Complete tutorial on how to set up Netgear WPN111

[Erwin Criddle]

This is a complete how to on installing and setting up the Netgear WPN111 wireless device in Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon.

1. Download the two attachments (WIndows drivers and ndiswrapper)

2. Install build-essential (Needed for compiling ndiswrapper)

sudo apt-get install build-essential

3. Extract ndiswrapper

tar -zxvf ndiswrapper-1.51.tar.tar

4. Go to the ndiswrapper directory

cd ndiswrapper-1.51

5. Run

make distclean
make
sudo make install

6. Check that ndiswrapper is installed properly

ndiswrapper -v

If it outputs something like this:

utils version: '1.9', utils version needed by module: '1.9'
module details:
filename:       /lib/modules/2.6.22-14-generic/ubuntu/misc/ndiswrapper/ndiswrapper.ko
version:        1.45
vermagic:       2.6.22-14-generic SMP mod_unload 586

It has installed correctly.
If it show something different (Please upgrade ndiswrapper to the latest version by going to the ndiswrapper website http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/), run

sudo make uninstall

Three times and repeat steps 5-8 again and check ndiswrapper -v again.

If it does display the correct output, then you can move to the next step

7. Go back to your home directory

cd ..

and then extract the windows drivers

tar -zxvf win-drivers.tar.gz

8. Change directory to the windows drivers

cd win-drivers

9. Run

sudo ndiswrapper -i netwpn11.inf

10. Check if the windows driver is installed

ndiswrapper -l

If it shows: then you can move onto the next step.

netwpn11 : driver installed
        device (1385:5F01) present

If not, remove driver

sudo ndiswrapper -r netwpn11

And reinstall the driver

sudo ndiswrapper -i netwpn11.inf

11. Run

sudo depmod -a
sudo ndiswrapper -m
sudo modprobe ndiswrapper

If it all goes to plan, Ubuntu should still be running OK and the Netgear device should be winking at you

12. Finally make sure that the device initializes at boot, run

nano /etc/modules

And add ndiswrapper at the end of the page.



Hopefully, if you have done everything correctly, you should have a working WPN111 Wireless device!

[breaking]

Excellent guide mate, I just bought one of these suckers and everything on the instructions worked perfectly, got this device running within minutes flat thanks to you.

[^Albe^]

simple and working: perfect
thx

[jdix123]

I've followed your steps until and didn't get any error messages.

But my little blue light isn't blinking, and I don't have a "Wireless" option when I open the System -> Network utility.

$ ndiswrapper -l

Installed ndis drivers:
dr71wu               driver present
netwpn11                   driver present, hardware present

So it recognizes the hardware, apparently. But then when I try

$ sudo ifconfig wlan0 down
wlan0: ERROR while getting interface flags: No such device

Its not recognizing the device. I can see it under System -> Preferences -> Hardware Information under 8201DB/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-m) -> EHCI Host Controller -> WPN111 so I'm stuck, because as far as I can tell, the system can see it.

Ubuntu 7.1 i386

[Erwin Criddle]

Have you updated your kernel since installing and configuring ndiswrapper?

[rayefrenzy]

All right.

I just did what you told me to, and it worked. Flawlessly. I was so overjoyed. Then I restarted, and it all went to ****. I opened up /etc/modules/ in gedit and it still has ndiswrapper chillin' there, ready to start when I boot.

Netgear is still winking at me! What on earth is going on? I checked ndiswrapper -l and it still says:

netwpn11 : driver installed
device (1385:5F01) present

When I open up system>admin>network I don't get any wireless options.

Help me out please!

[rayefrenzy]

So, after restarting, like, 3 times, It showed up again... that REALLY doesn't make any sense... but whatever.

[Erwin Criddle]

If you find that the device dosn't work after restarting, it is to do with not deintialising the device.
Instead of restarting, shutdown the machine and it should start ok.

[rayefrenzy]

What I realised made this dumb thing work is unplugging it, plugging it back in, and then restarting. Its sort of annoying, but it works. and that's good enough.

Thank you for the wonderful tutorial. It was the first one that worked

[^Albe^]

since i have reinstalled gutsy, i have the same problem
in the past with the gutsy "Upgraded" from feisty all fine
but after a full format/gutsy reinstall i loose the wireless part after a while (1-5 minutes) too

some trick, or so here
if connected with the wireless does not fall
for made solid the wireless is connect to an ap, after this is it possible to return to a wired and have always available (for htat session obv) the wireless one!

the fastest mode for restart the wireless is:
sudo rmmod ndiswrapper
unplug/replug the wpn111
sudo modprobe ndiswrapper

i'm asking just in those days in the ndiswrapper chat/forum
i hope to report any trick for solve

a note:
upgrading to the newest driver (and not using the one in this thread) does NOT help