Have NO internet! Can not get new wifi adapter [supposedly Linux-friendly] to work

[jetsam]

Everything coming out of your wifi adapter is bits-- streams of 0's and 1's, so there's just no possibility of signal loss being an issue between the wifi adapter and any desktop application. Probably what's happening is some high percentage of the traffic you're receiving is being detected as having errors, forcing the adapter to ask for the packet to be re-sent. I think the major problem is, basically, bad reception.

Looking into antenna options is probably worthwhile. Wasn't there a 'potato chip can antenna' for wifi that worked well? I think that may have gone away a few generations ago; antennas have been getting smaller as the frequencies have risen.

The first apt command gets rid of some default Ubuntu firewall stuff. The iptables commands more or less would have listed any filters that were set up as well as deleted any firewall rules blocking traffic. Basically, we want to just get rid of any and all firewalls until we've gotten the network working and your machine receiving traffic. You can google "man iptables" or type "man iptables" into a terminal to get the documentation that allows you to decipher these things.

[jeremy31]

Can we see new wireless script results?

./wireless-info

[chili555]

The intent of the powersave change was not, literally, to save power; it is to keep Network Manager from putting your wireless to sleep and then not always being able to properly awaken it. Many wireless devices come back to life properly upon resume from power saving; many others do not.

Speaking of antennas, are you quite certain that both antennae are firmly attached?

[praseodym]

Haven't read through anything, but your LAN-NIC is Realtek 8168. Download this file and save it in "Downloads":

http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/...7.02-1_all.deb

Installation

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/*.deb
echo "blacklist r8169" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

Reboot. Wired connection should work now. Try updating the wlan drivers via

sudo apt-get install git build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)
git clone -b extended https://github.com/lwfinger/rtlwifi_new.git
sudo dkms add ./rtlwifi_new
sudo dkms install rtlwifi-new/0.6
sudo cp /usr/src/rtlwifi-new-0.6/firmware/rtlwifi/* /lib/firmware/rtlwifi/

Reboot

[crazybear]

Haven't read through anything, but your LAN-NIC is Realtek 8168. Download this file and save it in "Downloads":

http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/...7.02-1_all.deb

Installation

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/*.deb
echo "blacklist r8169" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

Reboot. Wired connection should work now. Try updating the wlan drivers via

sudo apt-get install git build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)
git clone -b extended https://github.com/lwfinger/rtlwifi_new.git
sudo dkms add ./rtlwifi_new
sudo dkms install rtlwifi-new/0.6
sudo cp /usr/src/rtlwifi-new-0.6/firmware/rtlwifi/* /lib/firmware/rtlwifi/

Reboot

Kindly remember that BECAUSE I have NO internet I can NOT download ANYTHING in Ubuntu! Period....unless you know a way to download it in Windoz and transfer it. I do not. However, there was a LOT of ancillary data that came with the Linux driver [unbuilt] on the original CD and there were a few items to be blacklisted. I think I did so in the place they suggested. There is SO much other material [and I am SURE not all of it is to be used], it is hard to know which of it needs to be used - if any. I struggled for WEEKS just to properly build the driver - as the one on the CD was not the latest and was very difficult to build. What all the other items are for, or if needed, I do not know. I don't think this website would even allow me to upload it all.

I ran
echo "blacklist r8169" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

, but noticed nothing different. I'm back here 'windoz', but the lower commands surely need an internet connection and I tried and still have none in Ubuntu.

[jetsam]

There must be dozens of ways to make this easier on yourself if you'd be willing to accept local help and/or move the silly computer for a few hours. No sympathetic user's group or gaming buddy or library IT department or even just an ethernet port in the lobby of a local hotel?

No wireless repeater you could pick up to boost the horrid signal? The right one would provide an ethernet jack for you. You'll probably be wanting to do this anyway no matter how good you get the adapter running...

No temporary hotspot you could order from your cell phone provider while you work on a better budget option?

Well, if none of the above... it seems you need to download things into Windows or your tablet and transfer them to Linux and compile them from there...

[crazybear]

There must be dozens of ways to make this easier on yourself if you'd be willing to accept local help and/or move the silly computer for a few hours. No sympathetic user's group or gaming buddy or library IT department or even just an ethernet port in the lobby of a local hotel?

No wireless repeater you could pick up to boost the horrid signal? The right one would provide an ethernet jack for you. You'll probably be wanting to do this anyway no matter how good you get the adapter running...

No temporary hotspot you could order from your cell phone provider while you work on a better budget option?

Well, if none of the above... it seems you need to download things into Windows or your tablet and transfer them to Linux and compile them from there...

Trust me, what you suggest is dangerous for me and impossible - both. I do not have a cellphone provider either. For security I have no cellphone. I am a whistleblower who is hunted. More I will not say. I am NOT taking my computer OUT. Sorry, rant over...

[jetsam]

Ok...

There's a whole class of devices called wireless range extenders. Like I said above, it seems like something you will want even if you get your wireless adapter working well. But, the good ones come with ethernet ports, so you could bypass the problem either temporarily or permanently.

Here's a link to a $30.00 one. It's not that I think you should buy that one (you need a EU source surely, anyway), but just to clarify what sort of thing we're talking about. This one only has one ethernet port, but that's enough I think for your situation:
TP-Link | AC750 WiFi Range Extender

[crazybear]

Ok...

There's a whole class of devices called wireless range extenders. Like I said above, it seems like something you will want even if you get your wireless adapter working well. But, the good ones come with ethernet ports, so you could bypass the problem either temporarily or permanently.

Here's a link to a $30.00 one. It's not that I think you should buy that one (you need a EU source surely, anyway), but just to clarify what sort of thing we're talking about. This one only has one ethernet port, but that's enough I think for your situation:
TP-Link | AC750 WiFi Range Extender

If I understand, it would only allow me to be further from the window. Being close to the window is NO problem. The two antenna on the back of the computer are about 40cm from the window. As I said, my tablet [without any sim] is getting the exact same wifi signal well enough to stream video. The computer is getting zip. This is what I don't 'get'. While I can afford a little money, money it not something I am looking to spend at this time. I have none coming in and unusual and many demands for it going out. I must get a new place and get out of here - fast; yet without good reliable internet on the desktop can not even search for a new place to be [in a city with virtually a zero vacancy rate is not easy!]. What would the range extender do for me - I fail to see. I still think it is not the less than strong signal, as evidenced by the tablet. Sadly, I can't effectively seek new places to live nor do any word processing on the tablet and both are essential now. I also need access to data and programs on the HDDs....more so on Ubuntu which was current. The Windoz computer I last used over ten years ago.

[jetsam]

You would be able to connect a short ethernet cable between your computer and the Wireless Range Extender, which has an ethernet port. After configuring the range extender, which I believe can be done either with your computer or a mobile phone or your tablet, you would immediately have access to the internet on your desktop computer.

...At that point, you could decide to expend further effort getting the sub-standard wifi adapter on your computer to function under Linux. If you did not, you would still have a 100 Mbps wired connection to the network. You could use this indefinitely until you move to a better situation.

The choices are yours... And all of this is provisional on things going well, as our support suggestions always are.

Cheers,
jetsam