Re: Problem with Toshiba L300 wireless interface

[John Mahoney <jmahoney waav com>]

On Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 11:36 PM, john <john og co nz> wrote:

This may not be the appropriate list but ...

I have a Toshiba L300 (bought in NZ) and the wireless has never worked
under OpenSUSE 11.0.
After googling about the problem, I followed the advice of one site and
installed madwifi modules using Yast2 from the madwifi OpenSUSE 11.0
repository, and I blacklisted the ath5k module.

dmesg reveals:
ath_hal: module license 'Proprietary' taints kernel.
ath_hal: 0.9.18.0 (AR5210, AR5211, AR5212, RF5111, RF5112, RF2413, RF5413)

PCI: Setting latency timer of device 0000:03:00.0 to 64
wifi%d: unable to attach hardware: 'Hardware revision not supported'
(HAL status 13)

HAL is the binary blob where all the action happens.  The ath5k project was created to make a driver with  no closed source guts.  Sadly, the madwifi/ath5k is in a transition. in the long run this will be better for the community as a whole.  Reporting bugs is helpful.

If all else fails grab an Intel 3945ABG for 10 bucks on ebay(make sure your slots pci express).  IMO some of Atheros chips are in limbo right now from the transition from madwifi to ath5k.  I love what Atheros is doing by opening their drivers and feel in the long run they will be the best chips, but I wasted a year messing with my ath5k to madwifi switch where one kernel it would work then it would break.  

DISCLAIMER only change hardware if you know what you are doing.  With that said just remove the old one and snap on antennas.