wi-fi/puppy

[wombil]

Hey Guys,
I have an ASUS VX7 laptop running windows7 64 bit.
and have downloaded puppy 5.2.8,
Puppy loads ok and is fully functional but I cannot connect to the wi-fi modem.Have tried all the included wizards and frisbee network installer with no result.
When I use the ubuntu 11.04 disk live there is no problem accessing the internet.
I have thought about trying an earlier puppy but haven't done so yet.
Any ideas on this one?Why is one system easy and the other impossible?
Thanks.

[Sylvander]

1. Is the firewall on/running?
Not sure why, but...
I think the user is not allowed to connect until it is running.

2. If I hover my cursor over the Frisbee icon down at bottom right...
A popup displays "Firewall ON".

3. If the firewall isn't on...
To set it running, you can either:
(a) Right-click the Frisbee icon, and then click either...
"Firewall Wizard"...[and when it appears choose the default installation method, and hit <Enter>]...
OR...
(b) If it's already running, but switched off...
Right-click the Frisbee icon and click "Firewall ON/OFF/Remove"
OR...
(c) The alternative/original way to run the Firewall Wizard is to go to:
"Menu->Setup->Linux-Firewall Wizard".

4. Do you know there are 64-bit Puppies available?
PuppyLinux : Puppy64bit (http://puppylinux.org/wikka/Puppy64bit)
Don't know what Fatdog is like, but the 32-bit Lighthouse was nice when I tried it.

[wombil]

Thanks mate,
might be a while before I get back to this.Just wondered why it's so easy with ubuntu but not the latest puppy?

[Sylvander]

1. Beats me, 'cause I've always found it to be easy-peasy with every Puppy I've ever used on every set of hardware I've ever worked on.

e.g.
(a) My present desktop. [Wired to router]
(b) My previous desktop. [Wired to broadband modem]
(c) My son's desktop. [Wired to broadband modem]
(d) His previous laptop [Both wired and wireless to my router]

2. It's possibly down to user inexperience.
Puppy in general does explain rather well exactly what is going on, and your possible choices, and suggests the best or most likely suitable choice.
i.e. It's more explicit than Windows [for example] about what is happening, and is less cryptic when it gives error reports or warnings.

[Paul Komski]

On modern distros Ubuntu and Knoppix both tend to have the relevant WiFi drivers and if so all you need do is to log on to an available network, when prompted that one is available.

In my own experience with Puppy, WiFi connections still have to be configured and this may well mean supplying the Windows drivers and installing them using ndiswrapper. I have never known the Puppy Firewall interfere.

This work through (http://www.wikihow.com/Set-up-a-Wireless-Network-in-Puppy-Linux) might not be exactly the same for your distro but the principles are the same.

If by WiFi Modem you mean a USB dongle then the principle is the same as setting up a dial-up connection. The dial code is usually a short run of four or five numbers perhaps preceded by a hash. The only way I have been able to determine the dial up number is from a dial up connectoid using the same hardware on a windows box.

[wombil]

Paul,I have been using the same procedure (and 0thers),as in the wiki with no result.
I think the problem is with the encryption and it can't handle WPA PSK.?

[Paul Komski]

I think the problem is with the encryption and it can't handle WPA PSK.?If that is the root of the problem then simply try temporarily turning off encryption in the router.

[Sylvander]

1. wireless / wifi cards confirmed to work in puppy (http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=47367)
I don't see your laptop listed there, but that doesn't mean it isn't supported.

2. Here's the present last post of Sat 15th Oct 2011 (http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=573447#573447)
If your still having trouble, you might post on the end to get the Puppy experts on the job.

3. I've used 2 encryption methods with my own router [can't remember their designations: previous one was sophisticated, present is simple], and all Puppies have had no problems.

4. Wifi in Puppy. How does it work, what do I need to know? (http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Wifi/drivers-for-Puppy-2.12-to-2.14/1-wifi-README.txt)

[Paul Komski]

I can confirm that WPA-PSK works fine with 528

If the WLAN connection button allows you to see the correct SSID and you then select the correct type of encryption and enter the correct passphrase you should be good to go.

If the SSID is not seen then I would try the Windows button in the connection wizard and use ndiswrapper to wrap up the appropriate 32 bit Windows drivers for your wifi network card and which you should have ready on hand, say on a USB drive.

Any single model of a laptop may have had installed a number of different network cards. This has been problematic at times, especially with Dell laptops, when trying to source the drivers for the card in question. You should be able to dig out the actual card that has been installed from the Device Manager in Windows or from something like Belarc PC Audit.