[SOLVED] AntiX 19 – Wifi card problem

[Member princeofsky]

Hello,

I recently installed AntiX 19.2 on my old Asus EeePC 1000HE and everything was working fine, except that I could not connect to wifi with a WPA2 Enterprise security.

As I am constantly working in universities, I tried several ways to connect to the eduroam network, to finally try a script which should have configured the connexion for me.

After a reboot, I must admit it didn’t work as expected. My wifi card has simply vanished and seems not to be recognised by the system anymore. I only have the ethernet connexion in Connman and inxi -N only show the ethernet card.

Is there any way to force the system to search for the wifi card? I tried to reinstall the atheros drivers but it didn’t seem to do the trick…

Any help would be appreciated 🙂

(sorry, I’m not sure if it’s a hardware or a software problem)

• This topic was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by princeofsky.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by princeofsky.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by princeofsky.

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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Are there any switches or visible indicators to let you know that the wifi interface is connected and electrically enabled?

A laptop I previously owned had a toggle switch for WiFi that I didn’t even know about until I accidentally turned it off.

Fortunately I had a way to get online to research the answer.

When things concern a hardware component I always attempt to ensure that the components are properly connected, turned on and enabled. If you have any ways to check, try to verify that all of these items are working properly.

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Brian Masinick

[Member Xecure]

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Post
inxi -Fxz
also post the contents of the file /etc/network/interfaces

Finally, open SpaceFM, navigate to /etc folder, find the file resolv.conf, right-click it, and select Properties > Info. A new window will open and inform you of many things. Please post what it says for “Link target”. It should say:
/run/connman/resolv.conf

Hopefully we can undo the script you used.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Xecure.

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Member Xecure]

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It seems the script creates a wpa_supplicant file in ~/.cat_installer/cat_installer.conf if Network Manager is not detected.
I have no experience with undoing wpa_supplicant configuration. If you can undo it and get the wifi chip to work again, then you could set eduroam connection for connman:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/ConnMan#Connecting_to_eduroam_(802.1X)

You say your wireless device is Atheros. You can check if the kernel spits some hardware error with
sudo dmesg | grep Ath
sudo dmesg | grep ath

if you get no information, maybe you are luckier with
lspci | grep "Net"
To see if your Network device is recognized at all.

If you know the name of the driver your device uses (mine for example is ath9k), you can see if it loaded at all:
lsmod | grep ath
If you cannot see it, try to force it to load (change the drivername for your correct driver name).
sudo modprobe ath9k

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Forum Admin rokytnji]

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In case the card burned or came disconnected. Usually I poke around in the bios to make sure some sort of wifi is seen.

Been awhile since I poked around a award bios though.

rfkill list

Won’t hurt to run in terminal either.
Might be a wifi usb in your future.

Edit: Disappearing hardware begs the question. Was a md5sum done before the install.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by rokytnji.

Sometimes I drive a crooked road to get my mind straight.
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How to Search for AntiX solutions to your problems

[Member princeofsky]

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$ inxi -Fxz
System:
Host: 1000he Kernel: 4.9.212-antix.1-486-smp i686 bits: 32 compiler: gcc
v: 8.3.0 Desktop: IceWM 1.6.6
Distro: antiX-19.2_386-full Hannie Schaft 27 March 2020
base: Debian GNU/Linux bullseye/sid
Machine:
Type: Laptop System: ASUSTeK product: 1000HE v: x.x serial: <filter>
Mobo: ASUSTeK model: 1000HE v: x.xx serial: <filter>
BIOS: American Megatrends v: 1104 date: 10/14/2009
Battery:
ID-1: BAT0 charge: 43.3 Wh condition: 43.3/62.6 Wh (69%)
model: ASUS 1000HE status: Full
CPU:
Topology: Single Core model: Intel Atom N280 bits: 32 type: MT
arch: Bonnell rev: 2 L2 cache: 512 KiB
flags: nx pae sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 bogomips: 6649
Speed: 1667 MHz min/max: 1000/1667 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1667 2: 1667
Graphics:
Device-1: Intel Mobile 945GSE Express Integrated Graphics vendor: ASUSTeK
driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: intel
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa resolution: 1024x600~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 945GME x86/MMX/SSE2 v: 1.4 Mesa 20.1.2
direct render: Yes
Audio:
Device-1: Intel NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio vendor: ASUSTeK
driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0
Sound Server: ALSA v: k4.9.212-antix.1-486-smp
Network:
Device-1: Qualcomm Atheros AR8121/AR8113/AR8114 Gigabit or Fast Ethernet
vendor: ASUSTeK driver: ATL1E v: N/A port: ec00 bus ID: 03:00.0
IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter>
Drives:
Local Storage: total: 111.79 GiB used: 13.15 GiB (11.8%)
ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: KingDian model: S280 120GB size: 111.79 GiB
Partition:
ID-1: / size: 107.53 GiB used: 13.15 GiB (12.2%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
ID-2: swap-1 size: 2.00 GiB used: 264 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda2
Sensors:
System Temperatures: cpu: 65.0 C mobo: N/A
Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Info:
Processes: 167 Uptime: 2h 37m Memory: 1.96 GiB used: 825.3 MiB (41.1%)
Init: SysVinit runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 Shell: bash v: 5.0.16
inxi: 3.0.36


In etc/network/interfaces :

#——————————————————————————
# /etc/network/interfaces
#
# interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8)
# Used by ceni but not by connman
#——————————————————————————

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

allow-hotplug eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp

iface default inet dhcp

iface wlan0 inet dhcp
dns-search 1.1.1.1

Target of resolv.conf is “/run/connman/resolv.conf”.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by princeofsky.

[Member princeofsky]

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Xecure wrote:

sudo dmesg | grep Ath
sudo dmesg | grep ath

if you get no information, maybe you are luckier with
lspci | grep “Net”
To see if your Network device is recognized at all.

If you know the name of the driver your device uses (mine for example is ath9k), you can see if it loaded at all:
lsmod | grep ath
If you cannot see it, try to force it to load (change the drivername for your correct driver name).
sudo modprobe ath9k

Unfortunatly, these commands don’t do anything. No result, each time.

[Member princeofsky]

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rokytnji wrote:

rfkill list

Won’t hurt to run in terminal either.

Same thing, rfkill doesn’t show anything.
I’m gonna try to look into the bios.

[Member princeofsky]

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`$ inxi -Fxz
System:
Host: 1000he Kernel: 4.9.212-antix.1-486-smp i686 bits: 32 compiler: gcc
v: 8.3.0 Desktop: IceWM 1.6.6
Distro: antiX-19.2_386-full Hannie Schaft 27 March 2020
base: Debian GNU/Linux bullseye/sid
Machine:
Type: Laptop System: ASUSTeK product: 1000HE v: x.x serial: <filter>
Mobo: ASUSTeK model: 1000HE v: x.xx serial: <filter>
BIOS: American Megatrends v: 1104 date: 10/14/2009
Battery:
ID-1: BAT0 charge: 43.3 Wh condition: 43.3/62.6 Wh (69%)
model: ASUS 1000HE status: Full
CPU:
Topology: Single Core model: Intel Atom N280 bits: 32 type: MT
arch: Bonnell rev: 2 L2 cache: 512 KiB
flags: nx pae sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 bogomips: 6649
Speed: 1667 MHz min/max: 1000/1667 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1667 2: 1667
Graphics:
Device-1: Intel Mobile 945GSE Express Integrated Graphics vendor: ASUSTeK
driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: intel
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa resolution: 1024×600~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 945GME x86/MMX/SSE2 v: 1.4 Mesa 20.1.2
direct render: Yes
Audio:
Device-1: Intel NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio vendor: ASUSTeK
driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0
Sound Server: ALSA v: k4.9.212-antix.1-486-smp
Network:
Device-1: Qualcomm Atheros AR8121/AR8113/AR8114 Gigabit or Fast Ethernet
vendor: ASUSTeK driver: ATL1E v: N/A port: ec00 bus ID: 03:00.0
IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter>
Drives:
Local Storage: total: 111.79 GiB used: 13.15 GiB (11.8%)
ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: KingDian model: S280 120GB size: 111.79 GiB
Partition:
ID-1: / size: 107.53 GiB used: 13.15 GiB (12.2%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
ID-2: swap-1 size: 2.00 GiB used: 264 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda2
Sensors:
System Temperatures: cpu: 65.0 C mobo: N/A
Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Info:
Processes: 167 Uptime: 2h 37m Memory: 1.96 GiB used: 825.3 MiB (41.1%)
Init: SysVinit runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 Shell: bash v: 5.0.16
inxi: 3.0.36
`

In etc/network/interfaces :

#——————————————————————————
# /etc/network/interfaces
#
# interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8)
# Used by ceni but not by connman
#——————————————————————————

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

allow-hotplug eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp

iface default inet dhcp

iface wlan0 inet dhcp
dns-search 1.1.1.1

Target of resolv.conf is “/run/connman/resolv.conf”.

[Member Xecure]

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If wifi is inside the laptop, check
sudo lspci -k
This should find the Wifi atheros chip (and many other devices)

Based on:

https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEeePC/HowTo/Wifi
Atheros AR928x b/g/n driver (1000HE, 1002HA, 1005HA, 1001PX, etc.)
Note: This section (AR928x) is only for EeePC models with the Atheros AR928x chip, such as the 1000HE…
ath9k

This means your driver should be ath9k (the same as the one I have).
To see if it is loaded, do
lsmod | grep ath9k
If no list appears, that means it is NOT loaded. Load it with
sudo modprobe ath9k
and then check to see if something changed in
lsmod | grep ath9k
and see if now it is recognized in
iwconfig

If nothing works, attach the eduroam script you used and I will see if I can also break my wifi this afternoon and try to recover it.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Xecure. Reason: edit

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Member princeofsky]

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$ sudo lspci -k
[sudo] Mot de passe de x : 
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GSE Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Mobile 945GSE Express Memory Controller Hub
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GSE Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Mobile 945GSE Express Integrated Graphics Controller
	Kernel driver in use: i915
	Kernel modules: i915
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Mobile 945GM/GMS/GME, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio Controller
	Kernel driver in use: snd_hda_intel
	Kernel modules: snd_hda_intel
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 1 (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: pcieport
	Kernel modules: shpchp
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 2 (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: pcieport
	Kernel modules: shpchp
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family PCI Express Port 4 (rev 02)
	Kernel driver in use: pcieport
	Kernel modules: shpchp
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 02)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller
	Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
00:1d.1 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 02)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller
	Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
00:1d.2 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 02)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller
	Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
00:1d.3 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 02)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. NM10/ICH7 Family USB UHCI Controller
	Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd
00:1d.7 USB controller: Intel Corporation NM10/ICH7 Family USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 02)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. NM10/ICH7 Family USB2 EHCI Controller
	Kernel driver in use: ehci-pci
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev e2)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 02)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge
	Kernel driver in use: lpc_ich
	Kernel modules: intel_rng, lpc_ich, leds_ss4200
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) IDE Controller (rev 02)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. 82801G (ICH7 Family) IDE Controller
	Kernel driver in use: ata_piix
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7-M Family) SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 02)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7-M Family) SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
	Kernel driver in use: ahci
01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR8121/AR8113/AR8114 Gigabit or Fast Ethernet (rev b0)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. AR8121/AR8113/AR8114 Gigabit or Fast Ethernet
	Kernel driver in use: ATL1E
	Kernel modules: atl1e

$ lsmod | grep ath9k
x@1000he:~
$ sudo modprobe ath9k
x@1000he:~
$ lsmod | grep ath9k
ath9k                 106496  0
ath9k_common           32768  1 ath9k
ath9k_hw              421888  2 ath9k,ath9k_common
ath                    24576  3 ath9k_hw,ath9k,ath9k_common
mac80211              544768  5 rt2800lib,rt2x00pci,rt2x00lib,ath9k_hw,ath9k
cfg80211              438272  6 wl,rt2x00lib,mac80211,ath9k,ath,ath9k_common
x@1000he:~
$ iwconfig
eth0      no wireless extensions.

lo        no wireless extensions.

[Member Xecure]

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It is very strange. The only netowrk device there is the ethernet controller.

01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros AR8121/AR8113/AR8114 Gigabit or Fast Ethernet (rev b0)
	Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. AR8121/AR8113/AR8114 Gigabit or Fast Ethernet
	Kernel driver in use: ATL1E
	Kernel modules: atl1e

Your wifi device is the internal one and not a USB device, correct? It is very strange it isn’t even listed at all as a device.

Could you post the script you used for eduroam? In the site you linked one can choose from many universities. I chose one randomly and I couldn’t see anything other than the wpa_supplicant change. Nothing to unload or blacklist any kernel module.

I am out of ideas. If I cannot find anything strange with the script I don’t know where else to look.

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Member princeofsky]

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I got it back working.
Long story short, I went to the bios and it was disabled. I feel stupid, didn’t think about looking there sooner.
I don’t understand how the initial script could have disabled the card in the bios… but that’s it.

Anyway, thanks a lot for your help!

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by princeofsky.

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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princeofsky wrote:

I got it back working.
Long story short, I went to the bios and it was disabled. I feel stupid, didn’t think about looking there sooner.
I don’t understand how the initial script could have disabled the card in the bios… but that’s it.

That’s not typically a place where we tend to think about much, but yes, the BASIC input/output system (that’s one simple way to think of it), controls all input and output, so if it is not enabled, nothing at all responds; it’s the connector between the physical devices and the other controlling device, the CPU.

Glad you figured it out; diagnosing issues is not a natural thing unless you are either a hardware or software engineering type.
In any case, you did a very good job figuring this out; congratulations!

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Brian Masinick.

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