Configuring Hardy for a Telkom Wireless Modem...

[Rinkhals]

Hi,

Can anyone give me a bit of guidance on how to configure a Telkom
modem for Ubuntu.

The Modem comes preset with a WPA access key written on the underside
of the modem.

How should I configure the Ubuntu box?

I have the ESSID set to 'TKR', the Password type to WPA Personal, the
Network password being the 12 digit Hex number printed on the bottom
of the modem box.

sudo iwconfig gives me

ath0 IEEE 802.11g ESSID:"TKR" Nickname""
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.462 GHz Access Point: 00:19:70:05:38:EA
Bit rate:54 Mb/s Tx-Power:16 dBm Sensitivity=1/1
Retry: off RTS thr: off Fragment thr: off
Encryption Key: off
Power Management: off

ANy ideas?

 

[Grouter]

I would be interested in this too.

When ubuntu boots, it has the wireless mode (from my last session) set to manual. Only way to get it to connect again is set it to roaming mode - then back to manual again after entering network name, passphrase, etc. Only then it connects. Seems the password manager won't hand over the network key in order to connect. Have googled this a fair bit, but most solutions involve long trains of commands in the terminal - not my forte, I'm afraid.

I can live with it, but it's a pain to go through all the hoops every time I boot just to connect to my own home network.

 

[sn3rd]

OK, there are plenty of threads about this on Ubuntuforums, but I'll try to summarise (if I can remember correctly) how to get your wireless working.

1) Does your wireless EVER connect? i.e. do you get connectivity under certain conditions, but when you try something else (e.g. WPA encryption), it doesn't want to play ball?
2) Are you using DHCP or statically configured settings?
3) Do

vim /etc/network/interfaces

and paste the relevant sections (wlan0/ath0/whatever stanza).
4) If the issue lies with WPA, have you tried to see if the network works with WPA and no password?

 

[Rinkhals]

Hi Sn3rd,

1. It's a new install, but it hasn't ever connected to any network.

2. DHCP.

3.

iface ath0 inet dhcp
wpa-psk f2a272b37de23sf4a434b522d32ea22344561092fe203004daf333d21e986001
wpa-driver wext
wpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
wpa-proto WPA
wpa-ssid anac

auto ath0

4. Yes, I wish I could, but I can't take the modem off line right now. But yes, I'll check that when I get the chance.

 

[Rinkhals]

Interesting!

When restarting the network: (/etc/init.d/neworking restart) I get the following:

wifi0: unknown hardware address type 801

However, I have installed wcid (follow the instructions from http://www.ubuntugeek.com/wicd-wired-and-wireless-network-manager-for-ubuntu.html )

Which immediately found a wireless network WAP without encryption enabled (it wouldn't connect with my XP laptop, so I thought it was US).

However, the Ubuntu machine can see and ping this DLink Router). So the wireless card itself is working.

 

[sn3rd]

If you can ping, you have connectivity, which means that encryption in synchronised (your password or lack thereof matches the router's settings). Sounds like problem sorted?

 

[Rinkhals]

If you can ping, you have connectivity, which means that encryption in synchronised (your password or lack thereof matches the router's settings). Sounds like problem sorted?

Yes. It's working.

I don't know why, so I can't really help others who are have similar problems.

All I know is that I installed the wicd software which allowed me to configure the card's WPA (other SSIDs also showed up).

On reboot, though I lost all of the connections (wired and wireless).

I then went into the network manager and disabled all connections except l0 and tried to connect using wicd without any luck.

On enabling the wireless connection through the network manager, it "just worked"

I'm pleased, but confused.

 

[sn3rd]

It sounds like it was always working, and there was perhaps just some confusion with settings.

AFAIK, wcid is just a manager. When you say you lost all of the connections, what do you mean? So did it work with wcid or with the built-in network manager?

 

[Rinkhals]

It sounds like it was always working, and there was perhaps just some confusion with settings.

AFAIK, wcid is just a manager. When you say you lost all of the connections, what do you mean? So did it work with wcid or with the built-in network manager?

Yes, it certainly sounds like a conflict of some kind.

by 'lost all connections' I meant that neither the wired nor the wireless connection was working.

I tried with a second installation of Ubuntu; I connected up a cable to the router to download and install wicd. Then I disabled the both wired and wireless networks in network-manager. Then ran wicd through the gnome menu and configured the WPA. After rebooting the connection was fine.

 

[Rinkhals]

It sounds like it was always working, and there was perhaps just some confusion with settings.

AFAIK, wcid is just a manager. When you say you lost all of the connections, what do you mean? So did it work with wcid or with the built-in network manager?

Yes.

What I wanted was the configuration files that the backend uses. I know that /etc/networking/interfaces holds a lot of the configuration data, presumably if I copy the file from a working mackine, it should allow a new installation using the same hardware to work?

 

[.Froot.]

I've got both- Hardy and that wonderful awesome router from Telkom (hint of sarcasm).
I don't use the preset key, I use my own WPA2/<whatever encryption you want> key. A lot easier.