Ubuntu 10.04 will not stay connected to wireless

Asked by anjnno

I installed Ubuntu 10.04 on my Dell Inspiron 9400 and now it connects to my wireless network on start up but looses the connection and will not reconnect without a reboot. I read a much earlier question and the support person requested the out information from lsusb; lspci; and lspcmcia. I have an internal wireless card and everything was working fine on ver 09.10. here is the information

anj@anj-laptop:~$ lsusb
Bus 005 Device 002: ID 046d:c50a Logitech, Inc. Cordless Mouse
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 003: ID 05d5:6782 Super Gate Technology Co., Ltd
Bus 004 Device 002: ID 058f:9254 Alcor Micro Corp. Hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 413c:a005 Dell Computer Corp. Internal 2.0 Hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
anj@anj-laptop:~$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS, 943/940GML and 945GT Express PCI Express Root Port (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 01)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family PCI Express Port 1 (rev 01)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family PCI Express Port 2 (rev 01)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family PCI Express Port 4 (rev 01)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation N10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 01)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 01)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 01)
00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 01)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 01)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev e1)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 01)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7 Family) SATA IDE Controller (rev 01)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation N10/ICH 7 Family SMBus Controller (rev 01)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Radeon Mobility X1400
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4401-B0 100Base-TX (rev 02)
03:01.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Ricoh Co Ltd R5C832 IEEE 1394 Controller
03:01.1 SD Host controller: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C822 SD/SDIO/MMC/MS/MSPro Host Adapter (rev 19)
03:01.2 System peripheral: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C843 MMC Host Controller (rev 0a)
03:01.3 System peripheral: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C592 Memory Stick Bus Host Adapter (rev 05)
03:01.4 System peripheral: Ricoh Co Ltd xD-Picture Card Controller (rev ff)
0c:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection (rev 02)
anj@anj-laptop:~$ lspcmcia
anj@anj-laptop:~$

Please help. BTW I am a total newbie and will need very explicit instructions.

Thanks in advance
Art

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Dawning (dawning) said :
#1

Well, I like to start figuring these sorts of things out by eliminating potential culprits. So I'd first like to ask if you've got other machines or devices on your wireless network? Did you previously use your Dell on this network? It sounds like you had this working just fine and this behavior started when you switched to 10.04, is that correct?

A VERY simple hack you can try is to disable/enable your wireless. To do this, right-click on the wireless icon by the date (upper right-hand corner) and select the option that lets you turn off your Wireless Networking. Wait a few seconds, then repeat to re-enable. Then, if you left-click that same icon, you should shortly there after see a list of in-range wireless networks (and yours should be one of them) - you can make sure it's connecting to the right one in there.

If your problem persists beyond this really basic stuff that's cool, but before we get in to some meat, please comment on those thoughts.

Thanks

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anjnno (anjnno) said :
#2

Yes, I was working perfectly before and the problem only started when I switched. I do have another laptop connected but have always had that also. The only change is the new installation. I have done all of the things disabling and re-enabling including with Fn F2 on and off. Didn't fix the problem. Haven't moved the device or anything.

Revision history for this message
Jeff (jeff-92677) said :
#3

I have EXACTLY the same issue. A Dell Precision notebook, removable hard disk allows me to run Windows and Ubuntu.

Windows works flawlessly, so did Ubuntu 9.

Ubuntu 10 must have changed drivers or someone modified a working driver rendering it unreliable.

My other wireless devices and computers work fine as well.

Using WPA Personal.

What we need is an old wireless driver, the one that was in Ubuntu 9, if that's possible.

It worked.

Jeff

Revision history for this message
Dawning (dawning) said :
#4

This could be a problem with the wireless driver you're both using. Jeff, are you also using a "Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection (rev 02)" or something close to it? We may need to write this up as a bug.

Revision history for this message
Jeff (jeff-92677) said :
#5

Dawning

I had to run Windows XP to get some of the information. a short answer to your quesiton is Yes.

Ubuntu Hardware Drivers says it's using Broadcom B43 Wireless Driver
Windows XP indicates a Dell Wireless 1370 WLAN Mini-PCI Card
but the driver is a Broadcom Driver ver 4.170.25.12 for Win XP
Dell says that the hardware is "Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless 3945ABG"

I'm answering this in XP, but will remove that drive and return to Ubuntu 10 (latest update only a few days old).

The Ubuntu 9 never had a Wireless Glitch. Nor does XP Pro.

Thanks for looking into this

Jeff

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Jeff (jeff-92677) said :
#6

Ooops, above is not an answer, it's a comment. This is my first time on this message system.

Jeff

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Dawning (dawning) said :
#7

Okay, thanks Jeff. The way you could get this information in Linux would be to open a terminal (Applications > Accessories) and run "lspci" or you could run "lshw".

I use the same driver on my machine and it was pretty wonky around Ubuntu 8.10/9.04 or so I seem to recall. However you two may be on a variant or something.

Can you please run lspci in Linux and paste the exact device string for your Broadcom Wireless nic?

Thanks

Revision history for this message
Jeff (jeff-92677) said :
#8

Dawning - here's the lspci results:

I think I'm seeing the problem most when using torrent to get free books (there are lots of them).
I start a download, and in a few minutes I'm asked for the WPA key, I enter it, and nothing happens of any value.
I think it crashes after maybe 5 minutes, but on Ubuntu 9.xx it never crashed, no glitches, worked perfectly.

Here's lspci output:

jeff@jeff-M70:~$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 915GM/PM/GMS/910GML Express Processor to DRAM Controller (rev 03)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 915GM/PM Express PCI Express Root Port (rev 03)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 03)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #1 (rev 03)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #2 (rev 03)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #3 (rev 03)
00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #4 (rev 03)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 03)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev d3)
00:1e.2 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801FBM (ICH6M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 03)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801FBM (ICH6M) SATA Controller (rev 03)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV41 [Quadro FX Go1400] (rev a2)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5751 Gigabit Ethernet PCI Express (rev 01)
03:01.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI6515 Cardbus Controller
03:01.5 Communication controller: Texas Instruments PCI6515 SmartCard Controller
03:03.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4318 [AirForce One 54g] 802.11g Wireless LAN Controller (rev 02)
jeff@jeff-M70:~$

The lshw produced a lot of data, but I think I have the part relevant to the WiFi

 *-network
       description: Wireless interface
       physical id: 2
       logical name: wlan0
       serial: 00:14:a5:08:72:1a
       capabilities: ethernet physical wireless
       configuration: broadcast=yes ip=172.16.43.100 multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bg

Is there some other part of the hardware that would help?

Revision history for this message
Miro Glavić (klek) said :
#9

Same issue here. At first I would get connection and then would loose it, but now there is no way of connecting to my wireless network. I keep getting this same message "Connection failed. Bad password." And it all started with 10.04 upgrade. Prior to that everything was ok and I've been using Ubuntu for some two years now. Right now I'm using cable (wired connection) and it works fine. Also, my XP side connects to the same network just fine.
I am using Toshiba Satellite A105 with Integrated Intel Pro/Wireless Network Connection 3945ABG (802.11abg).
I hope someone can figure this out and help us all resolve this issue.
Thanks a million.

Revision history for this message
anjnno (anjnno) said :
#10

Has anybody come up with anything? This is killing me. It is not when I am using torrent or anything just regular surfing and it drops out and can't reconnect without a reboot.

Thanks
Art

Revision history for this message
Jeff (jeff-92677) said :
#11

This behavior sounds like some buffer is getting overrun and overwriting some required code, or some indexed array is referenced out of bounds.

I'll try using an external WiFi client and hook to it using the RJ45 wire connection. This will keep the usage to WiFi for the data, but change the use of the internal WiFi card to the internal Wired Network Adapter.

Jeff

Revision history for this message
Jeff (jeff-92677) said :
#12

I hooked up an Airlink-101 AR430W in CLIENT mode to my Dell Laptop and am linked to my WiFi with a crossover RJ45 cable hooking to one of the LAN ports (not the WAN port).

The AR430W can also be upgraded to DD-WRT giving you some nice features once they figure out the WiFi driver isssue in ubuntu, freeing up the AR430W for other use.

I unchecked the "enable wireless" (right clicking the network icon upper right) so am on wired only.

Am now downloading at full speed, and typing this report, and looking at the AR430W at Ebay for about $25 and looking at Amazon.

Revision history for this message
anjnno (anjnno) said :
#13

??????? :-( All greek to me. Am I waiting for an answer from Ubuntu support?

Revision history for this message
JeffM (una-carta) said :
#14

My Dell mini 9 connects but if its restarted it wont connect - unless I reboot the Linksys router ?
Tried many things unpluging the router works but what a pain.
any ideas?

Revision history for this message
Zied Hamdi (zhamdi) said :
#15

Same issue for me, seams it falls a while after I wake up the computer from the saving screen...

Best Regards,
Zied Hamdi
http://nextstreet.eu

Revision history for this message
anjnno (anjnno) said :
#16

Has this problem been solved? I have read the entire thread and if this has been solved I don't know what to do. I have removed Ubuntu 10.04 and reinstalled 09.10 and it is working. I would really like to upgrade to the new version but don't know if I will be able to stay connected or not. I am not a techy! Can I get a simple answer?

Revision history for this message
Miro Glavić (klek) said :
#17

Guys,
the only solution that worked for me was to reinstall 10.04. And now everything works fine.
You will not get a simple answer from tech support, anjnno, because they do not know the answer. And even if they did, they talk to you in a language only they understand, assuming you know what they talking about. The biggest problem with Ubuntu is that they still believe the system is used by computer literate people only.
Good luck with your problem.

Revision history for this message
Dawning (dawning) said :
#18

Miro Glavić: Well, if you're considering those such as me as "tech support", which is cool, you just may want to keep in mind that people like me are entirely volunteers. It's difficult, at least, for me, to give vastly better support as I don't have the same configuration to test things out on.. :\

"The biggest problem with Ubuntu is that they still believe the system is used by computer literate people only."

I sincerely hope that's true.. As a big part of the long-term goal of Ubuntu is to get it to a point where the masses can comfortably use it. Ubuntu's come a very long way in a fairly short time span. But it certainly has a way to go and perhaps a key area to work on is in fact cultural.

anjnno: "Has this problem been solved?" -- If it has been solved, then I'd expect that it's through regular package updates.. If you've tried running a fully updated 10.04 system and the issue remains, then I think we'll be way past overdue to write up a bug report on it... Since it works in 9.10, it sounds like a regression bug to me, which I think is generally kind of easy to fix, for those familiar with the particular software in play.

So, as it stands, can anyone who's had this problem, confirm whether or not the problem remains on 10.04 with a fully updated system?

Can you help with this problem?

Provide an answer of your own, or ask anjnno for more information if necessary.

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