University wifi

[HelenF]

http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/it/eduroam/laptops/

I filled in the details, the network icon spins for a while, and then the security dialog pops up again.

(I believe the certificate info in the above linked help files is incorrect. But I wasn't checking the certificate in this case.)

It puts things in dmesg like this (the last line is where it stops when the security dialog pops up). I got a quick look at the corresponding lines on someone else's Linux laptop which had successfully connected, and it looked pretty much the same except there were more things afterwards. Any ideas?

Spoiler

[42317.361114] wl1251: using dedicated interrupt line
[42317.448699] ieee80211 phy1: Selected rate control algorithm 'pid'
[42317.449188] wl1251: loaded
[42317.449493] wl1251: initialized
[42318.605346] wl1251: 154 tx blocks at 0x3b788, 35 rx blocks at 0x3a780
[42318.606292] wl1251: firmware booted (Rev 6.0.4.235)
[42318.672180] ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[42318.706817] wl1251: down
[42319.683319] wl1251: 154 tx blocks at 0x3b788, 35 rx blocks at 0x3a780
[42319.684265] wl1251: firmware booted (Rev 6.0.4.235)
[42319.781585] ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[42341.917816] wl1251: WARNING join timeout
[42375.167846] wl1251: WARNING join timeout
[42376.085723] wlan0: direct probe to 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 (try 1/3)
[42376.100341] wlan0: direct probe responded
[42376.100372] wlan0: authenticate with 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 (try 1)
[42376.110382] wlan0: authenticated
[42376.110473] wlan0: associate with 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 (try 1)
[42376.130004] wlan0: RX AssocResp from 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 (capab=0x431 status=0 aid=34)
[42376.130004] wlan0: associated
[42376.156280] ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): wlan0: link becomes ready
[42395.089111] wlan0: deauthenticating from 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 by local choice (reason=3)
[42395.120452] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
[42441.507598] wlan0: deauthenticating from 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 by local choice (reason=3)
[42441.572906] wlan0: authenticate with 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 (try 1)
[42441.584350] wlan0: authenticated
[42441.584442] wlan0: associate with 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 (try 1)
[42441.587738] wlan0: RX AssocResp from 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 (capab=0x431 status=0 aid=34)
[42441.587738] wlan0: associated
[42466.073455] wlan0: deauthenticating from 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 by local choice (reason=3)
[42466.104858] cfg80211: Calling CRDA for country: GB
[42600.014190] wlan0: deauthenticating from 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 by local choice (reason=3)
[42600.085571] wlan0: authenticate with 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 (try 1)
[42600.094848] wlan0: authenticated
[42600.094940] wlan0: associate with 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 (try 1)
[42600.102081] wlan0: RX AssocResp from 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 (capab=0x431 status=0 aid=40)
[42600.102111] wlan0: associated
[42625.073455] wlan0: deauthenticating from 00:23:eb:39:29:c1 by local choice (reason=3)
[42625.104858] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain

----

There's also the "Flexaccess" VPN. Probably impossible to use the proprietary Cisco software even if I wanted to.

http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/it/flexaccess/vpn/iosvpn/

Says it uses IPSec protocol. Can I use this on Pandora?

Searching brings up various terse mentions of something called IPsec-Tools on git.openpandora.org ... I've been to their website, but not managed to find out what the software actually does.

 

[slaeshjag]

Eduroam is supposed to work. I used it back when my pandora still worked. WPA2 enterprise/LEAP is what I used iirc. Certificate wasn't required to make it work.

Although the WiFi-chip in the pandora can be a bit particular about what AP's it likes. If you got a USB wifi stick, try with that too.

 

[Binky]

Have you tried using a wifi dongle?

I don't know much about Linux wlan config., but I could easily imagine that a place like a university, full of people with laptops and smartphones, could have such a crowded radio spectrum that the pandora's dodgy wifi can't get a word in edgeways

You could also try disabling power-saving (the easiest way is using _wb_'s system-info), since many pandoras have miscalibrated wifi chips which throttle down their transmit power to the point where they can no longer maintain a connection.

Edit - ninja'd

 

[HelenF]

I have a rather chunky RT2870 USB wifi dongle for desktop use. It seemed to require kernel 3.4 or higher to work out-of-the-box. Is there an easy way to use it on the Pandora, just to test?

 

[HelenF]

At uni I tried disabling the power saving, with no improvement.

Thanks Linux-SWAT for the firmware file. So, what should actually happen when I plug the device in? On my home network, how do I know if it's working?

 

[Wally]

Eduroam is supposed to work. I used it back when my pandora still worked. WPA2 enterprise/LEAP is what I used iirc. Certificate wasn't required to make it work.

Although the WiFi-chip in the pandora can be a bit particular about what AP's it likes. If you got a USB wifi stick, try with that too.

Eduroam does work but sometimes it takes some attempts.

 

[comradekingu]

I dont know what reason 3 is. Is the wifi chan outside of the regulatory domain for GB (chan 13?)

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Thanks Linux-SWAT for the firmware file. So, what should actually happen when I plug the device in? On my home network, how do I know if it's working?

Np. Don't push on activate wifi.

Plug the dongle and push activate usb.

 

[HelenF]

So the Pandora wifi toggle should be off?

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Yup.

 

[HelenF]

Sorry, it's actually RT5372. Is that going to work?

(Once upon a time, I thought the Windows XP device manager said it was RT2870, and I have been convinced of this ever since; but apparently it only meant it was using the RT2870 driver package which contains a bunch of other things too.)

My desktop Fedora installation has a /lib/firmware/rt2870.bin which is identical to the one Linux-SWAT sent. I don't see one for 5372, but it must be somewhere because the dongle works...

 

[slaeshjag]

dmesg will tell you what firmware file the driver requests.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Yes.

Sometimes, wait for 30 sec to see the request message.

 

[HelenF]

On the desktop:

[ 1.283418] usb 1-5: New USB device found, idVendor=2001, idProduct=3c15
[ 1.283423] usb 1-5: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[ 1.283427] usb 1-5: Product: 11n Adapter
[ 1.283430] usb 1-5: Manufacturer: D-Link
[ 1.283433] usb 1-5: SerialNumber: 1.0
Same thing on the Pandora (except it's "usb 2-2"). No mention of firmware in either case.On the desktop, it's listed in the aliases for rt2800usb. On the Pandora it's not. So maybe there's no driver?

On the desktop, it started working when I updated from a 3.3 kernel to a 3.4 kernel.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

What lsmod shows plz ?

 

[HelenF]

Module                  Size  Used by
bluetooth             135962  0 
g_cdc                  31842  0 
ehci_hcd               37272  0 
omaplfb                 6407  0 
pvrsrvkm              142886  1 omaplfb
zram                   10170  1 
snd_seq                47225  0 
snd_seq_device          4491  1 snd_seq
snd_pcm_oss            37481  0 
snd_mixer_oss          13864  1 snd_pcm_oss
ipv6                  231159  10 
fuse                   57975  2 
ads7846                 8481  0 
hwmon                    964  1 ads7846

It doesn't change when I plug the device in.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

So it seems that the kernel driver is missing.

You may ask Notaz to include it here:

http://boards.openpandora.org/index.php/topic/7196-32-kernel-issue-tracking-thread/

 

[HelenF]

Thanks for the help. It's too big and I need it for my desktop anyway, so I think I'll buy a smaller one from the known-working list. I could use a stronger signal around the house too.