force connection using USB adapter

Question

I am new to Linux, so even though this is probably a simple problem it remains unsolved after more then 3 hours of googling.

I am run running Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on an Acer Aspire 5520G. The laptop has a wireless adapter, but since I wanted better range I got an Edimax EW-7711USN USB adapter. Now, when running ifconfig, I am able to see both adapters. The laptop native adapter is listed as wlan0 and the usb adapter is listed as wlan1.

But listing available networks from the wireless network applet, all the connections are listed under wlan0. The USB adapter is consistently listed as disconnected. This is what I have been trying to do so far:

1. ifconfig wlan0 down - I got disconnected from the net but still was not able to get the USB to connect.
2. Used the wireless connection dialog to connect to a hidden network with the USB adapter - I was able to connect to the network but with no Internet access.
3. Disabled wireless using the laptop function button - both wireless adapters were disabled.

Can anyone suggest a way to connect to to the wireless network using the USB adapter rather then the built-in adapter?

Thanks

Answer 1

This should also work for Ubuntu:

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners'_Guide#Wireless_Quickstart_For_the_Live_Environment_.28If_you_need_wireless_connectivity_during_the_installation_process.29

Answer 2

Did you try a different network manager like Wicd? As far as I know, this one allows you to say which adapter you want to use in its preferences.