Wi-Fi related problems since 2015/05 image update

[callmesteve]

I am using a Raspberry Pi B (original, not the Plus) with a Edimax EW-7811un Wi-Fi adapter. It has a Realtek RTL8188CUS chip, and has been working fine with my Raspberry Pi for a long time. Once the new image was released with the DHCPDUI Wi-Fi interface instead of wpa_gui, my Wi-Fi adapter has not been intializing.

Lsusb finds it, and is how I got the information I am posting here.

Wpa_gui "could not get status from wpa_supplicant".

Left Clicking the DHCPDUI icon on the panel does nothing.

Right Clicking the same icon lists a wlan0, but does not give me any options that seem relevant (such as a SSID or password box). If I am wrong here, please correct me.

Dmesg lists no errors, but during boot, after dmesg stops listing, it states something about "ignoring wlan0=wlan0" and some other messages, which I cannot replay or remember, that basically state that it will not even activate the adapter.

It is not a SSID or password issue, as I would need to have the adapter working in order to connect to a network.

The adapter works fine on another Linux computer.

Older versions of Raspbian work fine, so long as I do not upgrade or dist-upgrade them.

Does this work for other people?

Is there ANY way I can remove the new Wi-Fi interface and get the old one working again, or perhaps upgrade from an old image and stop this interface from being installed?

When I performed the upgrade that started this, I saw nothing about Wi-Fi or DHCPDUI listed.

[MrEngman]

I'm running an EW-7811Un without problems with the new 2015-05--05 image.

Just to check the set up I installed the image on a new SD card then plugged it into my Pi and ran raspi-config to expand the filesystem and set the timezone. I rebooted then ran apt-get update and apt-get upgrade which updated a few libraries and ssh.

As I don't have a display connected to my Pi I connect to it using SSH so I installed tightvncserver and set it up then ran vncviewer on my laptop and the X GUI ran OK. Positioning the mouse pointer over the wifi icon it showed my current network settings.

wifi-setup1.png (45.35 KiB) Viewed 4039 times

wlan0 did not show immediately but took a short time and then it appeared. I then left clicked the wifi icon and a list of networks was shown.

wifi-setup2.png (47.28 KiB) Viewed 4039 times

I then left clicked the network to connect to and a dialogue box opened to input the password.

wifi-setup3.png (37.06 KiB) Viewed 4039 times

continue in next post as it only allows 3 attachments per post.

[MrEngman]

I input the password and selected OK. The wifi icon started flashing. I placed the mouse cursor on the icon and after a short time a dialog box opened showing the wifi was connected.

wifi-setup4.png (34.74 KiB) Viewed 4036 times

The wifi was then set up.

I rebooted the Pi and the wifi connected without problems. I then ran rpi-update and rebooted and the wifi connected without problems. Ran apt-get update and apt-get upgrade again. All packages were up to date and no more files were updated.

Wifi is running without problems.


MrEngman

[callmesteve]

Yeah, I get none of that. I vaguely remember getting it to work once, but for some reason it has never worked again. When it did work, it was just as you described. Ever since that, though, it has caused all kinds of problems. I even tried a different Wi-Fi adapter (same model), and it still will not work.

Some problems I have gotten since reflashing with the new image, which I presume are related (they do not all happen at once, or sometimes at all):

Flashing panel, which also locks out all input devices. (This seems to be related to panel icons, like the temperature monitor or clock, that are not functioning properly. This has only happened with the weather indicator or DHCPDUI.)

Wi-Fi adapter recognized by the Pi (in lsusb), but not activated (is not assigned a wlan#), so no Wi-Fi connection apps can detect an adapter to use.

I think something also messes up the Ethernet, too.


I have tried installing the new image, NOOBS with the new image, and the newest version of OctoPi, which is based on this image. Upgrading the packages on an old image will also result in these problem(s). I cannot understand what it is, since I have not changed anything. Could it be a hardware problem?

[MrEngman]

Yeah, I get none of that. I vaguely remember getting it to work once, but for some reason it has never worked again. When it did work, it was just as you described. Ever since that, though, it has caused all kinds of problems. I even tried a different Wi-Fi adapter (same model), and it still will not work.

Some problems I have gotten since reflashing with the new image, which I presume are related (they do not all happen at once, or sometimes at all):

Flashing panel, which also locks out all input devices. (This seems to be related to panel icons, like the temperature monitor or clock, that are not functioning properly. This has only happened with the weather indicator or DHCPDUI.)

Wi-Fi adapter recognized by the Pi (in lsusb), but not activated (is not assigned a wlan#), so no Wi-Fi connection apps can detect an adapter to use.

I think something also messes up the Ethernet, too.


I have tried installing the new image, NOOBS with the new image, and the newest version of OctoPi, which is based on this image. Upgrading the packages on an old image will also result in these problem(s). I cannot understand what it is, since I have not changed anything. Could it be a hardware problem?

Sound very much like it could be a power supply issue, not being able to supply enough volts/current, or the cable connecting the power supply to the Pi is not good enough, needs to be thick and not too long. A poor quality cable connecting the power supply to the Pi, even if the power supply is OK, can drop a fair amount of voltage which will vary depending on what the Pi is doing and the current it is using, and can cause similar issues. Initialising the wifi takes a larger than normal amount of current so a poor quality power supply or power cable can cause the wifi issues you are seeing.

What do you mean by "Flashing panel" ? If it's a small 4 colour square that is an under voltage warning. That is an indicator that the power supply is not supplying enough volts.

Have you edited files /etc/network/interfaces or /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa-supplicant.conf? If you have that can stop the wifi config in the X GUI from working.

What version of Pi are you using and what is the wifi module.

Can you post the output of commands

Code: Select all

uname -a
lsusb
lsmod
cat /etc/network/interfaces
sudo cat /etc/wpa-supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

MrEngman

[callmesteve]

Will do. It used to work fine with that power supply, but I will try a new one. I will post the command output shortly.

Edit: I just realized I did not read your post that well. I apologize. I have not edited any network config files, either. The software is completely unchanged. Literally just imaged to the SD card and booted. Aside from setting the time zone, keyboard settings, and resizing the root partition, I have changed nothing. All changes mentioned were made with raspi-config. I haven't even overclocked it.

Raspberry Pi model B.

The flashing panel refers to the entire panel (list of open windows, the "start" menu or whatever Linux calls it, the indicators, everything) popping down from the top of the screen and then disappearing again almost instantly, without bothering to load any icons or the "start" menu. It will pop in and out of existence continuously, and locks out the keyboard and mouse so I can't even tab over to a terminal with the Ctrl+F2 key combo.

[callmesteve]

Here are the command outputs I said I would post: (I had to write these down and type them manually, since I can't do anything without the network)

Trying a different cable and power supply did not work. I will note older images still work fine, with the original power supply.
Note: I am using a custom image for 3D printer control. It behaves exactly the same way, network-wise, as the raspbian image.
WPA-supplicant posts a message on boot that it is ignoring wlan0 and wlan1. This may help you.

uname -a:
Linux octopi 3.18.11+ #781 PREEMPT Tue Apr 21 18:02:18 BST 2015 armv6l GNU/Linux

lsusb: (I also tried connecting to the network without the USB hub, Bluetooth, etc connected, but that didn't work either)
Bus 001 Device 002 ID 0424:9514 Standard Microsystems Corp
Bus 001 Device 001 ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003 ID 0424:ec00 Standard Microsystems Corp
Bus 001 Device 004 ID 7392:7811 Edimax Technology co., LTD EW-7811Un 802.11n Wireless Adapter [Realtek RTL8188CUS]
Bus 001 Device 005 ID 1a40:0101 Terminus Technology Inc. 4-Port HUB
Bus 001 Device 006 ID 0a52:2198 Broadcom Corp
Bus 001 Device 007 ID 046d:c534 Logitech Inc

lsmod:
module list (I skipped the filesize; if that is needed too I will go add that)
cfg80211
snd_bcm 2835
snd_pcm
snd_seq
snd_seqdevice
snd_timer
snd
btusb
bluetooth
rfkill
8192cu
evdev
joydev
uio
uio_pdrv_genirq

cat /etc/network/interfaces
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

auto eth0
allow-hotplug-eth0
iface eth0 inet manual

auto wlan0
allow hotplug wlan0
#iface wlan0 inet manual
#wpa-conf /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

auto wlan1
allow hotplug wlan1
#iface wlan1 inet manual
#wpa-conf /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

source /boot/octopi-network.txt

The command sudo cat /etc/wpa-supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf fails to find the file.
I suspect a typo.
Running the command sudo cat /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf, however, returns:
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1

Does that help?

[MrEngman]

Here are the command outputs I said I would post: (I had to write these down and type them manually, since I can't do anything without the network)

Trying a different cable and power supply did not work. I will note older images still work fine, with the original power supply.
Note: I am using a custom image for 3D printer control. It behaves exactly the same way, network-wise, as the raspbian image.
WPA-supplicant posts a message on boot that it is ignoring wlan0 and wlan1. This may help you.

uname -a:
Linux octopi 3.18.11+ #781 PREEMPT Tue Apr 21 18:02:18 BST 2015 armv6l GNU/Linux

lsusb: (I also tried connecting to the network without the USB hub, Bluetooth, etc connected, but that didn't work either)
Bus 001 Device 002 ID 0424:9514 Standard Microsystems Corp
Bus 001 Device 001 ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003 ID 0424:ec00 Standard Microsystems Corp
Bus 001 Device 004 ID 7392:7811 Edimax Technology co., LTD EW-7811Un 802.11n Wireless Adapter [Realtek RTL8188CUS]
Bus 001 Device 005 ID 1a40:0101 Terminus Technology Inc. 4-Port HUB
Bus 001 Device 006 ID 0a52:2198 Broadcom Corp
Bus 001 Device 007 ID 046d:c534 Logitech Inc

lsmod:
module list (I skipped the filesize; if that is needed too I will go add that)
cfg80211
snd_bcm 2835
snd_pcm
snd_seq
snd_seqdevice
snd_timer
snd
btusb
bluetooth
rfkill
8192cu
evdev
joydev
uio
uio_pdrv_genirq

cat /etc/network/interfaces
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

auto eth0
allow-hotplug-eth0
iface eth0 inet manual

auto wlan0
allow hotplug wlan0
#iface wlan0 inet manual
#wpa-conf /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

auto wlan1
allow hotplug wlan1
#iface wlan1 inet manual
#wpa-conf /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

source /boot/octopi-network.txt

The command sudo cat /etc/wpa-supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf fails to find the file.
I suspect a typo.
Running the command sudo cat /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf, however, returns:
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1

Does that help?

The wifi won't work because you appear to have edited the file /etc/network/interfaces and commented out a number of lines required to enable the wifi to work and added an additional line at the end. What is the additional line source /boot/octopi-network.txt and the contents of the file?

At the end of your post you also say using command sudo cat /etc/wpa-supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf fails to find the file but on the next line you say the same command returns the contents of the file. A typo?

If you uncomment the 4 lines in /etc/network/interfaces you have commented out and then edit file /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf and add the network {...} section like

Code: Select all

ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1

network={
	ssid="your-network-name"
	psk="your-network-password"
}

That may get it working. Also commenting out the additional line you added may help.


MrEngman

[callmesteve]

As far as I can tell, I have not edited the files. They must have been edited by the creator of the image. I will uncomment them now.
I will go install a vanilla raspbian image and see if they are commented out there too, as the issue still happens in the regular image. Odd.

The seemingly identical commands actually differ by an underscore in the first wpa_supplicant. It is not a typo.

[MrEngman]

As far as I can tell, I have not edited the files. They must have been edited by the creator of the image. I will uncomment them now.
I will go install a vanilla raspbian image and see if they are commented out there too, as the issue still happens in the regular image. Odd.

The seemingly identical commands actually differ by an underscore in the first wpa_supplicant. It is not a typo.

Sorry, obviously the wpa_supplicant issue was my typo, only just noticed the hyphen instead of underscore after reading the posts again.

I had a look around to find out about the "source /boot/octopi-network.txt" in the /etc/network/interfaces file. Looks like the interfaces file is really messed up with the edits. It might work if the "source /boot/octopi-network.txt" is placed immediately after the wlan0 section but I would just use the original /etc/network/interfaces file as it appears in the raspbian image and add the network section to wpa_supplicant.conf. The lines commented out are not commented out in the basic raspbian image which I am using. I have tried the basic raspbian image with a number of different wifi adapters without problems.

The only thing I had to do was set up the /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf file as I showed in my previous post adding the network={..} section with network name and password.


MrEngman

[callmesteve]

Yeah, I just found that out too.

I edited the file to remove the comments. How odd that it had them, but it works now.

It seems that no lines needed to be added to the wpa_supplicant file, as that part is added automatically once you connect to a network with the desktop panel icon (or perhaps wpa_gui?).

I know for a fact that I was using a regular raspbian image before I switched to octopi for 3d printing purposes, and the network didn't work on that, either. The problem I was having was the exact same one. However, I downloaded the raspbian image again today and it connected to the network first try. Very odd! I had been trying for a few weeks to get it to connect to the Wi-Fi, on a brand-new image with no changes made, and it acted this way, but now it works once I ask about it. Sometimes it seems that is all I need to do!

Perhaps it was some kind of weird bug to do with accidentally unplugging the Pi before I configured raspi-config on first boot?
That was the only thing I can think of that might have caused this. That would be some pretty precise SD card corruption, though.

[MrEngman]

Yeah, I just found that out too.

I edited the file to remove the comments. How odd that it had them, but it works now.

It seems that no lines needed to be added to the wpa_supplicant file, as that part is added automatically once you connect to a network with the desktop panel icon (or perhaps wpa_gui?).

I know for a fact that I was using a regular raspbian image before I switched to octopi for 3d printing purposes, and the network didn't work on that, either. The problem I was having was the exact same one. However, I downloaded the raspbian image again today and it connected to the network first try. Very odd! I had been trying for a few weeks to get it to connect to the Wi-Fi, on a brand-new image with no changes made, and it acted this way, but now it works once I ask about it. Sometimes it seems that is all I need to do!

Perhaps it was some kind of weird bug to do with accidentally unplugging the Pi before I configured raspi-config on first boot?
That was the only thing I can think of that might have caused this. That would be some pretty precise SD card corruption, though.

Good to hear your wifi is now working. Yes, it can behave very strangely at times and the new set up doesn't seem to help. For instance why does it have both auto and allow-hotplug for the wlan set up. That shouldn't be necessary. I've had the odd occasion when the wifi refused to work and then all of a sudden it starts working. That's linux I guess.


MrEngman

[callmesteve]

Yeah. It is intermittent. Usually Linux isn't that persnickety, but these things do happen. I can somehow find all the weird stuff that might happen with a computer. It can work fine one day, then windows go transparent or it will not read SD cards (only SD cards!) or I can find the one SD card a single-board computer won't boot from.

Since it seems to be behaving, I will go back to attempting to 3D print something.

Thanks for all your help!

[InsideJob]

This is almost certainly a firmware update problem. Had the same problem with EVERY WiFi dongle I tried until I started over with a clean image. There's nothing wrong with your EDIMAX EW-7811UN or its driver. That's what I use too.

Quite frankly, the new networking stuff stinks though, I'm going back to the 2-17 Raspbian image anyways.

[callmesteve]

I did hear that if you type wpa_gui in terminal, it loads the old-style WiFi login screen. It seems to work.

[DougieLawson]

Quite frankly, the new networking stuff stinks though, I'm going back to the 2-17 Raspbian image anyways.

If you get rid of raspberrypi-net-mods then networking on a current Raspbian goes back to working the way it used to.

Those changes to the networking stuff are so very broken, if you're a GUI user it does work, but they forgot all of the headless and command line users when they updated that stuff. It's been purged since about four hours after it first arrived on my system.

The dhcp client I'm using is dhcpcd (not dhcpcd5).