If you have the driver installed, you can get online via the command line with the following:
1. iwconfig wlan0 key open XXXXXXXXXXX
(where Xs represent your network's hexidecimal key - for other types of network security, type man iwconfig to see the command. If you don't have security on your wireless router, then tell us where you live so we can download illegal mp3s off your wireless network, haha).Note: I had to change the type of networks to look for to open (instead of restricted, even though my network is of course protected; the open just means to look for both types of access points, I'm thinking):
2. Request an IP address:
dhclient wlan0
If there's a native Linux driver for your card, then you should now be online. If not:
I'm going to assume that there isn't a native linux driver for your wireless card.
Here's some more info:
1. First, make sure that the computer recognizes that you have a wireless card.
As root:
lspci
Find your wireless card and write down the series of numbers in the first column (something like 00:00:blah). Good- your wireless card is recognized.
2. Then:
lspci -n
Get the PCI ID number (3rd column; looks like 14e4:4320): corresponding to the number you wrote down in the last step.
Go to
http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/p...index.php/List
and search for the number you wrote down in step 2. Find someone that has had success with your card, and download the Windows driver they used.
3. Download ndiswrapper. Get the most recent version unless you saw in step 2 that your card would only work with an earlier one.
4. Make sure you have all the gcc and glibc libraries installed on your computer (otherwise ndiswrapper won't make correctly)- gcc, -headers -common -profile, etc - (this was the biggest problem i had)
yum install glibc gcc gcc-headers gcc-common gcc-profile should do it.
5. uncompress ndiswrapper
tar xzvf ndiswrapper-1.0versionhere
6. cd into the new ndiswrapper directory
7. type 'make'
8. type 'make install'
ndiswrapper should now be installed if there were no errors
9. cd to where the driver for your wireless card is after you downloaded it in step 2.
10. /usr/sbin/ndiswrapper -i name of driver.inf
11. /usr/sbin/ndiswrapper -l (the letter L)
--> tells you if the drivers are installed properly
12. modprobe ndiswrapper
--> loads the kernel module
13. dmesg
--> verify that the driver is loaded
14. /usr/sbin/ndiswrapper -m
--> You should get a message saying: Adding "alias wlan0 ndiswrapper" to /etc/modprobe.conf (that way ndiswrapper will be used when wlan0 is brought up)
You're good to go. I use Network Manager, because it will automatically find the fastest connection available:
Network Manager:
Make sure NetworkManager and NetworkManager-gnome are installed
Go to Services (or SuSe's equivalent)
Stop network and uncheck it (so it won't start on startup)
Start NetworkManager and check it (so it will)
Save and exit Services
Create a launcher icon on the desktop that will run the command 'NetworkManagerInfo'
Click it and watch in your panel as it looks for and finds wireless networks.