Driver present, but adaptor doesn't work

1

I want to use the USB 2.0 Ethernet Adaptor on my Linux computer (kernel 3.2.0.26-generic), and I see the asix.ko driver is already present in my lib/modules/3.2.0.26-generic/kernel/drivers/net/usb directory.
What do I need to do to get the adaptor working?

2

I’ve checked that the module is mounted - it wan’t at first but it is now (with modprobe).
But still no connection. What do I need to do?
Thanks, Ray

3

Hi Ray,

Thanks for your post. You may need to configure your network connection. How that’s done depends on the distro you are using. If you can send in a few more details, we’ll be able to help more. Things I need to know:

  1. Your Amazon Order Id

  2. The distribution of Linux you have.

  3. Is the network cable connected to a DHCP server?

Thanks,
Jerome.

Plugable Technologies

4

Thanks Jerome.

  1. Amazon order ID: 203-6092237-2386768
  2. Linux: Xubuntu, kernel 3.2.0.27
  3. Network manager set to “Automatic (DHCP)”

Ray

5

Sorry - probably should have said the Xubuntu is the 12.04 release.
Ray

6

Hi Ray,

I installed a 12.04 Ubuntu desktop to test on and both of our USB Ethernet adapters, the 10/100 and 10/100/1000 work out of the box.

Let’s look at your network setup a bit so we can get a base line for troubleshooting.
First, can you connect if you use the same Ethernet cable connecting to a built-in adapter that you know works? You’ll want to make sure that there’s a DHCP server on the upstream end of the cable and that the lights come on when you plug the cable into the adapter.

Let me know these additional details and we’ll figure out our next steps.

Thanks,
Jerome.

7

Thanks again Jerome.
The computer (Acer X1930) worked fine with the built-in adaptor at first, but then stopped connecting or connecting very slow and unreliable. I changed the cable, but that didn’t fix it (and also tried the cable on another computer and it was fine).
I suspected a hardware fault with the built-in adaptor, so bought the Plugable.

The Plugable lights come on when the cable is connected.
The router (BTHomeHub 2) has DHCP activated.

In case it helps, here’s the output when I run Network Manager Tool:

When there’s no connection at all, I get:

[output start]

State: connecting

  • Device: eth1 [Wired connection 2] -------------------------------------------
    Type: Wired
    Driver: asix
    State: connecting (getting IP configuration)
    Default: no
    HW Address: 00:50:B6:0B:52:3B

Capabilities:
Carrier Detect: yes
Speed: 100 Mb/s

Wired Properties
Carrier: on

[output end]

Occasionally there is a connection, but it is hopelessly slow and unreliable. On these occasions, the NM Tool gives:

[output start]

State: connected (global)

  • Device: eth1 [Wired connection 2] -------------------------------------------
    Type: Wired
    Driver: asix
    State: connected
    Default: yes
    HW Address: 00:50:B6:0B:52:3B

Capabilities:
Carrier Detect: yes
Speed: 100 Mb/s

Wired Properties
Carrier: on

IPv4 Settings:
Address: 192.168.1.66
Prefix: 24 (255.255.255.0)
Gateway: 192.168.1.254

DNS: 192.168.1.254

[output end]

Finally, details from the BT Hub:

Hub IP Address 192.168.1.254
Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
DHCP Server Enabled
Start address 192.168.1.64
End address 192.168.1.237

Hope you can help me, Jerome. I’m having to use another computer for all communications and it’s very frustrating.

Best wishes,
Ray

8

Another piece of info, Jerome. I fired up Windows 7 on the computer (I rarely do this - I normally operate only Linux). Both the built-in adaptor and the Plugable gave immediate connection - BUT the connection was clearly struggling. Simple web pages loaded fast but anything needing more data-flow, such as video, TV, etc, kept buffering, faltering or completely freezing.
The computer works perfectly in all other operations - big software packages load quickly and things needing fast processing are fine - it is only on external connection that these problems occur.
Might this indicate a hardware problem in some part of the computer that deals with connection apart from the adaptor? How can I check this?

Thanks,
Ray

9

Hi Ray,

it sounds like there’s a problem with the upstream router. The first thing I would do is power cycle the BT Hub, wait for it to boot all the way up and then disable Wi-Fi temporarily. Next connect just one computer directly to the BT Hub, use a short known good Ethernet cable and connect directly to one of the ports on the hub.

Try both the built in adapter and your USB adapter. If you are getting unpredictable speeds with both, you’ll want to see how your upstream speed are looking.

You can use an online speed test web site like speedtest.net.

If you run the test at different times and get very different results, there’s possibly something going on with your ISP connection.

Let me know if this helps,
Thanks,
Jerome.