Ubuntu 11.04 wifi problem

[jpwebber]

This is a strange one, but bear with me.

I am a Virgin Media (UK) customer and have been using their service with no problem for some time.
I just installed 11.04 on my Lenovo N500 laptop and my router does not come up in the list of networks. I tried adding it as a new network and it connected, but I have no gateway to the internet.
I tried the route -n command and it gives a strange IP address - 10.42.43 - my router's IP address is 192.168.0.1

All previous versions of Ubuntu have worked fine and I can connect with a windows laptop and an Itouch.

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks, John.

[x-master]

sure your card isnt the problem ?
what wifi card you use ?

sudo lshw -C network

[jpwebber]

It's a Broadcom, but I've never had problems with it on previous versions of Ubuntu

[x-master]

i got broadcom as well, 4311 ( rev01) to be precise, and mine did not work with the integraded broadcom STA driver that comes with Ubuntu 11.04

if you have this card as well you might having the same trubble i did.
My problem is solved after removing "bcmwl-kernel-source" by using Synaptic Package Manager, then installing "firmware-b43-installer" and "b43-fwcutter" again by Synaptic Package Manager. After a restart, my wireless network connection works.

check if you have the same card, and if you use :
sudo lshw -c network

Does the card come up as "UNCLAIMED" ?

[TBABill]

Can you tell us which one? Run
lspci in a terminal and paste the output or type back here the model number (bcmxxxx). Depending on which you have, you could either need the STA or b43 driver.

[jpwebber]

It's a BCM4312 - it doesn't come up as 'UNCLAIMED'

[Hippytaff]

The wireless script (link below) might help. It will at least return relevant information for tourbleshooting :)

[jpwebber]

Hippytaff - here are the results of running your script:

[TBABill]

Can you connect via ethernet and then go to additional drivers? The BCM4312 should use the STA (wl) driver although some models can use the b43 (mine cannot). Additional drivers should take care of installing the driver for you.

[jpwebber]

I don't have an ethernet connection I'm afraid - is there any way to download drivers to this windows machine?

[jpwebber]

Forget the last comment - I found an old ethernet plug which worked. I still have a problem though - email and internet is working with this, but when I try to download the additional drivers it fails and tells me to check my connection!

Any more ideas please, I'm getting desperate!

[Hippytaff]

Are you running through a proxy and are you doing sudo apt-get or installing through synaptic/additional drivers?

[jpwebber]

I'm not running through a proxy and I'm using the synaptic package manager - I'll try the sudo method

[jpwebber]

tried sudo and I'm being denied permission when I try to get the update list

[chili555]

I tried the route -n command and it gives a strange IP address - 10.42.43 - my router's IP address is 192.168.0.1What does this tell us?
ifconfigDoes your wireless interface also have a 10.42.43.xx address? That is typical of computer-to-computer, or internet connection sharing arrangements. I suspect that is not what you want; I suspect you wish to connect to the router.

Click the Network Manager icon at the top and select Edit Connections. Click the Wireless tab and highlight your network and select Edit. Make sure it is set to Mode Infrastructure, not Ad Hoc. Please see attached. Click Save and the delete your network altogether. Reboot. Let NM find your network and connect. Run:
ifconfigDo you now have a 192.168.0.xx address?

[jpwebber]

Okay - I managed to install jockey-kde (additional drivers) via sudo. I then unplugged the ethernet connection and re-booted.

My network connection is still not found in the networks list. I added it as a new connection and nothing has changed. WIFI says it's connected, but there's no access to email or web.

What next, anyone?

[chili555]

Okay - I managed to install jockey-kde (additional drivers) via sudo. I then unplugged the ethernet connection and re-booted.

My network connection is still not found in the networks list. I added it as a new connection and nothing has changed. WIFI says it's connected, but there's no access to email or web.

What next, anyone?See my post above.
I added it as a new connectionIf you mean "Create New Wireless Network" that sets up a computer-to-computer arrangement. That's exactly what you do NOT want.

[jpwebber]

Chilli555 - I've done as you said but the problem still is that NM is not finding my network - other nearby ones are coming up in the list, but not mine. I've never had this problem prior to 11.04. As you can see, I'm working quite happily here on my Windows laptop through my network.

What I need to find out is why NM can't find my network

Many thanks, John.

[chili555]

Is your router set to N speeds only or mixed B, G and N? I have seen several cases where the wireless card thinks it can't do N speeds and therefor doesn't show N networks. What does this tell us?
sudo iwlist eth1 scan

[jpwebber]

Chilli555 - here are the results of that:

[chili555]

Cell 02 - Address: 00:1B:2F:65:D7:38
ESSID:"NETGEAR"
Mode:Managed
Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
Quality:5/5 Signal level:-54 dBm Noise level:-92 dBm
IE: WPA Version 1
Group Cipher : TKIP
Pairwise Ciphers (1) : TKIP
Authentication Suites (1) : PSK
Encryption key:onSo, is this your network? Does it not appear in Network Manager? Have you entered any details in NM? I hope not. I always have the best luck letting NM do all the work.

[jpwebber]

No this isn't my network. It is a NETGEAR router, but the SSID should begin 'virginmedia'. I assume that the NETGEAR mentioned here is the default SSID for someone else's network.

This is assuming that somehow NM hasn't 'lost' my SSID and is recognising it only by a default name.

[chili555]

I assumed it is your network because it has a strength of 5/5. When I can scan and see my neighbor, looking right out the window at his house, I usually get 3/5 or 2/5.

Can you hook up to your router with an ethernet cable and check? Check the WPA password while you're in there.

Hey! That gives me a great idea. My neighbor's network in unencrypted, I think I'll log in to his router's administration pages and change his ESSID from 'default' to 'getsomeencryptionRyan.'

[jpwebber]

No the SSID and password are as I'd expect - I've never changed them. In any case, if they had been changed then my other wifi devices would have stopped working.

Maybe I can get onto Ryan's network too - though it might be a bit of a stretch from the UK!

[chili555]

Back in post #7, Hippytaff asked for the results of a diagnostic script. May he and I see it again? I feel like something simple is staring us in the face, but we're too blind to see. Hey, I hear a blues song coming on!

[jpwebber]

Yes - here they are again - thanks, John.

[chili555]

Here is what I saw:
eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:24:2b:7f:73:71
inet addr:10.42.43.1 Bcast:10.42.43.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::224:2bff:fe7f:7371/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:5335
TX packets:8 errors:19 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
eth1 IEEE 802.11bg ESSID:"virginmedia8037566"
Mode:Ad-Hoc Frequency:2.412 GHz Cell: C6:5D:21:DD:F0:A4
Bit Rate=54 Mb/s Tx-Power:24 dBm
Retry min limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Encryption key:off
Please go back to post #15. Please check and delete all entries in Network Manager. If the 10.42.x.x keeps coming back, we'll need to dig deeper.

[jpwebber]

Hi Chili - I did do the stuff in post #15 - when I reboot my network is not visible in NM, which is why I tried to set up a new connection in the first place.

The mystery is why my network doesn't appear in NM. Could it be that I need to change a setting on the router to cope with something new in 11.04?

[chili555]

my network is not visible in NM, which is why I tried to set up a new connection in the first place.I probably have not made myself clear enough. We do NOT want to Create New Wireless Network...

Why? Because that is the setup for computer-to-computer ad-hoc arrangements. I wish, with my right hand on Linus Torvald's personal C/C++ Programmer's Bible, that it was titled Set up Connection Sharing Network. That is exactly what you do NOT want! Please delete, remove and expunge all such settings and reboot. Run:
iwconfigIs mode Managed? If not, please do:
sudo iwconfig wlan0 mode managedLet NM look for networks and post back here to tell us the result.

Please swear that you will never touch Create New Wireless Network... again. Please.

[jpwebber]

Hi Chili,

I don't think I made myself clear - I haven't tried to create a new network since your post #17 - you were very clear.

iwconfig just returns the message 'no wireless extensions'

the second command you gave fails (undestandably I suspect).

[bkratz]

Hi Chili,

I don't think I made myself clear - I haven't tried to create a new network since your post #17 - you were very clear.

iwconfig just returns the message 'no wireless extensions'

the second command you gave fails (undestandably I suspect).



Dr Chili did you mean

sudo iwconfig wlan0 mode managed

his/her interface is eth1

[chili555]

Arrgh! This just gets crazier. My bad; bkratz caught me! Please do:

sudo iwconfig eth1 mode managed
iwconfig eth1Now is it 'mode managed?' Now does NM see your network? I wonder if NM thinks it's not a router but an ad-hoc network and mode managed doesn't want to see any ad-hoc...?

[jpwebber]

I've got a headache!

Okay - iwconfig eth1 gives:

IEEE 801.11 Access point: not associated
Link quality:5 Signal level:0 Noise level:0
Rx invalid nwid:0 invalid crypt:0 invalid misc:0

[chili555]

Mine is slowly progressing to a migraine. No mode shown?

[jpwebber]

I'm afraid there isn't.

Can I send you a virtual cold towel?

[chili555]

Please run:
rfkill list allAre we certain the wireless switch is set to 'On?' Any interesting messages in:
dmesg | grep -e wl -e eth1I need a tall cool one.

[jpwebber]

The first command lists two items:

0 hci0 blurtooth
1 brcmwl 0: wireless LAN


The second command, among other things does say

eth1: no IPv6 routers present

[chili555]

The first command lists two items:

0 hci0 blurtooth
1 brcmwl 0: wireless LAN
And what else? Soft blocked, hard blocked, yes, no? Here is a sample from my machine:
0: tpacpi_bluetooth_sw: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: yes
Hard blocked: no
2: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
The specific details are what bkratz and my psychiatrist need to see.

[jpwebber]

All the 'blocked' responses are 'no'

The dmesg command returns:

[25.159048] wl: module license 'MIXED/Proprietary' taints kernel
[25.415787] wl 0000:04:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 18
[25.415799) wl 0000:04:00,0: setting latency timer to 64
[25.648876] eth1: Broadcom BCM4315 802.11 Hybrid Wireless Controller 5.100.82.38

[71.780015] eth1: no IPv6 routers present

[chili555]

Please do:
ls /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Do you have a file in there called Auto virginmedia8037566? If so, delete it:
sudo rm /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/*Immediately reboot and tell us if your network shows in NM and more importantly, if you can connect.

[jpwebber]

There's nothing in the system connections folder I'm afraid.

I'm going to see if my local PC shop can send someone to investigate this in situ - but if they can't I'll be back here next week.

Thanks for all you help,

John.