Hi,

My adventures with my T41 laptop and Linux [link|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=185006|continue]. I found the magical incantations to get 802.11b WiFi working with ProMEPIS.

1) I turned off my D-Link DWL-900+AP box.
I had been using it as a wireless bridge to get the laptop networked with Xandros. For some reason it hasn't been working well (meaning not at all) as a bridge with any OS on the laptop since I updated the BIOS on it. I can see it and talk to it when it's wired into a switch on the network, but not via the laptop ethernet or wireless. I don't know what's up with it. :-(

2) In ProMEPIS, in the MEPIS System Center -> Network Interfaces tab:

lo ip: 127.0.0.1
eth0 ip: down
ath0 ip: 192.168.0.15
Wireless is: on ath0

Misc tab:
(I'm using Static DNS - I haven't tried to see if dynamic works since I got it working.)

Use Static DNS:
Primary DNS server: xx.xx.xx.xx
Secondary DNS server: xx.xx.xx.xx

Wireless tab:
ESS ID: (network name) linksys
Mode: Infrastructure
Use Encryption Key: (128 bit hex key)

ath0 tab
Start on system boot
Use static IP settings
IP address: 192.168.0.15
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.0.1 (my Linksys wireless DCHP server at the cablemodem box)
Broadcast: 192.168.0.255 (I assume this is correct)

This combination seems to be working so far. Let's hope it stays this way. If so, it may mean that I don't need to buy another wireless bridge. :-)

The magical bit seemed to be using the WEP key as hex. Using "S:key" (with key being the ASCII key corresponding to the 128bit hex value) is supposed to work but didn't, at least so far. There may have been a conflict between the WAPs as well; perhaps turning off the 900+ was important too. Anyway....

The little antenna light below the laptop screen doesn't light up (I don't know if that's a function of the Windows drivers), but the network does work wirelessly - as you can see.

HTH someone out there.

Cheers,
Scott.