Attention: As of Ubuntu Heron this article is no longer an issue, you DO NOT need to blacklist rt2500usb any longer. Just plugin the rt73usb device, give it a few minutes for networkmanager to find it and go - that is it. But remember, its first use might take a bit for NM to see it. Be patient and stop following the wrong information about needing to compile extra drivers that is NOT needed whatsoever.

In a previous article at Mad Penguin, I shared my opinions and overall vision of the state of Linux wireless today. In this latest installment, I will demonstrate exactly how one can have a simple way to implement Linux wireless connectivity without all of the headaches.

Using A Working PCMCIA Card. Enter the rt61pci module that powers the Edimax EW-7608pg wireless card. It is fairly well known that the existing rt61pci module is considered a little buggy. However, based on my own daily use with it, when using a notebook-cooling pad to keep things from getting too hot, the present module works well enough for most people.

How do you get it to work? Simple, plug it in and turn on your notebook running Ubuntu Gutsy. Having issues connecting? There are two things to consider:

Are you actually having a problem with ipv6? If you think you might be, try blacklisting ipv6 to see if that helps. Simplify your interfaces file — /etc/network/interfaces to only show the following:

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

Is the legacy rt61pci module loaded? Assuming you did not heed the advice of the ‘experts’ from the various forums, try this: sudo modprobe rt61pci

Newer Notebooks, Newer Wireless Hassles. “Just use NDISWrapper, it should work just fine.” For every success story with this method, there are ten other failures. Yet those stuck with Expresscard as your expansion option for your notebook are generally left with this as your only solution. While USB is not the most elegant method for wireless, with the right device, it does work. Consider the Edimax EW-7318USg USB dongle, which runs the rt73usb module.

Here is where 99 percent of you fail when using this device — there is a common belief that it actually uses rt2500usb. As a matter of fact, the dongle itself appears to have a tough time making the distinction. Thankfully, this is Linux, so we will simply blacklist the problem module…

echo ‘blacklist rt2500usb’ | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist

then…

sudo modprobe rt73usb

…and finally…

sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart

Nothing Is Working: Why?

A Few Common Reasons:

• You are still plugged into your wired network — lose the Ethernet cable when you need wireless.
• You “attempted” to compile something related to one of the drivers above. Always a fast track to frustration unless you are quite comfortable with advanced Linux usage. My Advice? Backup /home/ and start off again completely fresh.
• You are using something related to Ralink via NDISWrapper. Use the utility to uninstall the Windows driver or start fresh, your choice.
• Static IP vs. DHCP — want to use a static IP? Go for it. I’ve never tested this, so it may work — may not.
• Use WPA2 Personal (not WEP), make sure your router is on channel autoscan rather than a static channel (if possible), do not use “Super G,” as 802.11g standard is best.

For every ten people that have followed my advice above (via e-mail), at least six of them fail. With one exception, it was due to not wanting to follow a simple pattern of what works. Still, using the PCMCIA card and the legacy version of rt61pci is not all fun and games.

• You will likely get dropped. If you find yourself getting dropped, I’m willing to bet 98 percent of the time there are other networks nearby with fair signal strength. It appears this version of the rt61pci module does not do well keeping you locked on. Still, it is a simple enough fix to simply use Network Manager to reconnect. It is really not a big deal, but it can be avoided using the USB dongle, as I have not had a problem with it like this.
• All of the devices get warm. I have found it seems to be worst with the Ralink chipset products when using Linux modules. This is largely why others have opted to use NDISWrapper for Ralink wireless support. I choose not to opt out of principle. A product either works with Linux or it does not, as far as I’m concerned.

Some of you may be wondering a bit about Pre-N technologies? As I have been in talks with a representative from Edimax and actually reviewed a router and USB dongle using these new technologies, I can tell you that they are not yet there. Yes, you can compile a module into your distro install if you like. Personally, I will stick to what is plug-n’-play for the time being. I find this is much easier to duplicate for the average user.

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at Mad Penguin. For more news about the Open Source community, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to Mad Penguin’s RSS Feed!

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• Funding Open Source Projects
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