Ubuntu, How to get Linksys Wireless N USB Adapter working in Ubuntu
Linksys Wireless N USB Adapter (AE1200-CA)
Introduction
To get drivers to work for Ubuntu is a slight hassle compared to installing it on Windows. However, I hope to help you get through the process for this particular Linksys Wireless N USB adapter.
There are no built in drivers for Ubuntu, therefore we must use a program to get the windows drivers working in Ubuntu. We do this with the program ndisgtk.
When I first started to experiment with Linux over 10 years ago; the support and resources to get PCI and wireless adapters working was not easy and it was a confusing daunting task. I hope this article will help newcomers to Ubuntu to get the Internet working for Ubuntu.
So here we go.
Step 1: Get Linksys Wireless N USB drivers
The drivers will be either on the CD that came with the Wireless USB adapter or you can download them at Linksys.com website.
To get the drivers from the CD, go to the:
CD-ROM drive :\drivers\xp\
and copy the entire folder to a directory of your choosing, I happened to use:
user@ubuntu:~$ /Documents/xp/
So, now you have the windows drivers in your desired location. You’ll need this location for Step 4.
Step 2: Get Internet Connection
For simplicity, move the computer close to your router and connect the computer directly to the router by RJ45 Ethernet cable and this will ensure that you have Internet connections when downloading and installing the ndisgtk program.
Make sure you are connected to the Internet by opening the web browser a visiting a online website.
Step 3: Install ndisgtk
Update your repositories; I had an error with my ndisgtk, it said an error about the program being superseded. So, run the following command to ensure that you’ll have no issues.
user@ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get update
Then, to get ndisgtk run:
user@ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get install ndisgtk
Step 4: Run ndisgtk
user@ubuntu:~$ sudo ndisgtk
Click Install New Driver
Choose your location for your windows wireless drivers from Step 1. You need to choose the .inf file. So choose .inf file and close the program when it is completed.
Step 5: Reboot computer or restart the networking
user@ubuntu:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart
Step 6: Finished
I hope this helped you to install your new Wireless USB adapter for Linksys.
If you are still having difficulties, please go to:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/Driver/Ndiswrapper
as this will explain in more detail the steps needed to get your wireless adapter to work. However, it may use the command line approach more.