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I've got a generic Ralink wireless usb dongle, and a fresh install of Linux Mint 17 (cinnamon). I'd like to be able to use the dongle to connect to my wifi, so that i can free up some cat5 cables i have strewn about.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work by default, and I can't compile from source (it has errors). I apologize for the long post, but this is a condensed version of what I've tried in the last couple weeks.
To save some time, I'm going to paste the relevant system info below. First, uname -a
Linux stutter 3.13.0-24-generic #46-Ubuntu SMP Thu Apr 10 19:11:08 UTC 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
Here's the output from lsusb; to show the device is recognized. Device 5.
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 148f:7601 Ralink Technology, Corp.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 003: ID 413c:2005 Dell Computer Corp. RT7D50 Keyboard
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 046d:c016 Logitech, Inc. Optical Wheel Mouse
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
The output from iwconfig; to show that it isn't being used as a wifi device. I understand there should be an "ra0" in this list. eth0 and eth1 are both wired ports on my motherboard - it has two.
eth0 no wireless extensions.
eth1 no wireless extensions.
lo no wireless extensions.
Next, a lsmod, to show that the correct kernel modules are loaded. It's trimmed for brevity.
rt2800usb 27034 0
rt2x00usb 20742 1 rt2800usb
rt2800lib 89076 1 rt2800usb
rt2x00lib 55307 3 rt2x00usb,rt2800lib,rt2800usb
mac80211 626489 3 rt2x00lib,rt2x00usb,rt2800lib
cfg80211 484040 2 mac80211,rt2x00lib
crc_ccitt 12707 1 rt2800lib
bnep 19624 2
rfcomm 69160 0
bluetooth 395423 10 bnep,rfcomm
....
So it ought to work out of the box, but it doesn't. My next thought was to compile from source. I go to the 2870 download page (http://www.mediatek.com/en/downloads/rt2870usbrt2870rt2770/), which i believe is the exact version this chipset was built for - although I don't have the manual for this device, so I'm not really sure. Anyway, I download the package, inflate it, modify the following lines in os/linux/config.mk:
HAS_WPA_SUPPLICANT=y
HAS_NATIVE_WPA_SUPPLICANT_SUPPORT=y
Next I ensure that I've got all the right packages
sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) linux-firmware
And go back to the top level, trying out a "make". It doesn't take long before i hit the first errors:
/home/knetic/Downloads/DPO_RT5572_LinuxSTA_2.6.1.3_20121022/os/linux/../../os/linux/rt_linux.c:1141:20: error: incompatible types when assigning to type ‘int’ from type ‘kuid_t’
pOSFSInfo->fsuid = current_fsuid();
^
/home/knetic/Downloads/DPO_RT5572_LinuxSTA_2.6.1.3_20121022/os/linux/../../os/linux/rt_linux.c:1142:20: error: incompatible types when assigning to type ‘int’ from type ‘kgid_t’
pOSFSInfo->fsgid = current_fsgid();
^
make[2]: *** [/home/knetic/Downloads/DPO_RT5572_LinuxSTA_2.6.1.3_20121022/os/linux/../../os/linux/rt_linux.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [_module_/home/knetic/Downloads/DPO_RT5572_LinuxSTA_2.6.1.3_20121022/os/linux] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-3.13.0-24-generic'
make: *** [LINUX] Error 2
These errors are present in every version of the source on their site, not a single one of them builds for me. I'll admit that I could probably try to patch them myself, but I'd rather just buy a new device that has drivers which actually work, rather than trying to duct tape this one together.
So now I'm stuck - My stock drivers don't seem to believe that my device is for them, compiling from source seems to require a ton of patches, and nobody else seems to encounter these problems (every search seems to draw up an ocean of people who were able to compile from source).
I appreciate any help, I know this is sorta a niche question with a lot of info in it.
Thank you for taking the time to do such a thorough look into things - I really appreciate it. If i could give you double-rep for that, I would. I had no idea that the ID displayed by lsusb was enough to find out what brand it was. Given that the device seems abandoned by its' makers, I'll just spring for a new device - One that I know is actively supported. – Knetic – 2014-06-29T16:33:51.750
@Knetic yes,I agree this is the wiser choice – MariusMatutiae – 2014-06-30T05:23:34.723