How to compile Madwifi for Ath5k

Compiling drivers is easier than it sounds. Connect your ethernet cord and lets get started. First, open Terminal and enter:

wget http://snapshots.madwifi-project.org/madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6/madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6- r3875-20081105.tar.gz

This may be different depending on your card. Just Google it to figure out for sure.

Next, you need to unzip the file. Copy & paste this into Terminal:

tar -xvf madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6-r3875-20081105.tar.gz

Navigate to the file:

cd madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6-r3875-20081105

Ok, we need the tools to compile this code. Enter this into Terminal:

sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)

Now we can compile the code.

sudo make && sudo make install

You've now compile your madwifi drivers. To load the driver enter this:

sudo modprobe ath_pci

Network Manager should now recognize any wireless connections in range. Before we finish, let set the driver to load at boot. Enter this:

gksudo gedit /etc/modules

That brings up the file of modules (drivers) that load at boot time. Enter this at the bottom of the file:

ath_pci

Save and close. Now you're finished!


Disclaimer:
If you don't think you are qualified to compile modules or are just afraid to risk it, please don't try this. Also, before you follow my direction run lspci in Terminal. Search to find what Atheros wireless card you have. This is what it should look like: 04:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR242x 802.11abg Wireless PCI Express Adapter (rev 01). If it is different from mine search Google and make sure you can follow my directions or if you need a different module to compile. With That said, good luck!