# cannot connect in adhoc mode with either Intel ProWireless or Lucent Orinoco



## aparasch (Dec 4, 2010)

Have tried with the built-in card (Intel ProWireless 3945ABG) and a Lucent Orinoco Gold. I have successfully configured the built-in card to connect to my wireless router (fallback mode with LAN using lagg(4)), but cannot connect to my iPhone (which runs PDANet). With either card I can connect to the iPhone if I boot the laptop (VAIO AR270) in Windows, thus I would guess it is a driver/card compatibility problem.

With just the Intel, and nothing regarding wireless in rc.conf, running the command:

`ifconfig wlan0 create wlandev wpi0 wlanmode adhoc`

gives:


```
wpi0: IBSS mode not supported
ifconfig: SIOCIFCREATE2: Operation not supported
```

Reading through the manuals, it seems wpi(4) does not work in adhoc mode with all cards.

The Lucent Orinoco appears worse. With the same rc.conf as the intel (changing wpi to wi), it does not even connect to my router.  According to this post http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=19223, I'm not the first with this problem. It does however let me create wlan0 in adhoc mode, but it does not connect.

Should I be doing something different, or is neither card suitable for what I'm trying to do? From reading the wi(4) man panges, I thought that Lucent Orinoco with the Hermes chip should work. Can anyone suggest a card tested in adhoc mode under 8.1-Release? I am at a loss trying to guess.

For reference, here are rc.conf lines that connect the Intel with my router, but not the Lucent:


```
ifconfig_fxp0="up"
ifconfig_wpi0="ether 00:13:a9:28:48:65"
wlans_wpi0="wlan0" --- changed to: wlans_wi0="wlan0"
ifconfig_wlan0="ssid my_net wepmode on weptxkey 1 wepkey 1:0xYYYYYYYYYY"
cloned_interfaces="lagg0"
ifconfig_lagg0="laggproto failover laggport fxp0 laggport wlan0 192.168.1.10 netmask 255.255.255.0"
defaultrouter="192.168.1.1"
```

and /boot/loader.conf:


```
if_wpi_load="YES"
if_wi_load="YES"
wlan_wep_load="YES"
wlan_ccmp_load="YES"
wlan_tkip_load="YES"
```


----------



## bschmidt (Dec 7, 2010)

Your assumptions about wpi(4) are correct, it does not support Adhoc (aka IBSS) mode. wi(4) is broken as far as I know, I do not have hardware to test this, though, counting the number of PRs about those devices I'm pretty sure the driver is unusable in its current state.

If you want to do something non-standard, you're always best of using an Atheros based device, one of the older 5k series chips should definitely get you going.


----------



## aparasch (Dec 7, 2010)

Thanks, this clarifies that I have to get a new card. Will go with a D-Link WNA-2330 which should have an Atheros AR5215. Sooner or later I have to luck out...


----------

