How to get wireless

[nyxm]

I have done some research on the subject and am using a powered 7-port USB hub for my mouse, keyboard, external hard drive, and my wifi adapter. Everything works, except the wifi adapter. I do not know if this is a driver issue, but I need it to work in order to set up Raspmbc. An ethernet connection is not seeming to work either (in booting, system seems to run an infinite loop in which it continues to wait for a network connection, but I can get a link up/down message by plugging and unplugging the ethernet cable). I have an old Belkin 802.11g - 54 Mbps USB dongle that I am trying to use. For item specifics, the information can be found at http://wikidevi.com/wiki/Belkin_F5D7050_v4. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[DBryant]

What are the contents of your /etc/network/interfaces?

Either post them here, or search the forums where you will find examples of working content.

I'd get the wired side working first, which should just plain work. And then do the Wifi stuff.

[malakai]

Are you setting up Raspbmc for the first time? if so you can't do that via wireless as far as I remember it doesn't have connection info for your wireless security in the install setup. I could be wrong but I would defiantly get wired working first. Typically any time someone posted wired connection issues it turned out to be a bad cable in someway, swap it out and should be go to go. The other issues were the network was set to static ip only which could explain why link but no traffic.

[nyxm]

I couldn't find the contents for my /etc/network/interfaces, but I found the following in my settings.xml file:

Code: Select all

<settings>
  <setting id="nm.mode" value="1" />
  <setting id="nm.dhcp" value="true" />
  <setting id="nm.address" value="192.168.1.101" />
  <setting id="nm.netmask" value="255.255.255.0" />
  <setting id="nm.dns" value="192.168.1.1" />
  <setting id="nm.gateway" value="192.168.1.1" />
  <setting id="nm.force_update" value="false" />
  <setting id="nm.uid.enable" value="true" />
  <setting id="nm.search" value="local" />
  <setting id="nm.wifi.dhcp" value="true" />
  <setting id="nm.wifi.address" value="192.168.1.101" />
  <setting id="nm.wifi.netmask" value="255.255.255.0" />
  <setting id="nm.wifi.dns" value="192.168.1.1" />
  <setting id="nm.wifi.gateway" value="192.168.1.1" />
  <setting id="nm.wifi.ssid" value="* *** ********" /> /*I changed this myself to keep from having any
                                                                                        potential problems*/
  <setting id="nm.wifi.security" value="4" />
  <setting id="nm.wifi.key" value="**********" />      /*I also changed this */
  <setting id="nm.wifi.adhoc" value="false" />
  <setting id="nm.wifi.5GOnly" value="false" />
  <setting id="nm.wifi.search" value="local" />
</settings>

In reply to malakai who said

Are you setting up Raspbmc for the first time? if so you can't do that via wireless as far as I remember it doesn't have connection info for your wireless security in the install setup.

When I prepared the SD card, I used the python script found on the Raspbmc website which allowed me to enter information for a wireless network. Is there something that I have to change in a config file or something like that to allow it to work?

[DBryant]

It should not be necessary to edit the XML directly.

I see the comments you've added to the file, these are for our benefit aren't they? These comments should not exist in the live file, comments are de-limited by <!-- --> in XML. Not that I'm advocating any extra manipulation of this file, it should not be required. Please verify that this is the case and if so re-run the install process and leave the file alone, the wired connection should work with the miniumum of fuss.

The adapter you have is mentioned in the forums, http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewt ... =27&t=9024, but I've not delved deeply enough to to any resolution.

[nyxm]

I'm used to C++, so that's why I added the comments the way I did. Also, I copied and pasted the contents, then changed them just so that my SSID and password wouldn't be floating around in cyber space.

[DBryant]

So you definitely are not trying to use a manually edited file on your system?

I've just installed the system to an old microSD card without issue. When I last did this, a month or so ago, there was an issue with the python installer and so I retrieved a bleeding edge version from their blog. Happily this does seem to be a permanent fix now. I assume your downloads are current?

I deliberately left the wired connection off and the installer failed to connect to my wireless, despite setting this up in the python installer. It cycled around and eventually reported the failure, at which point I wired it up and re-started. As expected, still reports a wireless problem, but identifies the hard-wire and proceeds with downloading the installation.

Does your installation identify the wireless adapter at all? In my case it tells me exactly what it is but fails to connect.

Can your remove the USB wireless and try the install? At least you can then be sure that there is no impact by its presence.

Are you 100% sure the cable is ok?

My install has just completed. Looking at the config. it does have my SSID in place, obviously I can't verify the passphrase by sight. However ssh-ed in and ifconfig shows both interfaces up with assigned IP addresses, in the correct range too! Disconnect the wire and ssh in without problem, so the passphrase is ok too!

So to summarise:

• Get the very latest python installed from their web-site
• You may decide to add your wireless credentials at this point
• But don't connect the USB adapter
• Use a guaranteed functional cable
• Install system
• Sort out wifi once up and running

Sorry no great in sight.

[nyxm]

Half my problem is now fixed. I have Raspbmc up and running by installing the full image to SD (so that network connection is not needed). I am assuming that my Ethernet cable is good since I used the one that goes from my modem to my router (unplugged from router and plugged into the rpi) but since I now have a working install, i would like to focus on getting my wifi working. I have found a Linux driver for the Belkin USB wifi, but have no idea how to install in Raspbmc (I'm a Kubuntu man). Not even sure yet about how to get into a terminal. If all else fails, can anyone recommend a cheap USB wifi adapter that is so-called "plug-n-play"?

[pluggy]

The RTL8188CUS in one of its many forms (Edimax EW-7811UN for one) is generally regarded as a solid choice on Raspdian Wheezy, wouldn't know about Raspbmc.

[DBryant]

I've used these http://thepihut.com/collections/network ... spberry-pi with both rapsbmc and wheezy without any problem apart from the use of a powered hub, contrary to their sales pitch.

The system identifies it as

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Bus 001 Device 008: ID 0bda:8176 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8188CUS 802.11n WLAN Adapter

Sure this can be sourced elsewhere according to your local needs.

[pluggy]

Same thing cheaper (same chipset anyhow) : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Comfast-Mini- ... 19d8faa718

The Edimax EW-7811UN is a slightly more expensive option that is widely available (You get a nice box with it, the above comes in a small plastic bag inside a small envelope). I use them plugged straight into the Pi, but they appear to have stability issues if you use them on a Model A.

[squakie]

I also have run into this trying to initially set up Raspbmc via the python "script", and have the same problems. A little background may be needed before proceeding: I needed to use the option to configure some options via the "script" before I could put the card in my Pi and try to boot. Why? First off, I need the installation to follow the usb install -> booting from the SD card but everything else on a USB flash stick. This is one of the options that comes up in the "script". I also don't have access to a wired connection (no screen where the router is), so I have to set up my wireless. In my case, by examining the settings.xml file, it is obvious that there is a set of defaults being defined that do not fit my wireless network - things like my addresses are in the 10.0.0.x range, not the 192. range. Also, I have Comcast, and they have their access point (router/phone/internet all in one) using DNS Proxy - and I can't change that. In my other Linux installations I cannot specify things in an interfaces file, since it requires a DNS address and anything defined there, even the default ones given back by Comcast DO NOT WORK. So, what I need is a true DHCP connection, my wireless network SSID, and the network passphrase (WPA2). I've tried editing the XML to remove the entries I can't have for a true DHCP connection, keeping only the DHCP=true, the SSID, the passphrase, as well as the adhoc = no. Still doesn't work. It does recognize my adapter.

Here is what I think is happening:

The installation process uses this XML file to try to build either a real or at least pseudo-interfaces file in memory so it can try to connect. This WILL NOT WORK for me - and probably not for others with the same Comcast access point.

What I suspect I'll need to do:

Do a "normal" install straight to the SDHC card. Then do the same things as mentioned for Raspian Wheezy to place everything but boot files on a USB flash stick and change cmdline.txt to point root= to it. But, if I understand things correctly, I don't get things like network manager in Raspbmc. So I'm wondering how the heck I'll ever get my wireless to connect. I need it to just ask for the SSID, then the passphrase and connect - like linux network manager does.

I can do this with Raspian Wheezy, but the versions of XBMC I have found to install in Wheezy are very sub-standard compared to what ever image is used in Raspbmc and in OpenELEC.

I suspect the O.P. and myself are not the only ones who have run into this, and I doubt I'm the only one who cannot use a wired connection to the router for setup - it needs to be wireless.

Not knowing much about Raspbmc, I'm also a little frustrated as there are no clear instructions on doing this without a wired connection. The Python "script" should not even ask about wireless if it can't do the install with it.