Let's try to figure out what we are dealing with in a bit more detail.
First, let's identify it:
jcwx@haley:~$ lsusb
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 005 Device 006: ID 046d:c50e Logitech, Inc. MX-1000 Cordless Mouse Receiver
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0d49:7000 Maxtor OneTouch
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 148f:2573 Ralink Technology, Corp. RT2501USB Wireless Adapter
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
jcwx@haley:~$
As you can see, I've got a Ralink wireless device there. Let's do this now, where we take the bus and device numbers from the Ralink NIC, put them into a request for a detailed list from lsusb:
jcwx@haley:~$ lsusb -vvv -s 001:002
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 148f:2573 Ralink Technology, Corp. RT2501USB Wireless Adapter
Device Descriptor:
bLength 18
bDescriptorType 1
bcdUSB 2.00
bDeviceClass 0 (Defined at Interface level)
bDeviceSubClass 0
bDeviceProtocol 0
bMaxPacketSize0 64
idVendor 0x148f Ralink Technology, Corp.
idProduct 0x2573 RT2501USB Wireless Adapter
bcdDevice 0.01
iManufacturer 1 Ralink
iProduct 2 802.11 bg WLAN
iSerial 0
bNumConfigurations 1
Configuration Descriptor:
bLength 9
(snippo)
bDeviceSubClass 0
bDeviceProtocol 0
bMaxPacketSize0 64
bNumConfigurations 1
Device Status: 0x0000
(Bus Powered)
jcwx@haley:~$
Also, why don't you run these commands as well:
'lsmod|grep rt'
'iwconfig'
'ifconfig'
That should catch any Ralink drivers installed, and possibly provide some further information.
I found a blog entry that looks like it could help you:
http://josthalen.wordpress.com/2009/...c-v3-on-linux/
It's fairly recent and applies directly to your issue.