[ocicat]

Originally Posted by rma

...I try to connect to my wifi network, in the exact same manner I connect my ancient pcmcia card.

#ifconfig urtw0 up
#ifconfig urtw0 nwid MyESSID
#ifconfig urtw0 nwkey 0xmynetkey

Welcome.

As for potential work-arounds:

• You may want to try setting the configuration in /etc/hostname.urtw0 as described in the urtw(4) manpage. Look at the "EXAMPLES" section. I don't see where you are specifying a channel.
• You may also want to explore setting the IP address statically -- especially if more complicated DHCP behavior (even if preferred...) isn't working.

urtw0 at ubut2 post 2 "Realtek RTL8187" rev 1.10/1.00 addr2
urtw0: RTL8187 rev 0x04, RFv2, address 00:c0:ca:1c:44:2a"

According to the urtw(4) manpage the 8187L & B chips are supported. The fact that the identification string displayed by the kernel (coming from the chip itself...) says something different in your case is noteworthy.

Likewise, the main source file associated with this driver, src/sys/dev/usb/if_urtw.c, has not changed since OpenBSD 4.7 was tagged. Perhaps you are using 4.7, maybe 4.6. Your message didn't state such fundamental information. If you are using 4.6 or an earlier version, upgrading is in order. If you are using 4.7, installing -current is still justified -- especially if you want the project developers to take interest. Even if you are already running -current, installing a recent snapshot may help your case.

If you are unclear as to what is -current, familiarize yourself with the information found in Section 5.1 of the FAQ.

Submitting a formal problem report may be your best next move. Since the developers are far more interested in the behavior seen on -current, this is the motivating reason for installing it. The fact that the driver's source has not changed since 4.7's tagging should not raise your hopes for a miraculous change in observed behavior. I cannot say definitively that filing a report will resolve your issue or resolve your issue quickly, but by going through the appropriate channels, your information will get to those familiar with the driver's internals. Information on submitting problem reports can be found at the following:

http://www.openbsd.org/report.html

• Take the time to provide detailed information. Skimping will only cause the developer(s) to throw their hands up due to incomplete information which cannot be substantiated. Providing usbdevs(8) & dmesg(8) output in your report is appropriate. In fact, dmesg(8) output is required if I recall correctly.
• Familiarizing yourself with previous discussion on the urtw(4) driver and RTL8187 support in the official misc@ mailing list would also be helpful for context. The following search is a beginning:
  
  http://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&w=2&r=1&s=urtw&q=b

Understanding this information before submitting a problem report will help in explaining the behavior you are experiencing. Reciting the results of trying the work-arounds mentioned at the beginning will also support your cause.

Good luck.