WPC11 V3 wlan between Win2K and Linux - 3 gotchas
 

Dear Mr. Jones,

Thank you for your prompt reply and assistance. With the advice from you, I was able to get my wlan up and going using a Linksys WPC11 Ver3 in a Compaq Presario 1700 laptop running Windows 2000, and a Linksys WPC11 Ver 3 nested in a WDT11 PCI adaptor in my Linux box running a RedHat 2.4.20-18.9 recompiled kernel.

However, there are some of the little gotcha’s I discovered that made this a little bit harder than it had to be. I’ll list them here so to advise others new to wireless some of the things to expect in getting a Linksys WPC11 ad_hoc wireless lan going:

1) As you pointed out, the trick to adjusting the configuration of the WPC11 Ver3 on the Windows 2000 laptop was knowing that you could access the settings by right-clicking (but not double-clicking) the ‘My Network Places’ on the Desktop, select ‘Properties’, then double-clicking the displayed icon representing your wireless network connection, and then click on the ‘Properties’ button that is in the Status box that appears. This will itself generate a new properties box, which will have a ‘Configure’ button. This ‘Configure’ button is the way to get to the WPC11 Ver3 driver settings.

2) Linksys WPC11 Ver3 (which contains the Prism3 chipset supported by linux-wlan-ng) is now distributed in a new 2003 box that does not include the version number on the outside of the box. The model number is simply identified as WPC11. I called Linksys customer support, and they told me they themselves could not tell whether a 2003 packaged WPC11 box held a Prism3 chipset or instead had a WPC11 BroadCom chipset which is not as widely supported. The Linksys guy told me I had to open the box before I bought it and look at the card to be sure what I was getting.

3) The latest Microsoft compatible driver download from Linksys for the WPC11 Ver3 (wpc11v3_driver_utility_wpa version 3.0.4.205 dated 6/5/2003) has some interesting ‘features’ that can convince a ‘newbie to wireless’ that he or she has a bum card. In short, if the wireless lan is not operating yet (because perhaps the WPC11 cards in the Linux system and the Win2000 laptop are not yet identically configured), the Linksys trouble-shooting guide suggests uninstalling and reinstalling the wpc11v3_driver_utility_wpa. After doing this a few times, the Win2000 system will start to boot up with the following warning (if the WPC11 card can’t yet associate with its partner on Linux box):

”Some necessary files are missing. These files are used to configure your adaptor, please make sure you have properly installed the software.

If you encounter this problem again, please reinstall this software from your Network Everywhere CD”

Uninstalling and reinstalling wpc11v3_driver_utility_wpa does not make this warning go away after every reboot. However, once the settings on the Microsoft and Linux drivers are proper set and these cards associate with one another, this warning goes away.

Again, thanks again for the help.

Sincerely,

Leonard Greer


Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 16:51:00 -0400
From:"LinuxChuck"
To:"Leonard Greer"
Subject: Re: In the same fix - WDT11/WPC11 combo for an AP?


I apologize for the late response... I am in the process of remodeling my home, and have been neglecting my email.

Wow, it's been a little while since I went through all that. :-) But if I recall properly (I don't have the laptop here to verify it) the location that I found the ad-hoc/802.11b ad-hoc options was under the properties of the adapter.

Right-click on my network places, go to properties, right-click on your wireless adapter, and at the top should be a button labeled "Configure". I believe the option to select between ad-hoc and 802.11b ad-hoc mode was in those settings.

I'll have to get my laptop from my office to double-check it though. I'll try and remember to check it out when I go to work tomorrow, and get back to you to let you know for certain where the option was found.

Good luck

Charles Jones


Back in the day,

Leonard Greer <lsgreer@yahoo.com> said:

> Dear Linuxchuck,
>
> I think I am the same fix you were in last January. (RE: your post in the hosap list found at lists.shmoo.com)
>
> I got a win2k laptop that will not co-operate with the software from Linksys to run a WPC11 Ver 3 properly. I seem to have many of the same symptoms you reported, i.e., the Linksys Wlan monitor says I have a link, but can't ping.
>
> I am curious about what you said regarding the win2k drivers. I know my way around a linux box OK, but am all thumbs with a Windows systems.
>
> Precisely in what directory did you look for these 2k drivers, and how could you tell they were written differently. (The CD - as well as downloads - from Linksys that I have contain dll and sys files and I haven't found a good description or README file telling me what's what).
>
> Give me a hint, and I hope be able to figure the rest out myself.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Leonard Greer - Geneva Switzerland.
>


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