Avatar of greywolf01
greywolf01
 asked on

Can not connect to Ubuntu with wireless adaptor

Sirs:
     I have a Dell precision desktop which I only have Linux Ubuntu installed on. I have a Verizon Jetpack hotspot in the house and wanted to be able to connect to the internet with it. I installed a wireless adapter (usb) which came from a chinese manufacturer and was supposed to be good for Linux. My computer recognizes the connection and the name of the jetpack but will not connect to the internet. It has asked for the password which I have typed in according to the Jetpack specs., still no connection. Don't know what else to try? Can you help me to get this thing to connect or tell me where I might be going wrong?
                                                                                            Thanks
                                                                                             L. Daily
                                                                                             greywolf01 at EE
Linux DistributionsLinuxLinux NetworkingDell

Avatar of undefined
Last Comment
TobiasHolm

8/22/2022 - Mon
greywolf01

ASKER
Under "Options" in Network it asks for "Mode" and gives 2 choices-Infrastructure, or Ad-hoc. Which is right? Also, under BSSID, a blank space-what should be inserted here, if anything? Do I need a cloned mac address? I never did understand all of these vague networking meenings and I don't know who does inless involved in networking full time. Please somebody help me out here-I must not have some setting correct or this should work.
TobiasHolm

Hi!

Select mode: Infrastructure

You don't need to clone your mac address unless your broadband connection requires it, and that's very unusual.

Usually you can see your SSID (the wireless netword name) in Ubuntu under wireless settings/wireless icon. Can you see the wireless network on another device, like a smartphone?

Regards, Tobias
greywolf01

ASKER
Yes, I can see the network name on my tablet and it works just fine on this. I have set everything as you suggest on my Linux desktop yet still can not connect. System keeps asking me for my password which I continue to give it but does not follow through and connect?
Experts Exchange is like having an extremely knowledgeable team sitting and waiting for your call. Couldn't do my job half as well as I do without it!
James Murphy
TobiasHolm

Ok. What type of security are used on the Jetpack? WPA2? Can you change the security setting on the Jetpack? Can you test if it works without encrypted connection (just for test purpose)?

Regards, Tobias
greywolf01

ASKER
Tobias:
Security is WPA & WPA2 Personal-I tried to set this to NONE and still no luck. I am doing all of this in Ubuntu, still trying to access the Jetpack to see if I can adjust anything there-no luck so far. I also googled this problem and come up with many people having trouble in Ubuntu trying to access wi-fi-no problem with wired or in Windows but many problems with Linux Ubuntu wi-fi-may be a more complicated fix than we realize???

Sorry for delays-Im working 12 hour days and only have spotty times to work on this-please bear with me.Thanks!
TobiasHolm

What version of Ubuntu do you have? What Wifi-stick do you have (type 'lsusb' in a terminal and post the line with the hardware-id here)?

Sometimes it can help to turn off wifi and then turn it back on again, but maybe you have tried this already?

Regards, Tobias
⚡ FREE TRIAL OFFER
Try out a week of full access for free.
Find out why thousands trust the EE community with their toughest problems.
greywolf01

ASKER
Tobias:

On the GNU GRUB screen at the top it says 1.99-21 ubuntu 3.9.

The highlighted version on that screen says Ubuntu, with Linux 3.2.0-generic Ubuntu

At the password verification screen at the bottom it says ubuntu 12.04 LTS

My network adapter is a small usb type which says 802.11n on the device.

Can you instruct me quick on how to reach terminal in this version? I know in earlier versions it was on a drop down list but I havn't been able to find it anywhere on this desktop screen-Thanks-
TobiasHolm

To start a terminal: press " CTRL - ALT - t " at the same time. Or start it in the menu. Then run the ' lsusb ' command to see the hardware ID of the USB wifi stick.

Regards, Tobias
greywolf01

ASKER
Tobias:
It reads: Bus 001 Device 003:  ID Obda: 8176 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8188CUS 802.11n WLAN

Thanks
I started with Experts Exchange in 2004 and it's been a mainstay of my professional computing life since. It helped me launch a career as a programmer / Oracle data analyst
William Peck
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
TobiasHolm

THIS SOLUTION ONLY AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS.
View this solution by signing up for a free trial.
Members can start a 7-Day free trial and enjoy unlimited access to the platform.
See Pricing Options
Start Free Trial
GET A PERSONALIZED SOLUTION
Ask your own question & get feedback from real experts
Find out why thousands trust the EE community with their toughest problems.
greywolf01

ASKER
Think I will just buy one that will work with this out of the box. Are there any other ubuntu distributions out there which are more recent that you might recommend which might work better with wi-fi??? THANKS For your help!
TobiasHolm

Thanks for the points!

The wifi support is built into the kernel, so any dist with a new kernel would do. An easy way to test a new kernel is to download Ubuntu 13.10 and create a bootable USB-stick (you have a program already installed in Ubuntu 12.04 to create such a USB-stick).

Boot on this USB-stick and you can test if your wifi-stick is working without having to change anything on your hard drive. If the wifi works you can upgrade your Ubuntu 12.04 to 13.10 on your hard drive.

Regards, Tobias