Trouble with TP-Link/Atheros AR9170 wireless device

[GotMilk]

Hi everyone,

With the recent release of BackTrack 5 I decided to dive in and try my hand at pentesting again. I'm using a MacBook Pro, with BackTrack running in a Parallels virtual machine.

Since I can't use the built in wireless, I have a TP-Link TL-WN822N v1 USB adapter I'd like to use via USB sharing. However, I cannot get the device to work *at all*.

When I plug the device in, dmesg provides a fairly dismal response.

[  296.505611] usb 1-1: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 2
[  296.776048] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
[  296.780585] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
[  296.780588] cfg80211:     (start_freq - end_freq @ bandwidth), (max_antenna_gain, max_eirp)
[  296.780590] cfg80211:     (2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  296.780592] cfg80211:     (2457000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  296.780594] cfg80211:     (2474000 KHz - 2494000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  296.780596] cfg80211:     (5170000 KHz - 5250000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  296.780597] cfg80211:     (5735000 KHz - 5835000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  296.906536] usb 1-1: reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 2
[  297.139341] usbcore: registered new interface driver carl9170
[  297.142097] usb 1-1: driver   API: 1.9.0 2010-10-29 [1-1]
[  297.142100] usb 1-1: firmware API: 1.9.2 2010-12-25
[  297.519254] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2412 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519257] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519259] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2417 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519261] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519262] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2422 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519264] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519265] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2427 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519267] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519268] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2432 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519270] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519271] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2437 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519273] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519275] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2442 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519281] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519283] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2447 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519284] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519286] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2452 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519287] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519289] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2457 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519291] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519292] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2462 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519294] cfg80211: 2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519295] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2467 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519297] cfg80211: 2457000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519298] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2472 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519300] cfg80211: 2457000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.519301] cfg80211: Updating information on frequency 2484 MHz for a 20 MHz width channel with regulatory rule:
[  297.519303] cfg80211: 2474000 KHz - 2494000 KHz @  KHz), (300 mBi, 2000 mBm)
[  297.527214] ieee80211 phy0: Selected rate control algorithm 'minstrel_ht'
[  297.529128] Registered led device: carl9170-phy0::tx
[  297.529167] input: phy0 WPS Button as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb1/1-1/1-1:1.0/ieee80211/phy0/input5
[  297.529227] usb 1-1: Atheros AR9170 is registered as 'phy0'
[  298.855808] usb 1-1: received invalid command response:got 0, instead of 4
[  298.855813] carl9170 cmd:00000000: 1c 21 00 00 e0 cd 24 00 00 00 00 00 03 00 00 00  .!....$.........
[  298.855815] carl9170 cmd:00000010: e9 54 00 00 03 00 00 00 6b 4c 00 00 e8 03 00 00  .T......kL......
[  298.855817] carl9170 rsp:00000000: 00 01 01 00                                      ....
[  298.855820] usb 1-1: restart device (9)
[  298.855843] ieee80211 phy0: channel change: -1 -> 2412 failed (1849072).
[  299.093854] usb 1-1: received invalid command response:got 4, instead of 0
[  299.093859] carl9170 cmd:00000000: 08 01 00 00 04 40 1d 00 00 08 00 00              .....@......
[  299.093861] carl9170 rsp:00000000: 04 21 02 00 02 00 00 00                          .!......
[  300.089814] ieee80211 phy0: lost 12 command responses/traps! w:4 g:0
[  304.062868] ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready

The device will show up in airmon-ng for example however, but it is entirely unusable:

root@bt:~# airmon-ng


Interface	Chipset		Driver

wlan0		WPS Button
Atheros AR9170	carl9170 - [phy1]

root@bt:~# airmon-ng start wlan0


Found 2 processes that could cause trouble.
If airodump-ng, aireplay-ng or airtun-ng stops working after
a short period of time, you may want to kill (some of) them!

PID	Name
774	dhclient3
1644	dhclient3
Process with PID 1644 (dhclient3) is running on interface wlan0


Interface	Chipset		Driver

wlan0		WPS Button
Atheros AR9170	carl9170 - [phy1]SIOCSIFFLAGS: Connection timed out

				(monitor mode enabled on mon0)

root@bt:~#

The device does work, I have verified that - under Windows 7 in Parallels, the device operates as it should.

I've spent some time searching and all I have found was this thread, but it hasn't been of any help.

Anyone have any suggestions or is this a lost cause (for now)?

[m0j4h3d]

you are starting the monitor mode in wlan0 ,, you have to start it in "Atheros AR9170" and see what happens .. i meen in which interface the monitor mode will be enabled
btw i want to ask .. how did you reach this step .. just you plugged the usb and every thing works
cz i was using the same usb like you have ,, in bt4 r2 as well .. but now am facing problem .. that its not being recognized :S

[Dexter1991]

http://www.backtrack-linux.org/forum...ti-5650-a.html

[GotMilk]

you are starting the monitor mode in wlan0 ,, you have to start it in "Atheros AR9170" and see what happens .. i meen in which interface the monitor mode will be enabled
btw i want to ask .. how did you reach this step .. just you plugged the usb and every thing works
cz i was using the same usb like you have ,, in bt4 r2 as well .. but now am facing problem .. that its not being recognized :S

I don't follow - starting wlan0 with airmon-ng enables monitor mode.

I plugged in the device and nothing works - it gets recognized but it doesn't work at all, whether it's in monitor mode or not.

http://www.backtrack-linux.org/forum...ti-5650-a.html

I don't know why this link is here - my device is Atheros, not Ralink, so those instructions wouldn't apply.