LinuxQuestions.org - Setting up Wireless on Ubuntu Netbook

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Setting up Wireless on Ubuntu Netbook

I am starting to get frustrated with this ubuntu operating system! I received this HP Mini 1000 as a gift with ubuntu installed on it. When I was out at a wifi location to receive the internet, it wanted to update the software so I figured what the hack! Right and update is a good thing! It will give me 9.0 upgrade and things will go good! BOY was I wrong!

First thing that happened is that I lost my connection before it was completely finished. The program did not want to come back, finally I downloaded the 9.0 onto a USB stick and installed it that way! Problem over right? WRONG! I lost the drivers for the Broadcom 43 drivers to connect wireless to the internet! And can not connect to the internet with my cell phone because it will not recognize the drivers for my Motorola V9mm phone!

Does any one have any suggestion? I would really like to get the drivers back on the wireless BCM 4312 802.11b/g so I can at least connect to the internet! I have tried to reinstall them and download them but they will still not recognize them. Tried to install the fwcutter tool and activate the file for the drivers but it times out or tells that it is corrupted!

Thanks

LN Smith

Hello, forget about fwcutter and b43. Use the new official proprietary driver from broadcom.
http://www.broadcom.com/support/802.11/linux_sta.php

Also, next time please put a meaningful title to your thread. You will get more and better support quicker.

Welcome to LQ!!---I sounds like you are not entirely new to Linux. Regardless, stick with us an you will find that just about any problem can be solved.

If you ever get tired of Ubuntu, note that several distros now have versions specifically for netbooks.

@Agrouf;
Good to hear that Broadcom now supports Linux--previously we were hearing that Broadcom wireless was not Linux-friendly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixellany (Post 3834947)

@Agrouf;
Good to hear that Broadcom now supports Linux--previously we were hearing that Broadcom wireless was not Linux-friendly.

They do now, because of netbooks shipping with linux. Unfortunately, they took the nvidia way of proprietary blob. As a result, one has to download and install them instead of being distributed and installed with the distro. Bad choice in my opinion, but still better than ignoring linux altogether.

Broadcom wieless connection thanks

Thanks for the information on the drivers, I have installed them and checked the hardware drives and they say that they are working. However now how do you connect? i have no icon stating that they are trying to connect and when i am at a known wireless spot it will not connect to the internet?

Thanks for all the help

Please post the output of

Code:

lsmod | grep wl

iwconfig wlan0

iwlist wlan0 scan

ifconfig wlan0

ifconfig -a

(each line is a separate command with its own output)

Wireless connection

I have installed the drivers for my wireless connections thanks to the input i received on hear. The STA wireless drivers say that they are active and currently in use, However i can not connect to the internet, or do i have a icon showing that it is working? is there someplace or setting that i do not have set to show the icon? and a list of the wifi connection weather it is public or private?

thanks again for the heal

I would not expect it to connect all by itself without some configuring---have you tried the Ubuntu network utilities (in the menus)?

This is what i get when i entered the commands.

lsmod | grep wl
wl 1272936 0
lib80211 6432 2 lib80211_crypt_tkip,wl
smith@smith-laptop:~$ iwconfig wlan0
wlan0 No such device

smith@smith-laptop:~$ iwconfig wlanO
wlanO No such device

smith@smith-laptop:~$ iwlst wlanO scan
No command 'iwlst' found, did you mean:
Command 'iwlist' from package 'wireless-tools' (main)
iwlst: command not found
smith@smith-laptop:~$ ifconfig wlanO
wlanO: error fetching interface information: Device not found
smith@smith-laptop:~$ ifconfig -a
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:25:b3:46:f1:88
inet6 addr: fe80::225:b3ff:fe46:f188/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:15735 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:7 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:2611698 (2.6 MB) TX bytes:810 (810.0 B)
Interrupt:17

eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:25:56:66:4c:0d
inet addr:192.168.0.51 Bcast:192.168.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::225:56ff:fe66:4c0d/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:23780 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:11935
TX packets:1618 errors:6 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:4106073 (4.1 MB) TX bytes:192352 (192.3 KB)
Interrupt:16 Base address:0xc000

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:8 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:8 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:480 (480.0 B) TX bytes:480 (480.0 B)

pan0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 2e:4a:26:14:00:61
BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

Your listing from "ifconfig -a" shows that you have 2 interface devices--eth0 and eth1. Note the two unique hardware addresses.

eth1 is UP and has an IP assigned. Is this your wired connection?

If you run "iwconfig" with no arguments, it will show you if any of the interfaces are wireless. Since a netbook is not likely to have two wired interfaces, I'll bet you a cookie that either eth0 or eth1 is wireless.

Assuming that one is wireless, the you can run iwlist as before---eg iwlist eth1 scan. Note the spelling---in your example above, you entered "iwlst" and it asked if you meant "iwlist"--then you put in "iwlst" again.

And--note that all these device names use numbers at the end---eg it is always eth0 or wlan0 (ZERO, not the letter O)

the other ethernet setting was from trying to connect via cable at work with a given ip address. correcting the spelling, and the zero, this is what comes up now, but i still unable to connect eater with the cable, wireless, or using the mobile broadban. Would i need a NetworkManager installed to get an icon? Looking at the Network Connections the wireless is working but i can not connect.

lsmod | grep wl
wl 1272936 0
lib80211 6432 2 lib80211_crypt_tkip,wl
smith@smith-laptop:~$ iwconfig wlan0
wlan0 No such device

smith@smith-laptop:~$ iwconfig wlanO
wlanO No such device

smith@smith-laptop:~$ iwlst wlanO scan
No command 'iwlst' found, did you mean:
Command 'iwlist' from package 'wireless-tools' (main)
iwlst: command not found
smith@smith-laptop:~$ ifconfig wlanO
wlanO: error fetching interface information: Device not found
smith@smith-laptop:~$ ifconfig -a
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:25:b3:46:f1:88
inet6 addr: fe80::225:b3ff:fe46:f188/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:15735 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:7 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:2611698 (2.6 MB) TX bytes:810 (810.0 B)
Interrupt:17

eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:25:56:66:4c:0d
inet addr:192.168.0.51 Bcast:192.168.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::225:56ff:fe66:4c0d/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:23780 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:11935
TX packets:1618 errors:6 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:4106073 (4.1 MB) TX bytes:192352 (192.3 KB)
Interrupt:16 Base address:0xc000

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:8 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:8 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:480 (480.0 B) TX bytes:480 (480.0 B)

pan0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 2e:4a:26:14:00:61
BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)
Thanks

can you post the output of
lspci
lsusb
ifconfig
iwconfig
ifconfig -a

and do you have networkmanager installed?

please put your output in code tags
can you post the output of

Code:

ifconfig

iwconfig

ifconfig -a

then usually

Code:

iwlist <your-wifi-card> scan

will list accessable wifi routers. and

Code:

iwconfig <your-wifi-card> <your-router-ssid>

will connect.
you mite need to run dhclient after you connect to make your router give you an ip address (you mite need to be sudo to run these commands).

i use fedora which has a network-manager-applet in gnome (not sure what gui is available for ubuntu).

If possible, reinstall Ubuntu 9.04, "Jaunty Jackalope", and stick with it. 9.10, "Karmic Koala", seems to have a load of problems.