How To Install MadWifi On Debian 4.0 (Etch)
First of all, make sure your /etc/apt/source.list doesn’t only contain “main” but “main contrib non-free”. And then, update your APT.
1. Update
apt-get update
2. Install Build Environment
apt-get install build-essential module-assistant wireless-tools
module-assistant prepare
3. Install the driver
module-assistant auto-install madwifi-source
4. Load it!
modprobe ath_pci
That’s it! Have fun and happy surfing.
Posted on June 21st, 2007 by SMD
Filed under: Debian
I am a Free and Open Source Software lover, advocate. I would like to see Open Source grow, and more users being able to use and understand it. I would like to continue to become a part of this growing community, and to grow with it! 



Today I installed the wifi driver on Debian 4.0
Laptop:
Acer Aspire 5100
AMD Turion 64×2 Mobile Technology TL-50
RAM 1024MB
Sources List
deb http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main contrib
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main contrib
deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free
Wireless Adaptor
02.00.0 Ethernet controler: Atheros Communications, Inc. Unknown device 0001c (rev 01)
Subsystem: AMBIT Microsystems Corp. Unknown device 0428
flags: fast devsel, IRQ 217
Memory at 52000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [disabled] [size=64K]
Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2
Capabilities: [50] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit- Queue=0/0 Enable-
Capabilities: [60] Express Legacy Endpoint IRQ 0
Capabilities: [90] MSI-X: Enable- Mask- TabSize=1
Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting
Capabilities: [140] Virtual Channel
Installation
apt-get update
apt-get install madwifi-source
apt-get install madwifi-tools
m-a prepare
m-a a-i madwifi
Pakage Manager shows everything installed OK
Now tthe question is:
How does one get it work?
E. Plesner,
You forgot to install it from the source files.
m-a a-i madwifi-sourceand load it, as root:
modprobe ath_pciCheck if it works or not :
iwlist ath0 scanningIf it works, your access point will be detected and listed. Then, try to connect :
iwconfig ath0 essid "<your essid>"
dhclient ath0
ping http://www.google.com -c 5
Thanks for replying so promptly. You’re right, I didn’t use ‘madwifi-source’. I have now reinstalled it with the proper name.
I did ‘modprobe ath_pci’ (I did this the first time too but forgot to write it)
Unfortunately it is still not right.
‘iwlist ath0 scanning’ returns
‘ath0 Interface doesn’t support scanning.’
E. Plesner,
I think we forgot to up the network
'ifconfig ath0 up'I followed these instructions exactly (copy and pasted), but the build of madwifi fails. I choose the option to view the build log and I get this:
CC [M] /usr/src/modules/madwifi/ath_hal/ah_os.o ▒
│ /bin/sh: scripts/genksyms/genksyms: No such file or directory ▒
│ make[5]: *** [/usr/src/modules/madwifi/ath_hal/ah_os.o] Error 1 ▒
│ make[4]: *** [/usr/src/modules/madwifi/ath_hal] Error 2 ▒
│ make[3]: *** [_module_/usr/src/modules/madwifi] Error 2 ▒
│ make[3]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-source-2.6.18′ ▒
│ make[2]: *** [modules] Error 2 ▒
│ make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/modules/madwifi’ ▒
│ make[1]: *** [binary-modules] Error 2 ▒
│ make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/modules/madwifi’ ▮
│ make: *** [kdist_build] Error 2
thanks for the great tips!
each time i start apt-get install wadwifi-tools, it will end up like this :
Err http://ftp.debian.org etch/contrib madwifi-tools 1:0.9.2+dfsg-1
Connection timed out
Failed to fetch http://ftp.debian.org/debian/pool/contrib/m/madwifi-tools/madwifi-tools_0.9.2+dfsg-1_i386.deb Connection timed out
is this proxy problem or the repository failure?
my sources.list exactly as E.Plesner used.
erik,
why don’t you try other mirror. hope it will work.
followed guide, worked perfect. thanks
ok i got everything set up
i even did “iwlist ath0 scanning” and i got the info on the dirver i have. unfortunetly, i can’t actually connect to the network itself.
any suggestions?
ok
still nothing works
i even tried ndiswrapper but still nothing
i no that i need the driver for 168c:0013 (i think)
but it wont show up when checking for hardware in either madwifi or ndiswrapper
please help
i want ot use debian wirelessly