How To Install MadWifi On Debian 4.0 (Etch)

Debian 21 June 2007 13 Comments



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.



  • E. Plesner

    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?

  • http://www.sumardi.net SMD

    E. Plesner,

    You forgot to install it from the source files.

    m-a a-i madwifi-source

    and load it, as root:

    modprobe ath_pci

    Check if it works or not :

    iwlist ath0 scanning

    If 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

  • E. Plesner

    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.’

  • http://www.sumardi.net SMD

    E. Plesner,

    I think we forgot to up the network

    'ifconfig ath0 up'

  • Jack McKinney

    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

  • cozmo

    thanks for the great tips!

  • erik

    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.

  • http://www.sumardi.net SMD

    erik,

    why don’t you try other mirror. hope it will work.

  • milos

    followed guide, worked perfect. thanks

  • kyle

    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?

  • kyle

    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

  • http://bastlir.wz.cz M. Skrepsky

    Tried to install, but blown up with:

    ┌───────────────────┤ module-assistant, log file viewer ├────────────────────┐
    │ │
    │ dh_testroot ↑
    │ if [ -f /usr/src/modules/madwifi/debian/control.template ]; then \ ▮
    │ cat /usr/src/modules/madwifi/debian/control.template > ▒
    │ /usr/src/modules/madwifi/debian/control; \ ▒
    │ fi ▒
    │ dh_testdir ▒
    │ make: dh_testdir: Command not found ▒
    │ make: *** [configure-stamp] Error 127 ▒
    │ 1 ▒
    │ ▒
    │ ▒
    │ ▒
    │ ▒
    │ ▒
    │ ↓
    │
    │
    │ │
    └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    Please help

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