Linux drivers for Netgear MA521 (wireless)?

[Heisenberg]

I'm using gentoo on my laptop and would like to be able to use my wireless card (Netgear MA521). Does anyone know if there are any drivers for this thing around? I found drivers for older models like the MA 401, but nothing for mine. TIA

 

[jonmullen]

Do you know what chipset it is...its probably either a prism2 or a hermes. Then you should be able to compile the kernel driver. I have not found a card yet that a modern kernel did not have a driver for.

 

[Heisenberg]

That's the problem, I can't seem to find any info on the card and chipset at all. Maybe because it's a new(ish) card. All the previous models are prism2/2.5/3 cards so I suppose there's good chance this one is too. Guess I just have to try and find out. Grr...I just recompiled my kernel yesterday too. Oh well.

 

[jonmullen]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
That's the problem, I can't seem to find any info on the card and chipset at all. Maybe because it's a new(ish) card. All the previous models are prism2/2.5/3 cards so I suppose there's good chance this one is too. Guess I just have to try and find out. Grr...I just recompiled my kernel yesterday too. Oh well.

Thats where modules come in handy

 

[Heisenberg]

Originally posted by: jonmullen

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
That's the problem, I can't seem to find any info on the card and chipset at all. Maybe because it's a new(ish) card. All the previous models are prism2/2.5/3 cards so I suppose there's good chance this one is too. Guess I just have to try and find out. Grr...I just recompiled my kernel yesterday too. Oh well.

Thats where modules come in handy

I don't think it would make much difference at this point. Apparently the card isn't even supported by pcmcia-cs. I tried adding it to '/etc/pcmcia/config' and telling it to use the orinoco_cs module, but I'm not having much luck. I've tried both building it into the kernel and loading it as a module, but neither seems to work.

 

[jonmullen]

is pcmcia loading the module? check lsmod. What beep codes do you get when you when you plug the card in, what are your logs telling you?

 

[Heisenberg]

No, there aren't any modules loading. I know it sees the card at a simple device level but it just doesn't know what to do with it. After digging around a bit, I think the card may be based off the Realtek 8180 chipset. So I may have been trying the wrong driver all along. I'm gonna walk away from it tonight and start fresh tomorrow.

 

[jonmullen]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
No, there aren't any modules loading. I know it sees the card at a simple device level but it just doesn't know what to do with it. After digging around a bit, I think the card may be based off the Realtek 8180 chipset. So I may have been trying the wrong driver all along. I'm gonna walk away from it tonight and start fresh tomorrow.

well unless you compiled the drivers into the kernel your problem is that its not loading the correct moduels, have you tried doing a insmod for the correct module?

 

[Heisenberg]

Originally posted by: jonmullen

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
No, there aren't any modules loading. I know it sees the card at a simple device level but it just doesn't know what to do with it. After digging around a bit, I think the card may be based off the Realtek 8180 chipset. So I may have been trying the wrong driver all along. I'm gonna walk away from it tonight and start fresh tomorrow.

well unless you compiled the drivers into the kernel your problem is that its not loading the correct moduels, have you tried doing a insmod for the correct module?

I've tried both compiling into them into the kernel and loading as modules. Neither way worked. I'm going to try the 8180 drivers and see if that gets me anywhere.

 

[b22feb]

Hi, All
Try this...
type this command on the shell:--- cardctl ident
The output would be something like this...

Socket 0:
product info: " .............................."
manfid: 0x0156, 0x0002
function: 6 (network)

now
make a file netgear.conf in the /etc/pcmcia directory....with the contents
card "Netgear MA501 Wirelsess card"
manfid 0x0156, 0x0002
bind "orinoco_cs"

save this file and restart......
it should work now.