Problems with wireless connection on squeeze

cccc · 04-22-2010, 11:33 AM

hi

Since the upgrade from Lenny to Squeeze on my Notebook Toshiba Satellite Pro U200 with Intel Pro/Wireless 3945 ABG I have wireless connection problems.
The connection breaks time to time and sometimes cannot connect automaticaly after restart.

My /etc/network/interfaces:

Code:

# Wireless
allow-hotplug wlan0
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
   wpa-driver wext    
   wpa-ssid myessid  
   wpa-scan-ssid 1
   wpa-ap-scan 2
   wpa-proto RSN 
   wpa-pairwise CCMP 
   wpa-group CCMP 
   wpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
   wpa-psk mykey

Under Lenny I didn't have these problems.

BTW I didn't change anything on the wireless or network configurations on the notebook and on the wiereless router.

Brains · 04-24-2010, 03:17 PM

Network manager has given me wireless issues in the past. The best solution I've found was to remove network-manager and network-manager-kde (since I use KDE), and installed wicd. It's performance is as it's name suggests.
Which one are you using?.
Is the firmware-iwlwifi package installed or are you using firmware files you manually installed in the past?

cccc · 04-24-2010, 08:49 PM

I'm using Gnome.
I've removed network-manager, installed wicd and now it seems to work.

hkoster1 · 04-25-2010, 06:50 AM

Just to wrap this topic up: the original problem was the 'auto wlan0' line in /etc/network/interfaces, which removed it from network-manager control. There used to be problems with network-manager (especially with regard to WPA security), but the version currently in testing (Squeeze) should work fine. Wicd is a fine replacement, though.

P.S. Most of the wpa-... entries for the wlan0 interface in the OP are superfluous, since they're defaults.

cccc · 04-25-2010, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkoster1

P.S. Most of the wpa-... entries for the wlan0 interface in the OP are superfluous, since they're defaults.

Can you pls explain what you exactly mean?

hkoster1 · 04-25-2010, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cccc

Can you pls explain what you exactly mean?

I could do that, but I'll leave this for you as an exercise to discover. It could involve a bit of experimentation (commenting various lines and trying to make a connection); or it could involve studying man-pages for wpasupplicant, interfaces, ...

Have fun!

arocchetti · 08-12-2010, 03:17 AM

I've got a Lenovo R61i with Intel Pro/Wireless 3945 ABG. I installed Squeeze from scratch and I followed this steps:

1) I installed firmware-iwlwifi package from the repositories
2) I removed the KDE Network-Manager and I installed wicd
3) I modified my file /etc/network/interfaces adding this rows

# Wireless
allow-hotplug wlan0
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
wpa-ssid myssid
wpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
wpa-psk mykey
4) Now it works perfectly. BTW I use a wireless router Lynksys WRT160n WPA-TKIP encryption

rgds

jim_p · 08-12-2010, 04:52 AM

If you use nm/wicd you can leave only the "lo" interface in your /etc/network/interfaces and let the apps handle your connections.

arocchetti · 08-13-2010, 03:33 AM

You're perfectly right.
My problem is that I started working with computers in 1981, with an Univac 1100 and at that time the graphical interfaces were maybe only in the dreams of Steve Jobs.
So I prefer fighting with a conf file insted using a GUI

Thanks for you post

alessandro