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captainfearless · 2014-10-03, 13:32

My Raspberry Pi drops wi-fi connection a lot, and so i have successfully connected to my Pi via Putty to resolve this.

I want to run a script to restart wi-fi when it drops, and also assign a static ip. I have found ways of doing this by editing files.

My problem is very basic, i don't know how to edit them! When i enter nano and the file name, i'm presented with a blank screen to type in (whereas i need to see the text in the file to edit it), and when i type cd and file name, nothing opens.

So a some clear advice to get me to the next step would be great! If anyone has a link to a recommended guide to sort the ip and wi-fi issues that would be a bonus!

DBMandrake · (This post was last modified: 2014-10-03, 13:47 by DBMandrake.)

You don't say which distribution you're running on your Pi (Raspbmc, OpenElec, XBian ?)

None of this is related to XBMC itself - you really need to go to the support forum for the distribution you use and ask for help there as wifi issues and configuration are part of the underlying Linux operating system and are very specific to each distribution.

captainfearless · 2014-10-03, 16:54

Sorry I meant to say Openelec ! I have posted there, but thought someone here might have some tips.

ActionA · (This post was last modified: 2014-10-03, 17:05 by ActionA.)

When you "nano <filename>" and it comes up blank, that means that the file does not yet exist, at least not in the path you specified.

Bosse_B · (This post was last modified: 2014-10-04, 14:32 by Bosse_B.)

Sometimes files are only readable by root, which means that you must use

Code:
sudo nano <full path to the file>

in order to make it work.
Everything in the editor is keyboard based, you can forget the mouse while you are there.
Some usable commands (all are listed at the bottom of the screen):
Ctrl-O = Write out the file to disk
Ctrl-X = exit from the editor. You will be asked to save if you have changed anything

**black_eagle** · 2014-10-04, 15:36

(2014-10-04, 14:31)Bosse_B Wrote: Sometimes files are only readable by root, which means that you must use

Code:
sudo nano <full path to the file>
in order to make it work.
Everything in the editor is keyboard based, you can forget the mouse while you are there.
Some usable commands (all are listed at the bottom of the screen):
Ctrl-O = Write out the file to disk
Ctrl-X = exit from the editor. You will be asked to save if you have changed anything

True, but the default user in OpenELEC is root, so that doesn't apply in this case.

@captainfearless - You can use ls to list files in the current directory. cd dir-name to change into a directory and cd .. to go back a directory.

OpenELEC is by default a read-only file system. If you need to edit system files or create new ones then an easier way for you to do this may be to mount the sd card in a windows machine and edit the files using that. Note though that you need to use something like notepad++ to edit them with and not the built in notepad as linux line endings are different to Windows.

Perhaps if you post which files you are wanting to edit, and I'll check my OpenELEC for locations etc.

Milhouse · 2014-10-04, 15:43

Fixing the WiFi so that it doesn't drop is surely the best option. Perhaps the OP should post details that might help explain why the WiFi is dropping - cheap and nasty dongle? Insufficient power? - or just replace WiFi entirely with a cable (eg. Powerline/Homeplug is cheap and generally reliable, and avoids the pain of dealing with WiFi drivers and interference from neighbours).

Setting a static IP address can be done via the OpenELEC Setttings addon, or configure the DHCP router with a fixed IP address for the Pi MAC address.

**popcornmix** · 2014-10-04, 15:59

What wifi chipset? The RTL8188CUS has an issue where power management can cause connection to drop. It can be disabled. See:
https://github.com/OpenELEC/OpenELEC.tv/issues/1871

Bosse_B · 2014-10-05, 12:23

(2014-10-04, 15:36)black_eagle Wrote: True, but the default user in OpenELEC is root, so that doesn't apply in this case.
-- snip ---
OpenELEC is by default a read-only file system.

I have used RASPBMC and RASPBIAN myself and had no idea that the terminal user would be root...
In the distros I have used sudo <cmd> is needed or a switch to root by sudo -s before editng system files.

How does a read-only system work?
Does not the XBMC database need to be read/write in order for XBMC to operate at all?
Seems a bit odd to me, but then again I have never touched OpenElec...