[NCLUG] Help with wireless USB

[Bill Thorson]

Folks,

I am stumped and just want to see if someone local has the experience I 
do not.  I've scoured the net for ideas.

I took a chance and just picked up a wireless-N USB device at Best Buy 
expecting that I could figure out how to make it work.  I have lived and 
worked in a strictly Linux ( Microsoft Free Zone(TM) ) since 1992.  In 
the old days I would have never spent money without knowing first.  I 
thought we were almost beyond those days.  I've built more drivers and 
kernels that any non-kernel developer should ever have to.  For the last 
few years I have carefully tried to avoid that.  That being said, here 
is the problem.

I picked up an Actiontec Wireless N USB Adapter 
<http://www.actiontec.com/products/product.php?pid=196> at Best Buy a 
couple weeks ago.  Unknowingly, it is one of these cool new "driver 
less" devices.  In this case it means it shows up first as a USB disk 
with a windows driver and after windows installs the driver it becomes a 
net adapter and never shows up as a disk again.  That's cool, the 
fantastic Linux folks have already gotten beyond that weirdness. 

Anyway, as far as I can tell, the driver knows and supports my device, 
knows how to screw with the usb disk first stuff and should be able to 
work.  It just doesn't!  Any help appreciates and info below.

Bill
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OS: Ubuntu 910 (Karmic) with all updates

root# cat /proc/version
Linux version 2.6.31-20-generic (buildd at palmer) (gcc version 4.4.1 
(Ubuntu 4.4.1-4ubuntu8) ) #58-Ubuntu SMP Fri Mar 12 05:23:09 UTC 2010

root# lsmod |grep zd
zd1211rw               45472  0
mac80211              181140  1 zd1211rw
cfg80211               93052  2 zd1211rw,mac80211

root# lsusb |grep Zy
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 0ace:20ff ZyDAS

root# modinfo zd1211rw
filename:       
/lib/modules/2.6.31-20-generic/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/zd1211rw/zd1211rw.ko
version:        1.0
author:         Daniel Drake
author:         Ulrich Kunitz
description:    USB driver for devices with the ZD1211 chip.
license:        GPL
srcversion:     891EB6D7C8EF72E1D24FD0E
alias:          usb:v0ACEp20FFd*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
  ...
alias:          usb:v0ACEp1211d*dc*dsc*dp*ic*isc*ip*
depends:        mac80211,cfg80211
vermagic:       2.6.31-20-generic SMP mod_unload modversions 586

root# dmesg (edited for pertinent info)
[1352654.940082] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
[1352655.121201] usbcore: registered new interface driver zd1211rw
[1352655.236169] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
[1352655.236174]        (start_freq - end_freq @ bandwidth), 
(max_antenna_gain, max_eirp)
[1352655.236178]        (2402000 KHz - 2472000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 
mBi, 2000 mBm)
[1352655.236181]        (2457000 KHz - 2482000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 
mBi, 2000 mBm)
[1352655.236184]        (2474000 KHz - 2494000 KHz @ 20000 KHz), (300 
mBi, 2000 mBm)
[1352655.236187]        (5170000 KHz - 5250000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 
mBi, 2000 mBm)
[1352655.236191]        (5735000 KHz - 5835000 KHz @ 40000 KHz), (300 
mBi, 2000 mBm)
[1352684.344019] usb 1-5: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and 
address 5
[1352684.476987] usb 1-5: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
[1352684.477708] usb-storage: device ignored
[1352684.477747] usb 1-5: Ejecting virtual installer media...
[1352684.477754] zd1211rw: probe of 1-5:1.0 failed with error -22