Laptop won`t connect via ethernet cable.

[#1]

@shutter 

Thanks, proves the cables etc are working just not the Tosh laptop when connected.

My last thought for today, is the Tosh connecting via the powerline adapters, if it is can you try connected directly to the router?

Dan

[#2]

@Dan_the_Van  Yes I am using powerline adapters ( tp link ) for both laptops...

Laptops are downstairs... router is upstairs.

Can do a test on that tomorrow,

Incidently, the Toshiba is showing 3 bars for the wifi connection to the router....  and YES, the Toshiba is showing as connected to the router on wifi connections.

[#3]

@Dan_the_Van   and others who are interested in this saga. !

Update... took the Toshiba upstairs, and plugged it in to two different ports with a brand new cable... notification on the laptop showed  Wired Connection 1 Active.... but Firefox could not get the Google search page up...

Also checked the "Wired Connection" status which showed only this ( ASUS ) laptop as connected.

SO the problem remains the same.... possibly now looking for another driver ?

It`s "almost" there... just need the last bit, to make it work ! ! ! 

[#4]

@shutter 

Thanks @shutter for the last check.

@MisterW 

Even though the laptop to me show the wired network interface as UP, connected and it can ping itself on 192.168.1.50 it can not ping the anything on the same network, his other laptop 192.168.1.111 or router 192.168.1.1.

I am missing something? Any thoughts about this issue?

Dan

[#5]

Yes, there are lots of (slightly) different variants in the rtl810xE nic range.

There are a number of different linux drivers , r6168, r6169 & r8101 , to name but three, that are used to drive these nic. I'm afraid that some drivers think they can drive specific variants when in fact they can't. Hence the initial suggestion of replacing the r6169 driver with the r8101. As we saw , it worked slightly better but still not completely. Obviously the supplier of the laptop will supply a windows driver that does work with their variant of the nic, but not a linux one.

I'm afraid its likely that no linux driver will  successfully drive the nic in this laptop.

[#6 · Accepted solution]

Thanks, if I were @shutter I would consider buying a USB wired network dongle that supports linux and it's variants.

Dan.

[#7]

I did think of suggesting that, but it can be difficult to determine with any certainty whether a particular model will work with linux. Often you need to determine the exact chipset and many don't specify it in the sales blurb.

[#8]

Just one final thought before abandoning the internal ethernet adapter in favour of a USB one:

There is a piece of software in Linux called RNDIS which IIRC, I used many years ago to use Windows WiFi drivers on a Netbook running Linux Mint. I thought that it used to be in the Mint repositories, but isn't in my current version.

Is this worth a try as all else seems to have failed - bar buying an external device?

[#9]

I bought one of these from Amazon ATOLLA Ethernet Adapter, USB 3.0 to RJ45 Gigabit LAN 1000 Mbps Network Adapter 

Seems to work with a variety of OS (windows, debian, ubuntu and Oracle VirtualBox) 

Dan

[#10]

@Dan_the_Van  & @MisterW  Thanks very much for the interesting "interlude" !.. and the various options that seem to, or not, be "out there somewhere".

As I expained to Dan , in a PM or email, some time ago, this is not a Number 1 priority, or a definite "must have". but on occasions, like on holiday in strange places, where the "host provided wifi" is of dubious quality and low speed, the advantage of having a wired connection at low speed over wifi,  would be just enough to make the internet workable.

Originally, I thought that the Ethernet socket on the main board, had been damaged, due to inserting a USB stick into it by mistake, but I have replaced the board with another one, ( the one in current use for this exercise) and by changing the driver, it seems we have (kind of ) proved that the socket is working.

I am quite prepared to try any other drivers, so long as someone can point me in the right direction to obtain them , and how to install them, and uninstall them, if they don`t work, to give the next one a fair chance of working/ 

I still have the original main board, and could revert back to that one, and try the drivers again !. It gives me something to do, is a challenge to me, and , of course, I am learning along the way.

Just had a look at the linky provided by Dan, and that, too, seems a viable choice, I could even use it to attach my Tablet to the router via wired connection, .... 

Thank you, to both of you, for all your expertise and assistance with this... it is really much appreciated, and if you feel you can continue to help me, that too, would be appreciated.
Thank you very much.

[#11]

@Dan_the_Van  & @MisterW 

Thank you for your combined efforts... I have been in contact with Realtek in Taiwan... and they suggested I download a driver from their linky, which was a specific Linux driver... which I did, and I installed it,.. R8101, which brought us back to where it showed "connected"  but could not access the internet properly,

Since then, I have received the USB to RJ45 cable/dongle, suggrested by @Dan_the_Van   plugged it in, connected the ethernet cable, and instant "Wired Connection".

Interestingly both the above show the driver to be r8152... which I never installed, so it must be something on the actual dongle with that driver installed. 

I have also posted a query on the Linux Mint Forum to see if anyone can come up with why it does not actually connect with the internet.

Having said that, I think we can consider this thread closed, but in standby mode, in case I get an answer from the Linux forum.

Thanks to you both, 

[#12]

Interestingly both the above show the driver to be r8152... which I never installed, so it must be something on the actual dongle with that driver installed. 

@shutter in general all the available drivers are part of the Linux kernel. When the system boots it detects the connected hardware and if it recognizes it, loads the appropriate driver for that hardware.

In the case of your USB dongle , it detected that it required the r8152 driver and loaded it.

[#13]

@MisterW  OK.... Thanks very much for that info.... Always learning something new with Linux.

[#14]

@shutter 

To keep things tidy I suggest you disable the unused wired connection in Network Connections or BIOS which ever you feel the most comfortable with.

Dan.