# key_ESSID2="[2] aaaa-bbbb-cccc-dd

## Ryuzaki

I'm working with Wireless Tools, and I can't find the;  *Quote:*   

> key_ESSID2="[2] aaaa-bbbb-cccc-dd

 Where do I look, for the aaaa-bbbb-cccc-dd part? Here's the page I'm using: http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=4&chap=4

(Code Listing 3.2: sample iwconfig setup in /etc/conf.d/net)

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## n3r0

Hi Ryuzaki,

I'm assuming your trying to setup a wireless connection that is currently secured using WEP.

Instead of heading down the path of wireless tools i'd reccomend using wpa_supplicant.

Wpa_supplicant is definitely alot easier to use and also comes with a GUI that makes things a fair bit simpler.

Otherwise the aaaa-bbbb-cccc-dd part is the WEP key that would be specified in the access point.

You'd find it by logging in to your wireless modem/router/point and looking for a tab marked security or similar and it should be listed there.

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## Ryuzaki

Well the thing is I have done wpa_supplicant, but it hasn't been working for me. So I wanted to get Wireless Tools running to see if that would get something working.

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## n3r0

Were you using the gui to do the setup or were you manually editing the config files?

The gui should be fairly straight forward... select the interface and then scan for the nearby access points. It will then ask you for your passphrase and you should be right to then run dhcpcd to grab an ip or set up a static ip.

If you like you can post your /etc/conf.d/wpa_supplicant, /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf (remove any passphrase's obviously) and the output from iwconfig and I should be able to give you a hand in working out where it's going wrong.

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## Ryuzaki

I was manually editing the config files, like what the guide said to do. How would I get into a gui to get this working?

Uaa well one thing that may be a problem is that I don't have a  /etc/conf.d/wpa_supplicant.

But for /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf :

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> ctrl_interface =/car/run/wpa_supplicant
> 
> ctrl_interface_group=0
> ...

 

Oh and I should say that the part that says "very secret passphrase", it actually says that in the file.

The output from ifconfig:

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff   
> 
>           UP BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
> ...

 

And let me know if I added something in the ifconfig info that I souldn't really be putting in the web. lol I did remove two things just to make sure though.

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## n3r0

I suspected that may be the case; First off make sure that wpa_supplicant is built with the qt4 use flag as this will give you the gui.

The emerge should give you both /etc/{init.d,conf.d}/wpa_supplicant.

Here is my /etc/conf.d/wpa_supplicant

```
# conf.d file for wpa_supplicant

#

# Please check man 8 wpa_supplicant for more information about the options

# wpa_supplicant accepts.

#

wpa_supplicant_args="-Dwext -ira0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf"
```

What that last line says is to use the wext driver, on interface ra0, using config file located at /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf.

For yourself the line will look similar as I will get you to try the generic driver first and see if that works.

```
wpa_supplicant_args="-Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf"
```

As for your wpa_supplicant.conf, delete everything and just have the lines below:

```
ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant

ctrl_interface_group=wheel

update_config=1
```

Now to check that it works, open a console and type into it 

```
su

(enter root password)

wpa_suplicant -Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
```

If it all goes to plan you shouldn't see any errors. If you do have any problems at this step then just post the output here.

Assuming that it all works, you can now start the daemon using 

```
/etc/init.d/wpa_supplicant start
```

Now that Wpa_supplicant is configured it's time to connect to your network.

Simple way: type wpa_gui into a console and then use the gui to configure it.

Alternatively you can add your network directly to the /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

Do you know if you have any security configured on your wireless such as WEP or WPA or WPA2?

The good thing about the gui is that it will automatically determine what security is in use and just ask for your password.

Finally, assuming you run a dhcp server somewhere on the other side of the wireless just type 

```
dhcpcd wlan0
```

 and you should get an ip assigned, alternatively you can once again manually set the ip and such.

If it all works you can add wpa_supplicant to the default run by typing 

```
rc-update add wpa_supplicant default
```

 to auto start wpa_supplicant on startup and add wlan0 to your net script to select dhcpcd or your static route.

Have a crack at the above and just let me know where you get stuck.

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## Ryuzaki

Sorry that I haven't responded in a while.

I did emerge wpa_supplicant with the qt4 USE flag active, and I did add the wpa_supplicant file to both the init.d and the conf.d folders.

As a side not, I run an Atheros wireless card. so in Make Menuconfig, there are ATH drivers, so I'm wondering whether the -Dwext should be a -Dath instead.

when I ran  *Quote:*   

> wpa_supplicant_args="-Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf"

  I was presented with just a >. I'm assuming that I'm to run /etc/init.d/wpa_supplicant start and dhcpcd wlan0 in that, and outside of it I do rc-update add wpa_supplicant default. After doing that, I tried pinging anything and it was to no avail. What did I do wrong?

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