# problems with wireless card (intel 3945) (solved)

## zano

hello everybody,

I installed gentoo on my brand new Dell Latitude D820 (wireless card based on Intel's 3945 chip) but I haven't been able to have a wireless connection working yet.

Even after installing everything as described on the ipw3945 project web page I've got 2 main  problems 

1) the system freezes as I turn the wireless card on (even with ipw3945 module loaded and daemon up and running)

2) no wireless device seems to be found by the system

any suggestion? 

thank you

zanoLast edited by zano on Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:49 am; edited 1 time in total

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## zano

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> 2) no wireless device seems to be found by the system
> 
> 

 

sorry, haven't been precise enough...

lspci sees the card, while iwconfig says that there's no wireless device...

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## dkostic

Can you post the lspci output for your wireless card?  And which daemon are you referring to (in your first post)?

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## zano

lspci output

```

...

0c:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection (rev 02)

```

I referred to the regulatory daemon ipw3945d

iwconfig gives

```

lo        no wireless extensions.

eth0      no wireless extensions.

```

dmesg gives

```

ieee80211_crypt: registered algorithm 'NULL'

ieee80211: 802.11 data/management/control stack, 1.1.14

ieee80211: Copyright (C) 2004-2005 Intel Corporation <jketreno@linux.intel.com>

ipw3945: no version for "ieee80211_wx_get_encodeext" found: kernel tainted.

ipw3945: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945 Network Connection driver for Linux, 1.0.5mpr

ipw3945: Copyright(c) 2003-2006 Intel Corporation

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:0c:00.0[A] -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17

PCI: Setting latency timer of device 0000:0c:00.0 to 64

ipw3945: Detected Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection

ipw3945: Radio Frequency Kill Switch is On:

Kill switch must be turned off for wireless networking to work.

```

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## dkostic

 *zano wrote:*   

> 
> 
> dmesg gives
> 
> ```
> ...

 

This looks like part of the problem.  Check this thread: https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=458297

and see if that helps.

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## zano

I've already had a look to the rfswitch project but apparently my laptop is not supported...and anyway my D820 have got a hardware switch...

another interesting thing is that when I switch the card on the LED starts flashing but the system freezes...

considering people have the very same laptop working with other distros (Ubuntu, Suse, Debian) I hope I will be able to find a solution...

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## zano

solved

I was accidentally working with the newest version of ieee80211 and ipw3945d...I changed to the mentioned versions and it works

thanks

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## iplayfast

I've got exactly the same problem. Could you tell me what versions you are using that work?

Thanks

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## bennedk

I am also interested...

I can fire up ipw3945d when the hardware lock is off, but then it don't gets detected by ifconfig/iwconfig.. but as soon as i switch the hardware lock to on, the whole system freezes...

Please help  :Sad: 

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## Master Shake

I'm experiencing the same problem, I downgraded to the non-~x86 versions to see if they work, but they don't.  I saw that the person above was using ieee80211 version 1.14 but that is hardmasked due to an API breakage...  I'll try it and see what happens.

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## Master Shake

Alright I've fixed my problem.

STEP ONE:

Add the following to /etc/portage/package.keywords:

```
net-wireless/ipw3945 ~x86

net-wireless/ipw3945d ~x86

net-wireless/ieee80211 ~x86
```

STEP TWO:

Because net-wireless/ieee80211 is also hardmasked past 1.1.13-r1 (We need 1.1.14) add this to /etc/portage/package.unmask:

```
=net-wireless/ieee80211-1.1.14
```

STEP THREE:

Run this following command to take out 80211 support from the kernel (required for ieee80211):

```
/bin/sh /usr/portage/net-wireless/ieee80211/files/remove-old /usr/src/linux
```

STEP FOUR:

```
emerge --sync

emerge -uD world
```

Now this should work, I rebooted and had the init script set everything up and it did quite well at doing so.  Hope this helps everyone.

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## bennedk

Okai.. So I did a full reinstall, and then followed your mini-how-to, but I might be missing something...

I don't got the ipw3945d, but is that because I need to emerge it before, i do the world update?

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## iplayfast

 *Master Shake wrote:*   

> Alright I've fixed my problem.
> 
> 

 

I got mine working on the weekend as well. However I'm using ieee80211 1.1.13-r1 and it seems to be working just fine.

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## bennedk

Now it almost works here..

Just got one problem - I can't really connect to anything.

iwconfig eth1 essid myAp

iwconfig eth1 channel 11

Now iwconfig shows that the mac of the access point and frequency, but it is still marked with "unassociated"...

After a few seconds it changes status to "radio off"...

/sys/bus/pci/driver/ipw3945/xxxxxxxxxxx/rf_kill shows a "1" meant "software kill active"... The hardware lock to hardware kill inactive..

why?

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## bennedk

I tried playing around, and noticed that when I have used the network interface once, it goes down with radio off...

I loaded the ipw3945 and fired up ipw3945d with success..

I did a coulpe of iwconifg and set the essid and a couple of other settings... still no radio off.

I tried iwlist to scan for networks, and it showed networks in the range, but after that the interface says "radio off" when doing iwconfig..

After a short while it says "no wireless extensions" when i do iwconfig... argh!

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## iplayfast

Try the following as root. (assuming your wireless is on eth2)

/etc/init.d/net.eth2 stop

if you have a wireless switch turn it on if it isn't on. (on mine it's function-F2)

wait 5 seconds

/etc/init.d/net.eth2 start

There is probably a better way but it got me going.

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## bennedk

I haven't tried it yet (I will go home an try it in half an hour), but I think I can predict the results...

I tried killing ipw3945d with ipw3945d --kill and restarting it - then it's the same all over.. interface shows off, goes "radio off" after a minute, and then after a moment iwconfig says that the interface (eth1) has no wireless extensions at all...

Maybe I have to try another version of ipw3945d?

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## bennedk

I only have a hardware-switch, which is always set to "on", no software-switch..

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## Master Shake

This would be where you email intel and ask them for a solution.

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## bennedk

I guss it might me the solution... As before said, everything works great with Ubuntu LiveCD, without any problem, so before I email Intel, I will try using the same versions as Ubuntu, and maybe looking if any special modules (that uses the ipw3945) is loaded...

Thanks for the help anyway  :Smile: 

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## bennedk

Just tried out Windows on the box too.. Same problem - I think it's a hardware issue.

The problem has been addressed to the manufactor.

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