Member Avatar for lewashby

I just got a new Netgear N router. I didn't use the install CD because there is no computer besider our router and DSL modem. I just plugged it up and at all the Windows computers in the house seem to be able to connect just fine but my Linux computers keep failing to connect. They see it and show that there is a 74% signle but faile when connecting. The new router is almost exactly the same except that it's a new model.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by JorgeM

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For : seeing a solid RSSI (~74%) but failing to associate usually points at driver/firmware or an authentication/radio-mode mismatch rather than pure range. As suggested, confirm the router's security and band settings, then run a few targeted Linux checks to narrow the fault.

Identify the card and look for driver or firmware errors:

lspci -nnk | grep -iA3 net
lsusb
dmesg | egrep -i "wlan|wpa|firmware|assoc|auth"
ip link
iwconfig

Look in dmesg for messages like "firmware missing", "authentication timed out", or "association rejected" — those point to driver/firmware or encryption issues.

Practical router and client adjustments to try (brief, safe tests only): set the AP to 2.4 GHz or mixed b/g/n (some Linux drivers lack 5 GHz support), force WPA2‑PSK with AES only (avoid TKIP/mixed modes), disable WPS and MAC filtering temporarily, and use a fixed 20 MHz channel. If dmesg reports missing firmware or an unsupported driver, install the distro firmware packages or update the kernel/driver; some chipsets (Broadcom, older Atheros) require vendor firmware or alternate drivers.

For reference and platform-specific fixes, see the kernel wireless wiki and distro guides on wireless troubleshooting and wpa_supplicant:

ArchWiki — Wireless network configuration
wpa_supplicant documentation

Member Avatar for JorgeM

You don't need the install CD. Can you log into the router from a windows computer and verify that your wifi settings are supported by the wireless interface and driver on the Linux box? For example if you set the SSID to WPA2/AES encryption, make sure that's supported.

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