Belkin F5D7050 802.11g USB Adapter, questions

[agwe23]

hi. mac noobie here. so pls bear with me (im a pc guy)

long story short, my mom "inherited" my sister's old imac (g4, osx 10.3). i have wifi setup in the place so i wanted my mom to be able to connect etc etc. . but it doesnt have a built in airport thingie and i didnt want to spend all that much so i was able to purchase the belkin f5d7050 v4000.

ok here's the problem. . .

i got the zydas driver loaded, the belkin stick lights up (yellow), the wlan utility is in the docking bar.

i check in the system profiler and in the usb section, the belkin usb wlan shows up.

i go to network settings and it doesnt detect a new port. so i cant fix the wlan utility as well.

what do i do? can anyone help?

thanks a bunch

[xtgold]

If the driver is correct for the device,I would pull the belkin out and plug it back in after the iMac boots.

[agwe23]

already tried pulling the usb thingie a few times and plugging it back in. tried different ports.

is there a way to manually scan for the new port? in osx 10.3 leopard?

or can i input the details manually for a new port?

[xtgold]

It sounds like the driver doesn't match the device.
Are you sure it's a v4000? There are v3000,v2000 ect.
Each one takes a different driver.The only place it shows
v4000 is on the box it came in.

[robint02]

This page from a highly helpful person called Torley tells you how to get Linksys WUSB54GC working with Mac OSX. Since the chipset is identical, the instructions also work for Belkin F5D7050: http://torley.com/how-i-got-my-wirel...ing-with-a-mac

Torley's advice just worked for me with Belkin F5D7050 (v3000, bought August 2007 from dabs.com for about £13) combined with Mac OS 10.3.9 on a G4 Powerbook. I am posting with it now.

In case it's any help to peeps with the V2000 version of Belkin F5D7050, there's a list of other USB wireless devices with the same chipset, at http://ralink.rapla.net

[a.jeys]

can be found here:
http://www.ralinktech.com/ralink/Hom...Macintosh.html
I am in the beginning stages of troubleshooting my Belkin F5D7000 in the ol' Sawtooth G4.

[geoghrr]

After several months of trying to get my G3 iBook wireless, I ran across JPress's post (#99) and downloaded the driver. I have a Belkin f5d7050 and their USB G adapter (both for less than $80). I have tried 7 other drivers. This one was install, restart and it just worked! I have tried it on 3 different G3 books, with Tiger and Panther and on a G5 iMac. It works the first time on everything I tried it on.

[RandySK]

Quote: Originally Posted by maclova return it and buy the usb adapter at macwireless.com instead

Not an entirely useful message. Which device do you recommend? Are you talking about the MacWireless 11g USB Stick? In reading the product description, it says it won't connect with a closed network. I have a closed network. Is this common among all these USB network adapters? I have the Belkin F5D7050 and I can not get it to connect to the network. I am using the Belkin Wireless Utility to get it to work. This is on a G4 iMac. Thanks for any help.

[RandySK]

Quote: Originally Posted by luiss I have a iMac G3 (slot loading) that got hit by lightning. Everything seemed fine, except the ethernet port would not work. I opened it up and the ethernet chip had a huge hole in it . Thanks to the comments on this thread, I puchased a Belkin F5F7050 USB adapter, and the machine is back up and running with network support!

What version of Mac OS X are you using? I am trying it on an iMac G4 in OS X 10.4 and the Belkin drivers don't work. I am trying the Ralinktech drivers, but there is no documentation on how to set them up.

I noticed that the MacWireless 11g USB Stick says that it won't work with a closed network (which I have). Will any of the USB adapters work with closed networks? Thanks.

Quote: Originally Posted by primal1 I successfully use the Belkin USB Wireless adapter (F5D7050_v2) on a client's iBook with Tiger (10.4.x) using a driver from: http://www.ralinktech.com/supp-1.htm - see "11g-RT2500 (For Mac OS 10.4.x Tiger) USB"

I tried the ralinktech link you list and I get a 404 message. Do you have specific instructions on how to set up the Ralinktech driver for 10.4? I have the drive and a Belkin F5D7050 and I can't get it to show up as an airport network connection. I couldn't find any documentation on ralinktech's website. Any help? Thanks.

Quote: Originally Posted by blumarten I have been following Strifers instructions and have managed to get to the point where the Belkin Utility can see, and says that it is connected to, my wireless network.

Where can I find Strifer's instructions? I can't find any documentation for how to set up the F5D7050. Thanks.

Quote: Originally Posted by zionheart Here's how I connected my iBook G3 OSX to my Belkin Wireless G USB Network Adapter. Yes, it's the version 3000, as I got it from CompUSA in Honolulu. Big up!! I know you should have your SSID off, as broadcasting it leaves you open to Wardrivers, but for configuration...turn it on. This allows the software on the Mac to sniff out the router without manually inputting the SSID. I tried it with the SSID off, but couldn't get the initial configuration to connect. Link Status: The Status will tell you if there's a link between your computer and router. If it's Disconnected, go to Site Survey and click Rescan. The computer will scan the 802.11 frequency to find your router's SSID. If/when it finds it, you'll see it there.

Does this mean I have to change my network to not be a closed network? Is there any way to find the SSID while the network is closed? Can you look it up in the Network Utility or Network System Preferences? Thanks.

[macdougwoll]

the link at the top of this thread for the belkin f5d7050 driver (ver 4) for mac os x 10.2.8 is broken. Maybe someone would be so kind as to provide another link to the same driver or email it to me if they have it. Thanks.

Btw the zd1211 driver worked for my other mac: which is running 10.3.9. ...but I had to do a shift-s while starting up (I believe that is the correct key combo) to get it to safe mode. Once in safe mode I had to reboot one more time but normally. I had to do this in order to stop the annoying problem of "self-assigned ip address" which wouldn't let me get on the net even though I had a connection to the access point.

[macdougwoll]

Quote: Originally Posted by fozy_50 for the belkin f5d7050 try this. D-Line DWL-122 firmware-1.0 www.versiontraker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/24937 it works on osx 10.2.8 as thats what i tryed it on and still using it. thank ian.

the above link for a functional working driver for the belkin f5d7050 (ver 4) for mac os x 10.2.8 is old & broken. Maybe someone would be so kind as to direct me to another link to the same driver or email/send it to me if they have it. I don't think I can just do a normal type OS update from 10.2.8 to 10.3....that's a major update I believe. Might be questionable to attempt the update based on system specs. Thanks.

Btw the zd1211 driver worked for my other mac: which is running 10.3.9. ...but I had to press & hold down shift while starting up the mac to get it to safe mode. Once in safe mode I had to reboot one more time but normally. I had to do this in order to stop the annoying problem of "self-assigned ip address" which wouldn't let me get on the net even though I had a connection to the access point.

What the hey...I'll just start all over and give you all the info I can on how I got things to work. JUST KEEP IN MIND the info provided pertains to my situation which is trying to get a belkin f5d7050 wireless usb adapter (version 4) to work on a mac os x 10.3.9 (or in more basic terms: mac os x 10.3) Here it is:

HERE'S SOME BASIC HELPFUL INFORMATION on how I got things to work...maybe you could make note of the information in order to help others. These links actually take you to the right places for people who might have similar driver compatibility issues to resolve. Here they are:

The driver that worked for my belkin f5d7050 is called ZDA211MacUSB_install_4_5_7_0.dmg (I realize it could be called anything) and it can be found at http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=34071 Just scroll down where it says Zydas USB Chipset. After installing that driver my mac recognized my belkin f5d7050 and the wireless utility thing showed signal strength and a connection to an access point, but another great hurdle I had to jump over was the issue of being "connected", yet I was seeing this statement somewhere in system preferences --> network that said "self-assigned IP address, you may not be able to access the internet." Sure enough, even with connection to the "access point" and having good signal strength, I couldn't access the internet. After much headache and messing around and googling I found this solution at: (PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS TO HELP OTHERS!): http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306879 The solution was to "start up in safe mode by holding the shift key during startup. Once the computer has started in Safe Mode, simply restart again (without holding any keys)."

>> In addition to this I also did some manual ip addressing type stuff (I recommend trying letting it go auto first), I don't know how much of a factor that was in helping...I think it may have been helpful. Those issues are addressed here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread....34194&start=15
I mention the manual addressing stuff because even after getting the internet to work the next day I noticed the ip addess was back to 169.XXX(bla bla bla) and the same message about "self-assigned ip address may not be able to access the internet". I then manually plugged in the ip address stuff, mask and router and dns server numbers that I had written down when it did work, pressed the lock button to "prevent further changes". (Some of those numbers were still there, some weren't or had changed to 169.XXX(bla bla bla) which I guess is a symptom or indication of some kind of problem. But all this kind of addressing stuff is addressed alot better at http://discussions.apple.com/thread....34194&start=15

I hope this cuts down on the research and the time spent googling (thank God for google) for anyone else facing a similar situation where you want wireless without installing mac's "airport".

Thanks, sorry for the lengthyness.

[macdougwoll]

correction: safe mode is not accomplised by pressing shift-s as described above. Instead, you just follow these directions below: (more details at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306879

Start up in Safe Mode by holding the Shift key during startup.

Once the computer has started in Safe Mode, simply restart again (without holding any keys).

[BW]

Thanks, macdougwall, great post.

The drivers can be found here: ftp://ftp.zyxeltech.de/ZYDAS/ZD1211_USB/Macintosh/

One other thing: you need to have Airport Extreme software installed to get this to work. I had to manually check this in Software Update as (obviously) I don't have an Airport Extreme card, and my iBook won't even support one.

Without the Airport Extreme software, you can't even see a network in the ZD configuration software.

Hope that helps any other confused souls.

[BW]

Quote: Originally Posted by macdougwoll correction: safe mode is not accomplised by pressing shift-s as described above. Instead, you just follow these directions below: (more details at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306879 Start up in Safe Mode by holding the Shift key during startup. Once the computer has started in Safe Mode, simply restart again (without holding any keys).

Almost. This threw me too. To boot in Safe Mode, you have to hold down Shift after you hear the startup tone, not before.

See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455?viewlocale=en_US

[skimmins]

I heard that I could use the F5D7050 version 5000 as an airport alternative for my G4 running 10.3.9. so I bought one for a mere $35 (pretty good deal concidering te Mac alternative is $140. System profiler detects it so I'm okay on that front, but I've tried downloading the drivers of the Belkin site, no luck. Called Belkin Tech Support...no luck. I even called my service provider and Mac....noooooooooo lucksky.
I'm currently looking for the chipset to see if I have any luck going that route but so far, nothing.
If anyone has any suggestions/answers it would be greatly appreciated.
skimmins

[RM_Kinder]

I bought this Belkin unit at Fry's for $30, and had some trouble getting it to work. Of course, no Mac drivers are included with the Belkin, but some clues here & on insanelygreatmac helped. However, they were too abridged to completely get me there.

Here's what I did to make it work. These steps should work for any USB-802.11g NIC that uses the Realtek 8187B chipset. Pry it open if you're not sure. You need an admin level login password to do several of these steps. If you don't have it, you have no business doing any of this. Probably best to print these instructions for reference.

1. Don't plug in the Belkin F5D7050 yet. Download the drivers for the
chipset from http://www.realtek.com/
(Search for 8187b, click on the link under Downloads:
RTL8187B (Software). Download the MacOS driver at the bottom of
the web page.)
2. Run the uninstaller, especially if you've already tried stuff to get this
thing to work.
3. Run the installer, and restart. Plug in the F5D7050.
4. Run System Profiler in /Applications/Utilities. Under "Hardware"
Click on "USB". Find the device. It's probably
"RTL8187B_WLAN_Adapter" or similar. Click on it.
Record the exact name, the Product ID, and the Vendor ID. The
numbers are in hexadecimal and must be converted to decimal.
There are tools to do this on the internet, calculators & such.
5. You have to edit the Info.plist inside the driver. Here's how:
(a) Open a Terminal window (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal)
(b) It's a command line window. At the % prompt, type:
cd /System/Library/Extensions/RTL8187Bt.kext/Contents <Enter>
sudo chmod a+w Info.plist <Enter>
(leave Terminal open, we'll come back to it.)
(c) Now you're ready to edit the file. Least arcane way is to use an
application called "Property List Editor", part of OS X.
1) Open System folder -> Library folder -> Extensions folder.
2) Select RTL8187Bt.kext. Right click or Control-click the icon
and choose "Show Package Contents"
3) A new window opens, like a folder. Open "Contents".
4) Double-click the Info.plist file. This should open the file inside
the Property List Editor.
5) Edit Info.plist with what you saw in the System Profiler for the
unit: /Root/IOKitPersonalities/
a) Change one of the device names to RTL8187B_WLAN_Adapter
(or whatever you saw in System Profiler for your device)
b) Change idProduct to your device's Product ID (decimal not hex)
c) Change idVendor to your device's Vendor ID (decimal not hex)
d) Save and quit Property List Editor.
6) Go back to Terminal. Type sudo chmode a-w Info.plist
7) Restart.

(God, I hope I got all that right!)

You should now be able to configure your Belkin using System Preferences/Network (USB device shows up as Ethernet Adapter en2)
and the Realtek USB WLAN Client Utility in Applications.

Hope that helps, and that even new users can figure it out.

Good Luck,
Russell

[telecarver1]

Thanks Russell for the detailed instructions but on the RTL8187B driver on the Realtek web site it says it's for OS 10.4 or 10.5. There is a link above it that says the driver is for 10.3. but it's not labeled as RTL8187B. Will your instructions followed ver batum work with 10.3 and the other driver?

[Printz]

Ok, I tried the script editing and all that above. I'm so lost, I've never owned a Mac before and I'm so confused. I can see the device in the system profiler but can't get it to work. Oh, I'm on a PowerBook G4 using the Belkin f5d7050.

Thanks,
Mac illiterate

So the Airport card on my 17" PowerBook G4 gave out on me. The instructions on cracking the case and yanking it out seems at the extreme end of my tolerance for things really going wrong, so I went to Fry's today and picked up with Belkin 7050. After some typos in the editing the Info.plist which disabled my USB, I can proudly report that the 7050 is working under 10.4.11 with the Realtek driver.

To clarify Step 5 for me, The System Profiler showed a name of 'Belkin Wireless G USB Adapter', and this is the exact name I used in editing the Info.plist. In that step, I just renamed the entry that was there for a Netgear W111 (whcih I clearly don't have...) modified the Product and Vendor IDs as instructed, and whoo hooo!

Thanks!

[philball]

Quote: To clarify Step 5 for me, The System Profiler showed a name of 'Belkin Wireless G USB Adapter', Thanks!

Same for me but i cannot find the directory. can you help? i am putting in the terminal cd /system/library/extensions/Belkin Wireless G USB Adapter.kext/contents ? is that right ( i have tried without spaces too)