Wireless problems with rt2800usb... dhcpcd timing out.

12o · 2012-04-19 06:15:24

***Moved from Newbie Corner as this location seemed more pertinent***

I've been working on my desktop all day today, and suddenly my wireless just quit working for no apparent reason.
I searched the forums for rt2800usb and didn't find anyone with this problem, so maybe it's new(???). I keep my Arch Linux current, and even recently updated with pacman (this morning). While I was online this evening, my connection dropped and I can't seem to bring it back up. I've rebooted which didn't work. I removed the USB device and plugged it back in, and in the dmesg I get:

$ dmesg | tail
it87: Found IT8721F chip at 0x290, revision 1
ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0 link is not ready
usb 2-4: USB disconnect, device number 3
usb 2-4: new high-speed USB device number 4 using ehci_hcd
usb 2-4: reset high-speed USB device number 4 using ehci_hcd
ieee80211 phy1: Selected rate control algorithm 'minstrel_ht'
Registered led device: rt2800usb-phy1::radio
Registered led device: rt2800usb-phy1::assoc
Registered led device: rt2800usb-phy1::quality
ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0 link is not ready

$uname -r
3.3.2-1-ARCH

$ iwconfig wlan0
wlan0      IEEE 802.11bgn ESSID:off/any
           Mode:Managed  Access Point: Not Associated   Tx-Power=20dBm
           Retry   long limit:7   RTS thr:off    Fragment thr:0ff
           Power Management: on

I use the following commands to connect the wireless:

$ sudo ifconfig wlan0 up
$ sudo wpa_supplicant -B -Dwext -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
$ sudo dhcpcd wlan0

Normally, I get a connection, but now dhcpcd just times out.

I'm not too knowledgeable with commands or where things are located yet, so I hope you can bear with me.

Thank you in advance.

12o · 2012-04-19 14:57:51

After looking through the forums, I'm thinking it might be related to an ath9k bug, but the only fixes I could find are for the ath9k only. Must not be a way to fix the rt2800usb. I tried reverting back the kernel, but the virtualbox-modules and nvidia requires kernel 3.3 or greater. If I try reverting back those two problems, pacman complains that the two packages requires kernel 3.3 or greater in order to back up. Had to force with -Ud and managed to get the nvidia and virtualbox-modules packages reverted just so I could revert linux back to version 3.2.14.

Finally got it all reverted, but the rt2800usb still doesn't work. Not sure, but it looks like whatever bug is floating around wiped the wireless device. Windows sees the device, but doesn't know how to turn it on (no button, no indication). Looks like I'm taking this thing back and swapping it for another one.

12o · 2012-04-19 18:05:17

Looks like the only chance I have to fix this problem is to reformat completely. Downgrading the kernel through every version back to 2.6.36 didn't work. All of the methods to fix the ath9k ended in failure. All advice I've received elsewhere has failed.

If I reformat, but don't want my /home directory reformatted, can Arch Linux do that with the 08/11 release of x84_64? I'm reading through the installation wiki, but I don't see a word about preserving the /home directory. I don't want to start unless I know for sure I can preserve it without reformatting.

Thanks.

12o · 2012-04-19 20:19:57

Ok, I think I got this pegged. I reformatted, installed the 08/11/2011 Arch Linux CD, and the problem somehow followed over the format, or it's also screwed up in 3.0 (although it worked perfectly before). The wireless device works on other OSes, but Arch Linux can't seem to connect with DHCP and get an IP address. Since it didn't work anyway, I went ahead and updated the OS to current and still the device doesn't work.

I bought a new device, but that doesn't work either (Linksys rt2870pci). I searched around online, but other than the ath9k bug, nobody has ever seemed to have this problem. I don't know if this is a bug or not.

The LED on the device blinks as if it's scanning. There's nothing wrong with the access point (router) as other computers are connected.

Is there anyone that might even have a remote clue as to how I can even start to diagnose this??? I'm still trying to learn the operating system, but since this is a work computer, I might have to switch to Windows 7 just to save my job. Again, ANY help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

12o · 2012-04-20 06:31:02

Nevermind. I checked around and this is unfixable. After shuffling hardware around, I managed to connect with the hard line. Fortunately, it isn't going to a laptop.

Strike0 · 2012-04-21 10:06:03

Please post the device IDs of the two wifi-cards you try to get working (relevant lines of lsusb and lspci -nn).
You did a lot of downgrade trials, but which driver was/is loaded for the 2800 card?
In your post #2 you mention a missing button to activate the card. Have a look at the output of rfkill command. Anything blocked there ?

Arch Linux

#1 2012-04-19 06:15:24

Wireless problems with rt2800usb... dhcpcd timing out.

#2 2012-04-19 14:57:51

Re: Wireless problems with rt2800usb... dhcpcd timing out.

#3 2012-04-19 18:05:17

Re: Wireless problems with rt2800usb... dhcpcd timing out.

#4 2012-04-19 20:19:57

Re: Wireless problems with rt2800usb... dhcpcd timing out.

#5 2012-04-20 06:31:02

Re: Wireless problems with rt2800usb... dhcpcd timing out.

#6 2012-04-21 10:06:03

Re: Wireless problems with rt2800usb... dhcpcd timing out.

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