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From: Ed Harrison <ed.harrison@verizon.net> ...

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I travel a lot for my work, and I've noticed many times that Linux wireless networking often doesn't connect to the networks that I'm offered in hotels.

I'm pretty sure (call me cynical, but...) that this is an issue with micro$oft base stations that expect a little bit of non-standard protocol. Since windoze adopts (creates?) that protocol, it all works for them, so nobody recognizes a problem.

Does Microsoft make WiFi base stations, as would be used in a business? Actually, I'd suspect the problem lies with the authentication server, where you have to log in to get to the internet. It's entirely possible that it is using something that's available in IE or Windows. I have never experienced such an issue anywhere I've used my computers, such as coffee shops, the library etc.

Is your problem that you can't get a WiFi connection? Or you can't get beyond authentication?

It might well be an authentication issue. I know networking quite well generally but don't really know anything about wireless specifically. So far as I remember though, these are always open networks (no key, not authentication required). And yes, my firewall is turned on!

I'll admit I'm amazed you've never seen this. I have it about 20~30% of the time. It's happened with every Linux I've tried to use on a laptop with wireless (9.1, 10.1, and 10.3 I think) Maybe I'm just special!

Here's what typically happens.

1) Network applet sees the access point, and I select it.

2) Network applet spins for a while, then gives up. I can repeat steps 1 and 2 as much as I like, and nothing will change.

3) I reboot into windoze, it connects as soon as I ask it to.

4) I reboot into Linux, and often it will then connect successfully.

Unfortunately, the place I'm in today, step 4 isn't working :(

I used to suspect the networks were just overcrowded, but so far I've _never_ had it fail to connect in the dreaded windoze :(

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I have had similar problems with hotels. Are you ever instructed to open your browser, where it goes to some hotel portal? You enter your room number, then it connects. Just a thought.

Sometimes I find that, but in this case--as is most common for me--it never actually connects at all. Certainly I've found several hotels that require me to do a web-based "login" and those often insist on using IE. What bloody-mindedness is that eh? But my situation is most commonly that the wireless connection never completes at all. Any more thoughts? Thanks all, Simon -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org