Linux Mint 13 Broadcom 4312 low power

[williamskg6]

I am having a really difficult time getting Mint 13 Mate to work on an Acer Aspire 5516. Specifically the wireless card (Broadcom 4312 low-power). I installed Mint 13 Mate, 32 bit. Then I rebooted and logged in. I plugged into my router and downloaded all the updates. Next I installed the additional driver (Broadcom STA). I rebooted as recommended.

Here's where the fun begins.

The computer boots fine and the wireless card connects to my wireless network (computer is no longer plugged into the router at this point). The connection shows signal strength, etc. as expected. The MOMENT I attempt to do anything that uses the wireless (surf, check for updates, etc.) the wireless connection disconnects and the indicator spins. No amount of clicking disconnect then reconnecting will work. Rebooting the system it automatically connects to the wireless network but the moment I try to use it, the same behavior shows.

In frustration, I downloaded and ran the Cinnamon 32 bit DVD. Live session only works in recovery mode, but that's a known bug with this card. I got a live session running, added the drivers for the wireless card (plugged in) and then unplugged. The wireless connects and stays connected even with use. I then performed a fresh installation off the Cinnamon DVD. The computer wouldn't boot unless I performed a Xorg -configure and copied the xorg.conf file to the right location (even though errors still arose). Cinnamon would log in to a black screen with a pointer, but no desktop. I then logged out and logged in to Gnome Classic, installed fglrx and rebooted. Logging into Cinnamon works now. Added the drivers and the wireless works now.

So, if I log into Gnome Classic or Gnome Classic without effects, the wireless issue reappears. The moment I attempt to use the wireless, it disconnects and won't reconnect. This happens as I said in Mate, Gnome Classic, and Gnome Classic without effects, but does NOT happen in Cinnamon.

I really want to use Mate on this machine. How do I get around this?

[AlbertP]

The STA driver sometimes doesn't work well on old 431x chips. Please install firmware-b43-lpphy-installer from the repository (with a wired connection) and remove the STA driver (bcmwl-kernel-source package).
You may need to run this if you're stuck with no wireless after STA uninstall:

Code: Select all

sudo rm /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-bcm43.conf

[williamskg6]

The STA driver sometimes doesn't work well on old 431x chips. Please install firmware-b43-lpphy-installer from the repository (with a wired connection) and remove the STA driver (bcmwl-kernel-source package).
You may need to run this if you're stuck with no wireless after STA uninstall:

Code: Select all

sudo rm /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-bcm43.conf

I tried that route yesterday with Mate installed with the exception of the blacklist part and had no luck whatsoever. I'll try again. Thanks for the advice. I'll post an update

[williamskg6]

The STA driver sometimes doesn't work well on old 431x chips. Please install firmware-b43-lpphy-installer from the repository (with a wired connection) and remove the STA driver (bcmwl-kernel-source package).
You may need to run this if you're stuck with no wireless after STA uninstall:

Code: Select all

sudo rm /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-bcm43.conf

This was perfect! I think what I was missing last time was removing the bcmwl-kernel-source package. Mate 32 bit is working great with wireless not dropping out anymore. Thanks again for the assist.

[mgh]

Just want to chime in a thank you for "install firmware-b43-lpphy-installer". I am on a Dell with broadcom card and was about to give up on LMDE13. Connecting perfectly with wireless now.