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attachment:Portal/IDB/icon-wifi-32x32.png This portal deals with the installation and configuration of WiFi devices. Device installation is essentially a two-part process: 1) installing the driver (also called a module) and 2) setting up your WiFi interface.

A WiFi device operates on an electronic chip called a "chipset". We can find the same chipset in several different devices. Consequently, the driver/module for one chipset will work for all wireless devices using that chipset.

A WiFi interface is an Ethernet interface which also provides WiFi-specific configuration parameters. These parameters are controlled using the ["iwconfig"] program.

• ?TableOfContents(3)

Tools prerequisites

• wireless-tools, tools for manipulating Linux Wireless Extensions (installed by default on Desktop & Laptop installation)

• For system with GUI: NetworkManager (installed by default on Gnome-Desktop & Laptop installation)

• wpasupplicant, client support for ["WPA"] and WPA2 networks

Install Driver

Before you buy, you would check the list of hardware with Linux driver (or check for the Linux logo in the box of the WiFi card).

This section presents a list of WiFi cards sorted by manufacturer. It will show you the documentation page of the chip and thus its pilot. We recommend that you retrieve information identifying material.

This list consists of two elements: the device name and the hardware ID. The list is categorized alphabetically by the manufacturer's name and the name of your card.

See [http://cateee.net/lkddb/ the Linux Kernel Driver DataBase] for hardware and protocols know by the Linux ["Kernel"]

PCI Devices

This information is derived from command:

lspci -nn

See ["HowToIdentifyADevice/PCI"] for more information

?Anchor(legend) Legend :?BR = OK ; Unsupported(No Driver) ; = Error (Couldn't get it working); [?] Unknown, Not Test ; [-] Not-applicable ?BR = Configuration Required; = Only works with a proprietary driver and/or firmware

• An extended list of PCI-IDs to kernel-module mapping is available at ["DeviceDatabase/PCI"].

USB Devices

This information is derived from command:

lsusb

See ["HowToIdentifyADevice/USB"] for more information

• An extended list of USB-IDs to kernel-module mapping is available at ["DeviceDatabase/USB"].

PC Card (PCMCIA) Devices

See ["HowToIdentifyADevice/PC_Card"] for more information

Routers

?Anchor(configure)

Setting your WiFi device

• The content below should be moved to ["WiFi/HowToUse"].

Identify your network

• Network Name
  • Parameter security
  • ["WPA"]
  • Mode: Access Point / ad-hoc

Configure Interface: Managed mode

NetworkManager is a user-friendly program to control network interfaces. It's especially useful for WiFi. (it's available for ["Gnome"] and ["KDE"]).

Otherwise, you can use /etc/network/interfaces. here's a sample fragment of :

• # WiFi card section
  auto eth0
  iface eth0 inet dhcp
  wpa-ssid WANADOO-1418
  wpa-psk xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

See also /usr/share/doc/wireless-tools/README.Debian and [http://svn.debian.org/wsvn/pkg-wpa/wpasupplicant/trunk/debian/README.modes?op=file&rev=0&sc=0 README.Modes] (["WPA"]) for other examples.

Configure Interface: Ad-hoc mode

You have no Access Point and want to connect 2 PCs directly. Image 2 PC: calling hostA et hostB.

Wifi: Configure Wifi on your 2 PC:

• iwconfig ath0 mode Ad-hoc
  iwconfig ath0 essid MYNETWORK

Control on your 2 PC:

• iwlist ath0 scanning
  ath0      Scan completed :
            Cell 01 - Address: 02:0F:B5:4F:74:ED
                      ESSID:"MYNETWORK"
                      Mode:Ad-Hoc
                      Frequency:2.412 GHz (Channel 1)
                      Quality=42/70  Signal level=-53 dBm  Noise level=-95 dBm
                      Encryption key:off
                      Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s
                                9 Mb/s; 12 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s; 24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s
                                48 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s
                      Extra:bcn_int=100

IP: Configure IP on your hostA

• ifconfig ath0 192.168.1.1 netmask 255.255.255.0

Configure IP on your hostB

• ifconfig ath0 192.168.1.2 netmask 255.255.255.0

Control on your hostB:

• ping 192.168.1.1
  PING 192.168.1.1 (192.168.1.1) 56(84) bytes of data.
  64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.073 ms
  64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.061 ms
  64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=0.062 ms
  64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=4 ttl=64 time=0.063 ms
  
  --- 192.168.1.1 ping statistics ---
  4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 3001ms
  rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.061/0.064/0.073/0.010 ms

Using Network Manager

You can also configure wifi using Network Manager. To invoke Network Manager use nm-applet

Check the proper functioning

Resources

• ["ifconfig"]
• ["iwconfig"]

• NdisWrapper - use Windows drivers under Debian/Linux.

• ["Internet Connection Sharing"]
• ["Network"]

External Links

• Wi-fi definition

• http://www.linuxwireless.org , including devives and drivers.

• [http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/#howto] The Linux Wireless Compatibility and ?HowTo.

• http://hostap.epitest.fi/

• http://www.linux-wlan.org

• [http://stef.tvk.rwth-aachen.de/~nazgul/debian/DWL-650+_Howto.html D-Link DWL-650+ on Debian Linux Mini Howto]

• [http://www.questier.com/howto.html Linux installation of Wi-Fi card Proxim Orinoco Silver and Belkin F5D6020 ver.2 on kernel 2.4]

• [http://users.pandora.be/nespa/belkin/belkin.html Belkin F5D6020v2 on kernel 2.6]

• [http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS8354206794.html DVD over Wi-fi]

• [http://greenfly.org/fujitsu/#Tips%20and%20Tricks Linux on the Fujitsu P2110 has an example of using] [file:///usr/share/doc/ifupdown/examples/pcmcia-compat.sh pcmcia-compat.sh] and [file:///etc/network/interfaces /etc/network/interfaces] to achieve the same end

• [http://appaji.livejournal.com/42172.html Appaji] shows how to use guessnet to switch between locations.

• Configuring multiple setups and switching between them can be done with ifscheme. [http://www.alwayssunny.com/blog/?cat=2 alwayssunny.com You can see a worked example of this]. Some people think ifscheme is obsolete, and recommend network-manager instead. Others think the future is netconf

• [http://www.linuxhomenetworking.com/wiki/index.php/Quick_HOWTO_:_Ch13_:_Linux_Wireless_Networking Linux home networking wiki page about wireless networking].

• [http://www.sabi.co.uk/Notes/linuxWiFi.html Linux and WiFi]

• [http://sourceforge.net/projects/wifilinux/ ?WiFiLinux] LiveCD.

• [http://www.wrtrouters.com/guides/upgradetolinux/ Upgrading to Linux from a VX Works Router].

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