jebus197 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Hi, I have just been stung on eBay - which said that it was 'supported' in Linux. Although propitiatory drivers for Linux are supplied - on a CD these do not provide native support. Of course, if you understand anything about Linux this means that with each update of the Kernel, the drivers (and indeed the entire Kernel) will have to be recompiled and re-installed. Although I have had considerable experience of this in the past - it can be a deeply complex and time consuming process. Moreover, it should be unnecessary. It is unnecessary because difficulties like this have largely been consigned to the dustbin of history - particularly since the advent of Linux distributions such as Ubuntu - which offers native support (which means no additional configuration is required) to almost 95% of all current wireless card on the market. With the exception it seems of this particular card. In addition, I cannot use this card because it is intended for use in a relatives computer - and they live 300 miles away from me - and they are entirely non-technical - so compiling Kernels and drivers each month or so is likely to be completely beyond them. So the upshot is that I am looking for a wireless network PCI card that has native (in kernel support) - preferably one that is commonly available on eBay. (Specifically on eBay.co.uk). I know there is a huge compatibility list on the Ubutu Wiki and I have tried reading this - but it is huge - and reading through it and trying to decide which card to get from this list is really quite frustrating - and again time consuming. I only have a few days at my sisters - so really I'm looking for a no fuss specific recommendation of a card I can buy. (Preferably today). Again, I would very much prefer a card that requires no additional configuration whatsoever. Can anyone help? Thanks! Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leddy Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Try a Belkin Wireless G USB adapter, they work out of the box. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589463543 Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted June 7, 2008 Veteran Share Posted June 7, 2008 jebus197 said: ...Although propitiatory drivers for Linux are supplied - on a CD these do not provide native support. Of course, if you understand anything about Linux this means that with each update of the Kernel, the drivers (and indeed the entire Kernel) will have to be recompiled and re-installed. ... Even support of non-native wireless drivers through ndiswrapper don't (from what I have read) require compiling drivers and kernels for every release. You should be able to install ndiswrapper through your repos using the package manager, get is set up to point to the proprietary Windows drivers, and then be "good to go". Compiling isn't a step in that procedure, and the package manager makes sure that if you get a new kernel that requires a matching update to ndiswrapper, that it happens. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589463632 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jebus197 Posted June 7, 2008 Author Share Posted June 7, 2008 Well I have used Ubuntu for over a year and a half - and this is the first time I have ever encountered any wireless networking issues at all. It has always been straight out of the box - no matter what system I was using. Any PCI cards that work out of the box? It's just that the kids are likely to rip out or damage a USB dongle at some point or other. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589463697 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jebus197 Posted June 7, 2008 Author Share Posted June 7, 2008 markjensen said: Even support of non-native wireless drivers through ndiswrapper don't (from what I have read) require compiling drivers and kernels for every release.You should be able to install ndiswrapper through your repos using the package manager, get is set up to point to the proprietary Windows drivers, and then be "good to go". Compiling isn't a step in that procedure, and the package manager makes sure that if you get a new kernel that requires a matching update to ndiswrapper, that it happens. The problem is Mark that the CD only came with an .exe to install the driver - so I have no .inf/driver file on the CD - and I don't know where the exe installed it to - or what it's called in Windows. Fine idea in principal - but it's finding the driver that's the problem. Maybe ndiswrapper would work - but I won't know unless I can locate the driver. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589463710 Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwolfe Veteran Posted June 7, 2008 Veteran Share Posted June 7, 2008 I think that Broadcom are generally considered 'unfriendly' to Linux, so expect effort for those. Intel-based devices seem to be better-regarded, as they have been more cooperative and their drivers are often well-supported natively. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589463718 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiwai Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 jebus197 said: The problem is Mark that the CD only came with an .exe to install the driver - so I have no .inf/driver file on the CD - and I don't know where the exe installed it to - or what it's called in Windows.Fine idea in principal - but it's finding the driver that's the problem. Maybe ndiswrapper would work - but I won't know unless I can locate the driver. You need to use cabextract to extract the files in the exe. As for a good pci card; WPN311 from Netgear, which as an atheros chipset in it. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589463726 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knife Party Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 i recently tried Ubuntu 8.04 with my Intel Pro 3945ABG card, and it didn't work out of the box, unlike 7.10. But i found a quick little fix and problemo solved as im on my ubuntu right now typing this :) Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589463731 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jebus197 Posted June 7, 2008 Author Share Posted June 7, 2008 (edited) kaiwai said: You need to use cabextract to extract the files in the exe.As for a good pci card; WPN311 from Netgear, which as an atheros chipset in it. The problem with cabextract is you need a network connection in order to download it. I only have a network connection on my Laptop that runs Windows Vista. Moreover there is no cabextract package for Hardy Heron in the supplied link - so I doubt any of those packages will work. I tried downloading Cab extract for Windows, but that doesn't recognise the .exe and it won't extract it. Good call on the WPN311 card too - but it is kind of fist bitingly expensive compared to other cards I have seen - and I'm not certain that my relatives would be prepared to pay for it. So I guess another stipulation would be 'cheap.' BTW the card is a Pulsecom wp-rt2561T - which it is claimed, is natively supported in Ubuntu. But for some reason - not in this instance. Edited June 7, 2008 by jebus197 Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589463763 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian M. Veteran Posted June 14, 2008 Veteran Share Posted June 14, 2008 You should be able to use Winrar (or some other archiving tool) to extract the files from the setup exe. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589483265 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiwai Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 jebus197 said: The problem with cabextract is you need a network connection in order to download it. I only have a network connection on my Laptop that runs Windows Vista.Moreover there is no cabextract package for Hardy Heron in the supplied link - so I doubt any of those packages will work. What supplied linnk? no one has supplied a link! Here is cabextract for *NIX: http://packages.ubuntu.com/hardy/cabextract cabextract [name of exe] and it'll uncompress all the contents. Quote Good call on the WPN311 card too - but it is kind of fist bitingly expensive compared to other cards I have seen - and I'm not certain that my relatives would be prepared to pay for it. Where the hell did you get your card from? in New Zealand it set me back NZ$50 including GST, thats around US$35. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589484364 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litespeed Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 jebus197 said: Well I have used Ubuntu for over a year and a half - and this is the first time I have ever encountered any wireless networking issues at all. It has always been straight out of the box - no matter what system I was using.Any PCI cards that work out of the box? It's just that the kids are likely to rip out or damage a USB dongle at some point or other. Anything with a Ralink RT61 chipset should work out-of-the-box. I have a Level-One WNC-0301 PCI wireless card and it works fine under Ubuntu and Fedora. BTW, if you get a PCI card, get one with a table-top antenna - they work HEAPS better. EDIT: for the kiwis here, you can get this card from Ascent for $65NZ: http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecificati...x?ItemID=362351 Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589488562 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelington Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 I just bought a 3com 3CRDAG675B (Atheros chipset (ath5k_pci driver used / madwifi would also work)) A/B/G card, worked out of the box on debian 'lenny', prolly will work out of the box on ubuntu since its based off debian. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589495124 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiwai Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Litespeed said: Anything with a Ralink RT61 chipset should work out-of-the-box. I have a Level-One WNC-0301 PCI wireless card and it works fine under Ubuntu and Fedora.BTW, if you get a PCI card, get one with a table-top antenna - they work HEAPS better. EDIT: for the kiwis here, you can get this card from Ascent for $65NZ: http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecificati...x?ItemID=362351 *shudder* I've had bad experiences with those in the past. Atheros has been the most reliable; too bad Intel doesn't sell their wireless chipsets to third parties. The 4965 is very reliable. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589495619 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TokiToki Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I just bought this wireless card that arrived yesterday. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16833156165 Worked out of the box with Ubuntu 8.04. It uses an Atheros chipset. Extremely cheap too! Only $15 after rebate. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589498819 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashG Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 TokiToki said: I just bought this wireless card that arrived yesterday.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16833156165 Worked out of the box with Ubuntu 8.04. It uses an Atheros chipset. Extremely cheap too! Only $15 after rebate. I have one of those also. Worked just fine in PCLinuxOS. If you decide to use it in Windows don't bother installing the software that comes with it, it's crap. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589498839 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TokiToki Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Unfortunately, the latest Windows drivers off the website do not separate the driver from the utility, but as long as you let Windows control the wireless, you shouldn't have any problems. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589499605 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiwai Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 CrashGordon said: I have one of those also. Worked just fine in PCLinuxOS. If you decide to use it in Windows don't bother installing the software that comes with it, it's crap. Yeah, well, if one is going to run Windows, one might as well just get a Windows only wireless card to be quite honest. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589499995 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashG Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 kaiwai said: Yeah, well, if one is going to run Windows, one might as well just get a Windows only wireless card to be quite honest. Yeah well, I'd rather leave my options open. ;) Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589500010 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litespeed Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 kaiwai said: *shudder* I've had bad experiences with those in the past Without actually stating your experiences, that doesn't mean much. I've had zero problems with my card in Windows XP, Vista 32bit, Vista 64bit and Ubuntu 7.04, 7.10 and 8.04 and Fedora 9. So far, the ONLY operating system that has not worked out of the box has been OpenSolaris and even then it recognised the card - it just didn't have the driver. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589518462 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiwai Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 Litespeed said: Without actually stating your experiences, that doesn't mean much.I've had zero problems with my card in Windows XP, Vista 32bit, Vista 64bit and Ubuntu 7.04, 7.10 and 8.04 and Fedora 9. So far, the ONLY operating system that has not worked out of the box has been OpenSolaris and even then it recognised the card - it just didn't have the driver. I did state it; I said I had a bad experience - ergo, that was my experience. Specifics of it, it was a Ralink based PCMCIA card; it was truly aweful. Unreliable no matter what operating system ran. I also had a PCI card, same situation as well. Btw, why would I want to run a hacked up driver that barely works? get something that is properly supported out of the box where the vendor actually gives a **** about helping developers. People wonder why there is bad hardware support - and we have people who purchase hardware not supported by the hardware vendor. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589518692 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litespeed Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 kaiwai said: Btw, why would I want to run a hacked up driver that barely works? get something that is properly supported out of the box where the vendor actually gives a **** about helping developers. But the RaLink RT61 *is* supported out of the box therefore your argument about hacked up drivers is moot. However if your RalInk cards used a different chipset which was not supported then I would agree with you. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589518701 Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiwai Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Litespeed said: But the RaLink RT61 *is* supported out of the box therefore your argument about hacked up drivers is moot. If the drivers are unreliable, the point isn't moot. Quote However if your RalInk cards used a different chipset which was not supported then I would agree with you. Why go through all that heart ache when one can purchase hardware which is supported by drivers which are also supported by the hardware vendor; Take Intel, for example - they support the driver projects, they provide firmware under an acceptable licence. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/641847-which-wireless-pci-network-card-for-ubuntu/#findComment-589520986 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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