Broadcom Wifi Issue in Mint17 and Ubunu 14.04

[beefalo]

Hello everybody,

I had big troubles to get WiFi working on a Dell Latitude D630. As it took me quiet some time to solve it, I want to share my solution.

From my understanding what you want to do is: load the kernel modul b43, which is the open-source driver for Broadcom wireless cards. There are dozen tutorials in google how to do this. While installing works fine, the problem in Ubuntu 14.04 and therefor LM17 seems to be "modprobe b43" to load the driver.
From my understanding there is a bug, that no matter what the module wl is always loaded. This module prevents the b43 from getting modprobed. So the workaround is to blacklist wl prior to installing b43 as described elsewhere.

Here is what I did to get a fresh LM17 install with working wifi

1. Install Linux Mint
2. Reboot
3. Get internet access via wired ethernet
(skip these steps if you have a running LM)

4. Purge bcmwl
sudo apt-get purge bcmwl-kernel-source
5. add "blacklist wl" to the end of "/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf"
sudo su
echo "blacklist wl" >> "/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf"
6. Reboot (!!!)
7. Install b43 using apt-get
sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter firmware-b43-installer
(use legacy installer only if you run a legacy device - untested!)
8. Reboot
9. Only now run
sudo modprobe b43
10. for convience auto load of b43 module
sudo su
echo "b43" >> /etc/modules



Sources:
[1] https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+sour ... ug/1313221
[2] http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=153400


Hope this is of help for some1

Cheers

[ktheking]

So you say the guide provided here wouldn't work ? : http://www.howopensource.com/2012/10/in ... -10-12-04/

[beefalo]

yes, this guide won't work. You need to do the blacklisting for it to work.

[Frankli]

Thanks beefalo,

I got the same problem in Linux Mint 16 with my HP 6545b Notebook (Broadcom 43224 wifi adapter). The WL module disabled all B43 modules. After purging and blacklisting the WL module and rebooting the system it worked for me. Apparently I already got the B43 module installed, only it was disabled.

Thanks again for sharing your solution

[soulg77]

I'm using a Broadcom NetXtreme BCM5755M pcie card, would this solution work for me? And if so would you (or some other kind soul) be kind enough to write out the instructions clearer?

[PatH57]

Hi,

kind of doing the same here however had times where I needed to do this offline (only way to connect was wifi...)
So make yourself this b43offline folder and copy it to a usb key (might come handy)

Copy the b43-fwcutter_xxx-x_xxxx.deb file to the b43offline directory you just created on your desktop.

If you don't have a LiveCD .. you can download the b43-fwcutter_xxx-x_xxxx.deb file for your architecture from one of the mirrors at this link:
http://packages.ubuntu.com/precise/utils/b43-fwcutter
and place it in the b43offline directory you created on your desktop)

Once you have the b43-fwcutter_xxx-x_xxxx.deb file in the b43offline directory on your desktop .. open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run:
Code: [Select]

cd ~/Desktop/b43offline

then
Code: [Select]

sudo dpkg -i b43-fwcutter*


On another PC with internet access .. download these 2 (firmware) files:-
http://mirror2.openwrt.org/sources/broa ... el.tar.bz2
and
http://downloads.openwrt.org/sources/wl ... 130.20.0.o

and copy them both to the b43offline directory you created on the Ubuntu desktop.

Open a terminal, and run these commands in sequence:
Code: [Select]

cd ~/Desktop/b43offline

then
Code: [Select]

tar -xjvf broadcom-wl-5.10.56.27.3_mipsel.tar.bz2

then
Code: [Select]

sudo b43-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware broadcom-wl-5.10.56.27.3/driver/wl_apsta/wl_prebuilt.o

then
Code: [Select]

sudo b43-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware wl_apsta-3.130.20.0.o

then
Code: [Select]

sudo chmod 755 /lib/firmware/b43

then
Code: [Select]

sudo chmod 755 /lib/firmware/b43legacy

then
Code: [Select]

sudo modprobe -r b43

(don't worry if that command fails .. just carry on below
then
Code: [Select]

sudo modprobe b43


Wireless adapters that use the b43 drivers should now spring to life

If that doesn't work .. try changing to the b43legacy driver with:
Code: [Select]

sudo modprobe -r b43

then
Code: [Select]

sudo modprobe b43legacy