n900 WIFI woes
 

I just got my n900. I'm using it without a SIM card or data plan.

In order to get the app manager working, I need to get some sort of network connectivity, so I'm trying to get the WIFI working.

I'm testing it with a wireless router at work, and I've set it up with the correct WEP password. I assume the little radio icon I see at the top of the screen indicates that I'm connected to the router and the signal strength is good.

However, when I open the web browser I can't load any websites. The error message I see in the browser seems to indicate that I have no DNS.


How can I diagnose this further?


What I've tried so far:

I tried to ping the router from the xterm, but apparently "ping" requires root privilages and according to the maemo wiki, I need to install something via the app manager before I can log in as root (with no WIFI I can't use the app manager).

I tried "ifconfig" and "ipconfig", but neither seem to be installed.

The router is fine. My coworker is using his iPhone to browse the web on the same router right now.

I'm pretty sure the WEP password I entered was correct, but I'm not sure where to go to check for error messages.

Right now, I'm not certain whether my n900 is defective or whether I've configured something wrong. Any suggestions?

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

Does your router use MAC address filtering?

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

ifconfig is installed in /sbin/ifconfig, either launch it as root or launch it with full path

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

No. We installed the router specifically to test the n900 and we didn't use any funky settings.

It's using ad-hoc networking and WEP security.

Are there any tools I can use to get more information (is there a command that tells me my IP address? That would at least tell me if DHCP was working)

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

If you've the latest firmware PR 1.1.1, you can install the following deb file from the file manager for root access - http://maemo.org/packages/package_in...el/rootsh/1.5/

Once the rootsh is installed, "sudo gainroot" command gives you root access (for ping etc)

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

I'll try it with the full path.

By the way, how can I log in as root if I don't have access to the application manager? According to http://wiki.maemo.org/Root_access I either need to install rootsh or sudser before I can log in as root. Is there any other way?

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

If you've updated your N900 to PR 1.1.1 firmware, you can just open the downloaded .deb file in the file manager and install it from there

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

Thank you kindly. I'm sure this is a noob question, but how can I tell what firmware version I'm running?

Regarding my wifi,

ifconfig -a lists two wireless devices "wlan0" and "wlan0:1". The former one has no IP address and the latter one has an IP address starting with 169.254.x.x. I believe this means that it's my WIFI adapter and that it was unable to obtain an IP address from the DHCP server.

What could cause this? Is there a command that can verify my signal strength to the router and test whether authentication has succeeded?

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

Do not use ad-hoc networking on the router, that's for connecting two computers together. Set the router as base/infrastructure or whatever the other option is. I'm pretty sure that will solve your problem.

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

Menu->Settings -> About Product. What does the version say ?

if it is 2009.42-11, that's the original firmware. There have been 3 firmware upgrades since the N900 launch. The current version PR 1.1.1 is 2010.02-8.

Why are you using ad-hoc with a router, shouldn't it be in infrastructure mode ?

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

I'm using a Windows 7 computer with a wireless card as a router, and I can't find any options for switching it from ad-hoc to infrastructure mode. I'll try borrowing a hardware router and see if I get better luck.

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

Thanks again!

It looks like I'm on the original firmware. I just took a look at the wiki, and it seems that upgrading the firmware will wipe out all the data on my device. I'd really rather not do that, since I just spent 4 tedius hours customizing it and transcribing information onto it. Is there an easy way to backup and restore user data prior to a firmware upgrade, or will I need to do it all again?

I know that Nokia and the n900 have a good reputation, but I also know that occasionally other companies have shipped software or firmware updates that come with DRM malware that can turn an open device into a closed device. Before I flash or upgrade anything, I'd feel safer knowing that I can always go back. If something doesn't work out with the upgrade and want to go back, where would I obtain the original firmware?

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

you can't go back. the one before the last had a change in the cellular chip that would render your sim useless if you tried to go back. but don't worry, there's nothing you would want to go back to anyway.

just use the phone's backup feature (in the main menu) it will do a great job of backing up everything except media. as for the media you've added (images, videos, etc), just back it up on your primary pc as you would a regular USB drive.

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

Yes, when I tried it with an infrastructure router, things "just worked" like I expected them to.

I'm still curious as to why the n900 doesn't work with ad-hoc networks, but now that I have a workaround I guess I can start using the application manager. Thanks for the useful advice!

Re: n900 WIFI woes
 

i have a kinda same problem..
But my wifi was working perfectly on my phone for a month unitl yesterday it just stopped. It is connected but no webpages load or anything. Its working on my laptop but not on my n900. Im using vodafone GPRS at the moment. Any ideas as to what could ahve gone wrong suddenly?

Please help.

I reinstalled the firmware and formatted the phone and did everything. Any ideas pleasE?