Thinkpads Forum

This problem is a little complicated to explain.

Background: At the local library hot spot, my Realtek RTL8180 NIC card in my T-21 Thinkpad was working fine. THEN I replaced PClinuxOS 0.93a with version 2007 due to the many Synaptic updates [over 500].

Now when I try to set up the wireless card again -

Control Center > Network & Internet > Wireless Connection

The Operating Mode is "stuck" in Master mode [I found out with 0.93a I need to be in Ad Hoc mode].

I push the Configure button and select Ad Hoc. Then reboot all the way down to the IBM splash screen/GRUB menu. BUT when I go back to "Wireless Connection" the Operating Mode is still "Master" !!!

I have used all the Control Center "options" -

1) Reconfigure existing network connection
2) Remove network interface
"and others" including booting up with NIC card removed !!!

Nothing will change the Operating Mode from "Master" -- I need help !!!

I don't think there are very many people using PCLOS here. I have used it before but have since went to Linux Mint. You will probably have to go the the PCLOS forums for help on this one. Sorry.

If you know your device name, from a terminal, try this. Let's say it's wlan0. If you get an error, please post result from Linux is Linux! <3

Thanks for responses -

carbon_unit - Posted on PCLOS forum, got no responses !!!

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?topic=30533.0

lightweight - Will have to go to library [wifi signal] to run your commands, will post results.

I don't think a lot of people are running that chipset with linux. I have a RTL 8185 and I can't get it to work either. There was something about adding it to a whitelist and something else about it not working with the newer 2.6.xx kernels.

carbon_unit

This Realtek card worked with PCLOS ver. 0.93a, when I "upgraded" to ver. 2007 is when I can't set it up again !!!

lightweight,

When I ran

sudo iwconfig wlan0 mode ad-hoc

I got "nothing".

sudo ifconfig : sudo iwconfig

Brought up "Host name lookup failure."

oldbob,
Looks like you changed the semi-colon to a colon. Should be not But, the first command sets your wireless card from Master mode to Ad-hoc mode. You should be set. If needed, you can use this to connect, with the field after essid replaced by the ID of the wireless net at the library. Let's say its called "library"
Should let you connect. If not, the output from above is still helpful. For clarity, you can run these commands from home, before you're near the wireless net, so we may give you a nice command before you get to the library.

Hope this helps.

I never tried using the RTL 8185 on 0.93a only on 2007. From what I read it worked on 0.93a but was broken in 2007.
Heck, Maybe I'm thinking of another distro too. I have been distro surfing a lot lately and tried a lot of things in different distros. I may be confused. It has happened before.

Additional info:

There are two LEDs on the Realtek card, I have been "assuming" the yellow LED [which blinks whenever the notebook is powered up] is the POWER light.

And the green LED [which with Win98SE is on at the library] is the WIRELESS NETWORK signal.

EXCEPT !!! - At home [no wireless network] with PClinuxOS both LEDs are on, while with Win98SE only the yellow LED is on.

I cannot explain this condition ???

oldbob, your nick looks familiar. Didn't you used to hang out in the Xandros forums?
Sorry I can't help you anymore, I don't have PCLOS on any of my laptops right now.

carbon_unit,

You're right - I do have Xandros 3.0 OCE on my desktop.

Even though I like Xandros I sort of gave up on updating it because they want you to buy $$$ the distro, very Red Hat of them.

lightweight,

I ran - sudo ifconfig ; sudo iwconfig

at home [without a wireless signal] and got the following.

wlan0

802.11b linked ESSID: "OC Library"
Mode: Ad-Hoc Frequency: 2.422 GHz Cell: 02:56:05:F7:5F:A5
Bit Rate: 11Mb/s Sensitivity: 80/85
Retry = On Fragment thr: Off
Encryption Key: Off
Power Management: Off
Line Quality: 0 Signal Level: 0 Noise Level: 0
Rx Invalid nwid: 0 Rx Invalid crypt: 0 Rx Invalid frequency: 0
Tx excessive retries: 0 Invalid misc: 0 Missed beacon: 0

"I don't know what this means" BUT it "looks" very good !!!
Will know when I get back to the library.

That does look good! It looks like your wireless still remembers being set to Ad-hoc mode (sudo iwconfig wlan0 mode ad-hoc) and the library's settings.

Hope you get this before going to the library: if you have trouble, try running those commands again at the library. I have not used PCLinuxOS, but you should have other output that looks like junk, too. If so, posting that stuff can be helpful too.

Curious: does this now show ad-hoc?

Control Center > Network & Internet > Wireless Connection

The Operating Mode is "stuck" in Master mode [I found out with 0.93a I need to be in Ad Hoc mode].

If so, you should ask the folks at PCLinuxOS about a potential bug.

_

Additional info:

There are two LEDs on the Realtek card, I have been "assuming" the yellow LED [which blinks whenever the notebook is powered up] is the POWER light.

And the green LED [which with Win98SE is on at the library] is the WIRELESS NETWORK signal.

EXCEPT !!! - At home [no wireless network] with PClinuxOS both LEDs are on, while with Win98SE only the yellow LED is on.

I cannot explain this condition ???

For what it's worth, I think this makes sense if wlan0 is in "Master Mode" -- the wireless is on so wireless clients can connect. It's the access point.

Good luck! <3

UPDATE/CLOSE OUT

I removed PClinuxOS 2007 which would not work with my Realtek 8180 wireless NIC and reinstall version 0.93a Junior.

I also contacted Realtek [wlanfae@realtek.com.tw] about LEDs and got the following:

Thanks for your e-mail.
RTL8180 default LED setting for you reference
One of them is Link status, the other is data traffic.
About detail behavior, please contact your Card maker.

Not to "specific" and don't know who my "Card maker" would be if it's NOT Realtek !!!

Went back to PClinuxOS 2007 & Realtek wireless card and through "trial & error" [in the Control Center] got it to work !!!

"All's right with the world !!!!"