WI(4)

NAME
wi - Lucent Hermes, and Intersil PRISM IEEE 802.11 driver

SYNOPSIS
To compile this driver into the kernel, place the following lines in your kernel configuration file:

device wi
device wlan

Alternatively, to load the driver as a module at boot time, place the following line in loader.conf(5):

    if_wi_load="YES"

DESCRIPTION
The wi driver provides support for 802.11b wireless network adapters based around the Lucent Hermes, Intersil PRISM-II, Intersil PRISM-2.5, and Intersil Prism-3 chipsets. All chipsets provide a similar interface to the driver. Only the Intersil chipsets support access point operation or WPA. Very old versions of firmware are not supported at all. Older versions of the firmware that are supported may severely limit the ability to use these cards in newer networks. Only relatively recent versions of Intersil firmware supports WPA. See CAVEATS for details. All host/device interaction is via programmed I/O, even on those cards that support a DMA interface.

For more information on configuring this device, see ifconfig(8).

wi supports station, adhoc, adhoc-demo, hostap, and monitor mode operation. Only one virtual interface may be configured at a time. For more information on configuring this device, see ifconfig(8).

Cards supported by the wi driver come in a variety of packages, though the most common are of the PCMCIA type. In many cases, the PCI version of a wireless card is simply a PCMCIA card bundled with a PCI adapter. The PCI adapters come in two flavors: true PCMCIA bridges and dumb PCMCIA bridges. A true PCMCIA bridge (such as those sold by Lucent) will attach as a real PCMCIA controller. The wireless card will then attach to the PCMCIA bus. Wireless cards in PCMCIA slots may be inserted and ejected on the fly.

A dumb bridge, on the other hand, does not show up as a true PCMCIA bus. The wireless card will simply appear to the host as a normal PCI device and will not require any PCMCIA support. Cards in this type of adapter should only be removed when the machine is powered down.

The following cards are among those supported by the wi driver:

Card Chip Bus 3Com AirConnect 3CRWE777A Prism-II PCI Accton airDirect WN3301 PCMCIA ACTIONTEC HWC01170 Prism-2.5 PCMCIA Adaptech ANW-8030 Prism-3 PCMCIA Addtron AWP-100 Prism-II PCMCIA Adtec Adlink/340C Prism-II PCMCIA Airvast WN 100 Prism-3 PCMCIA Airway 802.11 Adapter PCMCIA Agere Orinoco Hermes PCMCIA Allied Telesis WR211PCM Prism-II PCMCIA ArTem OnAir Prism? PCMCIA Asus WL100 Prism-2.5 PCMCIA Avaya Wireless Prism-II PCMCIA Bay eMobility 11B Prism-2.5? PCMCIA Blue Concentric Circle WL-379F Prism-II CF BreezeNet Wireless Prism-II PCMCIA Buffalo WLI-PCM-S11 Prism-II PCMCIA Buffalo WLI-PCM-L11G Hermes PCMCIA Buffalo WLI-CF-S11G Prism-II CF Buffalo WLI2-CF-S11G Prism 2.5 CF Cabletron RoamAbout Hermes PCMCIA Compaq Agency NC5004 Prism-II PCMCIA Compaq WL100 Prism-II PCMCIA Compaq WL110 Hermes PCMCIA Compaq WL200 Prism-II PCMCIA Contec FLEXLAN/FX-DS110-PCC Prism-II PCMCIA Corega PCC-11 Prism-II PCMCIA Corega PCCA-11 Prism-II PCMCIA Corega PCCB-11 Prism-II PCMCIA Corega CGWLPCIA11 Prism-II PCI Dell TrueMobile 1150 Hermes PCMCIA Dlink Air 660 Prism-II PCMCIA Dlink DWL520 Prism-2.5 PCI Dlink DWL650 Prism-2.5 PCMCIA ELECOM Air@Hawk/LD-WL11/PCC PCMCIA ELSA MC-11 PCMCIA ELSA XI300 Prism-II PCMCIA ELSA XI325 Prism-2.5 PCMCIA ELSA APDL325 Prism-2.5 PCMCIA ELSA XI330 Prism-3 PCMCIA ELSA XI800 Prism-II CF EMTAC A2424i Prism-II PCMCIA Farallon Skyline Prism-II PCMCIA Gemtek WL-311 Prism-2.5 PCMCIA Hawking Technology WE110P Prism-2.5 PCMCIA Home Wireless Networks Prism-II PCMCIA IBM High Rate Wireless Hermes PCMCIA ICOM SL-1100 Prism-II PCMCIA I-O DATA WN-B11/PCM Prism-II PCMCIA Intersil Prism II Prism-II PCMCIA Intersil Mini-PCI Prism-2.5 PCI Intersil ISL37100P Prism-3 PCMCIA Intersil ISL37110P Prism-3 PCMCIA Intersil ISL37300P Prism-3 PCMCIA Laneed Wireless PCMCIA Linksys Instant Wireless WPC11 Prism-II PCMCIA Linksys Instant Wireless WPC11 2.5 Prism-2.5 PCMCIA Linksys Instant Wireless WPC11 3.0 Prism-3 PCMCIA Linksys WCF11 Prism-3 PCMCIA Linksys WCF12 Prism-3 CF Lucent WaveLAN Hermes PCMCIA Melco Airconnect Prism-II PCMCIA Microsoft MN-520 WLAN Prism-II PCMCIA NANOSPEED ROOT-RZ2000 Prism-II PCMCIA NCR WaveLAN/IEEE 802.11 PCMCIA NDC/Sohoware NCP130 Prism-II PCI NEC CMZ-RT-WP Prism-II PCMCIA NEC PK-WL001 Lucent PCMCIA NEC PC-WL/11C Prism-II PCMCIA Netgear MA311 Prism-2.5 PCI Netgear MA401 Prism-II/2.5 PCMCIA Netgear MA401RA Prism-II PCMCIA Netgear MA701 Prism-II CF NOKIA C020 WLAN Prism-II PCMCIA NOKIA C110 WLAN Prism-2.5 PCMCIA NTT-ME 11Mbps Wireless LAN Prism-II PCMCIA Planex GeoWave/GW-NS110 Prism-II PCMCIA Planex GW-NS11H Prism-II PCMCIA Proxim Harmony Prism-II PCMCIA Proxim RangeLAN-DS Prism-II PCMCIA Samsung MagicLAN SWL-2000N Prism-II PCMCIA SENAO SL-2511CD Prism-3 PCMCIA Siemens SpeedStream SS1021 Prism-II PCMCIA Siemens SpeedStream SS1021 Prism-3 PCMCIA SMC 2532W-B Prism-II PCMCIA SMC 2602 EZ Connect (3.3V) Prism-II PCI or PCMCIA SMC 2632 EZ Connect Prism-II PCMCIA Socket Low Power WLAN-CF Prism-II CF Sony PCWA-C100 Lucent PCMCIA Sony PEGA-WL110 Prism-2.5 PCMCIA TDK LAK-CD011WL Prism-II PCMCIA Toshiba Wireless LAN Card Prism-II PCMCIA U.S. Robotics Wireless Card 2410 Prism-II PCMCIA YIS YWL-11B Prism-II PCMCIA

Several vendors sell PCI adapters built around the PLX Technology 9050 or 9052 chip. The following such adapters are supported or expected to work:

3Com AirConnect 3CRWE777A (3.3V)
Belkin F5D6000 (a rebadged WL11000P)
Eumitcom WL11000P
Global Sun Technology GL24110P (untested)
Global Sun Technology GL24110P02
LinkSys WDT11 (a rebadged GL24110P02)
Netgear MA301
US Robotics 2415 (rebadged WL11000P)
Wisecom Wireless LAN PCI Adapter

The following adapters have the same model numbers as those listed above, but might not work if the actual card is after the change away from the Prism family:

DLink DWL520

EXAMPLES
Join an existing BSS network (ie: connect to an access point):

    ifconfig wlan create wlandev wi0 inet 192.168.0.20 \
        netmask 0xffffff00

Join a specific BSS network with network name “my_net”:

    ifconfig wlan create wlandev wi0 inet 192.168.0.20 \
        netmask 0xffffff00 ssid my_net

Join a specific BSS network with WEP encryption:

    ifconfig wlan create wlandev wi0 inet 192.168.0.20 \
        netmask 0xffffff00 ssid my_net \
        wepmode on wepkey 0x8736639624 weptxkey 1

Join a Lucent legacy demo ad-hoc network with network name “my_net”:

    ifconfig wlan create wlandev wi0 wlanmode ahdemo \
        inet 192.168.0.20 netmask 0xffffff00 ssid my_net

Join/create an IBSS network with network name “my_net”:

    ifconfig wlan create wlandev wi0 wlanmode adhoc wi0 \
        inet 192.168.0.22 netmask 0xffffff00 ssid my_net

Create a host-based access point (Prism only):

    ifconfig wlan create wlandev wi0 wlanmode hostap \
        inet 192.168.0.10 netmask 0xffffff00 ssid my_ap

Create a host-based access point with WEP enabled (Prism only) and plumb it into bridge to fxp0:

    ifconfig wlan0 create wlandev wi0 wlanmode hostap \
        inet 192.168.0.10 netmask 0xffffff00 ssid my_ap \
        wepmode on wepkey 0x1234567890 weptxkey 1
    ifconfig bridge0 create
    ifconfig bridge0 addm wlan0 addm fxp0 up

This will give you the same functionality as an access point.

DIAGNOSTICS

wi%d: init failed The WaveLAN card failed to become ready after an initialization command was issued.

wi%d: failed to allocate %d bytes on NIC The driver was unable to allocate memory for transmit frames in the NIC's on-board RAM. This can also be an indication of an incorrectly configured interrupt.

wi%d: device timeout The WaveLAN card failed to generate an interrupt to acknowledge a transmit command.

SEE ALSO
intro(4), pccard(4), pccbb(4), pcic(4), wlan(4), wlan_ccmp(4), wlan_tkip(4), wlan_wep(4), wlan_xauth(4), hostapd(8), ifconfig(8), wpa_supplicant(8). HCF Light programming specification, http://web.archive.org/web/20040130141721/http://wavelan.com/.

HISTORY
The wi device driver first appeared in FreeBSD 3.0.

AUTHORS
The original wi driver was written by Bill Paul <wpaul@ctr.columbia.edu>. This man page comes from OpenBSD.

CAVEATS
The driver will reject devices with old firmware to avoid dealing with numerous defects. Unfortunately the driver does not support downloading new firmware to the card so if new firmware is needed users will have to boot a different system to accomplish this.

Intersil Prism cards must have firmware versions 0.8.0 or later and version 1.7.0 or later are required to support functionality such as WPA. Some users of Prism-II and 2.5 based cards report that station firmware version 1.3.4 works better for them in hostap than 1.4.9. Older versions of the Prism station firmware have a number of issues with hostap mode. The IBSS/adhoc mode appears to work well on station firmware 1.3.1 and later. The IBSS/adhoc mode appears to have problems for some people with older versions of station firmware.

Lucent cards prior to firmware version 6.0.6 do not implement IBSS mode and are not supported.

Prior versions of wi supported Symbol firmware. That support has been removed due to persistent problems with this firmware as well as getting proper documentation on this firmware.

Hermes 2 and Hermes 3 chips are not supported by this driver.

Here's the above requirements in the form of a table

Firmware Minimum WPA Host AP Adhoc/IBSS Prism II/2.5 0.8.0 1.7.0 1.3.4 1.3.1 Prism 3 0.8.0 1.7.0 1.4.9 1.3.1 Hermes 6.0.6 none none 6.0.6 Symbol none none none none

BUGS
Not all the new messages are documented here, and many of them are indications of transient errors that are not indications of serious problems.