wifi woes

[Member dukester]

See attachment for the error message.
I can’t seem to get the wifi interface to come “up”

Attachments:

1. 

   wifi-error-SS.png
   

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dukester

[Member RJP]

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How about if you run in Terminal

iwconfig && ifconfig

• This reply was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by RJP.

[Member dukester]

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sudo iwconfig
wlan0 IEEE 802.11 ESSID:off/any
Mode:Managed Access Point: Not-Associated Tx-Power=off
Retry short limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Encryption key:off
Power Management:off

lo no wireless extensions.

eth0 no wireless extensions.

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dukester

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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@dukester: I don’t know the exact cause of this matter, but *sometimes* when it comes up I am able to get around it by using the
item listed as “Change WiFi Program”, which can be found in the Menu –> antiX –> Change WiFi Program location.

From the command line the program is /usr/local/bin/antix-wifi-switch

I’ll switch to Ceni, and sometimes that solves the problem; other times I can alternate back and forth between connman (CMST) and Ceni.
The system I’m on now does not exhibit any issues at all; if I ever see this, it’s with OLD systems that probably need a good internal cleaning, so it could be that the actual problem is a hardware or maintenance matter, but I have had some limited success by switching which WiFi program I use.

I hope this turns out to be helpful to you. Best wishes.

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Brian Masinick

[Member dukester]

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Thanks for the tips Brian! Got it fixed at any rate. I made sure that the external wifi switch on the ASUS was in the “on” position, and that the WIFI off/on function key was “on” and re-booted.

Went into control center/conman/wireless and connected. It worked!
I default to using “eth0”, but I wanted to see if my wifi was working.

Thanks for your time and input. Off to broaden my education on GPT/partitioning/etc 😀

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dukester

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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@dukester: Glad you had success! For me, unfortunately, I no longer have access to any Ethernet ports.

Once upon a time I had my own WiFi router, and when I was physically in the room, I’d attach an Ethernet cable to it and I could also run on WiFi throughout the home.

When I retired and first moved to the community, we had WiFi, but we also had various places where we could plug in cables. While it APPEARS that those places are here, they’ve been dead. I went to the Library and as few other places in the community and the situation is the same. My suspicion is that when 5G WiFi services were activated, other services were deactivated around the same time. Fortunately the WiFi is as fast or faster as anything we had previously in place.

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Brian Masinick

[Member dukester]

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Brian Masinick wrote:

Fortunately the WiFi is as fast or faster as anything we had previously in place.

No doubt, but I keep wondering if my wifi signals can be picked up and hacked into by “the guy next door” – especially when I’m doing online banking! With ethernet, I feel that it’s a bit more secure. Back in the late ’80s and ’90s, we didn’t have to woory about all this “packet-tapping” and malicious hacking.

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dukester

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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Here is what I can tell you – and I have worked in two or three network security positions just prior to retirement –

The only 100% secure system is one that has no continual connection to a network. However, that does not at all mean that systems cannot be reasonably secure. Quite the contrary. First, the two categories of systems that intruders want:

1) Ultimately they are looking for the places where they can make a big financial haul.
2) Easy access is one way intruders get in. If the “door is open”, that is, there is no protection at all or very little protection, that’s a great place for the intruder to “take over” and use the system as a launch point for further intrusions. The more levels they can put between themselves and the systems they are using, the more steps it takes to track them down and halt their operation, and take legal action.
3) Multi-factor authentication, though not perfect, at least provides a few levels of protection. It doesn’t completely eliminate the possibility of an intrusion, but if there are multiple things you do to secure login, that takes time and effort to break, and unless it’s still an easy break in, would be intruders will look other places first.
4) If the system is turned OFF, they can’t get in unless the equipment is physically stolen.

So the solutions are straightforward for we every day people using antiX:
1) use a decent password and also accompany it with at least one or two other authentication mechanisms. Examples of secondary multi-factor authentication – clicking for access and having the system send you an access code which you access from another device, if available. Alternatively use a fingerprint, visual access verification, or something else. Two or more schemes, even if they are not perfect, still form a multi factor, and that measurably improves basic security.
2) turn off your system, and keep it in a physically locked room.

Do this much and you will be reasonably and statistically safe (not perfect, but pretty good).

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Brian Masinick

[Member dukester]

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@Brian Masinick
Right on! That is more-or-less what I do. I was using a wireless keyboard until somebody told me – or I read somewhere – that there exists gizmos to remotely pick up keystrokes. Maybe a directional antenna. Now I’m back to using a usb keyboard. Jeepers! When will this craptitude end? :/

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dukester

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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As I wrote above, as long as you use multiple factors of authentication, unless someone has a really good reason to single you out, you should be reasonably safe. Do you have a reason to believe otherwise? If so, notify authorities, and if they have a way to observe, that may be the final solution. I’ve been using computers since I was a teenager and my own systems have never been under attack, though I had some old equipment stolen from a home in the past, but I had some other important equipment with me.

I’ve also reported situations, and I had a couple of friends in local law enforcement, and they were kind and helpful.

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Brian Masinick

[Member dukester]

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Nope – not under attack! My router is denying an awful lot of stuff though. Just general observation about the state of affairs globally. BTW, when you were a teenager, people – in general – didn’t hack into other peoples’ systems. We could play in peace! 🙂

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dukester

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