Ubuntu Linux: Built-in apps get an "A", wireless support an "F" (CNET) [LWN.net]

Ubuntu Linux: Built-in apps get an "A", wireless support an "F" (CNET)

Posted Jan 5, 2008 8:27 UTC (Sat) by Cato (subscriber, #7643)
In reply to: Ubuntu Linux: Built-in apps get an "A", wireless support an "F" (CNET) by rsidd
Parent article: Ubuntu Linux: Built-in apps get an "A", wireless support an "F" (CNET)

I've also had great problems getting WiFi to work with Linux using Ubuntu 7.10 - I tried three
PCMCIA cards and ended up using a 3Com USB WiFi stick.  The problem isn't just WiFi but
ensuring that WPA can be configured as well - some cards support only WEP under Linux which is
useless for real security.

I wasn't using network-manager since this was with Xubuntu - I found that wicd worked fairly
well, but its diagnostics on failure to connect are quite poor, and I have to boot from
scratch with the WiFi stick inserted.

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Ubuntu Linux: Built-in apps get an "A", wireless support an "F" (CNET)

Posted Jan 5, 2008 17:49 UTC (Sat) by boudewijn (subscriber, #14185) [Link]

I stopped using KUbuntu on my Thinkpad X61t because it would switch off 
the wireless card after a few hours -- and only rebooting could make it 
switch on again.

Ubuntu Linux: Built-in apps get an "A", wireless support an "F" (CNET)

Posted Jan 5, 2008 22:05 UTC (Sat) by rvfh (subscriber, #31018) [Link]

In my case, when Network Manager fails to reconnect to my wireless network, the solution is
'sudo rmmod iwl4965' and 'sudo modprobe iwl4963', but yeah, something's still broken in that
otherwise not so bad piece of software...

Hope that might help someone...

Ubuntu Linux: Built-in apps get an "A", wireless support an "F" (CNET)

Posted Jan 10, 2008 16:03 UTC (Thu) by Cato (subscriber, #7643) [Link]

Now that I use wicd I find the standard kernel driver for zd1211 works fine.  The only
connectivity problems I've had turned out to be bugs in the DD-WRT Linux access points I use,
where the binary 'nas' process dies, killing WDS links in the process.  This is another aspect
of the same problem, i.e. Broadcom using binary drivers and userspace programs on the WRT54G
and similar routers.  Until we get open source for everything in DD-WRT and other WiFi router
distros, it's tough to debug this sort of problem.