Cannot add/set wireless interface [Solved]

Stirlitz · Dec 26, 2016, 7:19 AM

Hello.

I try to use pfSense with an wireless card first time. I have 2.2.6 installed to thin HP client with one Ethernet card (vr0) and one USB WiFi stick (rsu0). I can assign both cards, but cannot setup any WiFi settings. In wireless tab I cannot add any interface (no parent interface).

I tried assign only an ethernet card and leave an wireless unassigned, but cannot add interface on Wireless tab too.

In interface settings I don't have a wireless section. I can set a media speed and it's WiFi values (802.11b or 802.11g speeds), but cannot set a WiFi network.

What I need to do for creating of Wireless interface and set it? Wireless must be WAN interface, ethernet card as LAN.

PS: any chances to enable 802.11n with it?

doktornotor · Dec 26, 2016, 9:48 AM

You need to assign the interface first.

Stirlitz · Dec 26, 2016, 9:53 AM

No changes. It was assigned first, no wireless settings (settings page are same for ethernet and wireless cards).
I cannot add something on Wireless tab in any case too, interface assigned or not.

Now I think to config it manually from command prompt… I cannot find a way to set BSSID, WPA2 key from web.

doktornotor · Dec 26, 2016, 10:11 AM

You do NOT add anything on the wireless tab unless you want to clone the interface (generally only supported with Atheros). You go to the assigned interface and configure things there.

Stirlitz · Dec 26, 2016, 10:35 AM

I try a wireless tab only as another way for find any wireless settings…

I don't have any wireless settings in interface settings. For both cards I have only standard fields.

It was first what I did: assign rsu0 to WAN, vr0 to LAN, set IP/network for LAN, reboot, go to WebConfigurator, go to Interfaces->Assign, click to WAN. And only standard fileds, nothing about wireless. I think WebConfigurator cannot understand that it's wireless card (maybe rsu driver is not supported by it, because I cannot find rsu driver in hardware list on Wiki, and I need to add rsu to some config file of WebConfigurator).

doktornotor · Dec 26, 2016, 3:52 PM

I have no idea what's rsu0 but that's definitely not supported wireless interface. Using outdated pfSense/FreeBSD versions absolutely does NOT help to get better support/drivers for various wifi junk. Use 2.4 or 2.3.3 snapshots at minimum.

Stirlitz · Dec 26, 2016, 6:06 PM

It's Realtek USB stick driver. Supported in old and new FreeBSD. I tried set license ack flag, no success. In pfSense no firmware module for this driver, but FreeBSD 10.x has it.

I cannot use higher versions, it's old 32bit hardware with 512Mb DOM IDE disk. 2.3 is too big but based on same FreeBSD 10.x, 2.4 needs 64bit.

In FreeBSD man I found that I need make a clone of this interface, and then I can set anything for new wlan interface. I'll try it. Unfortunately FreeBSD don't support 802.11n for many drivers.

doktornotor · Dec 26, 2016, 6:13 PM

https://netgate.com/products/sg-1000.html

Stirlitz · Dec 26, 2016, 6:28 PM

Where is WiFi in it?

I can install two ethernet cards and here (it works with two cards and external ethernet/wlan adapter), but I need wlan WAN via USB stick. And I have small fanless HP client with 1.4GHz Geode CPU only for $15. :) If no success with pfSense, I'll try OpenWRT… I need just small proxy server: squid, firewall, speed limitation and cron...

doktornotor · Dec 26, 2016, 6:38 PM

@Stirlitz:

Where is WiFi in it?

I can install two ethernet cards and here (it works with two cards and external ethernet/wlan adapter), but I need wlan WAN via USB stick.

Yeah, so connect it. I'm not promoting that particular HW, just saying the one you are using is dead end.

Stirlitz · Dec 26, 2016, 6:54 PM

@doktornotor:

Yeah, so connect it. I'm not promoting that particular HW, just saying the one you are using is dead end.

I have pfSense with two cards and external adapter (because WiFi supporting in FreeBSD too horrible). On old hardware. And it works perfect. In current case maybe pfSense is dead end, because performance of hardware is bigger than I need, and bigger than a lot of ARM hardware… In any case - I don't want to use two cards with external WiFi (two devices and I must use HP without of cover), I need USB wlan. I think pfSense for ARM has the same drivers as for x86, so, no different, what I use. Yes, 2.4 is based on FreeBSD 11, but 802.11n in it also works very poor, as I understood from BSD forums... I don't have Atheros USB adapters, only Ralink and Realtek. Ralink crashes a pfSense 2.2.6.

I can try 2.4 on vmware machine for testing, but later.

doktornotor · Dec 26, 2016, 7:23 PM

Well, actually no, you do NOT need a USB WLAN. What you really DO need is connecting a piece of HW purpose made as WiFi AP to an ethernet connector and forget about doing WiFi on your firewall.

Stirlitz · Dec 27, 2016, 9:31 AM

It depends from requirements. My task now - make small device with WiFi and LAN. It's not a project task or critical - it's for me. If pfSense cannot help - I'll change a software, not hardware configuration. :) I want to create it on my old hardware, provide a second life for it.

Now I can run rsu0 as wireless.
1. I used this man. After```
rsu-rtl8712fw_load="YES"

2\. For wlan networking I used this [man](https://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/network-wireless.html). With```
ifconfig wlan0 create wlandev rsu0
```I have wlan0 wireless interface which can be connected to WiFi network. I spent a lot of time for running WPA, but did it. Unfortunately 802.11g mode only, but it's FreeBSD restriction.

Unfortunately I cannot put it in pfSense config now, rc.conf not helpful, /etc/defaults/rc.conf also don't create a wlan0 interface. pfSense also cannot use wlan0 as interface, because tries to make clone of it (as I understand, try to run ifconfig create again). I need to understand, how I can tell pfSense, that rsu0 is wireless device. So, I continue.

jahonix · Dec 27, 2016, 9:56 AM

@Stirlitz:

I have 2.2.6 installed to thin HP client with one Ethernet card (vr0) and one USB WiFi stick (rsu0)

Which HP thin client is that? Some have an internal PCI slot you could use to plug in a WLAN card with a supported chipset.
Way better that fiddling around with USB WLAN on FreeBSD…

Stirlitz · Dec 28, 2016, 8:26 AM

@jahonix:

Which HP thin client is that? Some have an internal PCI slot you could use to plug in a WLAN card with a supported chipset.
Way better that fiddling around with USB WLAN on FreeBSD…

HP t5720. It has internal PCI but for installing of PCI card I need to make holes in case and leave it without of cover. Also I need to isolate a PCI card from USB connectors (PCI card cannot be installed easy, only with little curve, and it's not good for PCB).

For it I have modified loader.conf.local: debug.acpi.disabled="thermal" , I wrote it on forum here. Without of it I had flood of ACPI errors.

So… Solution is quite easy. :) I have compared what pfSense added to wlan0 interface when I assign it to WAN. Just ... <wireless>. I have added it to config file in rsu0 section - and voila! I have wireless settings for rsu0 and can use it.

			<if>rsu0</if>
			 <blockbogons>....
			 <wireless>....</wireless></blockbogons>

PS: using of new firmware for rsu and adding of```
legal.realtek.license_ack=1
rsu-rtl8712fw_load="YES"


PS2: For this client with high bandwidth you may have APIC errors. In this case disable APIC in device.hints.

![pf6.png](/public/_imported_attachments_/1/pf6.png)
![pf6.png_thumb](/public/_imported_attachments_/1/pf6.png_thumb)</wireless>