02_wifi.md

Install WiFi on RaspberryPI with Debian

Rename Host (optional)

1. sudo nano /etc/hostname and change the name

• sudo nano /etc/hostname and enter your name on 127.0.1.1

Hardware detection

You don't know which hardware you've connected to your raspberry pi? No problemo!

1. Get a wired SSH connect to your Raspberry pi

• Type lsub
• Search for a driver https://wiki.debian.org/wifi

Install Driver

If you you bought the USB WiFi adapter from CSL (http://astore.amazon.de/nrdev-21) you can install driver easy like this:

1. Add a "non-free" component to sources.list with sudo editor /etc/apt/sources.list

• for example: deb http://http.debian.net/debian/ wheezy main contrib non-free
• or deb-src http://mirror.ox.ac.uk/sites/archive.raspbian.org/archive/raspbian/ wheezy main contrib non-free rpi
• Update the list of available packages: sudo aptitude update
• Install the firmware-realtek package: sudo aptitude install firmware-realtek

Configure network with static IP

1. iwlist scan
2. Encode passphrase wpa_passphrase YOUR_SSID YOUR_PASSPHRASE
3. Edit interface file sudo editor /etc/network/interfaces

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

# Wired
iface eth0 inet static
  address   192.168.2.50
  broadcast 192.168.2.255
  gateway   192.168.2.1

# WiFi
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet static
  address         192.168.1.155
  broadcast       192.168.1.255
  gateway         192.168.1.1
  network         192.168.1.0
  netmask         255.255.255.0
  dns-search      piball.nr
  dns-nameservers 192.168.1.4 192.168.1.41
  wpa-ssid        access-point
  wpa-psk         xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


# Default
iface default inet dhcp

4. Add Nameserver

sudo editor /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/base

nameserver 192.168.1.4
nameserver 192.168.1.40

5. Check your WiFi settings ifconfig
6. Restart your WiFi sudo ifdown wlan0 && sudo ifup wlan0
7. Check your WiFi settings ifconfig
8. Check your WiFi settings iwconfig

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Alternatives

It has been my experience that the WiFi connection can be very unstable. If this is the case, the installation of a network manager's worth.

Good experience I made with wicd:

sudo aptitude update
sudo aptitude install wicd wicd-curses

After install you can run the networkmanager with: Good experience I made with wicd.

sudo wicd-curses

Good luck! 👀

❗ Caution! The setup of the network can be the hardest part of the whole project!