Arch Linux

sheekeebut

Member

Registered: 2010-03-24

Posts: 16

[SOLVED] iwlist can't find my network, only 1 or 2 cells max

Hello all,

I've been trying to follow the Arch guide for wireless connection to my WPA2 wireless N network using the wireless N network adapter I've got. The hardware works fine in Ubuntu.

-Intel Celeron M 1.4 laptop
-Wireless N adapter RT3070 chipset, using Ralink's driver (which works in the ubuntu installation), and I even installed the rt2870 firmware on the Arch installation, which strangely enough wasn't needed for the Ubuntu installation.

Installed: rt3070sta kernel module, wireless_tools, wpa_supplicant, netcfg

Before I use netcfg, I'd like to figure out how to manually set up a connection:

ifconfig wlan0 up (works just fine)
iwconfig wlan0 essid "MYESSID"

I checked the iwconfig and it showed that I wasn't associated with the Access Point I wanted... I waited a couple minutes, and it still wasn't associated...

So:

iwlist wlan0 scan

The Access Point I wanted wasn't there. I tried the same command a few more times, moved the computer right next to the router, but nothing. Only max. 2 other networks in my neighbourhood, listed first probably because they don't have any form of security. I rebooted to Ubuntu and did the same scan, and a whole bunch of networks (included mine) showed up just fine. Strange, no?

I've tried:

1)
iwconfig wlan0 sens (to all sorts of values)

2)
iwconfig wlan0 essid any
iwlist wlan0 scan

3)
iwlist wlan0 scan "MYESSID" (with and without quotes)

I even tried working with the wpa_supplicant, and they all report that they can't find this network. Yes, the Access Point is broadcasting its ESSID.

I'll give you more news as I get it, but I don't know any other options to try for now. Any ideas?

Last edited by sheekeebut (2010-05-27 14:36:15)

cesura

Package Maintainer (PM)

From: Tallinn, Estonia

Registered: 2010-01-23

Posts: 1,867

Re: [SOLVED] iwlist can't find my network, only 1 or 2 cells max

This may help:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1082854

Last edited by cesura (2010-03-24 22:11:25)

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sheekeebut

Member

Registered: 2010-03-24

Posts: 16

Re: [SOLVED] iwlist can't find my network, only 1 or 2 cells max

Hmm, I've checked out the whole thread, including any threads it leads to, but nothing new. I've even tried the four different possible examples of a wpa_supplicant.conf file.

No, I think in this case it's just that scanning simply can't detect my AP, neither with wpa_supplicant nor with iwlist.

I've been playing around with various iwconfig settings, but the driver generally doesn't allow me to do very much with things like sens or mode, and I've even tried the following without any luck:

iwconfig wlan0 ap 00:00:00:00:00:00
(zeros being my AP's MAC address)

I've been able to associate with one of the open APs in results from the iwlist, but that doesn't solve my problem.

One peculiarity:
iwlist scan from Ubuntu shows all the APs with Mode:Managed
iwlist scan from Arch shows the same APs, but all with Mode:Master

Another strange thing is that this network adapter was given ra0 for its Ubuntu interface, but wlan0 for the Arch interface.

Oh, and the iwlist scan from Ubuntu spots my essid just fine.

Last edited by sheekeebut (2010-03-25 12:24:02)

sheekeebut

Member

Registered: 2010-03-24

Posts: 16

Re: [SOLVED] iwlist can't find my network, only 1 or 2 cells max

Anything?

What I can't understand is why I can't get an extended list of detected Access Points.

Even stranger is the fact that on other distros, like Ubuntu, WinVista and so on, my Access Point has the strongest signal, which is quite obvious for something that is in the same room. So what's keeping iwlist from showing it?

sheekeebut

Member

Registered: 2010-03-24

Posts: 16

Re: [SOLVED] iwlist can't find my network, only 1 or 2 cells max

Anything?

sheekeebut

Member

Registered: 2010-03-24

Posts: 16

Re: [SOLVED] iwlist can't find my network, only 1 or 2 cells max

Seriously, nobody can even point me in the right direction?
iwlist?

i've tried two other distros (ubuntu 8.04 and opensuse 9.0) and they detect a whole bunch of networks just fine with the same hardware. I've got to be missing something.

raj7095

Member

Registered: 2010-02-14

Posts: 91

Re: [SOLVED] iwlist can't find my network, only 1 or 2 cells max

sorry, you have to do a fresh install of arch and install your wifi device driver from core cd.

Last edited by raj7095 (2010-04-05 01:41:24)

sheekeebut

Member

Registered: 2010-03-24

Posts: 16

Re: [SOLVED] iwlist can't find my network, only 1 or 2 cells max

Well, that's some disappointing news, because last I checked, they still don't have the RT3070 drivers from the core CD. I had to get them from Ralink, and they do happen to work with other systems.

I'll try to do that fresh install thing, anyway. I heard in another post that installing netcfg when you don't need it could cause a few problems with access point detection

Last edited by sheekeebut (2010-04-05 13:13:50)

sheekeebut

Member

Registered: 2010-03-24

Posts: 16

Re: [SOLVED] iwlist can't find my network, only 1 or 2 cells max

Ok, just to update you on the situation, I've done the following:

1) Wiped the block and reinstalled from ISO image, including base packages, base devel, wireless_tools, and sudo. Although I haven't used sudo here yet, I threw it in, just in case... i dunno, I guess it's an Ubuntu habit. What's different this time is I didn't do a full update from pacman.

2) Installed the RT3070sta driver. Strangely enough, the thing make installed and the module insmodded (modprobe somehow couldn't detect the module) just fine without the addition of firmware.

Now it's more consistent with the Ubuntu install in that the interface is now ra0 instead of wlan0, and iwlist now lists my Access Point

I'll look into this more, but I guess I'll call this thing solved for now.

The first time install may have been messed up from one or any combination of  the  following:

-netcfg
--the pacman updates

Time to jump back into that wiki to get this thing to finally associate.

sheekeebut

Member

Registered: 2010-03-24

Posts: 16

Re: [SOLVED] iwlist can't find my network, only 1 or 2 cells max

Nope, turns out it was the built-in rt2x00 and rt2800 modules getting in the way. I just deleted them from /lib/modules....... and carried on.
I hate having to delete them every time I pacman update a new set of kernel stuff, though. Is this what blacklisting's for?

[SOLVED]

Last edited by sheekeebut (2010-05-27 14:36:40)