Wireless Woes! RTL8188CE

[What'sThisDo?]

Hi, Linux Mint 10 is my first linux install and I think I have everything working but the wireless. I have a realtek RTL8188CE wireless card. I tried the solution that seems to work for everyone else:

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sudo add-apt-repository ppa:lexical/hwe-wireless
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install rtl8192ce-dkms

but still no wireless.

I checked the "additional drivers" program and it says the driver is activated but not currently in use.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Also, my laptop has a little button that is supposed to turn the touchpad on and off. It works in windows but not linux. Any ideas?

[willie42]

This might be a dum question did you reboot

http://www1.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=10275073

[What'sThisDo?]

yep I rebooted. That thread you linked is actually one that I looked at while I was trying to figure this out.

[georgebastille]

Hello, this is my first post on the Linux Mint forums, I am a big fan of the Mint.

I recently got a Lenovo Edge 11 (AMD Nile version) which comes with the Realtek 8192ce (a.k.a 8188ce, not sure if they are exactly the same but the drivers are the same).

In Mint 10, the procedure to make wireless work is:

1. Download the driver from Realtek
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/dow ... loads=true
scroll down to the RTL8188ce or RTL8192CE-VA4 (drivers are identical) and download the unix driver

2. Extract the driver to somewhere in your home directory:

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tar xvf rtl8192ce_linux_2.6.0005.1116.2010.tar.gz 

3. Enter the directory you just created:

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cd ./rtl8192ce_linux_2.6.0005.1116.2010

4. Compile the driver:

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make

5. You cannot install the driver with sudo, you have to swith to root, so:

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sudo su

6. Install the driver:

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make install

7. Insert the driver into the running kernel:

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modprobe r8192ce_pci

8. Wireless should now work

Note, this also worked from the LiveCD, I downloaded the drivers onto a usb key, ran this procedure from the Mint 10 live cd and could use wireless during the install. The installer did not copy the module over, so I have to run exactly the same procedure upon reboot, but now it works like a charm.

Note 2, the source for the rtl8192ce is included into the 2.6.38 kernel:

http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/g ... 7b4f881d8d

when Mint updates to this kernel, our wireless woes will be over

[Derek_UK]

Hi georgebastille,

Thank you for your write up on Realtek wireless.

I have been trying set set the kids computer up using a wireless dongle.

I have downloaded teh correct file and followed your instructions, but when I get to step 4 make I get the error:

DV051 ~ $ cd ./rtl8192ce_linux_2.6.0005.1116.2010
DV051 ~/rtl8192ce_linux_2.6.0005.1116.2010 $ make
make: *** /lib/modules/2.6.35-28-generic-pae/build: No such file or directory. Stop.
make: *** [all] Error 2

I can switch to root no problem, so I tried again but nothing else will work from that point.

The folder name is exactly the same but i am new to Linux and I may be missing something.

Can you or anybody else help me please?

I am running Mint 10.

Many thanks

Derek

[georgebastille]

Hi Derek,

good to hear that you are getting your kids using Linux, I'm certain that just using Linux on a day to day basis generates an interest in computers and that is invaluable in this day and age.
I think the root of the problem you are having is that, since we are compiling a driver to run with the linux kernel on your machine we need some of the source code of the kernel. It is however necessary to have a working internet connection to run this fix. Can you temporarily plug the laptop in to your router with an Ethernet cable? If you can, the first thing I would try would be to install the kernel headers:

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sudo apt-get install linux-headers-generic

This installs the 'header' files (I'm nor sure if you are familiar with C programming, but the header files contain a list of all the methods in the kernel and how to call them without actually containing the body of the code). Try this and then try the make command again. If it is unsuccessful you can try installing the full source for the kernel you are using:

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sudo apt-get install linux-source

I hope this helps, let me know if you have further problems.

[Derek_UK]

Hi georgebastille

Thank you for your reply.

I ran a network cable down the stairs and into the router to get Internet access and ran the first line. This downloaded some updates so I tried to revert back to the previous "make" but it gave the same error.

I ran the second line, it downloaded and updated. I rebooted and checked it was wireless but it was not. I tried to pick up from the previous, got as far as "make" but it came back with the same error.

Unfortunately I am not familiar with C programming, which may be why I find Linux hard to work out. I am fine with the GUI side of it and I can follow instructions. My background is computer hardware with MS but after years of contemplating Linux I tried a few versions when Windows XP would not install and settled with Mint 9. Now the kids have mint 10 on a Dual boot with the original XP Home (as its a Dell with pre-installed genuine XP I left it on). The wireless works in XP so I know it is not faulty but i want to move completely away from MS and use Linux.

Regards

Derek.

[Derek_UK]

Hi

i still can't get wireless to work on this computer but I am about to put mint onto another computer as well.

Is there any difference between mint 9 and 10 for setting up wireless devices?

Derek.

[georgebastille]

Hi Derek,

did you make any progress? The release candidate for Linux Mint 11 is out and it contains wireless drivers for the Edged 11 Wireless card built in, so a hasslefree install. I can recommend it, let me know how you get on.

[Derek_UK]

Hi

I have given up with wireless for Mint as I do not understand the principles yet.

I have left the network cable running up the stairs into the kids room so they can choose which OS they want.

We still have Mint 9 on the main computer and we all like it.

I am keen on Mint 11 and I can't wait to try it out.

Regards

Derek.

[ProfoundBuzz]

7. Insert the driver into the running kernel:

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modprobe r8192ce_pci

Google brought me to this page and after following georgebastille's advice up until there worked fine but modprobe r8192ce_pci gave me a FATAL: Module r8192ce_pci not found.

Changing it to

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modprobe r8192e_pci

was the magic bullet for my machine.

All is working well in wireless land now

[TBABill]

If you had to modprobe the driver, you may need to go into /etc/modules and add the name of the module to the list as root (r8192e_pci), save and restart. That should automatically enable the driver on each restart.

[danger89]

Note: there is a new version of the RTL8188CE driver at the Realtek site:
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/dow ... #RTL8188CE