Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 08:29:26 +0000 From: "Paul B. Mahol" <onemda@gmail.com> To: Robert Hall <rjhjr0@gmail.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Wireless NICs on 7.2 Message-ID: <3a142e750907030129t214e9ee8ub74143efbf555818@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <3d5d3ca90907022327m1858369fp117d1daf3436c876@mail.gmail.com> References: <3d5d3ca90907011048t1a096865iceaa3b82c1af82f4@mail.gmail.com> <3a142e750907011055r3750fd54rb66612a4b110e090@mail.gmail.com> <3d5d3ca90907011120h35b5e665gee30466ce72097e7@mail.gmail.com> <3a142e750907011526ka68c664s3606fdc9b4ad2889@mail.gmail.com> <3d5d3ca90907011845g26124a59y9643ef4623610f6@mail.gmail.com> <3a142e750907020304tcb3296fy574dfc4b0fd7d875@mail.gmail.com> <3d5d3ca90907021152t65160614ne9d3c6b4ce81f671@mail.gmail.com> <3a142e750907021314j7dc4dcedv88d8ea83ffd94d5c@mail.gmail.com> <3d5d3ca90907022327m1858369fp117d1daf3436c876@mail.gmail.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On 7/3/09, Robert Hall <rjhjr0@gmail.com> wrote: > On Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 4:14 PM, Paul B. Mahol<onemda@gmail.com> wrote: >>> $ ifconfig ral0 list scan >>> SSID BSSID CHAN RATE S:N INT CAPS >>> livingroom 00:13:10:b9:e7:d6 6 54M -93:-95 100 E >> >> 93 is too low. > > Paul, I really appreciate your help. I'm obviously not an expert on > either wireless networks or radio communication in general. But I > doubt the accuracy of the scan. First of all, there's an XP box less > than a foot away getting a "very good" signal (according to both the > MS and the Belkin utilities), and successfully communicating with the > wireless network. When I move the FBSD box and put the XP box in it's > place, the XP box continues to report a good signal and continues to > communicate with the network. While the XP box is reporting > variations in rate and signal, the FBSD box reports no change. > Secondly, when I run "ifconfig ral0 up scan", the scan hangs. It never > completes or reports results. According to the man page, it's supposed > to complete the scan, report the results, and exit. I have to Ctrl-C > and run "ifconfig ral0 list scan" to get the results. So I know that > at least part of the scan function doesn't work and I know that it's > not detecting changes in rate and signal that are being reported by > the XP box. That have sense only if station is associated. Reported driver signal is to low to be usefull. > 1) The XP box works fine with the Linksys NIC in it. > 2) Both the XP and FBSD boxes are Dell Optiplex GX270, so they have > identical hardware aside from the wireless NICs. > 3) The md5 checksum for the install CD is correct, so I should have a > good installation of 7.2 > 4) I seem to be getting a good signal, good enough to communicate with > the network. > 5) Both the Belkin and the Linksys work fine in the XP box. > 6) The FBSD box always reports the same data, regardless of changes in > conditions. > 7) If I move the boxes and test them in the same physical location, > oriented in the same direction, the XP box works and the FBSD box > doesn't. > > So my guess is that output from a scan is the result of a problem in > the driver, and not the result of actual conditions. If I thought I > could solve this with a high gain antenna, I'd buy one in a second. > But at the moment I have pretty good reason to believe that the > problem isn't signal strength. I'd still like to compile a working > ndis driver for either the Belkin F5D7000 v.7032 or the Linksys WMP54G > v.4.1, if that is possible, or get the ral driver to work with the > Linksys. I'd be willing to move from 7.2 to 6.4 if anyone has had > success with that. I'm aware of similar problems with rum(4) driver - signal is too low comparing to linux rt73 and ndisulator. I don't have ral(4) card so I can not comment on that. Alternative approach would be to explore AP settings. -- Paul
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?3a142e750907030129t214e9ee8ub74143efbf555818>