DWL-520 works (Was Re: [vox] ISO: Wireless network card (PCI))

[Bill Kendrick]

On Fri, Jan 09, 2004 at 12:36:25AM -0800, Mike Harris wrote:
> > Got a D-Link DWL-520  (not a, not plus, just 520).  I'm working on figuring
> > out how to make it talk right now :)
> 
> I have that model, and support is not good. Mine uses the rtl8180 chipset, 

Folks in #wireless on irc.freenode.net told me it uses a Prism chip, and
Googling around, it seemed I should be using the linux-wlan-ng drivers.
Unfortunately, they weren't readily available for Debian/Woody.
Fortunately, the folks in #wireless said I should have luck using hostap
drivers, and I did!

While searching for hand-holding, I had to constantly remind people that
I am NOT setting up an access point, even though I'm using hostap. ;^)


Anyway, I installed kernel-headers package and hostap-sources
(from apt/sources.list entry: "deb http://debian.ipsyn.net/debian woody ipsyn")
and built it with little trouble.  (Had to remember to install gcc... not
something I did right away, obviously, since this is a kiosk ;^) )


I placed a "wlan0" alias into /etc/modutils/aliases and ran
'update-modules', and then added an 'auto wlan0' stanza to
/etc/network/interfaces, and I'm all set!

Took a while to figure it all out, but it was certainly not a hellish ordeal!


I've got wired and wireless networking, XFree86 4.1 (from Woody),
and Mozilla 1.3 (backport to Woody from apt/sources.list entry:
"deb http://www.backports.org/debian stable mozilla").

I haven't "kiosk-ified" it yet, but if this were a job, and someone were
saying "Ken-DRIIICK!  We need that machine in here NOW!", I'd be able to
drop it in and cross my fingers. ;^)


Many thanks, again, to Marc Hall for the PC (even though he forgot RAM :) ),
Mark Brietung for the RAM, the reduced-price wireless card, a keyboard and
a mouse, Henry House for a wired network card, and everyone else out there
for their support and offerings!!!

-bill!
(who hopes he's spelling Mark B's last name correctly ;^) )