Wifi usb adapter atheros 9170 chipset not working on Ubuntu 13.04

I'm new to Ubuntu and Linux. Have just changed my OS from Windows 7 to Ubuntu. I'm running a HP/Compaq 6910p laptop. My Icidu 300N 802.11n adapter stopped to work. It contains a atheros AR9170 chipset.

I have read many answers in this and other forums but none of them quite gave me the answers.

Can anyone out there give me some good advice??

lshw shows:

WARNING: you should run this program as super-user. *-network description: Ethernet interface product: 82566MM Gigabit Network Connection vendor: Intel Corporation physical id: 19 bus info: pci@0000:00:19.0 logical name: eth0 version: 03 serial: 00:1b:38:eb:45:38 size: 1Gbit/s capacity: 1Gbit/s width: 32 bits clock: 33MHz capabilities: bus_master cap_list ethernet physical tp 10bt 10bt-fd 100bt 100bt-fd 1000bt-fd autonegotiation configuration: autonegotiation=on broadcast=yes driver=e1000e driverversion=2.1.4-k duplex=full firmware=0.3-0 ip=192.168.0.122 latency=0 link=yes multicast=yes port=twisted pair speed=1Gbit/s resources: irq:43 memory:e4620000-e463ffff memory:e4640000-e4640fff ioport:4060(size=32) *-network DISABLED description: Wireless interface product: PRO/Wireless 4965 AG or AGN [Kedron] Network Connection vendor: Intel Corporation physical id: 0 bus info: pci@0000:10:00.0 logical name: wlan1 version: 61 serial: 00:1d:e0:67:f5:3b width: 64 bits clock: 33MHz capabilities: bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless configuration: broadcast=yes driver=iwl4965 driverversion=3.8.0-30-generic firmware=228.61.2.24 latency=0 link=no multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11abgn resources: irq:48 memory:e4000000-e4001fff *-network DISABLED description: Wireless interface physical id: 1 bus info: usb@2:1 logical name: wlan0 serial: 6c:fd:b9:07:0e:c7 capabilities: ethernet physical wireless configuration: broadcast=yes driver=carl9170 driverversion=3.8.0-30-generic firmware=1.9.6 link=no multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11bgn

lsusb shows:

Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0cf3:1002 Atheros Communications, Inc. TP-Link TL-WN821N v2 802.11n [Atheros AR9170]
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 007 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

1 Answer

I am quite suspicious that the wireless switch or key combination is at fault here. Please see:

*-network DISABLED

Let's blacklist the driver for the internal device and switch the wireless back on:

sudo -i
echo "blacklist iwl4965" >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
exit

Now turn the switch back to enable wireless, reboot and tell us if the USB is working.