WiFi - what's the panel applet *supposed* to do?
Yet again I am totally confused trying to get a WiFi connection to work. The real problem is that I don't really understand what the Network panel applet is supposed to do for me. Is there any good HowTo or similar for this applet? The first question is what's it called? In order to try and find out anything about it by a Google search for example I need to know what I'm looking for. Ah, it does have an "About" entry, it's the NetworkManager applet, version 0.8. (Running on Xubuntu 10.04) Firstly what's *supposed* to happen when/if there's a wireless network available? Do I need to do anything or should something appear in the applet? If nothing appears and I know (hope?) there's a network about can I do anything to make things happen? I am sitting here at the moment (using a mobile phone dongle to send this) in a place where I know there's a wireless network available and I know what the key/password to us it is. My mobile phone quite happily tells me "WiFi network found" One computer here is totally silent about the presence of any Wifi, the other can see something but gives me little clue about how to connect to it. Am I supposed to Add a wireless connection, if so how do I find all the right values for:- SSID Mode BSSID (presume leave empty) MAC address (presume leave empty) MTU (presume 'automatic') Security (i.e. what sort is the 'norm', no one providing me with WiFi seems to be able to tell me) As I said there's very little help I can find for this, there are bit's and pieces of specific information for particular cases but I can't really find anything that tells me 'all about NetworkManager' (or at least the panel applet). A search for NetworkManager applet howto produces several little tutorials on bits and pieces but no proper overall help. -- Chris Green
Chris G wrote:
Yet again I am totally confused trying to get a WiFi connection to work. The real problem is that I don't really understand what the Network panel applet is supposed to do for me. Is there any good HowTo or similar for this applet?
With this Eee, running KDE under Xandros, a comment box or whatever you'd call it appears next to the systray. Click it, and it displays the available signals in a pane. Not sure how it works in Gnome under Debian, 'cos I've never been in a position to use wi-fi with the flaptop, but should you not get a satisfactory answer soon, I'll fire it up and have a play - there are usually two (locked) access-points detectable here. They don't automagically wave at you - at least, with just a bog-standard installation they don't. /snip/ -- Tony Anson www.girolle.co.uk/
Chris G wrote:
Yet again I am totally confused trying to get a WiFi connection to work. The real problem is that I don't really understand what the Network panel applet is supposed to do for me. Is there any good HowTo or similar for this applet?
/snip/ OK, I've fired-up the Debian box and though I know there is a network lurking out there, I can't see any way to conjure details - not even calling-up Notwork Tools. Sorry. No doubt there'll be Someone Who Knows[TM] along soon. -- Tony Anson www.girolle.co.uk/
Anthony Anson wrote:
Chris G wrote:
Yet again I am totally confused trying to get a WiFi connection to work. The real problem is that I don't really understand what the Network panel applet is supposed to do for me. Is there any good HowTo or similar for this applet?
/snip/
OK, I've fired-up the Debian box and though I know there is a network lurking out there, I can't see any way to conjure details - not even calling-up Notwork Tools.
Sorry.
No doubt there'll be Someone Who Knows[TM] along soon.
Not I, sadly! It just worked on the Debian laptop that uses Gnome. Sometimes hibernating confuses things, but restarting the NetworkManager and applet services shows networks again. I think once I had to debug the underlying wifi with iwconfig, but on some strange pub network I'd not used before. At least it's possible. Good luck! -- MJ Ray (slef) Webmaster and developer for hire at | software www.software.coop http://mjr.towers.org.uk | .... co IMO only: see http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html | .... op
MJ Ray wrote:
Anthony Anson wrote:
No doubt there'll be Someone Who Knows[TM] along soon.
Not I, sadly! It just worked on the Debian laptop that uses Gnome. Sometimes hibernating confuses things, but restarting the NetworkManager and applet services shows networks again. I think once I had to debug the underlying wifi with iwconfig, but on some strange pub network I'd not used before. At least it's possible.
Good luck!
Might be needed - the wi-fi on this Eee 'just works' depending on the meaning you give to 'just'. At my brother's house, and at my sister's ditto, I just click the icon in the systray and fill-in the key, and lo! It worketh. In the Fat Cat, I do the same, and it worketh not. I haven't tried using the Acer flaptop yet. (Nev will confirm the Eee's aberrant behaviour.) -- Tony Anson www.girolle.co.uk/
On 26/08/10 19:25, Anthony Anson wrote:
MJ Ray wrote:
Anthony Anson wrote:
No doubt there'll be Someone Who Knows[TM] along soon.
Not I, sadly! It just worked on the Debian laptop that uses Gnome. Sometimes hibernating confuses things, but restarting the NetworkManager and applet services shows networks again. I think once I had to debug the underlying wifi with iwconfig, but on some strange pub network I'd not used before. At least it's possible.
Good luck!
Might be needed - the wi-fi on this Eee 'just works' depending on the meaning you give to 'just'.
At my brother's house, and at my sister's ditto, I just click the icon in the systray and fill-in the key, and lo! It worketh.
In the Fat Cat, I do the same, and it worketh not.
You might be in danger of confusing yourself here. For the Fat Cat, it might be location related in that you need to be in the right place to have wifi work. Don't sit at the end furthest away from Nelson Street. I've had the same problem with my N900 but simply by moving, it 'just works' ;-)
I haven't tried using the Acer flaptop yet. (Nev will confirm the Eee's aberrant behaviour.)
-- __ __| |_ __ __ .----------------------------------------------. / _/ _` \ V V / | mailto:cdw_alug@the-walker-household.co.uk | \__\__,_|\_/\_/ |______________________________________________|
Chris Walker wrote:
On 26/08/10 19:25, Anthony Anson wrote:
At my brother's house, and at my sister's ditto, I just click the icon in the systray and fill-in the key, and lo! It worketh.
In the Fat Cat, I do the same, and it worketh not.
You might be in danger of confusing yourself here.
For the Fat Cat, it might be location related in that you need to be in the right place to have wifi work. Don't sit at the end furthest away from Nelson Street. I've had the same problem with my N900 but simply by moving, it 'just works' ;-)
Tried two or three times on the round tables adjacnt to Nelson Street. Reported signal strength was high, but it just pretended it was connecting, and didn't. Tried all caps, all lower case, all to no avail. -- Tony Anson www.girolle.co.uk/
On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 04:26:52PM +0100, Anthony Anson wrote:
Chris G wrote:
Yet again I am totally confused trying to get a WiFi connection to work. The real problem is that I don't really understand what the Network panel applet is supposed to do for me. Is there any good HowTo or similar for this applet?
/snip/
OK, I've fired-up the Debian box and though I know there is a network lurking out there, I can't see any way to conjure details - not even calling-up Notwork Tools.
Exactly! Crap isn't it! :-)
Sorry.
No doubt there'll be Someone Who Knows[TM] along soon.
Can but hope. -- Chris Green
On 26 Aug 14:27, Chris G wrote:
Yet again I am totally confused trying to get a WiFi connection to work. The real problem is that I don't really understand what the Network panel applet is supposed to do for me. Is there any good HowTo or similar for this applet?
It's a front end to Network Manager, which is the "shiny new" way of configuring interfaces... (I hates it and loves ifupdown, but never mind...).
The first question is what's it called? In order to try and find out anything about it by a Google search for example I need to know what I'm looking for. Ah, it does have an "About" entry, it's the NetworkManager applet, version 0.8. (Running on Xubuntu 10.04)
Firstly what's *supposed* to happen when/if there's a wireless network available? Do I need to do anything or should something appear in the applet?
*If* you have the right permissions, then it should pop up a box and say "look, there be a wireless network"! Not sure what the right perms are though, and I don't generally run it... :)
If nothing appears and I know (hope?) there's a network about can I do anything to make things happen?
Well, you could check that you're not being insane by going to a terminal and doing: /sbin/iwlist <nameofwirelessinterface> scan and see if that brings anything back... if it says that the interface wasn't available or some other such, then you might need to ifconfig the interface up first. Cheers, -- Brett Parker
On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 05:18:23PM +0100, Brett Parker wrote:
On 26 Aug 14:27, Chris G wrote:
Yet again I am totally confused trying to get a WiFi connection to work. The real problem is that I don't really understand what the Network panel applet is supposed to do for me. Is there any good HowTo or similar for this applet?
It's a front end to Network Manager, which is the "shiny new" way of configuring interfaces... (I hates it and loves ifupdown, but never mind...).
Yes, many people moan about Network Manager.
The first question is what's it called? In order to try and find out anything about it by a Google search for example I need to know what I'm looking for. Ah, it does have an "About" entry, it's the NetworkManager applet, version 0.8. (Running on Xubuntu 10.04)
Firstly what's *supposed* to happen when/if there's a wireless network available? Do I need to do anything or should something appear in the applet?
*If* you have the right permissions, then it should pop up a box and say "look, there be a wireless network"! Not sure what the right perms are though, and I don't generally run it... :)
If nothing appears and I know (hope?) there's a network about can I do anything to make things happen?
Well, you could check that you're not being insane by going to a terminal and doing:
/sbin/iwlist <nameofwirelessinterface> scan
and see if that brings anything back... if it says that the interface wasn't available or some other such, then you might need to ifconfig the interface up first.
So what's <nameofwirelessinterface>? This is often much of the problem with WiFi, these 'things' that if you know what they are are obvious but if you don't are inscrutable. I know the hard-wired network is almost inevitably on eth0 but there doesn't really seem to be such a consistent name for the WiFi. Running ifconfig on this laptop just shows me eth0, eth1 and lo, but the little WiFi light above the keyboard is turned on. -- Chris Green
On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 08:42:40PM +0100, Chris G wrote:
Well, you could check that you're not being insane by going to a terminal and doing:
/sbin/iwlist <nameofwirelessinterface> scan
and see if that brings anything back... if it says that the interface wasn't available or some other such, then you might need to ifconfig the interface up first.
So what's <nameofwirelessinterface>? This is often much of the problem with WiFi, these 'things' that if you know what they are are obvious but if you don't are inscrutable.
... well I've discovered that eth1 is my WiFi as nm-tool reports:- - Device: eth1 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Type: 802.11 WiFi Driver: wl State: disconnected Default: no HW Address: 70:F1:A1:2D:DA:86 Capabilities: Wireless Properties WEP Encryption: yes WPA Encryption: yes WPA2 Encryption: yes ... but I can't scan it:- chris@laptop:~$ /sbin/iwlist eth1 scan eth1 Interface doesn't support scanning. Hmph! :-) I'm glad my dongle works reasonably well. -- Chris Green
On 26 Aug 20:52, Chris G wrote:
On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 08:42:40PM +0100, Chris G wrote:
Well, you could check that you're not being insane by going to a terminal and doing:
/sbin/iwlist <nameofwirelessinterface> scan
and see if that brings anything back... if it says that the interface wasn't available or some other such, then you might need to ifconfig the interface up first.
So what's <nameofwirelessinterface>? This is often much of the problem with WiFi, these 'things' that if you know what they are are obvious but if you don't are inscrutable.
... well I've discovered that eth1 is my WiFi as nm-tool reports:-
- Device: eth1 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Type: 802.11 WiFi Driver: wl State: disconnected Default: no HW Address: 70:F1:A1:2D:DA:86
Capabilities:
Wireless Properties WEP Encryption: yes WPA Encryption: yes WPA2 Encryption: yes
... but I can't scan it:-
chris@laptop:~$ /sbin/iwlist eth1 scan eth1 Interface doesn't support scanning.
Hmph! :-)
It's lying to you... (Or rather, it's saying "the interface doesn't support scanning (when it's not up)") What's you need to do first, loike, is: sudo ifconfig eth1 up Then scan again :) -- Brett Parker
On Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 01:49:33PM +0100, Brett Parker wrote:
On 26 Aug 20:52, Chris G wrote:
On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 08:42:40PM +0100, Chris G wrote:
Well, you could check that you're not being insane by going to a terminal and doing:
/sbin/iwlist <nameofwirelessinterface> scan
and see if that brings anything back... if it says that the interface wasn't available or some other such, then you might need to ifconfig the interface up first.
So what's <nameofwirelessinterface>? This is often much of the problem with WiFi, these 'things' that if you know what they are are obvious but if you don't are inscrutable.
... well I've discovered that eth1 is my WiFi as nm-tool reports:-
- Device: eth1 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Type: 802.11 WiFi Driver: wl State: disconnected Default: no HW Address: 70:F1:A1:2D:DA:86
Capabilities:
Wireless Properties WEP Encryption: yes WPA Encryption: yes WPA2 Encryption: yes
... but I can't scan it:-
chris@laptop:~$ /sbin/iwlist eth1 scan eth1 Interface doesn't support scanning.
Hmph! :-)
It's lying to you...
(Or rather, it's saying "the interface doesn't support scanning (when it's not up)")
What's you need to do first, loike, is: sudo ifconfig eth1 up
Then scan again :)
chris@laptop:~$ sudo ifconfig eth1 up [sudo] password for chris: chris@laptop:~$ /sbin/iwlist eth1 scan eth1 Interface doesn't support scanning. chris@laptop:~$ However I think there's something more subtle wrong, digging from another direction it seems that the driver for eth1 (which is called wl0, I think) isn't loaded and I can't load it with modprobe. I'll investigate further when I get back home, it's too painful doing it from here in Belgium. :-) -- Chris Green
participants (5)
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Anthony Anson -
Brett Parker -
Chris G -
Chris Walker -
MJ Ray