as a total Newbie to Linux I am slightly overwhelmed by the command line and tweaks that are used to make certain hardware work.

I am running opensuse 12.1 on my Dell 1501 Inspiron and am totally frustrated by my systems inability to detect and run on my wifi router (belkin 801.11 n) In order to connect I either have to plug my cell phone in and activate a hot spot or plug directly into an ethernet cable.

I have ordered a D-link DW 125 as I have seen some posts that this is the "end all" to this sort or problem.

My question is: If the "end all" is not the end all, would it make more sense to install a different distro or drag my knuckles across the ground trying to understand the command line?

Any and all help would be muchly appreciated.

I have a 1545 and am running OpenSUSE 12.2 on it. Both are similar enough to your setup that you might find this helpful

I seem to recall that the process was, essentially, to: a.) ensure that wireless was enabled in the BIOS, b.) make sure that you have a box checked in the bottom of the "manage connections" dialog box (I think it was that dialog, anyhow) that says "enable wireless". I have seen some accounts where users had to press the wireless button (above F2 on the 1545). The process was actually easier than I had to go through enabling wireless access on my wife's Win7 laptop. I installed 12.2 while I was visiting relatives over Thanksgiving and had wireless almost working before we came home. (The sticking point was that all of wireless networks in that neighborhood had been locked down; I could see them but could get no farther than that. Bummer for me but I was glad to see they had security in mind.) Getting my Netgear router up and running was pretty simple once I found the PDF containing the manual configuration instructions.

If you are able to scan for available access points, you're halfway there. If you don't see anything when you scan for wireless networks check that that checkbox is filled in and that you have the wireless hardware enabled in the BIOS. I assume you've gone into the Belkin (caveat: I have no idea what is involved in the setup of the Belkin hardware) and defined a recognizable SSID, say something like "oldeskulenet". Then when you go into the network connection utility you should see "oldeskulenet" when you scan for networks.

Sorry if this is all very general. Please post more details as to what you've tried and what you're seeing.

I wouldn't think that installing a new distribution is going to help that much. Understanding the command line will always be good for you -- there are some things that are easier to do once you know what's hiding behind the GUI. In this case, I found that the GUI was actually easier to use in getting the wireless networking up and running that it would have been to go mucking about with a slew of configuration files.

Again... I hope some this helps.

--
Rick

Rick,

Thanks for your advice based upon personal experience. I have been a WinDon't user since 3.1 and have cursed it on a daily basis. Now that I installed opensuse12.1 I am experiencing the fun and frustration of Linux. Fun because the forums and other users are great. Frustration because if one doesn't understand the command line it can be overwhelming.

I shall try what you have suggested and will let you know the results.

Once again-Thanks!

WonDon't... heh heh. I gotta remember that one. I still remember calling my boss into the office after installing Windows 1.0 on one of our new Zenith XT clones. We laughed and laughed until our sides hurt. Coworkers were coming into my office to see what was so damned funny.

It starts out that way but I found it fun when I started using UNIX at work and Coherent at home. I found that having a project helped. I started out porting code from work to C and learning about the system that way. Later on I ran a commercial UNIX and later Linux (Slackware) when I decided that $1000 was too darned much for a C development package for the SVR4.2 OS. (Hard to compete with the free one that came with Linux). I haven't looked at running Windows on my main PC at home since Win95. The last WinXP box scribbled on itself some years ago and it's been completely Windows-free since. Only my wife's laptop runs WinAnything. If you find it overwhelming, it might be a good idea to invest in a good Linux text. When I was starting out, the book to buy was Linux Unleashed. I'm not sure what to recommend nowadays.

Cool.

And as they say: Have a lot of fun...

--
Rick