]

ok i do have those two files .. but when i entered those commands this is how my screen looks like:


it doesnt detect any wireless connections and im right next to the wireless router .... im sorry i dont fully understand that link u gave

[waterhead]

Enter these commands, and post the outputs.

ifconfig

iwconfig

It looks like it is not seeing your wireless network. Try this command, to look for available wireless networks.

iwlist scan

If it finds a network, try using the "Connect to Other Wireless Network" option. You will need to enter the ESSID and password.

[tavvy]

after putting those commands this is what appears: it seems like it still cant find any wireless network!!

linux@linux-laptop:~$ ifconfig
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:17:42:0b:ed:d2  
          inet addr:192.168.1.101  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::217:42ff:fe0b:edd2/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:466 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:474 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:288310 (281.5 KB)  TX bytes:59709 (58.3 KB)
          Interrupt:19 

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:1444 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:1444 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0 
          RX bytes:72200 (70.5 KB)  TX bytes:72200 (70.5 KB)

wlan0     Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:13:02:12:3f:a5  
          UP BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

wmaster0  Link encap:UNSPEC  HWaddr 00-13-02-12-3F-A5-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00  
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

linux@linux-laptop:~$ iwconfig
lo        no wireless extensions.

eth0      no wireless extensions.

wmaster0  no wireless extensions.

wlan0     IEEE 802.11g  ESSID:""  Nickname:""
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.412 GHz  Access Point: Not-Associated   
          Tx-Power=27 dBm   
          Retry min limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr=2346 B   
          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

linux@linux-laptop:~$ iwlist scan
lo        Interface doesn't support scanning.

eth0      Interface doesn't support scanning.

wmaster0  Interface doesn't support scanning.

wlan0     Failed to read scan data : Resource temporarily unavailable

linux@linux-laptop:~$

[waterhead]

If this is a laptop, does it have a switch or keyboard command that enable/disabled it in Windows? The switch may work in Linux, so give it a try. Also check the BIOS settings for any wireless settings. You can also enable Wake-On-LAN for the wireless card, that may help.

You can stop/start the card with these commands.

ifdown wlan0

ifup wlan0

.
Also, post the output of this command, it will show all of the modules loaded on your system.

lsmod

[tavvy]

my laptop does have an on off switch for wifi but i keep it turned on all the time anyway ... i entered those commands and this appeared... dont think it worked

linux@linux-laptop:~$ ifdown wlan0
ifdown: failed to open statefile /var/run/network/ifstate: Permission denied
linux@linux-laptop:~$ ifup wlan0
ifup: failed to open statefile /var/run/network/ifstate: Permission denied
linux@linux-laptop:~$ lsmod
Module                  Size  Used by
hci_usb                16540  2 
arc4                    2944  2 
ecb                     4480  2 
blkcipher               8324  1 ecb
ipv6                  267780  10 
i915                   32512  2 
drm                    82452  3 i915
af_packet              23812  2 
rfcomm                 41744  2 
l2cap                  25728  13 rfcomm
bluetooth              61156  7 hci_usb,rfcomm,l2cap
ppdev                  10372  0 
acpi_cpufreq           10796  0 
cpufreq_powersave       2688  0 
cpufreq_userspace       5284  0 
cpufreq_ondemand        9740  2 
cpufreq_conservative     8712  0 
cpufreq_stats           7104  0 
freq_table              5536  3 acpi_cpufreq,cpufreq_ondemand,cpufreq_stats
sbs                    15112  0 
container               5632  0 
bay                     6912  0 
sbshc                   7680  1 sbs
dock                   11280  1 bay
iptable_filter          3840  0 
ip_tables              14820  1 iptable_filter
x_tables               16132  1 ip_tables
parport_pc             36260  0 
lp                     12324  0 
parport                37832  3 ppdev,parport_pc,lp
pcmcia                 40876  0 
joydev                 13120  0 
iwl3945                89844  0 
iwlwifi_mac80211      218980  1 iwl3945
snd_hda_intel         344856  3 
cfg80211               15112  1 iwlwifi_mac80211
snd_pcm_oss            42144  0 
snd_mixer_oss          17920  1 snd_pcm_oss
sky2                   47620  0 
snd_pcm                78596  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm_oss
snd_page_alloc         11400  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm
snd_hwdep              10500  1 snd_hda_intel
snd_seq_dummy           4868  0 
video                  19856  0 
sdhci                  19076  0 
snd_seq_oss            35584  0 
output                  4736  1 video
irda                  203068  0 
fsc_btns                9564  0 
snd_seq_midi            9376  0 
mmc_core               51460  1 sdhci
iTCO_wdt               13092  0 
iTCO_vendor_support     4868  1 iTCO_wdt
crc_ccitt               3072  1 irda
yenta_socket           27276  4 
rsrc_nonstatic         13696  1 yenta_socket
serio_raw               7940  0 
snd_rawmidi            25760  1 snd_seq_midi
snd_seq_midi_event      8320  2 snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi
pcmcia_core            40596  3 pcmcia,yenta_socket,rsrc_nonstatic
evdev                  13056  7 
battery                14212  0 
snd_seq                54224  6 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi,snd_seq_midi_event
ac                      6916  0 
button                  9232  0 
snd_timer              24836  2 snd_pcm,snd_seq
snd_seq_device          9612  5 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq
snd                    56996  17 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_hwdep,snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq,snd_timer,snd_seq_device
intel_agp              25492  1 
psmouse                40336  0 
agpgart                34760  3 drm,intel_agp
shpchp                 34452  0 
pci_hotplug            30880  1 shpchp
soundcore               8800  1 snd
pcspkr                  4224  0 
ext3                  136840  1 
jbd                    48404  1 ext3
mbcache                 9600  1 ext3
loop                   18948  2 
sg                     36880  0 
sd_mod                 30720  2 
ata_piix               19588  0 
ata_generic             8324  0 
ahci                   28548  1 
pata_acpi               8320  0 
ehci_hcd               37900  0 
libata                159344  4 ata_piix,ata_generic,ahci,pata_acpi
scsi_mod              151436  3 sg,sd_mod,libata
uhci_hcd               27024  0 
usbcore               146412  4 hci_usb,ehci_hcd,uhci_hcd
thermal                16796  0 
processor              37384  4 acpi_cpufreq,thermal
fan                     5636  0 
fbcon                  42912  0 
tileblit                3456  1 fbcon
font                    9472  1 fbcon
bitblit                 6784  1 fbcon
softcursor              3072  1 bitblit
fuse                   50708  5 
linux@linux-laptop:~$

[waterhead]

Run the ifdown/up commands with root permissions. It looks like you are using Ubuntu, so use sudo to precede the command.

sudo ifdown

I don't believe that you should need root permissions, to do this, but that may be what the problem is.

As for the wireless switch, if it is what is considered a "software" switch it needs something in Linux to switch it. Some wireless cards use a rfkill module, but I don't believe that the iwlwifi driver has that in it.

There may be a patch for your PC, but it would be specific to the make/model of the PC. You should post the make/model and the exact operating system that you are using.

EDIT: If you are using Ubuntu, you may try install the linux-backport-modules-<kernel version> package for your kernel version.