No Wireless Networks Detected

[hobblyhoy]

Hello!
I own a Acer Aspire One ZG5 and booting from a thumb drive.
Im currently having an issue just detecting my (or any other) wireless network. I base this off the Wicd Manager reporting "No wireless networks found.". Im not sure if it is relevant but the internet works fine with a wired connection.

Ive only ever used linux a handful of times so Im really quite lost as to where the problem lies. I'm think I have the correct driver installed as I remember reading somewhere while searching for a solution that the madwifi drivers in BT4 cover my specific laptop. I dont know where to go from here, any help is appreciated.

I've noticed a couple things are commonly asked for on this forum so I'll post them now.

ifconfig wlan0

Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:22:68:c0:ed:36
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)  TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

lspci

02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller (rev 02)
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR5001 Wireless Network Adapter (rev 01)

Thank you for your help!

[tr4cke3]

I am having the same problem...

[VulcanX]

I would try the following
in konsole
~ /etc/init.d/wicd start
Then go to Internet>Wicd network manager

Otherwise try ~ ifup wlan0

Hope this helps you

[voidnecron]

Read http://www.backtrack-linux.org/forum...backtrack.html
Not just the first page.
*cough* supersecret tip of the day, see post #52, it was quite usefull for me *cough*

[hobblyhoy]

^Unfortunately post #52 did not help my situation.

Although I do have some strange activity to report. While starting / stopping network for the third or fourth time and repeating many similar actions I had tried in the past as well as repeatedly hitting the Refresh button inside Wicd.. my network connections actually popped up!

However while it was up I was getting all sorts of strange behavior.

• My neighbors unprotected wireless network next door (which I can connect to fine with any other computer) was reporting that the connection required a security password.
• I was never able to connect to my own wireless network, even with the valid PSK entered
• On occasion when I would attempt to connect to a network the status bar along the bottom would report that it was trying to connect to an entirely different network. Very bizarre.

However I do know that all the hardware is in working order because I was eventually able to connect to my neighbors network and surfed the web without issue.

However with all that being said now that I have restarted Im back to my original problem or attempting to find a single wireless network.

Im almost certain the problem lies within Wicd. Its simply not getting along with my hardware. Any ideas?

[mohanbharath]

I had this problem, too. The problem is that you need to start the wicd network manager separately. Here's how you do it, from the top.

1. Open a Konsole.
2. To start networking, type:

/etc/init.d/networking start

3. Then, type:

/etc/init.d/wicd start

4. After that, go to the K menu, highlight Internet, and select Wicd manager. You should see your network.
5. (Only do this step if your network has a password. Any self respecting pen-tester's network should have a password, though...) Before hitting connect, you'll see a small triangle next to the name. Go ahead and click that for the settings. Go to the advanced settings, select your interface (wlan0), and select "enable encryption." Type in your password and hit OK.
6. Hit connect, and you should be able to freely browse the Internet.

Hope this helps! Let me know if there are any problems. Also, if you've installed Linux to your HD, then there's a command to automate the /etc/init.d/networking start command. Unfortunately, I only use Live CD, so this doesn't help me much. But, here it is anyway:

update-rc.d networking defaults

This worked when I was running it on VirtualBox.

[hobblyhoy]

^When I first got BT4 I was using this method to start Wicd. I attempted this twice and it unsurprisingly didn't work.

Can anyone recommend me a new wireless manager? Or perhaps a way to scan for networks from the command line w/out the use of Wicd.

[aerokid240]

Please note that you do not need to run

/etc/init.d/networking start

then run

/etc/init.d/wicd start

. You can achieve the same goal just by omitting

/etc/init.d/networking start

then following the rest of your instructions. Issuing the wicd start command is enough to initialize the WICD Network Manager and the wireless card for establishing wireless connections.

[gunrunr]

if you wan to scan for connections from the command line type

iwlist interface scan

as far as actually connecting just use this link
Wirelessdefence.org
you do not need to do any of this however, if you are connecting to your own network you already have the essid and the bssid to connect to why would you have to list it?

[paratox]

For the future people that have this problem:

Make sure you've done everything else that was said on this thread, such as starting your network, absolutely no sense in repeating it.

After you have fired up your network and are still getting the "No Wireless Networks Detected" message in Wicd, attempt the following:

If Wicd Network Manager is not already up ->

Click the "K Menu" icon in the bottom left corner. (maximum noob-proof)

internet -> Wicd Internet Manager

Preferences -> General Settings (this will be a tab and it should already be selected upon opening)

Make sure the "Wireless Interface" textbox is not empty; if not, make sure the interface name is correct.

If it's empty, try typing in "wlan0", then click Ok. Preferences dialog box quits and you're back at Wicd Network Manager main dialog, then click the "Refresh" button.

You should get the networks now.

We love the kernel so much that we often forget to look into the easy stuff.

- ParaTox

p.s: just in case, If you're having Wired Network troubles in Wicd, the "Wired Interface" textbox, in the Wicd Preferences, should say "eth0".