If you left-click on the Wireless Networking Icon in the top panel (next to the volume control icon), the list of detected networks appears. Select the one you want. If a password is needed, you will be prompted it. Then she will connect. Don't use the System > Admin > Network dialog. Leave it in roaming mode.
>If you left-click on the Wireless Networking Icon in the top panel (next to the volume control icon),
>the list of detected networks appears
That is what I am looking for. Unfortunately, I could not get to it:
I went into System\Administration\Network, selected the wireless item, clicked on properties and checked enable roaming mode. I then pressed Ok and Close.
In the right hand side of the top panel there are four items (from right to left) and when I mouse over them I see:
Log off, switch user, lock screen or poser down the computer
Click to view your appointments and tasks
Font: 80% (This is the volume control. I don't know why the mouse over is Font)
Manual network configuration (This is what appears to be two monitors slightly offset)
If I position over the last item and left click the only thing that shows up is Manual configuration. If I click on that I get to Network Settings (which is where System\Administration\Network gets you.
I went into BIOS setup and check the Wireless settings:
Internal Bluetooth Enabled
Internal Wi-Fi Enabled
Internal Cellular Enabled
Wireless Switch All
Wi-Fi Catcher Enabled
The above are also the factory default settings.
The BIOS says something about using the QuickSet application to configure and view the Wi-Fi Catcher advanced options but I think that is a Windows application.
Sorry to hear you're having some frustrations. Here's where some of your
issues are stemming from.
"System -> Administration -> Network"
This applet is Gnome's network administration utility. When you use this
tool, your are really just editing a file called /etc/network/interfaces.
It's NOT the best way for you to manage your networking with Ubuntu
releases version 7.04 and beyond.
The new way of managing all of your networking components is through
"NetworkManager", which uses "dbus". This is actually the default network
status applet in your upper right hand corner easily identified by right
clicking on the icon, and selecting "About".
The problem you may have inadvertently introduced by using the other is
that since the /etc/network/interfaces file has some definitions of network
interfaces in there, "NetworkManager" will not attempt, nor let you,
configure networking through it.
The best way to clear up the issue is to simply remove everything from the
/etc/network/interfaces file, replacing it with:
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
After editing this file, you will then want to restart dbus. But not
knowing what other factors may get in the way, simply reboot your machine.
After logging into your desktop... make sure that your wireless card (if
using proprietary drivers) is selected for use under "System ->
Administration -> Restricted Drivers Manager". If all is good there...
move on to "left clicking" on the NetworkManager applet in the upper right
hand corner of your screen.
If there are wireless networks in the area, you'll see the SSID's listed.
If you don't see yours (which is probably the case since you said it was
hidden), simply select "Connect to other wireless network". This allows
you to enter all the necessary settings for your wireless network.
Once complete, you should be able to see your NetworkManager applet begin
an animation sequence letting you know it's trying to connect.
Did you buy Ubuntu pre-installed by Dell? How did it go?
What wireless card are you using? If you don't know, go to System -> Preferences -> Hardware information. Press ctrl + f and search for "WLAN Interface." One step up should tell you what wireless card you have. For me it says "Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN Mini-PCI Card."
Be sure that wireless is enabled in your router ;)
Maybe if you enabled essid broadcast in your router you could find out if your wireless card is communicating with linux. An alternative is to use someone else's signal.
With the wireless card enabled (Fn+f3 usually... looks like a cell tower and the wifi light should be illuminated upon activation) and roaming mode enabled, enter the terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal) and type
sudo iwlist scanning and hit enter. If there is a sight in range, the command should return it for the wireless interface (
eth1 for me). If it doesn't return a site list for any interfaces (AND you know you have a wireless router in your range) then the issue is most likely being caused by your driver, or an absence of a driver. Hopefully it's not the absence of hardware.
I had to use ndiswrapper to get my wireless going, not restricted drivers manager. But then again I manually installed Ubuntu 7.04 on my Inspiron E1505 before I heard about Dell's offer.
Message Edited by DeathsOverture on 09-25-2007 11:27 AM
One additional item -- folks should know that when you set up the wireless connection the wired one gets grayed out. It is only selectable when you have a network cable plugged into the laptop. The Network Manager will only allow one or the other (wired or wireless) to be active at a time. This could be a problem for folks that need to connect to two networks at one time - wireless and wired. (I once had a machine with three network cards that was connected to three wired seperate networks at the same time.)
One additional item -- folks should know that when you set up the wireless connection the wired one gets grayed out. It is only selectable when you have a network cable plugged into the laptop. The Network Manager will only allow one or the other (wired or wireless) to be active at a time. This could be a problem for folks that need to connect to two networks at one time - wireless and wired. (I once had a machine with three network cards that was connected to three wired seperate networks at the same time.)
You need to understand that NetworkManager is described by its development team as an attempt to make networking invisible to the end user. So it keeps it simple: Ethernet, otherwise to with the wireless. If you fail to connect to your usual network, it will try to connect to another known network, then to an unsecured net in range.
If you need a more complex setup, with lots of LAN cards, static IP, routing, tunneling and stuff like that, you'll have to go through a more traditional approach (on a terminal, writing to conf files and editing init scripts). It's more involved, takes some googling and reading, but the capabilities are there.
DMN682
12 Posts
0
September 24th, 2007 14:00
LinuxOn1420
20 Posts
0
September 25th, 2007 02:00
LinuxCruiser
20 Posts
0
September 25th, 2007 04:00
Hash: SHA1
Sorry to hear you're having some frustrations. Here's where some of your
issues are stemming from.
"System -> Administration -> Network"
This applet is Gnome's network administration utility. When you use this
tool, your are really just editing a file called /etc/network/interfaces.
It's NOT the best way for you to manage your networking with Ubuntu
releases version 7.04 and beyond.
The new way of managing all of your networking components is through
"NetworkManager", which uses "dbus". This is actually the default network
status applet in your upper right hand corner easily identified by right
clicking on the icon, and selecting "About".
The problem you may have inadvertently introduced by using the other is
that since the /etc/network/interfaces file has some definitions of network
interfaces in there, "NetworkManager" will not attempt, nor let you,
configure networking through it.
The best way to clear up the issue is to simply remove everything from the
/etc/network/interfaces file, replacing it with:
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
After editing this file, you will then want to restart dbus. But not
knowing what other factors may get in the way, simply reboot your machine.
After logging into your desktop... make sure that your wireless card (if
using proprietary drivers) is selected for use under "System ->
Administration -> Restricted Drivers Manager". If all is good there...
move on to "left clicking" on the NetworkManager applet in the upper right
hand corner of your screen.
If there are wireless networks in the area, you'll see the SSID's listed.
If you don't see yours (which is probably the case since you said it was
hidden), simply select "Connect to other wireless network". This allows
you to enter all the necessary settings for your wireless network.
Once complete, you should be able to see your NetworkManager applet begin
an animation sequence letting you know it's trying to connect.
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h04VZINZbB5nIzroMnIQkEQ=
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DeathsOverture
1 Rookie
•
87 Posts
0
September 25th, 2007 15:00
Did you buy Ubuntu pre-installed by Dell? How did it go?
What wireless card are you using? If you don't know, go to System -> Preferences -> Hardware information. Press ctrl + f and search for "WLAN Interface." One step up should tell you what wireless card you have. For me it says "Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN Mini-PCI Card."
Be sure that wireless is enabled in your router ;)
Maybe if you enabled essid broadcast in your router you could find out if your wireless card is communicating with linux. An alternative is to use someone else's signal.
With the wireless card enabled (Fn+f3 usually... looks like a cell tower and the wifi light should be illuminated upon activation) and roaming mode enabled, enter the terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal) and type sudo iwlist scanning and hit enter. If there is a sight in range, the command should return it for the wireless interface ( eth1 for me). If it doesn't return a site list for any interfaces (AND you know you have a wireless router in your range) then the issue is most likely being caused by your driver, or an absence of a driver. Hopefully it's not the absence of hardware.
I had to use ndiswrapper to get my wireless going, not restricted drivers manager. But then again I manually installed Ubuntu 7.04 on my Inspiron E1505 before I heard about Dell's offer.
Message Edited by DeathsOverture on 09-25-2007 11:27 AM
LinuxOn1420
20 Posts
0
September 27th, 2007 02:00
>/etc/network/interfaces file, replacing it with:
>auto lo
>iface lo inet loopback
>After editing this file, you will then want to restart dbus. But not
>knowing what other factors may get in the way, simply reboot your machine.
LinuxCruiser
20 Posts
0
September 27th, 2007 04:00
LinuxOn1420
20 Posts
0
September 28th, 2007 02:00
Claude B
15 Posts
0
September 29th, 2007 03:00
You need to understand that NetworkManager is described by its development team as an attempt to make networking invisible to the end user. So it keeps it simple: Ethernet, otherwise to with the wireless. If you fail to connect to your usual network, it will try to connect to another known network, then to an unsecured net in range.
If you need a more complex setup, with lots of LAN cards, static IP, routing, tunneling and stuff like that, you'll have to go through a more traditional approach (on a terminal, writing to conf files and editing init scripts). It's more involved, takes some googling and reading, but the capabilities are there.