Better WiFi network manager?

[nil_von_9wo]

 Maybe i misunderstand but that sounds like a security issue just hooking up to first available wifi network.
 Is it to much to ask for that if you change network the user have to acknowledge it, by actively doing so.
 Could you not just run the wifi tool when you want to connect to a new network it will then update the wifi.db to reflect that.
 Unless you know what you are doing dont edit the wifi.db your self leave it up for wifi tool.

 anyway i dont know if we are talking past each other but maybe simplified functionality description is needed for a better surgestion.
[/quote]

I think we are somewhat getting sidetracked and talking past each other.

By first available network, I meant first network which I've at some point indicated a willingness to use, although admittedly I would want to be informed whether I'm being connected to a secure or open network and there should be a preference for secured networks if/when they are available.


But my current problem has nothing at all with wishing to change networks.  When I sit in the Starbucks there are maybe 15 networks which get listed.  All but two (sometimes three) are properly secured.  One which isn't secured also can't be connected to as there is no DHCP server and/or they require a specific MAC address to connect.  The other two are both run by Starbucks and have identical SSID names "BTOpenNetwork" (or something like that -- which perhaps may be a problem as I though SSID names had to be unique... but it doesn't seem to completely cripple their network) and both operate on channel 11.  When I am in Starbucks, this is the only one I can connect to and I'm willing to accept the risk that this is an open network.

However, when I am using Tinycore to connect to BTOpenNetwork, the connection while valid and even useful is very unstable.  I am silently disconnected every few minutes and must manually reconnect.  With other operating systems (e.g. Puppy Linux), the network manager (Frisbee) quickly realizes and reconnects me without my ever needing to take any action (and I know it is the network manager because I see occasional pop-ups telling me it is doing this).

This is the only problem I am presently looking to solve.


(For whatever it is worth, I have verified that using wifi somewhere else, where I can get on a less trafficed private server, Tiny Core does not have any problem maintaining the connection, so I think that rules out driver problems.)

[nil_von_9wo]

"first available" could be achieved by setting essid to "any"

I think I'm missing come context to  help make use of this wisdom. (e.g. Where/how do I set essid?)

As indicated above, I'm not sure if that is exactly what I want though and we are getting off on a tangent from my real problem (also stated above).

[tinypoodle]

You not being sure what exactly you want and cramming many different aspects into one thread, I gave a very specific answer to one of all those...

A measure you can take to minimize dropping of connection is setting the rate of your radio to "1M", some radios/drivers accept "1M fixed" which is preferable.

If an explicit reconnection is required or not once a link has been disconnected may depend on specific radio/firmware/driver in use.

[aus9]

umm well I use wired internet and failed to get TC onto an android device that uses wireless thats my intro

however, I think the OP wants a more flexible network manager for wireless?

something that can show scan network results and he/she then selects which one
I gather, without knowing that Roberts tcz may have assumed a static location?

tinypoodle

I have the time to build something that is the base of the Ubuntu network package, its 2 packages the manager and its applet
I have found the source here
http://cgit.freedesktop.org/NetworkManager/NetworkManager/snapshot/NetworkManager-0.9.6.4.zip

and a mirror of the applet here
http://mirror.internode.on.net/pub/ubuntu/ubuntu/pool/main/n/network-manager-applet/network-manager-applet_0.9.6.2.orig.tar.xz

Altho I could go ahead and try to compile without your say so, I prefer your wisdom pls?

Do you think TinyCorers would want a "bloated" package but which enables more features?
--I intend no insult to those who have built packages already ok.

I don't want to compile it if theres an easier solution.

thanks for reading

[coreplayer2]

I think the repo has a few optional wireless managers

[roberts]

All this noise about wifi.tcz. wifi.tcz is a tiny script that provides a simple wifi tool. It is not static. I "eat my own dog food", i.e, I use at Starbucks, Panera Bread, Pete's, and several open wifi spots, as well as at home. To complain about missing features is like complaining about my use of busybox, or ash, or awk. You are free to choose any extension that suits your fancy. I plan no further bloat to wifi.tcz. I think you should stop complaining and choose another tool.

[tinypoodle]

One which isn't secured also can't be connected to as there is no DHCP server

A dhcpd server is not a requirement to connect.

The other two are both run by Starbucks and have identical SSID names "BTOpenNetwork" (or something like that -- which perhaps may be a problem as I though SSID names had to be unique... but it doesn't seem to completely cripple their network) and both operate on channel 11.

Such could indeed create a tricky situation.
Try specifying one specific ap to connect to by mac.
To be able to do so in managed mode may or may not require further steps of configuration, depending on driver.

However, when I am using Tinycore to connect to BTOpenNetwork, the connection while valid and even useful is very unstable.  I am silently disconnected every few minutes and must manually reconnect.  With other operating systems (e.g. Puppy Linux), the network manager (Frisbee) quickly realizes and reconnects me without my ever needing to take any action (and I know it is the network manager because I see occasional pop-ups telling me it is doing this).

That's an unfounded assumption; I could see connects and disconnects in real time in syslog (tail -f) without ever using any kind of "network manager".

[tinypoodle]

tinypoddle

I have the time to build something that is the base of the Ubuntu network package, its 2 packages the manager and its applet
I have found the source here
http://cgit.freedesktop.org/NetworkManager/NetworkManager/snapshot/NetworkManager-0.9.6.4.zip

and a mirror of the applet here
http://mirror.internode.on.net/pub/ubuntu/ubuntu/pool/main/n/network-manager-applet/network-manager-applet_0.9.6.2.orig.tar.xz

Altho I could go ahead and try to compile without your say so, I prefer your wisdom pls?

Do you think TinyCorers would want a "bloated" package but which enables more features?

Once you ask, personally I have had only the worst experiences with wireless under ubuntu, so I would never touch that.

[bmarkus]

There are full blown network managers already in TC repo for Gnome, KDE, etc.

[aus9]

tinypoodle and others

I am withdrawing my offer to build a ubuntu style network manager

sorry if it caused anyone grief 

[bmarkus]

tinypoddle and others

I am withdrawing my offer to build a ubuntu style network manager

sorry if it caused anyone grief 

Do not misunderstand my comment. I just referred to existing network managers in the repo to try before creating another one. Of course you are welcome to build and share another one

[nil_von_9wo]

You not being sure what exactly you want and cramming many different aspects into one thread, I gave a very specific answer to one of all those...

A measure you can take to minimize dropping of connection is setting the rate of your radio to "1M", some radios/drivers accept "1M fixed" which is preferable.

If an explicit reconnection is required or not once a link has been disconnected may depend on specific radio/firmware/driver in use.

Could you please be more explicit about how I might try this?

Thanks.

-Brian.

[nil_von_9wo]

http://cgit.freedesktop.org/NetworkManager/NetworkManager/snapshot/NetworkManager-0.9.6.4.zip

I think "NetworkManager" is already available through the app-browser, but I couldn't figure out how to get it to work even after installing the client as well.

Specifically, I could find where to add wireless networks in the client interface, but it didn't seem to have any way of knowing which wireless networks were available in my location and to set up a profile, I'd need to first know the MAC address to use (no idea why it couldn't just detect a default).

[nil_von_9wo]

All this noise about wifi.tcz. wifi.tcz is a tiny script that provides a simple wifi tool. It is not static. I "eat my own dog food", i.e, I use at Starbucks, Panera Bread, Pete's, and several open wifi spots, as well as at home. To complain about missing features is like complaining about my use of busybox, or ash, or awk. You are free to choose any extension that suits your fancy. I plan no further bloat to wifi.tcz. I think you should stop complaining and choose another tool.

Sorry if I offended you, but I never suggested or intended to suggest that wifi is useless, I merely intended to assert that it doesn't do everything I want it to do or it isn't clear to me how to do everything I want it to do, and if you go back to the original message or even look to the subject you will see that I was looking to do exactly that: choose another tool.

In fact, I even had/have one in mind that I like (frisbee) but as far as I can tell, it is only available for Puppy.

[nil_von_9wo]

A dhcpd server is not a requirement to connect.

True, but I neither know how to manually set the IP address when using wifi, nor do I know how to sniff out a valid range for that particular wireless network.

For all I know, the network could even be using MAC filtering.

The other two are both run by Starbucks and have identical SSID names "BTOpenNetwork" (or something like that -- which perhaps may be a problem as I though SSID names had to be unique... but it doesn't seem to completely cripple their network) and both operate on channel 11.

Such could indeed create a tricky situation.
Try specifying one specific ap to connect to by mac.
To be able to do so in managed mode may or may not require further steps of configuration, depending on driver.

This sounds worth trying, but you are currently talking over my head... if you could give me explicit steps how to try this, it will be appreciated.