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Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 29th 18, 09:10 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Micky
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,528
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

At a hamfest today, I bought a 11AC USB Wireless Adapter, so I could use
my phone as a hotspot if my home internet goes out again.

I overpaid for a generic adapter, and I coudl just take my loss and buy
a new one, but I really reallly really want to learn from this.

First the device plugs into USB, I get a message that says it's loading,
and it shows up in Device Manager which says it's working properly. As
one of 10 network adapters. It has no yellow. Does that mean I don't
need the driver that is supposed to be on the mini-CD that came with it?

Isn't there supposed to be a screen that shows the various wifi signals
around me and allows me to pick the one I want?




If I need more software, is there any source for generic software, to
list available wifi signals and let me choose one. Is all that included
in "driver" if I find a downloadable driver on the web????

The instructions give a download url at www.mediatek.com but there is no
longer anything downloadable there. I thought I'd heard of that company
and that it was a good one!

Though everything looks new, even the bag the mini-CD was in, the CD
cannot be fully read. It will show the high-level directory but the
blue circle keeps spinning. And even then, though some file names look
good, others have a row of ???? in them. Like abc?????.pdf !!!

Once it stopped spinning but when I tried to look inside a subdirectory,
again the spinning blue circle.

I can't get the CD to display even that much anymore. I thought I heard
water dripping, but eventually I realized it was the CD drive, every
couple seconds, and when I opened it, the metal plate under the CD was
hot, quite hot!!

For a while my CD drive didn't work at all anymore, with another CD and
a DVD. Now the CD works again but I can't play the DVD. Which is more
likely. The drive brokee so it won't play the new CD, or the new CD
caused the drive to overheat and broke it? (I'll try with more CDs and
DVDs and replace the drive if need be. )

This new mini CD has a quarter inch "scratch" near the outer edge, but I
thought the CD is written from the center out so any damage at the outer
edge would be in a file. ?


The top level directory has subs for Mac, Linux, and two kinds of
Windows. Huh? Migdal and Amway, or some such names. What are
they????
Ads
  #2  
Old July 29th 18, 10:02 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Paul[_32_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 11,873
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

micky wrote:
At a hamfest today, I bought a 11AC USB Wireless Adapter, so I could use
my phone as a hotspot if my home internet goes out again.

I overpaid for a generic adapter, and I coudl just take my loss and buy
a new one, but I really reallly really want to learn from this.

First the device plugs into USB, I get a message that says it's loading,
and it shows up in Device Manager which says it's working properly. As
one of 10 network adapters. It has no yellow. Does that mean I don't
need the driver that is supposed to be on the mini-CD that came with it?

Isn't there supposed to be a screen that shows the various wifi signals
around me and allows me to pick the one I want?


In Device Manager, if you do Properties on an item
like that, there should be a driver file list. From the
file names, you can get some idea whether just some
portion of a composite device got loaded, or the
entire device loaded.

And drivers aren't the end of the story. There can be
applications software or control panels, which don't come
with the OS. The OS may have "Class drivers" for the generic
lower parts of the stack.

There are three blue buttons underneath the Download word
here for example, and those contain ZIP files. The windows
driver is 40MB compressed. (The Linux and Mac buttons are
swapped.) A 40MB file is likely to be more than a driver.
I don't have an unpacker for InstallShield (I have to do
those using WINE in a Linux VM). There's no point
in me unpacking anything, until you identify the exact
device involved.

https://www.mediatek.com/products/broadbandWifi/mt7612u

IS_Setup_ICS_011916_1.5.39.173.zip (IS = evil InstallShield EXE)


If I need more software, is there any source for generic software, to
list available wifi signals and let me choose one. Is all that included
in "driver" if I find a downloadable driver on the web????

The instructions give a download url at www.mediatek.com but there is no
longer anything downloadable there. I thought I'd heard of that company
and that it was a good one!


MediaTek started out making chipsets for DVD drives as
far as I know. They've branched out since then, because
DVD drives are a declining business and not a growth
area.

They may have bought RALink Technology, which made Wifi
chipsets. In the usb file, the item may be listed in
that section. The 7601 started out as a RaLink Tech
chip. Newer MediaTek chips may be listed in a
MediaTek section.

http://www.linux-usb.org/usb.ids
148f Ralink Technology, Corp.
7601 MT7601U Wireless Adapter

In Device Manager, there will be a Propertiesetail item
with HardwareID in the name, giving a way to get the
148f:7601 numbers. SUBSYS field gives the exact instance
(hardware design by OEM). The CC stands for Class Code,
for things that have Class drivers.


Though everything looks new, even the bag the mini-CD was in, the CD
cannot be fully read. It will show the high-level directory but the
blue circle keeps spinning. And even then, though some file names look
good, others have a row of ???? in them. Like abc?????.pdf !!!


Foreign language Unicode ?

Try ripping the CD with Imgburn and make an ISO file from it.

See if Imgburn can acquire an error free ISO, then after that,
you can work on your filename problem. Windows 10 can mount
the captured ISO9660 from Imgburn as a virtual optical drive,
and then you can inspect the newly captured goods without
worrying about scratches.

This only works if the scratch doesn't affect anything important,
and Imgburn agrees that the disc was acquired cleanly.

http://www.oldversion.com/windows/imgburn/

ImgBurn 2.5.0.0 Jul 26, 2009 2.07 MB

CRC32: 39CD6FC6
MD5: F3791CFACDAC03B9E676E44AA2630243
SHA-1: E07BCC23B495D0A966BAE359EA9E0E3A11888454

If it pesters you to do updates, just say "No".
2.5.0.0 is a clean version without adware.


Once it stopped spinning but when I tried to look inside a subdirectory,
again the spinning blue circle.

I can't get the CD to display even that much anymore. I thought I heard
water dripping, but eventually I realized it was the CD drive, every
couple seconds, and when I opened it, the metal plate under the CD was
hot, quite hot!!

For a while my CD drive didn't work at all anymore, with another CD and
a DVD. Now the CD works again but I can't play the DVD. Which is more
likely. The drive brokee so it won't play the new CD, or the new CD
caused the drive to overheat and broke it? (I'll try with more CDs and
DVDs and replace the drive if need be. )

This new mini CD has a quarter inch "scratch" near the outer edge, but I
thought the CD is written from the center out so any damage at the outer
edge would be in a file. ?


The top level directory has subs for Mac, Linux, and two kinds of
Windows. Huh? Migdal and Amway, or some such names. What are
they????


Worry about that later, after the mini-disc is converted
to an ISO file. And the ISO file is mounted as a virtual
drive in Windows 10, and the mini-disc can be put back
in its sleeve.

Paul
  #3  
Old July 29th 18, 03:38 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
nospam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,718
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

In article , micky
wrote:

At a hamfest today, I bought a 11AC USB Wireless Adapter, so I could use
my phone as a hotspot if my home internet goes out again.


hotspot functionality is already built into android and ios phones. no
adapter needed.

enable hotspot mode (unless it's automatic), connect to the hotspot and
you're online.
  #4  
Old July 29th 18, 04:27 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Char Jackson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,449
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

On Sun, 29 Jul 2018 04:10:05 -0400, micky
wrote:

At a hamfest today, I bought a 11AC USB Wireless Adapter, so I could use
my phone as a hotspot if my home internet goes out again.

I overpaid for a generic adapter, and I coudl just take my loss and buy
a new one, but I really reallly really want to learn from this.


You've been burned at hamfests before. I'd think the lesson to be
learned is obvious. ;-)

I'm kidding, but only partially. If you purchase from a reputable
retailer such as Amazon, Newegg, and tons of others, you're more likely
to get something that's complete, current, and working. If it falls
short in any of those areas, you have easy returns or exchanges at your
fingertips. I know, the hamfest approach is more fun because it's more
of a gamble, but gambling has risks.

Not explicitly stated, but I assume you bought that WiFi adapter for a
PC that doesn't already have WiFi capabilities. If you have an unused
WiFi router that can operate in client mode (versus AP mode), you can
also use that as your WiFi adapter. Connect to it via Ethernet cable,
and have it connect to your phone's hotspot. One advantage is that the
single 'adapter' can provide WiFi connectivity to multiple PCs.

  #5  
Old July 29th 18, 04:51 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Ben Myers[_11_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 52
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

On 7/29/2018 4:10 AM, micky wrote:
At a hamfest today, I bought a 11AC USB Wireless Adapter, so I could use
my phone as a hotspot if my home internet goes out again.

I overpaid for a generic adapter, and I coudl just take my loss and buy
a new one, but I really reallly really want to learn from this.

First the device plugs into USB, I get a message that says it's loading,
and it shows up in Device Manager which says it's working properly. As
one of 10 network adapters. It has no yellow. Does that mean I don't
need the driver that is supposed to be on the mini-CD that came with it?

Isn't there supposed to be a screen that shows the various wifi signals
around me and allows me to pick the one I want?
If I need more software, is there any source for generic software, to
list available wifi signals and let me choose one. Is all that included
in "driver" if I find a downloadable driver on the web????

The instructions give a download url at www.mediatek.com but there is no
longer anything downloadable there. I thought I'd heard of that company
and that it was a good one!

Though everything looks new, even the bag the mini-CD was in, the CD
cannot be fully read. It will show the high-level directory but the
blue circle keeps spinning. And even then, though some file names look
good, others have a row of ???? in them. Like abc?????.pdf !!!

Once it stopped spinning but when I tried to look inside a subdirectory,
again the spinning blue circle.

I can't get the CD to display even that much anymore. I thought I heard
water dripping, but eventually I realized it was the CD drive, every
couple seconds, and when I opened it, the metal plate under the CD was
hot, quite hot!!

For a while my CD drive didn't work at all anymore, with another CD and
a DVD. Now the CD works again but I can't play the DVD. Which is more
likely. The drive brokee so it won't play the new CD, or the new CD
caused the drive to overheat and broke it? (I'll try with more CDs and
DVDs and replace the drive if need be. )

This new mini CD has a quarter inch "scratch" near the outer edge, but I
thought the CD is written from the center out so any damage at the outer
edge would be in a file. ?


The top level directory has subs for Mac, Linux, and two kinds of
Windows. Huh? Migdal and Amway, or some such names. What are
they????

https://www.mediatek.com/products/co...broadband-wifi

Ben
  #6  
Old July 29th 18, 06:14 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Andy Burns[_6_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,318
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

nospam wrote:

hotspot functionality is already built into android and ios phones. no
adapter needed.


I think he wants the wifi dingle to let the PC use the phone's hotspot
feature ...
  #7  
Old July 29th 18, 07:09 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
nospam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,718
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

In article , Andy Burns
wrote:


hotspot functionality is already built into android and ios phones. no
adapter needed.


I think he wants the wifi dingle to let the PC use the phone's hotspot
feature ...


just about every pc these days has wifi already built in. it's not
exactly a new technology nor is it esoteric.

nevertheless, in the event the computer is old and does not, the best
solution would be a dual-wan router which will automatically switch to
a tethered phone or a 3g/4g data stick whenever the main link fails (or
even another broadband provider). alternately, just connect the phone
when needed.

http://kmpic.asus.com/images/2015/04...7-9ddb-5433bf3
c929f.png

the next best solution would be a travel router to bridge the phone's
wifi to ethernet. many travel routers directly support tethered phones
and 3g/4g dongles in addition to wifi, making it even easier, and a few
even have vpn built in.

another option is an ethernet adapter for the phone, however, not all
phones may support it. one such adapter is this (there are others):
https://plugable.com/products/usb2-otge100/
  #8  
Old July 29th 18, 07:20 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Andy Burns[_6_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,318
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

nospam wrote:

just about every pc these days has wifi already built in.


laptops yes, "gaming" motherboards maybe, but bog standard PCs no.

  #9  
Old July 29th 18, 07:59 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
nospam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,718
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

In article , Andy Burns
wrote:


just about every pc these days has wifi already built in.


laptops yes, "gaming" motherboards maybe, but bog standard PCs no.


bog standard pcs yes. not all of them (some are junk), but it's more
common than not. without wifi, a desktop (or laptop) will be unable to
directly transfer content to/from a mobile device.

even a $10 raspberry pi has wifi:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero-w/
  #10  
Old July 29th 18, 09:54 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Char Jackson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,449
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

On Sun, 29 Jul 2018 14:59:10 -0400, nospam
wrote:

In article , Andy Burns
wrote:


just about every pc these days has wifi already built in.


laptops yes, "gaming" motherboards maybe, but bog standard PCs no.


bog standard pcs yes.


Andy was exactly right.

not all of them (some are junk)


A desktop PC without WiFi is junk? Hardly.

but it's more common than not.


On low end and midrange desktop PCs, WiFi isn't common at all. Why would
it be?

without wifi, a desktop (or laptop) will be unable to
directly transfer content to/from a mobile device.


USB is even easier, and every PC has that.

even a $10 raspberry pi has wifi:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero-w/


That's not what people think of when they think of a desktop PC.

  #11  
Old July 29th 18, 10:30 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
nospam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,718
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

In article , Char Jackson
wrote:


just about every pc these days has wifi already built in.

laptops yes, "gaming" motherboards maybe, but bog standard PCs no.


bog standard pcs yes.


Andy was exactly right.

not all of them (some are junk)


A desktop PC without WiFi is junk? Hardly.

but it's more common than not.


On low end and midrange desktop PCs, WiFi isn't common at all. Why would
it be?


because houses are not normally wired for ethernet and consumers might
want to have a computer in a room other than where the cable modem
comes in without running unsightly ethernet cables between rooms and
floors.

also because wifi is widely used for many other things than just the
internet, such as connecting to mobile devices, cameras, iot devices
and many other things.

not having wifi is a significant drawback.

corporate issued pcs might not have wifi, but that's a very different
scenario and the pc in question isn't one. they may also be locked down
in all sorts of ways, such as disallowing installing apps and/or having
existing ports blocked.

without wifi, a desktop (or laptop) will be unable to
directly transfer content to/from a mobile device.


USB is even easier, and every PC has that.


nowhere near as easy as wireless.

not only is there no need to fuss with cables, but p2p wifi will
auto-configure itself without any user interaction or the need for a
separate base station.

even a $10 raspberry pi has wifi:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero-w/


That's not what people think of when they think of a desktop PC.


the point is that if something that sells for just $10 has wifi, then
something that sells for 10x that and certainly 100x that absolutely
should.
  #12  
Old July 29th 18, 10:41 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Andy Burns[_6_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,318
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter


nospam wrote:

if something that sells for just $10 has wifi, then something that
sells for 10x that and certainly 100x that absolutely should.


So you've climbed down from "does" to "should"?
  #13  
Old July 29th 18, 10:46 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Paul[_32_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 11,873
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

Char Jackson wrote:
On Sun, 29 Jul 2018 14:59:10 -0400, nospam
wrote:


even a $10 raspberry pi has wifi:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero-w/


That's not what people think of when they think of a desktop PC.


Not every Raspberry PI had Wifi.

That's why all those Edimax 802.11N dongles
were sold to RPi users. Some of the kits
used to bundle those.

https://www.amazon.ca/Raspberry-Mode.../dp/B00DEKZJJ0

Paul
  #14  
Old July 29th 18, 10:52 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
nospam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,718
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

In article , Paul
wrote:

even a $10 raspberry pi has wifi:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero-w/


That's not what people think of when they think of a desktop PC.


Not every Raspberry PI had Wifi.


the $5 one doesn't. the $10 one does. thus the w in its name.
  #15  
Old July 30th 18, 12:43 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Micky
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,528
Default Need software or something for 11AC USB Wireless Adapter

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 29 Jul 2018 10:27:47 -0500, Char
Jackson wrote:

On Sun, 29 Jul 2018 04:10:05 -0400, micky
wrote:

At a hamfest today, I bought a 11AC USB Wireless Adapter, so I could use
my phone as a hotspot if my home internet goes out again.

I overpaid for a generic adapter, and I coudl just take my loss and buy
a new one, but I really reallly really want to learn from this.


You've been burned at hamfests before. I'd think the lesson to be
learned is obvious. ;-)


I can only remember once in 30 years. A phone modem that was broken
physically. Maybe there was a second time. (If so, maybe I'll think of
it in my sleep tonight.)

And there was a router just like my router that I bought as a spare
without noticing it had no wifi. But that wasn't the vendor's doing.
The router was complete and in its original box. (I ended up using its
power supply when my original power supply failed, and then its power
supply failed too a year or two later. D-Link. For the last few years
I've been using a universal power supply with voltage settings and
multiple plugs at the end of the wire. it appears to be more reliable
than the original ones. )

Plus, I see this vendor all the time, and I can probably return it,
But, I'd rather learn from the experience and maybe get it working.

I'm kidding, but only partially. If you purchase from a reputable
retailer such as Amazon, Newegg, and tons of others, you're more likely
to get something that's complete, current, and working. If it falls


Of course, but this was right in front of me, just 48 hours after I had
trouble with my net connection.

short in any of those areas, you have easy returns or exchanges at your
fingertips.


I find mailing things back to be a real pain in the neck.

I know, the hamfest approach is more fun because it's more
of a gamble, but gambling has risks.

Not explicitly stated, but I assume you bought that WiFi adapter for a
PC that doesn't already have WiFi capabilities.


Right

If you have an unused
WiFi router that can operate in client mode (versus AP mode), you can
also use that as your WiFi adapter. Connect to it via Ethernet cable,
and have it connect to your phone's hotspot.


I've never used the router to receive wifi. I didn't even know it could
do it! Well that's sort of stupid to say. If a laptop is connected to
the router, wrt the laptop, the router trnansmits when I'm downloading
and receives when I'm uploading. But I never thought about that before.

I'll start on this in a few minutes. thanks.

One advantage is that the
single 'adapter' can provide WiFi connectivity to multiple PCs.


So it could receive wifi from the phone and retransmit it to a laptop at
the same time? Almost like a phone does when acting like a hotspot.
 




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