Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

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ullix
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Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by ullix »

After deep frustration with Ubuntu Mate 22.04, I was still frustrated with Linux Mint Mate 21. Both were way too buggy with a whole variety of "new features". But in both the WiFi was working flawlessly. The laptop is 7 years old and it and its WiFi has worked with every older version of Ubuntu.

Now trying the latest Debian variety of Mint, and after smooth install I am stuck with non-working WiFi. Googles offer seem to all relate to older LMDE versions. I have tried almost every permutation of the Broadcom files in Synaptic, to no avail. I am out of ideas, please help.

Computer is a DELL Laptop XPS 13 9343. The Broadcom WiFi chip is BCM4352 as told by

Code: Select all

~$ inxi -Na
Network:   Device-1: Broadcom BCM4352 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter vendor: Dell driver: bcma-pci-bridge v: N/A 
           modules: bcma port: f040 bus ID: 02:00.0 chip ID: 14e4:43b1 class ID: 0280 
           Device-2: Realtek RTL8153 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter type: USB driver: r8152 bus ID: 3-2:2 chip ID: 0bda:8153 
           class ID: 0000 serial: 000002000000 
I notice that inxi tells me that the BCM4352 is using the driver ' bcma-pci-bridge'. I thought it had to be the 'wl' driver. Or not? Is that the problem?
Last edited by LockBot on Mon Jun 05, 2023 10:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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manyroads
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Re: Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by manyroads »

Try this or similar tutorials:

https://tutorialforlinux.com/2020/02/25 ... gnu-linux/

<Mod> Note:
Please, see the precise steps how to locate the real tutorial text starting on the linked page in my post below.
Really poorly designed webpage. Extremely poor design.
</Mod>
Last edited by karlchen on Tue Dec 06, 2022 8:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ullix
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Re: Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by ullix »

Hmmm, thanks, but is this kind of an insider joke? All links lead back to the same page with links, which lead back to the links, which ...

I tried dozens of similar tutorials, but none of them gave advice which worked on LMDE 5. Some of their recommended packes don't even exist on LMDE5. I need advice specific for LMDE 5!
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Re: Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by ullix »

Some progress: I got advice to switch off "Secure Boot" in the Bios. Now I can at least see the "Wireless" option in network icon in the panel!

inxi now shows me that the BCM4352 is now using driver 'wl'.

But it does not show any networks (and mine are NOT hidden). How can I get it to show networks?
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JerryF
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Re: Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by JerryF »

could you post the results of this command:

Code: Select all

rfkill list all
ullix
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Re: Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by ullix »

This gets weirder (at least for me). In my grab box I found 3 old USB-Wifi sticks, all with the same RTS 5249 chip. With each, when plugged in the WiFi Networks showed immediately, and complete. This is what inxi says when a Fritz-brand stick is inserted:

Code: Select all

01:00.0 Unassigned class [ff00]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTS5249 PCI Express Card Reader (rev 01)
	Subsystem: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTS5249 PCI Express Card Reader
	Kernel driver in use: rtsx_pci
	Kernel modules: rtsx_pci
02:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4352 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter (rev 03)
	Subsystem: Dell BCM4352 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter
	Kernel driver in use: wl
	Kernel modules: bcma, wl
Screenshot from 2022-12-05 18-17-25.png
The top "WiFi" is the Fritz adapter, and recognizes all options around. The "Broadcom ..." is the laptop's adapter, and does not see anything!

Doing the asked-for `rfkill list all` gives me:

Code: Select all

~$ rfkill list all
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: no
11: phy11: Wireless LAN
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: no
Pulling out the Fritz leaves this:

Code: Select all

~$ rfkill list all
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: no
and the panel info shrinks to:
Screenshot from 2022-12-05 18-32-18.png
Screenshot from 2022-12-05 18-32-18.png (13.79 KiB) Viewed 2278 times
and I am left without Wifi connection.
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Re: Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by MiZoG »

How-to for installing proprietary Broadcom wifi drivers on a debian-based system.
Skip the first step about adding "non-free" to your software sources (already enabled on LMDE)
Also see another user's "adventure" with the same wifi chip running main-branch Mint on this thread.
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Re: Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by ullix »

By some strange magic today WiFi on the Broadcom BCM4352 works, 2.4G, 5G, all smooth operation!

(Well, maybe I shouldn't be surprised: today is Santa Claus Day in Germany, and such things do happen on these days! I'll check again tomorrow.)

The only thing I have done since my last post was to reboot today into my second OS of this double boot laptop, and did some work before rebooting into this (formerly?) WiFi-troubled LMDE 5. Off course I had rebooted yesterday also, every frickin' time. I surely have no idea what happened.
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karlchen
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Re: Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by karlchen »

Hello, ullix.

In case you feel like a real dare devil today, you shut down the machine completely and power it off. Then - after waiting for a few seconds - you power it on again and boot to LMDE 5 directly. Is the Boradcom Wifi adapter still functional? And does it still see and connect to your DSL router correctly?

Regards,
Karl
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ullix
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Re: Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by ullix »

@Karlchen: On Santa Claus day, I'll do everything you ask for. I shut down, waited 2 min, and started. Immediately enjoying 5G WiFi!

By the way: my router is on glass fiber. (works well, but only marginally better than the previous DSL).
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Re: Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by karlchen »

This post only serves to add the needed handling steps for the tutorial, which manyroads had linked to.
manyroads wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 11:01 am Try this or similar tutorials:
https://tutorialforlinux.com/2020/02/25 ... gnu-linux/
  • On the linked page, scroll down till you spot the following link:
    Broadcom BCM4352 Driver Debian Bullseye Installation Guide
    .
  • On the next page scroll down till you spot the following link:

    Below the link click on Debian Bullseye
    .
  • On the next page scroll down till you read the text
    Hi! The Tutorial shows you Step-by-Step How to Install Broadcom Wl Wi-fi/Bluetooth Wireless Driver in Debian Bullseye 11 GNU/Linux.
    The list of supported Broadcom Wifi devices also lists BCM4352 near the end of the list.
    .
  • Scroll down till you read:
    1. Launching Terminal
    Hurray, you have succeeded to retireve the beginning of the tutorial at last!
    .
  • Locate the link to Next page
    .
  • Ain't this a crappy webpage design?! - Yes, it is,
    Hopefully your wifi adapter will work properly now at least.
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Re: Missing WiFi with Broadcom Adapter on LMDE 5

Post by ullix »

I believe I have found a clue for my laptop's magic, and no, it is not Santa, but probably a bug in rfkill!

My laptop DELL XPS 13 9343 has a BIOS option to enable WiFi and/or Bluetooth (both are enabled). In addition it allows to activate a switch which deactivates all Wireless, be it WiFi or Bluetooth, and they will be both together either on or off.

The switch is set by the keys Fn + Druck (=PrtScr). So now the switch is On, I have WiFi, and rfkill says:

Code: Select all

~$ rfkill list all
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: no
1: hci0: Bluetooth
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: no
So, neither WiFi nor Bluetooth are blocked, neither by soft- nor by hardware.

Now I activate the switch - Wifi then is NOT working - and I get:

Code: Select all

$ rfkill list all
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: no
Bluetooth is gone - as it should - but WiFi is still showing - which it should NOT!

My magic might have come from activating this switch (there is no LED to show its position) inadvertently and believed in rfkill's answer. I don't know.

But I think rfkill has a bug?
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