wa4chq Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Greetings and sorry I haven't been checking in to BATL. Hope all are well. I just purchased an Alpha awus036h wireless adapter to use with my laptop when on my boat. It is supposed to work with Linux. My laptop has ubuntu 9.10 installed on one partition and windows on the other. I have no problems getting it to work with windows but I don't want to run windows. Documentation is sketchy but I have the drivers installed but I don't see any activity 'led flicker' when booting. I tried live mint and the led on the unit lights but instead of slow looking flicker like you would see on a modem, it is almost solid green, no slow flicker. It detects a neighbors open wifi but I can't get online. Ubuntu no light, live mint spastic light. Has anyone here tried this device? If so, any pointers? I've google but not much luck there.....thanks and have a great weekend...neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 securitybreach got that same card working in ArchLinux I believe.My Jim got the Alpha 2000mw card working on Debian which is close to Ubuntu and it uses the same driver.Jim said you need to get the firmware, blacklist one of the stock kernel drivers that tries to load if that card is present, and have the recent kernel. He said he would get the info for me to post.Be back in a bit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Jim said you have to blacklist rt2800usb in /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.confMore info here at Ubuntu forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 Thanks for the speedy reply. Confused a little...not sure what the rt2800usb is. My laptop is an emachine and will blacklisting the rt2800usb make the awus036h work when I reboot??? Sorry, not savvy in Ubuntu...Slack is where it's at...! Jim said you have to blacklist rt2800usb in /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.confMore info here at Ubuntu forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Neil, Bambi's Jimmy Lee is just saying that you need to add "rt2800usb" to your /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf. It's just a text file that tells the kernel what modules to leave out when booting the kernel. Evidently JL has determined an issue with that rt2800usb module.I'm not at all sure about Ubuntu, but in Arch Linux, you would just create a plain text file named "rt2800usb_blacklist.conf" and place it in your /etc/modprobe.d directory. The file itself should contain the following data: blacklist rt2800usbEasy-peasy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 My system identifies the Alpha awus036h as a Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8187 Wireless Adapter which should use the RTL818 driver. You should see this whenever you run lsusb from the terminal.The module is built into the kernel so all you need to do is: Make sure that you have loaded the rtl8187 module with# modprobe rtl8187 Then run dmesg | grep rtl8187 You should see some output like this usbcore: registered new interface driver rtl8187 If you see that line everything should be OK https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Rtl8187_wirelessAfter that, just use wicd or network manager to choose your access point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Neil, Bambi's Jimmy Lee is just saying that you need to add "rt2800usb" to your /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf. It's just a text file that tells the kernel what modules to leave out when booting the kernel. Evidently JL has determined an issue with that rt2800usb module.I'm not at all sure about Ubuntu, but in Arch Linux, you would just create a plain text file named "rt2800usb_blacklist.conf" and place it in your /etc/modprobe.d directory. The file itself should contain the following data:Easy-peasy. Hey Eric...tnx for the info. I did add "rt2800usb to the /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf but when running wifi-radar I don't connect to the open wifi....I tried puppy on a flash drive and I connect but only for enough time to see something, then it disconnects. I should have a strong signal from the neighbors....with umbuntu, the onboard laptop wireless seems to be active and I wonder if I should disable it? Anyway, will keep plugging away...tnx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 My system identifies the Alpha awus036h as a Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8187 Wireless Adapter which should use the RTL818 driver. You should see this whenever you run lsusb from the terminal. As far as getting it working, this may give some insight:https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Rtl8187_wirelessIt is what I used to set it up on my system. Hey Security B....tnx for the info.here's what I get when I run lsmod:r8187l 137424 0here's what I get when I run modprobe rtl8187:FATAL: Module rtl8187 not found.here's what I get when I run dmesg | grep rtl8187:[ 16.553963] rtl8187L: Initializing module[ 16.553965] rtl8187L: Wireless extensions version 22[ 16.553966] rtl8187L: Initializing proc filesystem[ 16.594567] rtl8187L: Reported EEPROM chip is a 93c46 (1Kbit)[ 17.352855] rtl8187L: Card MAC address is 00:c0:ca:52:4e:a9[ 17.572479] rtl8187L: Card reports RF frontend Realtek 8225[ 17.572484] rtl8187L: WW:**PLEASE** REPORT SUCCESS/INSUCCESS TO Realtek[ 18.718708] rtl8187L: This seems a new V2 radio: rtl8225_zebra2[ 18.719176] rtl8187L: PAPE from CONFIG2: 0[ 18.738726] rtl8187L: EEPROM Customer ID: FF[ 18.738746] rtl8187L: Driver probe completed[ 18.738787] usbcore: registered new interface driver rtl8187L[ 18.741725] rtl8187L: Now Radio OnI'm confused but I think the module is there but isn't being loaded when I boot.anyway, getting late...tnx again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Hey Eric...tnx for the info. I did add "rt2800usb to the /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf but when running wifi-radar I don't connect to the open wifi....I tried puppy on a flash drive and I connect but only for enough time to see something, then it disconnects. I should have a strong signal from the neighbors....with umbuntu, the onboard laptop wireless seems to be active and I wonder if I should disable it? Anyway, will keep plugging away...tnxI forgot to do one thing you mentioned.....doing the plain text file and placing it in /etc/modprobe.d directory....gonna do that now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urmas Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I forgot to do one thing you mentioned.....doing the plain text file and placing it in /etc/modprobe.d directory....gonna do that now...Don't forget to reboot after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Wa4chq: Can you post the output from lsusb? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Knew the reinforcements would get here soon :DYeah, the blacklist issue keeps the right driver from being able to be modprobed if I remember correctly. Once that's in place what the Ubuntu link I posted or instructions by securitybreach should work for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Wa4chq: Can you post the output from lsusb?Good morning...sure can....here it is:wilson--> ~ lsusbBus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hubBus 006 Device 002: ID 046d:c018 Logitech, Inc. Optical Wheel MouseBus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hubBus 007 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hubBus 008 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hubBus 002 Device 003: ID 0bda:8187 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8187 Wireless AdapterBus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hubBus 001 Device 002: ID 064e:a103 Suyin Corp. Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hubBus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hubBus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hubso it looks like its there when I plug in.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Knew the reinforcements would get here soon :DYeah, the blacklist issue keeps the right driver from being able to be modprobed if I remember correctly. Once that's in place what the Ubuntu link I posted or instructions by securitybreach should work for you.Good Morning to you too ! Something still isn't being loaded when I boot....I don't get any activity from the led lite on the device. But, I just install Mint 11 to a flash drive and booted it and it finds the device but it is a very slow connection compared to running it in windoze....Someone suggested reinstalling the linux driver from Alpha network but the link for the linux 2.6.* kernel doesn't seem to work....I think three things are happening here....1, I never update anything 2, the onboard wireless needs to be disabled 3, the module needs to load when booting....but I'm not having any luck with 2 and 3 and I'm not going to update from 9.10 to 11.04...that would take forever. That's why I'm trying mint on a flash....oh well...thnx everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Neil,1. is the (E)SSID hidden? If so, unhide it temporary and see if it connects then.2. WakeOnLan enabled? See this reply:http://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.ph...mp;#entry330717You said you're not going to update from 9.10 to 11.04...that would take forever.Does that mean at home you're on dial up or some other slow connection?If that's all what keeps you going from 9.10 to 11.04, we may have an old solution in place at the board. We used to use that frequently to help out members with dial up connection only. Someone close to where you live would then send you the CD or DVD so you would be able to install, if it has to be the case even overseas. I think with the help of a mod we should be able to arrange something if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Also, don't laugh now... but my Dell lappy actually had a manual wifi enable switch on the left side of the unit. Never hurts to check the obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Neil,1. is the (E)SSID hidden? If so, unhide it temporary and see if it connects then.2. WakeOnLan enabled? See this reply:http://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.ph...mp;#entry330717You said you're not going to update from 9.10 to 11.04...that would take forever.Does that mean at home you're on dial up or some other slow connection?If that's all what keeps you going from 9.10 to 11.04, we may have an old solution in place at the board. We used to use that frequently to help out members with dial up connection only. Someone close to where you live would then send you the CD or DVD so you would be able to install, if it has to be the case even overseas. I think with the help of a mod we should be able to arrange something if needed.Hi...tnx for the info and I will check to see if the (E)SSID is hidden. Regarding updating...I haven't done any updates since installing it a few years ago. From what I read, you don't jump from 9 to 11, in the article they said upgrade 9>10 10>11....I'm on highspeed but I'm figuring that it could be an all nighter with stops in between.....anyway, will check the suggestion you made...tnx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Also, don't laugh now... but my Dell lappy actually had a manual wifi enable switch on the left side of the unit. Never hurts to check the obvious. Hey Eric....well this is going to sound dumb but there just might be one on the lappy here!.... I never messed with it cuz it just always did what it needed to do...ie if I'm here and wired, or if I'm at a hotel and they have wifi it works....but right by my left hand is a button with a led and wireless icon! hmmm....do you suppose??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I was a component level electronics repair tech for most of my adult life. I learned real fast to check the simple stuff when troubleshooting... "Is that even plugged in?" HA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urmas Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 ... hmmm....do you suppose???Only one way to find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Weird thing is now the adapter is getting juice and the led is lit....I'm using DWM and wicd-curses....I find two, sometimes three wifi spots but only one is open. I can't connect to it....(we'll never know if it was a button thing....)!!And ifconfig wlan1 up works too....it didn't before....Only one way to find out. haha...that could happen here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Perhaps: TUTORIAL: Installing driver RTL8187, r8187, rt2800usb on Ubuntu Jaunty and Lucid (Maverick too)It should not be that difficult since the driver is built into the kernel already but maybe something on that page will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 You should be able to just modprobe the module and it should work. I did run across this while searching though.[sOLVED] RTL8187 alfa network awus036h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 You should be able to just modprobe the module and it should work. I did run across this while searching though.[sOLVED] RTL8187 alfa network awus036h Thanks for the links...I had found them earlier, but this was before I could get the device to light up.....I'll go back and read them again...I just finished downloading ArchBang which I'm hoping to install on the flash drive and test drive. Maybe I'll have better luck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Thanks for the links...I had found them earlier, but this was before I could get the device to light up.....I'll go back and read them again...I just finished downloading ArchBang which I'm hoping to install on the flash drive and test drive. Maybe I'll have better luck with it.You will if you follow the Archwiki link I provided above. It will work perfectly as I have tried it with Archlinux and Archbang as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 You will if you follow the Archwiki link I provided above. It will work perfectly as I have tried it with Archlinux and Archbang as well.Good morning....I went ahead and installed ArchBang live onto a flash drive. Module is loaded and recognized. I can find the neighbors open wifi but when it said it was connected, I could never pull up anything on the internet.Looking at the LED, she was flickering pretty fast compared to when using it in Windows and the connection would drop out. The link you sent mentioned reducing the rate:iwconfig wlan1 rate 5.5M fixedThat slowed the flicker down and now I get:Connection Failed: Unable to get IP addressI wonder if everything is slow or not connecting properly because I'm running the live version?tnx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Good morning....I went ahead and installed ArchBang live onto a flash drive. Module is loaded and recognized. I can find the neighbors open wifi but when it said it was connected, I could never pull up anything on the internet.Looking at the LED, she was flickering pretty fast compared to when using it in Windows and the connection would drop out. The link you sent mentioned reducing the rate:That slowed the flicker down and now I get:I wonder if everything is slow or not connecting properly because I'm running the live version?tnxI am starting to wonder if your device is functioning correctly or maybe the SSID is the culprit. I only say this because my device works flawlessly even when connecting to access points a block away (~500 ft). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I am starting to wonder if your device is functioning correctly or maybe the SSID is the culprit. I only say this because my device works flawlessly even when connecting to access points a block away (~500 ft).Same here with Jim's Alfa card. It's amazing and works very well in Linux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa4chq Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Good Afternoon...I don't think it's the device because why would it work using windows? The signal strength for the neighbor who is 'open' is quite strong and houses here aren't that close together...it worked (not great) using Mint but at that time I hadn't read the link that SBreach sent that showed the command for slowing the rate down. The LED wasn't giving a slow pulse rate like when using windows...it was going at a pretty fast clip, no blinking. I don't have any experience with networks and wifi etc.....so I really appreciate the tips all of you are providing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 One last suggestion, Neil... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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