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Old 01-10-2006, 06:27 AM   #1
billmania
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Wireless LAN software switch on Acer Aspire 5002WLCi with BCM4318


I have an Acer Aspire 5002WLCi notebook computer running Fedora Core 4 x86_64. It has a built-in Broadcom BCM4318 wireless controller. How do
I turn on the wireless device's radio? How do I light the external indicator lamp?

The computer has Acer part number LX.A5105.322, has a Mobile AMD Turion 64 ML-30 CPU, uses Phoenix BIOS version 3A27 and was delivered with MS-Windows XP pre-installed. I was able to confirm the wireless device worked under MS-Windows.

There is a button on the leading edge of the computer which doubles as an indicator lamp. With the MS-Windows installation, pressing this
button would enable the wireless device and light the lamp. That appears to have been a software effect, however, because pressing the same button with Fedora installed has no effect on the wireless device.

This same button also appears to be a keyboard key and not an ACPI device. Pressing and releasing the button does not generate any ACPI events but does cause atkbd.c to record an unknown key event via
syslog.

I believe I have successfully installed and loaded the 64 bit version of the MS-Windows XP driver, bcmwl5, using ndiswrapper version 1.7, based on the following entries from syslog:

kernel: ndiswrapper version 1.7 loaded preempt=no,smp=no)
kernel: ndiswrapper (load_pe_images:571): fixing KI_USER_SHARED_DATA address
in the driver
kernel: ndiswrapper: driver bcmwl5 (Broadcom,02/11/2005, 3.100.64.0) loaded
kernel: ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:0b.0[A] -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 217
kernel: ndiswrapper: using irq 217
kernel: wlan0: vendor: ''
kernel: wlan0: ndiswrapper ethernet device 00:14:a4:50:3d:93 using driver bcmwl5, 14E4:4318.5.conf
kernel: wlan0: encryption modes supported: WEP; TKIP with WPA, WPA2, WPA2PSK; AES/CCMP with WPA, WPA2, WPA2PSK


acer_acpi won't work because it claims the device isn't loaded, even after I made the suggested source code modification. The syslog output
is:

kernel: acer_acpi: Acer Laptop ACPI Extras version 0.3
kernel: acer_acpi: No WMI interface, unable to load.

acerhk won't work because it is only supported in 32 bit mode.

rfswitch doesn't support this Acer notebook.


Is it possible to enable power to the wireless device using "iwconfig" or "iwpriv"? If so, how?

Can the radio be enabled using an argument to ndiswrapper? What is the argument and how do I pass it?

What is the meaning of the line in
/etc/ndiswrapper/bcmwl5/14E4:4318.5.conf which begins with "RadioState|"? Can I change the state of the wireless device by changing values in this file? What values do I use and what else must
be done?

Is there some other way to turn on the wireless LAN radio?
 
Old 01-10-2006, 07:36 AM   #2
Lenard
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Got basically the same laptop.........

The wireless light works, flashes when data is present on the interface otherwise it is dark. The switch also works, press it once to switch the state. If the switch is off then you cannot connect and no light flashes.

Here is a copy of my /etc/sysconfig/networking/devices/ifcfg-wlan0 file;

# Please read /usr/share/doc/initscripts-*/sysconfig.txt
# for the documentation of these parameters.
IPV6INIT=no
ONBOOT=yes
USERCTL=yes
PEERDNS=yes
TYPE=Wireless
DEVICE=wlan0
HWADDR=
BOOTPROTO=dhcp
NETMASK=
DHCP_HOSTNAME='Aspire5000' <--put your computer name here
IPADDR=
DOMAIN=
ESSID=

CHANNEL=1
MODE=Auto
RATE=Auto

And make sure your /etc/sysconfig/network file has the same name;

NETWORKING=yes
NOZEROCONF=yes
HOSTNAME=Aspire5000

Make sure you have a /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper file.

I'm using the wireless interface to reply to your query;

$ ifconfig wlan0
wlan0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:14:A4:36:13:09
inet addr:192.168.49.80 Bcast:192.168.49.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::214:a4ff:fe36:1309/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:97242 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:73257 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:103257832 (98.4 MiB) TX bytes:10078738 (9.6 MiB)
Interrupt:22 Memory:e2000000-e2002000
 
Old 01-11-2006, 08:48 AM   #3
billmania
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Still not working

Lenard,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, it's still not working for me. Either we don't have exactly the same hardware or I've got a configuration difference. Can you send me the output of /sbin/lspci and /bin/uname -a from your computer, as well as the contents of /etc/modprobe.conf, /etc/ndiswrapper/bcmwl5/*.conf and /etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper?

When I attempt to initialize the wireless interface, by issuing "ifup wlan0", I get "Determining IP information for wlan0... failed; no link present. Check cable?", even after pressing the Wireless communication button/indicator on the front edge of the computer. The light in that button never flashes. The only thing which does happen when I press the button (the one between the Bluetooth button and the Line-in jack) is the generation of an unreconized keyboard event, as evidenced by the syslog entry "kernel: atkbd.c: Unknown key pressed (translated set 2, code 0xd6 on isa0060/serio0).".
 
Old 01-12-2006, 06:11 AM   #4
Lenard
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Sure no problem, you should know I compiled my own kernel from kernel.org, as I do not use Red Hat supplied kernels.

$ uname -a
Linux Aspire5000 2.6.15 #1 Tue Jan 3 09:30:14 EST 2006 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

lspci;
00:00.0 Host bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 760/M760 Host (rev 03)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SG86C202
00:02.0 ISA bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS963 [MuTIOL Media IO] (rev 25)
00:02.5 IDE interface: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 5513 [IDE]
00:02.6 Modem: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] AC'97 Modem Controller (rev a0)
00:02.7 Multimedia audio controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] Sound Controller (rev a0)
00:03.0 USB Controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] USB 1.0 Controller (rev 0f)
00:03.1 USB Controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] USB 1.0 Controller (rev 0f)
00:03.2 USB Controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] USB 2.0 Controller
00:04.0 Ethernet controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS900 PCI Fast Ethernet (rev 91)
00:06.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI1410 PC card Cardbus Controller (rev 02)
00:0b.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4318 [AirForce One 54g] 802.11g Wireless LAN Controller (rev 02)
00:18.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] HyperTransport Technology Configuration
00:18.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Address Map
00:18.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] DRAM Controller
00:18.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Miscellaneous Control
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 661/741/760/761 PCI/AGP VGA Display Adapter

/etc/modprobe.conf file;

alias eth0 sis900
alias eth1 orinoco_cs
alias eth2 prism54
alias snd-card-0 snd-intel8x0
options snd-card-0 index=0
install snd-intel8x0 /sbin/modprobe --ignore-install snd-intel8x0 && /usr/sbin/alsactl restore >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
remove snd-intel8x0 { /usr/sbin/alsactl store >/dev/null 2>&1 || : ; }; /sbin/modprobe -r --ignore-remove snd-intel8x0
alias usb-controller ehci-hcd
alias usb-controller1 ohci-hcd

/etc/ndiswrapper/ conf file;
NdisVersion|0x50001
Environment|1
BusType|5
class_guid|4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318
mac_address|XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
driver_version|Broadcom,02/11/2005, 3.100.64.0

Afterburner|0
antdiv|-1
ApCompatMode|0
BadFramePreempt|0
BTCoexist|0
ccx_rm|1
ccx_rm_limit|300
Channel|11
Country|
EnableAutoConnect|0
EnableSoftAP|0
frag|2346
FrameBursting|0
gpio0|-1
gpio1|-1
gpio2|-1
gpio3|-1
IBSSGMode|2
IBSSGProtection|2
IBSSLink|1
Interference_Mode|3
MPC|0
NetworkAddress|
NetworkType|-1
PLCPHeader|0
PowerSaveMode|0
PwrOut|100
RadioState|0
Rate|0
RoamDelta|1
RoamTrigger|-70
rts|2347
scan_channel_time|-1
scan_home_time|-1
scan_passes|-1
scan_unassoc_time|-1
SSID|
WEP|
WME|0
WZCCoexist|0

/etc/modprobe.d/ndiswrapper;

alias wlan0 ndiswrapper


Using the WindowsXP 64-bit driver from;
ftp://ftp.support.acer-euro.com/note...bit/80211g.zip

Last edited by Lenard; 01-12-2006 at 06:14 AM.
 
Old 02-10-2006, 08:00 PM   #5
billmania
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I finally got it working. It turns out that the button on the front panel, which I thought was only software controlled, is actually a hardware switch. I had disabled the wireless device. After pushing the button again, the device works and the lamp even blinks!
 
Old 06-07-2006, 09:57 PM   #6
michael.marohn
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Question Same sort of problem

I'm trying to get my wireless to work with my Acer Aspire 5003WLMi.

I've been posting on suseforums.net + /index.php?showtopic=25835

and just did a google search for "WMI interface" + acer and found this thread.

Could you please help me set up my wireless. I'm pretty much a beginner so I need step by step instructions.

Thanks a lot!
 
Old 06-08-2006, 05:30 AM   #7
Lenard
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What steps have you taken? If I remember correctly SuSE already has ndiswrapper support. The ndiswrapper installation wiki does a wonderful job explaining the configuration of the wireless setup. The only thing you need to worry about is which version of the Windows driver you install, the 32-bit for the 32-bit OS and the 64-bit for the 64-bit OS. Hint: uname -a

http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/m...p/Installation

If possible then posting the steps you have taken the actual output of the commands used would be helpful.
 
Old 06-09-2006, 05:42 AM   #8
billmania
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Michael:

I'm used the 64 bit NDIS MS-Windows driver and the ndiswrapper package. http://fedoranews.org/mediawiki/inde...ng_Ndiswrapper
tells about the NDIS package and ftp://ftp.support.acer-euro.com/note...p64/80211g.zip describes how to put it together with the driver.
I also learned that the push button switch on the front edge of the notebook is indeed a hardware switch. You don't get any indication of its state, however, so, if it doesn't work the first time, push the switch and try again. The light in the switch does work to indicate network traffic.
--
Bill
 
Old 06-09-2006, 05:46 AM   #9
michael.marohn
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I figured it out yesterday to use the 64 bit drivers, that was apparently my whole entire problem.

I don't know why I didn't think of that before.

Thanks for responding.
 
Old 12-01-2007, 07:48 PM   #10
wabbalee
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>>
>> netllama @ LinuxQuestions.org wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> This is the message:
>>>
>>> Hi!
>>> I found a thread that you started here regarding your Acer TM2480:
>>> http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ghlight=tm2480
>>>
>>> I'm considering purchasing one of these units (to use with Linux, of course), and was wondering how well yours is working? Are there any components (modem, card reader, etc) that you've never tried to use in Linux, or anything that you've tried to use but doesn't work (or work well)?
>>>
>>> thanks!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> Hi
>>
>> I am currently working with Mepis 6.0 lts and i needed some fiddling
>> getting the screen resolution right. also had some probs with my
>> wireless. both work fine now. i have never used the built in modem, so i
>> don't know about that one, not really interested either.
>>
>> then i have tried but not fully integrated yet, the latest mepis (6.9 or
>> 7.0?) and both screen and wireless work fine under it. i also use kopete
>> a lot and that one seems to freeze in the new version, but that could be
>> resolved by installing my current version on the new distro release
>> until they fixed bugs
>>
>> hope this was helpful, i en joy my linux laptop under mepis, i have
>> tried ubuntu on it but it just works better with mepis, just fine out of
>> the box
>>
>
> Hi,
> I did purchase a TM-2480, and for the most part things are working,
> however I can't get the wireless to work at all. Can you elaborate on
> which wifi kernel module you're using (ath5k, madwifi, ndiswrapper),
> and what you needed to do to get it working?
>
> thanks
>
>
>
what os are you using? under the latest mepis (6.9 RCx.x) it works out of the box but that is still in beta, wait for the final release and try that if do not want to play with beta releases. final release should be here soon. i have mine working under mepis 6.0 lts but i do believe i have un- and reinstalled ndiswrapper. find the way (goolge) to properly uninstall it first
to activate my wireles under current mepis (6.0 lts) i have to start a gui proggie called 'wireless assistant' each time i (re)start my computer, click on my avaiable wireless station (i use a static ip network, may be that is why i have to do this) but it takes less than 10 seconds to do this so it no hassle really. it the connects instantly.
 
Old 12-02-2007, 06:04 AM   #11
Hangdog42
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wabbalee knock it off. Posting the same thing in multiple threads does absolutely nothing for anyone.
 
Old 12-02-2007, 11:34 PM   #12
wabbalee
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just trying to help
 
Old 12-03-2007, 07:22 AM   #13
Hangdog42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wabbalee View Post
just trying to help
Great, we need all the help we can get, but again, posting exactly the same thing in a bunch of threads is pretty useless. If you've got something broad based to say, try submitting to the LQ Wiki or writing an article or tutorial. Those are the best ways to spread general information.
 
  


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