WiFi HOWTO

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Revision as of 09:48, 1 November 2009

This is attempt to create wifi/wlan portal.

Atheros-based wireless cards

Please go to Wireless_Network_Card_Installation

Network manager

knetwork manager

Ad-Hoc connection setup with Network Manager.

This scheme is intended for wifi connection among computers without an access point (AP). On both computers perform the following steps, but select different IP address.

• Left click on the NetworkManager icon and select Create New Wireless Network
• Specify an adhoc network name
• Select security method
• Click the Create button
• Right click on the NetworkManager icon, select Edit Connections.
• Select the Wireless tab, select the adhoc network name and click the edit button.
• On the Wireless tab set the mode to Ad-hoc
• Select the Ipv4 Settings tab select the Manual method in the drop down
• Click the Add button and enter a local IP address, Netmask and Gateway, i.e. 192.168.0.1, 255.255.255.0, and 192.168.0.1 respectively.
• Leave DNS Servers and Search Domains blank
• Click Apply
• Left click on the NetworkManager icon and select Connect to Hidden Wireless Network
• Select adhoc network name on the connection dropdown and click Connect.

Ad-Hoc connection setup without Network Manager.

This procedure describes how-to setup the ad-hoc connection without the NM. To encrypt the communication wpa_suplicant shoud be used. The following description uses no security.

• in YaST disable NetworkManager (NM)
• as a root bring down the wireless interface

# ip link set wlan0 down

• set the domain id and set the ad-hoc mode

# iwconfig wlan0 essid test-adhoc mode Ad-Hoc

• bring up the interface

# ip link set wlan0 up

• set the IP address manually

# ip link addr add 192.168.102.1/24 dev wlan0

Repeat the procedure on all interfaces that should communicate together. Select unique IP address for each interface.

Ad-Hoc connection setup with Yast.

• Yast -> Network devices -> Network Card
• select ifup, click Next
• select card, Edit
• select "Static address setup" and fill up the IP address, Next
• select "Operating Mode" Ad-Hoc and set ESSID to your domain id
• select authentication, Next, Finish

Repeat on all interfaces.

How-to connect to WiFi without the NetworkManager

If for some reason the NetworkManager (NM) does not work you can try and set the WiFi connection from the command-line.

• In YaST -> Network Devices -> Network Settings check the "Traditional Method with ifup"
• as a root check your WiFi interface and bring it up

# ip link set wlan0 up

• list the available accespoints (AP)

# iwlist scan

• set domain ID to YourAP

# iwconfig wlan0 essid MyAP

• check the ESSID is set

# iwconfig wlan0

• Then modify the /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf according to the settings of YourAP.
• killall running wpa-supplicants and start a new one

# wpa-supplicant -dd -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf -Dwext

• If the card is associated now, start dhclient.

# dhclient wlan0

You should be connected. If not please open a bug report and post the output of the procedure mentioned above.

Ndiswrapper

• Setup_a_WLAN_Card
• Ndiswrapper_howto

Wireless cards quality

We experience little quality problem with ethernet cable cards, most 100Mb gives 100Mb, but in the wireless world, things are pretty different... so this page Wireless cards quality

External Links

• Wireless How Tos & Troubleshooters
• Wireless will not work when dual-boot with Windows XP&Vista

Passed QA check: --Shayon 16:16, 20 October 2009 (UTC)