RaLink wireless USB

OK. I installed my USB device with Leopard. First, you have to install the Ralink driver for 10.5, since the 10.6 is not compatible yet. After installing, turn off airport. Then plug in your device. The RALINK UTILITY should appear in the dock. Open it. In the SITE SURVEY It should start locating routers. Choose yours and hit CONNECT. Enter your shared-key (password). Then go to SYSTEM PREFS and you should see 802.11 WLAN. Hit ADVANCED. It should automatically configure the IP, Subnet and Router. Return to the main Network screen. Your device should be activated (green dot).

Hi there,
Firstly I am using Mac OS 10.5.8
I recently got a RALINK rt 2870 to boost my signal. As I live nearby my university I hoped to use the USB atennae to boost my signal enough to pick up the university wifi (400m away in a free line of sight - also using a parabolic 'Wokfi' to help). Problem is - having installed drivers from various sources. The EW-7711Uxx_Driver-Utility-for-Mac that came off http://www.edimax.com/en/producedetail.php?pd_id=277&pl1_id=1&pl2id=44
That one got me no where. So I tried the driver off http://www.ralinktech.com/
I read these forums trying to read about what to do, but still having problems. Now I have a driver installed, as a folder called RAlink Wireless Utility came up in my Applications. In there is a Scutum something, a Scutum readme file, an AwakeRAlinkUI program and the Wireless Utility. When the dongle-bit is not connected the Utility stays open though you can't do anything in it as nothing's connected. When I connect the dongle it connects in Network Preferences with a USB Ethernet (en3) 2 as its name. But whenever I try to open the Wireless Utility it opens for about 4 seconds with 'No Device!!' showing before that changes to a BTFON or Openzone and closes itself. No chance to click or do anything else.

How can I stop this? I want to be able to choose what network I use as there are several other free networks I can use to grab my e-mails if the university building proves too far away. But I ideally want to be able to point my wokfi/antennae at the university building, use the Wireless Utility to look for its network and connect to that. But it gives me no chance.

Do I need to change drivers?
Is it worth upgrading to Snow Leopard? Would that solve the problem?
Have tried uninstalling and reinstalling several times likewise, but to no better result.

Yours

Will

pdxmeghan, were you able to connect?

Can somebody give me a step by step guide to using ralink because its all installed and the wireless comes up just reset the mac when I try to connect any help? its driving me mad

I'm happy to report that on the fifth or sixth installation attempt, it worked! Up and running. Thanks for the tips!

The shutdown notice indicates a software conflict. Since it shows up as en3, it is recognizing the device. Try installing the other ralink driver.

Are the drivers that came with the device from Ralink ? If not, did you try the Ralink driver?

I have also had airport, bluetooth etc all off/disconnected while trying but this hasn't helped.

Wokfi is this sort of thing too,
http://www.instructables.com/id/Wifi-Signal-Strainer-WokFi/

Problem solved, I managed to find another driver. For anyone else who struggles with this there are 3 drivers available for the rt2870 - CD, Edimax and Ralink.