WPA fix

[thetechnobear]

just in case people are having this problem,

i found with my router that the iLiad could not connect via WPA/TKIP ,
and i found a fix
but first here are the preconditions, ie. things you should ensure first!
a) the iLiad could see the network i.e. search worked
b) i had countless other devices on the the network
c) i knew i had the correct shared key
d) i knew there was no MAC address blocking by the router
e) i knew i had a strong signal, i was sitting next to the wlan

basically what i found was that the iLiad was just not waiting long enough.

so to fix, you need:
a) have developer/shell access - request if necessary
b) have either ssh access via wired link (recommended), or mvxrt installed

then:
i) get a shell open via ssh or mvxrt
ii) cd /usr/bin
iii) vi wireless.sh

search for rip=4 (its in a function called waitFor...())
change this to a higher value , e.g. rip=15

this means the iLiad will wait for 15 seconds for a connection, rather than 4 which wasnt long enough on my router.

sorry, i know this is not really for the 'user community', but thought id let the knowledge be out there

think we probably need a patch file or something,

also whilst delving through this is became apparently, that perhaps a small app to diagnose such issues might be in order, you can get lots of info from wpa_status/wpa_supplicant but none of it appears anywhere

perhaps i might just provide a modified wireless.sh which has this fix, and also produces more logging if people are interested

[serge]

I used to need several attempts to connect to WAN. Changed 4 to 10 as suggested, and, so far, get connected on the first try. Thanks.

[The GreatGonzo]

Originally Posted by thetechnobear

perhaps i might just provide a modified wireless.sh which has this fix, and also produces more logging if people are interested

People are interested! I think you've just found the solution to a problem that's been bugging me for weeks; same symptoms as in your case, and more often than not, I'd be unable to connect even after several tries. Glad this one's finally tackled..

[thetechnobear]

ok, then as promised something to make it easier

attached you will find a tar file
a) copy it to iliad
b) expand it (anywhere is ok e.g. /mnt/free/programs)
with tar xvf wpatch.tar

c) you will then find 3 scripts:

i) installpatch.sh - installs a wireless.sh with 15 retries
ii) installorig.sh - installs a copy of the original file
iii) installdebug.sh - installs a copy with debug info in it

the final one, will produce a file in /tmp called wireless.txt
this contains quite a bit of useful info for tracking problems down

note: if wireless.txt will contain your ssid, mac address and wlan password, so if you are worried about such things, think twice before posting it


d) try connecting in your 'normal' way, and the new script will be used


hope this helps someone, post if any issues


edit: for those not comfortable with shell access on iliad, ive included a zip version, unzip this on pc, transfer to iliad in your 'normal way' (e.g. via CF)
the debug version will write its file to /mnt/free/wireless.txt , which you should be able to then move back to PC.

[disposable]

hi thetechnobear. can you elucidate the process for me please? I'm a Windows user, I don't know anything about linux, shells etc.
What do you mean by:

the debug version will write its file to /mnt/free/wireless.txt , which you should be able to then move back to PC.

But that's not the only thing I didn't understand. Please explain the whole process. I think I read somewhere that even the unzipping of the files on Windows and then transferring to the iLiad doesn't work, is that correct, do I have to unzip on a linux machine? HELP PLEASE, I REALLY NEED TO SEE MY WIRELESS CONNECTION WORKING.

[thetechnobear]

unzipping should be fine on windows.

for windows:
requirements:
i) wpatch.zip
ii) shell access, ensure you know its working already!
iii) an iLiad

process:
a) unzip wpatch.zip on windows machine
b) copy directory to iLiad... however you normally move things
shouldnt matter if you do this, by mounting iLiad, copy to usb, etc etc
as long as you can see files on iLiad afterwards
c) find files on iLiad, in wpatch directory, click on installpatch.sh


you wont see anything happen, but its its the normal timing issue it should just work

if its doesnt work, then
click on installdebug.sh

this will create a file wireless.txt called Internal Memory, copy that file to windows, and post here
(noting my comments above about passwords and ssids )

[DeGodefroi]

I am trying this unsuccessfully.
Using no security connects the Iliad ultra fast. WEP or WPA leads to unsuccessful.

I do not even see the wireless.txt file...where is that supposed to be located?

"this will create a file wireless.txt called Internal Memory, copy that file to windows"
?? where can I find it? /mnt/free/wireless.txt is not accessible via usb etc. And no I am not using ssh etc, since I am a windows person.

Yes I have the dev package installed since i have Adam's fbreader installed. And to verify the fullscreen iPDF has just successfully been installed.

[thetechnobear]

k, ive updated the zip file,
so that the wireless.txt file is stored in /mnt/free/Documents/wireless.txt
(
this can be changed, by changing the line:
debugFile=/mnt/free/Documents/wireless.txt
to whereever you want it to go, e.g.
debugFile=/mnt/cf/Documents/wireless.txt
will put it on compact flash card.
)

so hopefully you can access that from USB
(sry i never use usb, i always debug by plugging in an ethernet cable, and using ssh)

also pls, ensure that you have clicked on installdebug.sh in the wpatch directory (on your iliad) before you attempt a connection.

btw, im surprised, you have an issue with WEP, the speed issue only happened for me with WPA, (the exchange of keys seems quite slow on some routers)

hope this helps,

[Vanessa]

Technobear, I also have issues with WEP. I see the networks, but the iLiad can't connect to my wifi network. I have the right passphrase, I also tried without passphrase, and it doesn't work.
I did what you advised, and althought it tried to connect longer than before, I got the "failed" message as before.
I have the impression it has something to do with the IP address not generated, but I have no idea how to solve this.
Any clue ?

[thetechnobear]

if you suspect ip issues,
then best option is to try to NOT use dhcp, you can then enter a specific IP address, subnet mask, and gateway.
(if you do this, you will eliminate any possible IP issues, and will know its just a wifi issue or not0

if you dont know these values, and have a windows machine connected on the wireless network, then you can type
ifconfig
to display suitable values for your iLiad,
(note: make sure the IP address you use for your iliad is not in use)

Edit,
hmm not got my iliad here, not sure if iliad wifi dialog supports non-dhcp.
btw, if you use the wireless.debug script i supplied

in the text file it generates, it will say
""looking for dhcp"
then
"looking for dhcp - failed "

if the dhcp / ip address failed


as before other things to try, are to try without any encryption as a test.

also someone else here has said that Wireless N enabled routers wont work with iLiad, i cant confirm this though - as i dont have one

[daudi]

Originally Posted by thetechnobear

[...]
if you dont know these values, and have a windows machine connected on the wireless network, then you can type
ifconfig
to display suitable values for your iLiad,
(note: make sure the IP address you use for your iliad is not in use)

hope this helps

I think it is ipconfig on windows (p not f). So try this on a windows box connected to your wireless network:

ipconfig
ipconfig /all

[Vanessa]

Technobear : I tried to use installdebug.sh, but apparently, I must have done something wrong : I could not find any Wireless.txt file.
It's not possible to use a static ip with the wifi, that's my problem. So I guess I have to use DHCP... My three computers have a static IP. I tried disabling static addresses, it didn't change anything. I also tried not to use any WEP or WPA key, same thing.
I really don't know what to do

Daudi : the ipconfig/all command gives me only the values for the computer I'm using and typing the command on. There is another computer running ATM, and I don't see its IP address on the ipconfig/all. iLiad, of course, is not here either...

[Vanessa]

Ok, so it's really a problem with my router. I went to my parents' today, and the iLiad connects perfectly to the wifi there. Strange, because I'm the one who configured everything there too, and the configuration is exactly the same as the one I have at home.
Apparently, my router doesn't like my iLiad

[thetechnobear]

yeah, sorting out networking issues is aways 'fun' ;o)

i had a quick look at the scripts yesteday, doesnt look like supporting static ip for wifi (from the command line) would be too tricky...
but made me wonder wether or not there is a good GTK tool that we could port to the iLiad to help people out. any ideas anyone?

[DigiDirk]

Originally Posted by Vanessa

Ok, so it's really a problem with my router. I went to my parents' today, and the iLiad connects perfectly to the wifi there. Strange, because I'm the one who configured everything there too, and the configuration is exactly the same as the one I have at home.
Apparently, my router doesn't like my iLiad

Okay, but they do not have 3 computers with exactly the same static
IP-adresses as you have, do they?

What about an IP-adress conflict? Why don't you use DHCP, again?

Dirk

P.S.: What about switching routers with your parents, just for a test?