[How-To] Install Ralink RT3290 Wireless Drivers

[spc_hicks09]

After much trial and error, here is the final How-To.

First let me explain, this is a mash-up of various posts all mixed into one. I've done this plenty of times myself and can say that it will always work.

I've always had the issue of installing Ubuntu 12.04 and not having wireless when I boot up. This solves that issue but ONLY for the Ralink RT3290 Chip and ONLY on Ubuntu 12.04. This will NOT work on 12.10 unless you downgrade the kernel.

Prereq's

Internet Connection. (If you have an Android phone, download a USB Tether app for internet, otherwise you need to use Ethernet)
Ubuntu 12.04 installed

First thing you're going to want to do is update and get the Linux Headers, for this you will open Terminal and type the following:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-generic

After that is complete, cd to your home directory if you're not already there:

cd ~

Now you're going to want to download the Ralink RT3290STA Driver

wget http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11876059/DPO_RT3290_LinuxSTA_V2600_20120508.tar.gz

Now extract the tar:

tar -xvf DPO_RT3290_LinuxSTA_V2600_20120508.tar.gz

Open "DPO_RT3290_LinuxSTA_V2600_20120508/os/linux/config.mk"

Find the following lines and make sure they look like this:

HAS_WPA_SUPPLICANT=y

HAS_NATIVE_WPA_SUPPLICANT=y

Now back in Terminal, cd into the extracted driver folder:

cd ~/DPO_RT3290_LinuxSTA_V2600_20120508

Now the following commands in order:

sudo su

make

make install

After that finishes, activate the wireless driver:

sudo modprobe rt3290sta

Your wifi should pop right up, but it will not survive a reboot yet.....

Now let's make sure it will activate on boot, for this we will be editing the "modules" file:

sudo gedit /etc/modules

Copy/paste these lines at the very bottom:

rt3290
rt3290sta

Save the file and exit

Now you need to blacklist the default driver so that it doesn't override the rt3290sta driver:

sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

Scroll down the bottom of that file and add these lines at the bottom:

#Wireless drivers conflicting with rt3562sta
blacklist rt2800pci
blacklist rt2x00pci

Save and exit

Now update your changes:

sudo update-initramfs -u

Now exit the terminal and reboot

Upon reboot you should have working wifi that will survive every reboot. Hope this helps everyone, it took me about 2 days to figure all this out.

[spc_hicks09]

Alternatively, this can be done on 12.10 now if you update your kernel to any 3.7 kernel first. Then follow all instructions. Wifi drivers will survive a reboot every single time

[paulajeromeg]

You have no idea how frustrating this has been for me. I just bought my computer last week and removed win 8 for Ubuntu but couldn't get the wireless working. Every site I've visited, all of the info I got and tried and tried with no results. But spc_hicks09 you are great. I followed your advice exactly and it worked like a charm. THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH !!!! I am a happy camper...........................

[zeflasher]

I have registered just to THANK YOU!!!

I have been looking for a solution for days then gave up (got many kernel panic).
Anyways your instructions worked and I am so happy to tell you that after a reboot I am now wrtting you using my wireless!!!

AWESOME!!!

Just for google.
HP Envy DV7-7304tx

[spc_hicks09]

Glad I could help you both! It took me a very long time to figure out how to get this all to work. I ended up having to mash together about 3 or 4 different methods to find one that worked perfectly. Enjoy Ubuntu

You have no idea how frustrating this has been for me. I just bought my computer last week and removed win 8 for Ubuntu but couldn't get the wireless working. Every site I've visited, all of the info I got and tried and tried with no results. But spc_hicks09 you are great. I followed your advice exactly and it worked like a charm. THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH !!!! I am a happy camper...........................

I have registered just to THANK YOU!!!

I have been looking for a solution for days then gave up (got many kernel panic).
Anyways your instructions worked and I am so happy to tell you that after a reboot I am now wrtting you using my wireless!!!

AWESOME!!!

Just for google.
HP Envy DV7-7304tx

[praseodym]

Hi,

I am interested if it was necessary to copy the firmware:

sudo cp DPO_RT3290_LinuxSTA_V2600_20120508/common/rt3290.bin /lib/firmware

I prepared an installation archive here:

http://forum.ubuntuusers.de/post/5561332/

[ryanlitton]

I tried this method on my HP envy dv6-7245us running Ubuntu 12.04 with the 3.5.0-30-generic kernel. Ubuntu is able to connect to my wifi network with no problem, but when I open firefox and try to load web pages, the system freezes. The keyboard and mouse become unresponsive, and the screen freezes completely. The only thing I can do is force shut down by holding the power button. I'm assuming it is a kernel panic, because the caps lock light blinks sometimes when it freezes. I followed these instructions carefully, yet I still get a kernel panic. I'm running a generic kernel now, but the kernel that was installed with Ubuntu was the amd64 kernel since I have an AMD cpu. Might that have something to do with the panic/unresponsiveness?

[EnYao]

I just registered to the forum to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I'd been searching around for the past 2 days, after seeing so many methods that caused side issue. This is an excellent guide and good job.

Though I would like to add that, for the very first step (sudo apt-get update && .....), there's error during installation and required root user. So I decided to switch to root user (sudo su) and do apt-get update && .... all over again and it worked thereafter.

I'm wondering why Ubuntu (or Canonical) certified the HP Pavilion Sleekbook 14, and yet Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS doesn't worked out of the box.

[ryanlitton]

I have tried this on three different kernels in 12.04 (3.5.0-30, 3.5.0-31, and 3.8.0-x). Each time I install the module following all of these steps. Each time I get a kernel panic and unresponsive system.

I'm using the rt3290sta driver (proprietary) from the mediatek site. Perhaps there is an open -source solution or some thing out there that will work better for my HP envy dv6-7245us (besides Ethernet)? I don't want to keep my laptop tethered to my phone indefinitely, and besides, easytether is not perfect.

[prajil]

After much trial and error, here is the final How-To.First let me explain, this is a mash-up of various posts all mixed into one. I've done this plenty of times myself and can say that it will always work.I've always had the issue of installing Ubuntu 12.04 and not having wireless when I boot up. This solves that issue but ONLY for the Ralink RT3290 Chip and ONLY on Ubuntu 12.04. This will NOT work on 12.10 unless you downgrade the kernel.Prereq'sInternet Connection. (If you have an Android phone, download a USB Tether app for internet, otherwise you need to use Ethernet)Ubuntu 12.04 installed First thing you're going to want to do is update and get the Linux Headers, for this you will open Terminal and type the following:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-generic

After that is complete, cd to your home directory if you're not already there:

cd ~

Now you're going to want to download the Ralink RT3290STA Driver

wget http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11876059/DPO_RT3290_LinuxSTA_V2600_20120508.tar.gz

Now extract the tar:

tar -xvf DPO_RT3290_LinuxSTA_V2600_20120508.tar.gz

Open "DPO_RT3290_LinuxSTA_V2600_20120508/os/linux/config.mk"Find the following lines and make sure they look like this:

HAS_WPA_SUPPLICANT=yHAS_NATIVE_WPA_SUPPLICANT=y

Now back in Terminal, cd into the extracted driver folder:

cd ~/DPO_RT3290_LinuxSTA_V2600_20120508

Now the following commands in order:

sudo sumakemake install

After that finishes, activate the wireless driver:

sudo modprobe rt3290sta

Your wifi should pop right up, but it will not survive a reboot yet.....Now let's make sure it will activate on boot, for this we will be editing the "modules" file:

sudo gedit /etc/modules

Copy/paste these lines at the very bottom:

rt3290rt3290sta

Save the file and exitNow you need to blacklist the default driver so that it doesn't override the rt3290sta driver:

sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

Scroll down the bottom of that file and add these lines at the bottom:

#Wireless drivers conflicting with rt3562stablacklist rt2800pciblacklist rt2x00pci

Save and exitNow update your changes:

sudo update-initramfs -u

Now exit the terminal and rebootUpon reboot you should have working wifi that will survive every reboot. Hope this helps everyone, it took me about 2 days to figure all this out.

hi i am using Backtrack5 .Me also facing the same problom in wifi.I think because of driver. So i tried this quota. I am new in linux so done these codes by step by step but after write "sudo gedit /etc/modules" this command terminal reply like this "sudo: gedit: command not found". Can you please help me to install wifi driver for Backtrack 5.I am using hp probook 4540s mdel laptop ."ralink RT 3290 802.11bgn"- this is my wifi drver.