Looking for a simple linux installation with good WiFi support

[RedBeard]

I am looking to mess around with Linux. I tried SimplyMepis and it supported by broadcomm based wifi chipset with out any driver installation. Are there any other distros that have such support? (I am installing this on a laptop)

Looking to keep it easy

 

[Churnd]

Ubuntu Breezy Badger... comes in either Gnome or KDE flavors, and has recognized every wireless card I've installed it on.

Ubuntu Linux Website

 

[RedBeard]

I installed Ubuntu 5.10 and Suse 9.3. Neither recognized the card.

The laptop is "newer". I am using the onboard Wifi.

 

[imported_vdorta]

Ubuntu is popular, but not as good as Mepis for the things most Linux newbies look for.

 

[nweaver]

No linux distro is going to do a Broadcom wifi out of the box. Broadcom does not do any development for linux, nor will they share the required documentation for others to make reliable linux drivers.

Intel based cards work easier, but still not "out of box"

If this is an HP laptop, you must get the HP specific Intel or broadcom card. Dells will take most any miniPCI wireless in my experience.

 

[TonyRic]

nweaver, not 100% true. MEPIS detects and will use broadcom 54g cards on the live distro. however, my experience installing it to the hard disk is that you have to manually install it. Don't know how they missed this on an otherwise good distro.

 

[RedBeard]

Originally posted by: TonyRic
nweaver, not 100% true. MEPIS detects and will use broadcom 54g cards on the live distro. however, my experience installing it to the hard disk is that you have to manually install it. Don't know how they missed this on an otherwise good distro.

I am posting from my laptop right now using SimplyMepis 3.3.1-1. I just installed it and I am connect via WIFI. Works great. I was just wondering is there was if other distros had this level of wifi support.

Yes this is a broadcomm 54g minipci card.

 

[TonyRic]

you had wifi support automatically after installing to the HD? WOW, must be the -1, it didn't work for me with 3.3 or 3.3.1 but moved to pclinuxos.

 

[nweaver]

what driver is it using? Is it using ndiswrapper out of box?

I will now have to check simplyMepis out!

 

[RedBeard]

Originally posted by: nweaver
what driver is it using? Is it using ndiswrapper out of box?

I will now have to check simplyMepis out!

To be honest, I don't know. If you tell me how to check I will let you know.

 

[TonyRic]

It is using ndiswrapper out of the box. At least in 3.3

 

[n0cmonkey]

Get a good wifi card and it won't be an issue.

 

[Seeruk]

For the good of my blood pressure I am avoiding all linux & wireless related topics...

... doh!

 

[SleepWalkerX]

PCLinuxOS maybe, but get something other than Mepis? If you think its too resource demanding, there is MepisLite. And most distros probably won't ship that driver with linux, but you could always use ndiswrapper with any distro and your windows drivers.

 

[Nothinman]

It is using ndiswrapper out of the box. At least in 3.3

Since that requires the Windows drivers to work, do you know if they're redistributing the Windows drivers with the distro or what? Because if they are, I doubt they'll be able to do that for long. That and I hope ndiswrapper dies a horrible, horrible death.

 

[TonyRic]

They are distributing the windows drivers. This is the only way to get it working. Again this is my experience with Mepis 3.3.

 

[Nothinman]

They are distributing the windows drivers. This is the only way to get it working. Again this is my experience with Mepis 3.3.

And redistributing the drivers without permission from the driver vendors is most likely illegal, so they'll probably get caught and stop eventually.

 

[TonyRic]

It could happen, but somehow I don't think it will as it hasn't exactly been hidden to this point.

 

[Nothinman]

Well it should, because the only thing Mepis/ndiswrapper is doing is giving Broadcomm a reason to say "WTF should we support Linux for? They can just use the Windows drivers".

 

[shelaby]

I started out with FC4 just a couple weeks ago, it was easy to setup, and i got my wireless working using ndiswrapper. wasnt too hard. Ubuntu had problems starting X server, and i couldnt figure it out, so i went with FC4 and i love it

 

[Need4Speed]

sarge with the intel 2200 works like a charm

 

[Seeruk]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
That and I hope ndiswrapper dies a horrible, horrible death.

That seems like a crazy thing to say ... making Linux wireless support even more horrendous than it already is for huge numbers of people

 

[TonyRic]

Nothingman. That is aweful, that would leave many of us with the need to purchase additional wireless cards. Whether we like it or not, when buying a laptop, if we want integrated wireless, then we are stuck with what the manufacturers install into the systems. The logical response to this is "buy from a different manufacturer" however, this is not always possible when there are other features that we are looking for. Using PCMCIA cards for things that are already built in is not ideal, nor it is a valid point when trying to bring someone over from Linux.

You do have a good point though with regards to driver support, since ndiswrapper and linuxant are now so easy to use in that it makes native drivers less of a need. I don't see that as a negative though.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Seeruk

Originally posted by: Nothinman
That and I hope ndiswrapper dies a horrible, horrible death.

That seems like a crazy thing to say ... making Linux wireless support even more horrendous than it already is for huge numbers of people

It's an abomination. It shouldn't be used. Ever. Linux users should support the companies that support us.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: TonyRic
Nothingman. That is aweful, that would leave many of us with the need to purchase additional wireless cards. Whether we like it or not, when buying a laptop, if we want integrated wireless, then we are stuck with what the manufacturers install into the systems. The logical response to this is "buy from a different manufacturer" however, this is not always possible when there are other features that we are looking for. Using PCMCIA cards for things that are already built in is not ideal, nor it is a valid point when trying to bring someone over from Linux.

You do have a good point though with regards to driver support, since ndiswrapper and linuxant are now so easy to use in that it makes native drivers less of a need. I don't see that as a negative though.

You can replace mini-PCI cards. There are plenty of good ones available.

What about non-Linux/non-Windows users? Or Linux users using non-x86 hardware? NDIS-wrapper users are giving those people the cold shoulder, thinking they are the only ones that matter.