Avinash Meetoo: Blog

37 Responses to “Livebox + Wi-Fi + Kubuntu Linux AMD64 = Bliss ;-)”

1. Asvin Balloo says:
   July 18th, 2006 at 09:30

   So what do you think of the navigation, the GUI? Any problems encountered?

2. Eddy Young says:
   July 18th, 2006 at 12:49

   I bought a one-year subscription to Nomad for a relative. I am now pinching myself for not waiting a bit longer. This is a very interesting package deal.

   BTW, from the screenshot it appears that you cannot use TV/VoIP and Internet at the same time. Is that the case?

3. avinash says:
   July 18th, 2006 at 14:15

   Hi Asvin,

   The GUI is nice. It’s not too difficult to use. But it is somewhat slow… and sometimes I find myself pressing on the OK button of the remote twice or even three times.

   There is a big issue for those with Parabole Maurice: the MyT set-top box comes with a remote control with uses the same frequency as the Parabole Maurice remote and there are some interference. For instance, switching on my set-top box also switches on my Parabole Maurice decoder. This is bound to disturb a lot of people…

   Eddy,

   This is really a good deal (Wi-Fi is sooooo nice) except for the 1Gb transfer limit… The Livebox can technically handle TV / VoIP / Internet (Ethernet / Wi-Fi) at the same time but, for the time being, VoIP is not offered by Mauritius Telecom…

4. Eddy Young says:
   July 20th, 2006 at 17:15

   I do not doubt the attractiveness of this package. It will certainly suit all the casual Internet users who are mostly interested in having a more decent TV offering than that from the MBC and want an always-on Internet connectiion. For these people, the 1GB limit will not be much of an issue.

   As for the lack of a VoIP service, I don’t suppose this is such a limitation as there are so many alternatives to choose from (Skype, Gizmo, etc.)

   And yes, WiFi is great. Surfing the web from the couch and immediately accessing additional information on matters being discussed on TV is very useful.

   Eddy

5. Raj says:
   July 20th, 2006 at 18:04

   You lucky devil :-).
   Well I’m a third class citizen because I live in a village and according to MT I wouldn’t be interested with this until end of year :-(. Grrrr

6. avinash says:
   July 21st, 2006 at 10:43

   To Eddy:

   I agree. For most people, the offer is just fantastic. 1Gb is good enough… for those who don’t download a lot. And, as you mentioned, Wi-Fi is heaven!

   To Raj:

   Vine reste Quatre-Bornes More seriously, you’ll only have to wait for some months until the offer is extended to the whole island…

7. Jonathan says:
   July 23rd, 2006 at 07:29

   hehe so bloody nerds in mu didnt know that, nice to see heheh

   anything new there keep in touch avinash and ashvin per

8. Nikhil says:
   September 9th, 2006 at 11:50

   hi avinash,
   i tried installing the zd1211 driver for the sifi dongle supplied by mauritius telecom on my ubuntu 6.06, but after the make install (al steps as enumerated by you upto this point have been diligently followed), i get the response error install, permission denied.
   can you advice please?

9. avinash says:
   September 9th, 2006 at 19:06

   Thanks for pointing this out.

   You must type “sudo make install” to install the kernel module.

   Furthermore, to edit /etc/network/interfaces, you must also have admin privileges hence:

   sudo gedit /etc/network/interfaces (if you use Gnome)

   or

   sudo kate /etc/network/interfaces (if you use KDE)

   and reboot your computer for Wifi glory! Don’t forget to use your actual WEP key (it’s written below the Livebox)!

10. Nikhil says:
    September 11th, 2006 at 22:18

    Hi avinash..
    thanks a ton for all the advice… but i am not yet wi fi!
    all the software appears to be correctly installed, and i get a wlan0 connection in the network connections admin tool, but no connection!

    I have fed in the wep key correctly. is the key type hex or ascii? any other options that i have to change?

    thanks. nikhil.

11. avinash says:
    September 12th, 2006 at 23:13

    The key is Hex (as far as I remember)

    Tell me, you have pressed the Association button on your Livebox (so that it allows the connection from the Wifi dongle), isn’t it?

12. Steph says:
    September 26th, 2006 at 08:46

    Hi there,
    Could anyone help me about using my livebox by ethernet on linux fedora core 5.i didnt install the linux yet,im completely new to the linux world.

    Thanks

13. avinash says:
    September 26th, 2006 at 10:03

    And still you call yourself a hardcoreboss

    Connecting the Livebox to your Linux box is easy as the former features a DHCP server (i.e. it can automatically configure the network parameters of the Linux box).

    Just make sure that you have selected DHCP in Linux (using the RedHat Network Admin tool).

14. Nikhil says:
    September 30th, 2006 at 13:09

    Hi avinash…
    sorry, was out fo a long time, and only just saw your reply…
    basic question… where the heck is the association button? there are no buttons on the top or sides, and only two tiny black peg like buttons at the base (actually 3, including one labelled RST .. which i take to be the reset button)

15. avinash says:
    October 1st, 2006 at 10:39

    hi Nikhil,

    It’s the one marked REG. It’s next to the power jack. Press it and the Wifi LED will blink for 5 minutes. During this period, reboot your Linux box and it should REGister with the Livebox.

16. Nikhil says:
    October 1st, 2006 at 11:58

    Hi avinash!
    Finally WIFI RULES!
    I owe you at least a beer! thanks for all the help.
    nikhil

17. avinash says:
    October 1st, 2006 at 18:28

    Great!

    I won’t mind a good Phoenix and a nice gajack to accompany it

18. ash says:
    November 19th, 2006 at 14:40

    hello avinash
    i am searching a driver for the livebox of mt but is unable to get one
    can u help

19. avinash says:
    November 19th, 2006 at 14:47

    Ash,

    What exactly are you looking for?

    The Livebox does not require a driver to be recognised as it uses open standards. And if you are speaking of the Wifi dongle, please read the post.

20. Eddy Young says:
    January 11th, 2007 at 16:17

    Does anyone know whether P2P is filtered on the MyT package?

21. Vikram says:
    April 15th, 2007 at 16:25

    i installed kubuntu on my old PC (P3)…and made a USB connection with my MyT. What must i do now to get access to the internet. I have decided to get accustomed to Linux as from now.

22. avinash says:
    April 15th, 2007 at 19:23

    Hi Vikram:

    I would advise you to forget about the USB connection. Use the Ethernet port instead. It’s much easier (basically you don’t have anything to install. You only have to configure your Linux computer to get a network address using DHCP)

    If your computer has an Ethernet port (RJ-45) then you only need a crossed cable (available everywhere e.g. Transcom at Rose-Hill). If not, you will have to buy an Ethernet card. I would advise to buy any cheap Realtek 8139 card. It’s normally available at around Rs. 200.

    I repeat, forget about USB, use Ethernet

23. ardito_xa says:
    April 16th, 2008 at 21:38

    cle de configuration :
    confirmez la clé

24. Yasnick says:
    May 3rd, 2008 at 14:20

    For diy dudes like me. Add an antenna to the usb module to increase range. http://www.rjpi.com/misc/airlinkusbantenna3.jpg

25. jay says:
    July 11th, 2008 at 23:10

    hi there how do i do to extend the range of my wireless e;g 100 mts

26. Yasnick says:
    July 14th, 2008 at 21:44

    What do you mean exactly? Extend the range of the livebox? Or of the Usb Wifi Dongle?

    If it’s for the livebox, there are External Antenna that are compatible with the livebox. Just google it. And for the dongle just do the same as comment 24.

    Hope i helped you…

27. Elias Jacobson says:
    July 25th, 2008 at 01:11

    Bonsoir Avinash!

    Comment vas-tu? Bon, j’espère?

    I found your blog while “Googling” my issue. Voilà!

    It sounds like you all in Mauritius have it good with the Sagem Livebox! Très bien!

    I wish I could say the same … I’m inside France and finding a problem finding such luck!

    I’m an American technology writer living/working in a very small mountain village in Sâone-et-Loire, Bourgogne — La Grange Du Bois near Solutrè-Pouilly. I need Internet access for my work with editors located in the USA.

    The owner of the house I am renting has a Sagem Livebox running: F@st3202 Software Version v3202_26014A. The problem I face is that the owner lives two blocks away from the house I am renting from her. She is more than willing to let me experiment with her Sagen Livebox to “extend” her connection up to my rental house, which is about 100 meters away — uphill — with one other house blocking a “birds-eye view”. I know this is possible to do, as I have shared my connection with neighbors 100 meters away from my home in the USA.

    I’ve already purchased a Netgear WPN824Ext Accélérateur and have attempted to extend the LiveBox within her large house (thick stone walls). FYI … Not only is the extension to my house a problem … her sons have been having trouble accessing the Livebox on the 2nd and 3rd floor of her house.

    The Netgear Accélérateur doesn’t seem to help at all. I am highly suspicious that it is not working at all. I have attached a 25 meter ethernet cable directly to red port of the LIvebox which runs to the Netgear Accélérateur, which I’ve placed in a stairway alcove leading to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the house. I believe I’ve set the Netgear box up correctly, but it doesn’t appear as a device connected to the Livebox. I couldn’t find a place to add the device within the Livebox admin utility either.

    My overall goal is to help her family use the WIFI throughout the house … and of course … extend the network up to the rental house … a benefit for me and future tenants.

    Also of note, I’m running a MacOSX 10.5 Powerbook. I’ve tried using my B/G Airport Express (in G mode) and my (new) “N” Airport Express (in G mode) to wirelessly extend the Netgear Accélérateur and Livebox — in effect — “daisychaining” the Netgear and Aiport Expresses towards my house. All of my experiments have failed.

    *Any and all* suggestions would be very much appreciated SVP.

    I’m technically saavy and am willing to purchase my own Livebox to experiment or “hack”. I also do not mind buying a Sagem XG760N USB Wi-Fi adapter (as mentioned in the previous posts), however, it does not seem that another device attached directly to the USB connector on the Livebox would do any more than what I have already tried.

    Unfortunately, my French is lacking greatly when it comes to seeking the answers from French Telecom (Orange) — directly from one of their store technicians … the website … or otherwise.

    Merci beaucoup!

    –Elias

28. avinash says:
    July 25th, 2008 at 10:46

    Hi Elias,

    Personally, I use a Linksys WRT54GL to “extend” my wireless network.

    As explained in the linked article, I’ve upgraded the Linksys to a much better open source firmware (be sure to get a GL instead of a normal G — L is for Linux) and configured it as a bridge. It works flawlessly albeit at a smaller distance that what you need.

    Note that my desktop PC is connected directly to the Linksys (i.e. with an Ethernet cable.) The wireless connection is between the Livebox and the Linksys. I guess you could use another Linksys as an access point for your Powerbook if you need Wifi…

    Maybe something like the Linksys WRE54G might be what you need after all…

29. joe says:
    July 25th, 2008 at 20:53

    I will try to configure wifi on linux fedora OS. I have already configured MTML CDMA PHONE , and tvtime viewer successfully.

30. Elias says:
    July 27th, 2008 at 03:32

    Hi Avinash …

    Thanks for the quick reply.

    I agree, the Linksys WRT54XX series is great. I have them at home. I have experimented with all of the offerings out there on GPL … OpenWRT, DD-WRT, FreeWRT, Tomato, etc. I’ve used different WRT54XX’s to extend my network at home in the USA. As you say … they are great boxes.

    I would have purchased those first, however, I could not find any at Carrefour, Auchan, Darty or Boulanger today. These are my only stores for Informatique locally. The good news is that I found them online (Pixmania) and ordered 3 to be shipped to me here next week. The Linksys hardware (with GPL firmware updates) worked at home to extent the network I have, so they should work here in France.

    Avinash, if you don’t mind, please send me a simple schema of your network via email. I would appreciate it. I do not understand from your post how you have fit the LiveBox into the sequential flow of your network.

    It seems to me that a LiveBox comes first in-line (from the ADSL filter) … then the red port is wired to a WRT54GL (to which your PC is attached), then from there, any subsequent WRT54GLs can be “daisy-chained” wirelessly to extend the net.

    My point is … Do you, or do you not … need to have at least one of the WRT54GL repeaters hardwired via ethernet to the LiveBox in order for the LiveBox to acknowledge it’s presence? As I noted in my last post, the Sagem/LiveBox admin tools did not “see” my other devices, OR MORE IMPORTANTLY, allow me to add them as trusted LAN devices. This seems to be my problem. My networking experience tells me that at least the first (WRT54GL) WIFI repeater needs to be “seen” or “trusted” as a LAN device by the LiveBox. Once that is done, the other 2 WRT54GLs should connect in the chain effortlessly.

    Obviously … If I could “get inside” the Livebox, I could change things around, but it seems Orange France Telecom has the LiveBox closed up very well. For example … On a Sagen LiveBox Forum , I was told that it is “impossibile” to extend the LiveBox.

    Really!?

    I repeat … really!?

    I look for the possibilities amongst the impossibilities. I know there’s a way to do this.

    I just want to get my work out … I would rather spend my time elsewhere than wasting time extending LiveBox.

    Obviously, the easiest and fastest thing to do is get a separate LiveBox connection in my rental house and pay for it. The problem is that I can not get a bank account in France without a French citizen “assuring” me. It does not matter that I can put 10,000 euros into the bank account without assurance…. I must have assurance from a French citizen. I do not understand this mentality … but let us not go there.

    Voilà … you understand my reasons for taking the easiest of routes …to extend the existing LiveBox.

    Any further graphic representation of your network schema would be appreciated. I am a visually-oriented person … so pictures help me a lot.

    Best,

    //Elias

31. avinash says:
    July 27th, 2008 at 23:00

    Hi Elias, this is what I have:

    [Livebox] —- wireless —- [WRT54GL] — ethernet — [PC]

    So, I am not extending the wireless range of my Livebox. Rather, I’m using the WRT54GL as a bridge. I could have used a USB dongle on the PC to connect to the Livebox but I decided against it as I run Linux and I rather have an ethernet connection than having to mingle with a USB dongle.

    Now, you have another problem, you want to do this:

    [Livebox] —- wireless —- [Something] — wireless — [PowerBook]

    My belief is that [Something] can either be:

    [WRT54GL as bridge] — ethernet — [WRT54GL as access point]

    or much much simpler:

    [WRE54G]

    Hope this helps.

32. sundy says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 19:21

    what adsl speed do you have and what is your download speed?

33. avinash says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 23:11

    Hi Sundy,

    I have MyT 256 and, since a few months, I can get pretty much 256kbit/s most of the time. But I am not at all a heavy downloader…

34. Elias says:
    August 1st, 2008 at 13:13

    Avinash,

    Merci beaucoup for your suggestions and your network schema.

    I purchased 3 WRT54GLs from pixmania.fr. They arrived today. I am going to install the Tomato Linux GUI (polarcloud.com) to configure the GLs since I am familiar with it. However, if you commend a better Linux solution, I am open to trying it as well.

    I will try this setup first:

    [Livebox] —- WAN ethernet port WDS BRIDGE LAN ethernet— [WRT54GL] — wireless —- [WRT54GL] — wireless —- [WRT54GL] — wireless —- [Powerbook].

    I will report back on the results.

    Best,

    //Elias

35. avinash says:
    August 3rd, 2008 at 19:44

    Hi Elias,

    Hope everything works out well. I personally use Thibor 15c.

36. Elias says:
    August 6th, 2008 at 02:04

    Hello Avinash,

    Hmmmm… No Luck. The Sagem Livebox does not “see”, nor will it acknowledge the WRT54GLs in any of the scenarios I have tried.

    For example: The Sagem LiveBox GUI doesn’t appear to support the ability to “register” the WRT54GLs MAC address, nor does it appear to support WDS, nor registering the static ip of the WRT54GLs — inside or outside the range of assignable ip addresses.

    Essentially, this is the same problem I had with the other WIFI extenders I have tried to connect to the Livebox — through ethernet or WIFI.

    Do you know if the Sagem Livebox GUI is restrictive in this way?

    And, do you know if the Inventel Livebox GUI is better or worse in this regard?

    And finally, do you know if I can use an open source GUI on the Livebox directly — to extend it’s capabiliity?

    Thanks for the tip on Thibor 15c … I will take a look at it.

    I appreciate your continued suggestions!

    //Elias

37. avinash says:
    August 7th, 2008 at 00:16

    Hi Elias,

    Personally I don’t use MAC address filtering. Instead I use a very difficult to guess WPA passphrase.

    My own WRT54GL (running Thibor 15c) connects easily to my Livebox using this WPA passphrase. As I am running it as a bridge, any device connected to one of its Ethernet ports can access the web.

    I suppose one can easily connect another WRT54G (or similar) to one of the Ethernet ports and make it act as an access point and, voilà, instant wireless extender.

    But, to reiterate, why not try a WRE54G which is such an extender? Just remember to get rid of the MAC address filtering and use WPA. It should _normally_ work.

    Incidentally, I use the Sagem Livebox (like you) as far as I know…

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