Broadcom wireless problems

[joejohnston3]

Hello All,

I have read several posts in this forum regarding Broadcom issues but nothing seems to work. I have added the broadcom drivers though Install/Remove programs and now even the wireless light does not show. Prior to that install I would get a wireless light but it would not show my home wireless and only listed a couple in our area. I presumed it was a Broadcom issue and have been trying to update the drivers in hopes it would fix my issue. Below is my output for my cards as I am presently using an AirLink to post this and get WiFi temporarily.

lspci | grep -i wireless
06:02.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4318 [AirForce One 54g] 802.11g Wireless LAN Controller (rev 02)

Am I supposed to take further action after installing the broadcom drivers via Synaptic, i.e. terminal commands and such or should it detect my hardware after install?

I am bewildered and really want a solution if possible. Thank you for the help.

[gold_finger]

Post back output of this terminal command please:

Code:

lspci -vnn -d 14e4:

Also, let us know which driver you installed with Synaptic (the "Install/Remove Programs" menu item).

[joejohnston3]

Thank you for the input and here is the requested info:

06:02.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4318 [AirForce One 54g] 802.11g Wireless LAN Controller [14e4:4318] (rev 02)
Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN [103c:1355]
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 64, IRQ 21
Memory at c0200000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8K]
Kernel driver in use: wl
Kernel modules: wl, ssb

Synaptic installed software:

bcmwl-kernel-source
broadcom-sta-common
broadcom-sta-source
b43-fwcutter
firmware-b43-installer

That should be it! Thank you.

[gold_finger]

Okay, according to this site you need the b43 driver and not the others.

*  So, connect with an ethernet cable first.
*  Open Synaptic and mark ALL of the Broadcom drivers you have now for complete removal.
*  Just to be sure you start fresh, reboot the computer.
*  Open Synaptic and mark the package "b43-fwcutter" for installation.
*  If it tells you it needs to install anything else along with it, go ahead and accept that.
*  After install is complete, close Synaptic and click the networking icon on panel to see if wireless choices are working.
*  You may have to reboot computer first before wireless is activated properly.  Not sure, but if doesn't immediately work, then reboot.

Hopefully that solves the problem.

[joejohnston3]

Thanks for the info. I followed your directions but the wireless does not light up and show any wireless in the network icon. Is there more required than just the b43-fwcutter? Here is the description from Synaptic:

fwcutter is a tool which can extract firmware from various source files.
It's written for BCM43xx driver files.
It grabs firmware for BCM43xx from website and install it.

I am wondering if I need the drivers and then use this utility to add them.

One quick note, the laptop is a Compaq Presario V5000.

[gold_finger]

You shouldn't have to do anything else as far as I know.  Don't have whole lot of experience messing with wireless problems, so someone else may correct me on that.

Double-check that the wireless isn't turned off on the hardware level.  Do you have any kind of switch or slider that turns it on and off?  A special key that you hit to enable it?

When you click or right-click on the networking icon, is wireless networking enabled?

If none of the above point to the problem, post back output of this in a terminal:

Code:

rfkill list

[joejohnston3]

Okay, so I had to install rfkill by using the AirLink USB and when I ran rfkill list it showed no on soft and hard. I then removed the AirLink and ran rfkill and it still showed no for both but when I presed the wireless button the hard showed blocked. At least I know the button works but when both show no block and the AirLink is not installed the network settings only show Wired network and no wireless. These Broadcom issues are a nuisance! I hope there is still an answer.

[joejohnston3]

So here is some nuttiness to add to the mix. I saw a post on another Linux thread that stated you needed to install the firmware-b43-installer so I did that and rebooted. I then saw my wireless button finally light up and it shows wireless in the network properties. However, the weird pat is that I cannot see my WiFi router listed and there are only two available out of the several that are normally listed in our area. Is it possible the Broadcom is not receiving the signals well, like a weak receiver that could be adjusted by a setting? I feel we are close but not sure why I can see other routers further away from my house but not ours and it is not hidden.

[N4RPS]

Hello!

That happens with mine, also. Sounds like you're experiencing cross-channel interference from other routers nearby. This happens when several routers on the same frequency are in close proximity to each other.

If you have an Android phone, try installing WiFi Analyzer from the Play Store. This will tell you what the WiFi environment looks like in your immediate area.

Open a terminal window [CTRL-ALT-T] and type or copy/paste the following:

Here's the PPA. Again, in a terminal window, type or copy/paste the following:

Code:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:wseverin/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install iw linssid

Hope this helps!

73 DE N4RPS
Rob

[ooseven]

I just installed 1.8 on a acer aspire 3000 and it do not even see my wireless.
I had to click connect to hidden and typed in my wireless name and password
and BAM it is connected.

But when I reboot/shutdown I have to do the same thing connect to hidden
wireless then it give a choice of a new one or the one I made. I choose the
one I made and it connects. I have it set to connect on auto but can not
figure it to connect automatic.

Just saying ;D