Raspberry Pi irritation.

[notalwaysright]

Okay, I'm seriously desperate and want to punch this Pi right in it's tiny computer face. For a class I'm in, we get to pick our own project. Our group decided to make a Raspberry Pi into a wireless Tor router. The first thing is to make it into a wifi access point. I'm following this tutorial.

All is well until this command, towards the end of "Install Software":

sudo /usr/sbin/hostapd /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf

I get the following error:

ioctl[SIOCSIWMODE]: Invalid argument
Could not set interface to mode (3)!
Could not set interface to master mode!
rtl871xdrv driver initialization failed.
rmdir[ctrl_interface]: No such file or directory

In the /etc/hostapd/hostapd.confg file I've tried commenting out the driver line, same error. I've tried other drivers which result in the following error:

Line 2: invalid/unknown driver 'nl80211'
1 errors found in configuration file '/etc/hostapd/hostapd.config



I've tried to find the driver for the wifi adapter and several times thought I had, but the installation process is not... not... comprehensible. I'll be following along, either using directions from the internet or the driver's readme file, and it just becomes so convoluted. Another person in class (doing a different project, but still needed wifi) said his was fixed just by putting in a different driver.

I've also read that it has something to do with trying to go into master mode, but didn't see any fix that made any sense. Oh, the adapter I have is not the one used in the tutorial, BUT a member of my group had that exact adapter and is getting the same error as me.

Running lsusb returns:

5370 Ralink Technology, Corp. RT5370 Wireless Adapter

This has the capability to do what I'm asking it to do, but it is refusing.

[Chromatix]

Not all wifi adapters have the ability to act as Access Points, which is a whole other kettle of fish compared to acting as a Client Station or even an Ad Hoc Station, and requires significant extra functionality in the adapter's firmware.

Ab error regarding a switch into master mode sounds like exactly what you should get if you've stumbled into that problem.

[notalwaysright]

Well, all the info says that 5370 Ralink should work, and I iw list shows AP, which is supposed to mean it will work as an access point. But one group member has been bankrolling the project, since I'm so very broke. So I got the Amazon info from him of which specific adapter he ordered and here's what it says:

The Panda Wireless Combo includes one Panda PAU04 Mid-Range 150Mbps Wireless 11n USB Adapter with 2dBi antenna and one Panda PBU20 Bluetooth 2.0 USB adapter for Raspberry Pi Model A/B/B+/2. You need to use these two adapters with a powered USB hub because Raspberry Pi USB port doesn't provide sufficient currents for them to operate normally.

So that's not good. I need to ask him what the second adapter is, because he said he got it from adafruit, so I would assume it would be correct, but maybe they sell adapters that don't work. My eye is twitching.

[notalwaysright]

Just wanted to say, after going crazy obsessive on this project and spending SO MUCH time on it...

IT WORKS. I'M SO HAPPY.

It was freaking hostapd. Once I found one that was meant for the new drivers that the adapters use, and did a couple other things, it worked. Anyway, you know when you work on something for a long time without making any progress and then suddenly it works, and you're happy and tired and jittery from coffee? Yeah, that's me right now.

[Chromatix]

I'm glad it got sorted out. Meanwhile I have a custom kernel module which is causing panics...