Getting Netgear WNA3100 (Broadcom BCM43231) Working

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boredhero

Getting Netgear WNA3100 (Broadcom BCM43231) Working

Post by boredhero »

Hi, I am sadly well aware of the nightmare of Linux and Broadcom, especially my Netgear N300 (WNA3100/BCM43231) USB wireless adapter. In my experience with Linux, I have had scant luck getting it working trying to follow older forum posts from years past and older kernels/drivers/distro versions. I am contemplating a LM19 install, and am wondering if anyone knows how to get this adapter/chipset to play nicely with LM19, if at all possible. I remember trying ndiswrapper during my last adventure with LM (around 16/17), and never really getting it to work. Any ideas? (I am also well aware that I am probably better off going and buying a different adapter, but just for the sake of curiosity and so that other people googling my plight may have a more recent thread they can read, is there anything I can try to make it work?)
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Inundated
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Re: Getting Netgear WNA3100 (Broadcom BCM43231) Working

Post by Inundated »

I have been struggling with this for days now, and there doesn't seem to be an easy solution.

LM19 Cinnamon, I tried all the posts I could find that invoked NDISWRAPPER, but it fails at some crucial point.

I'd like to get this working, but I've decided to go ahead and order the TPLink adapter recommended by others who have posted here.I'm going to keep plugging away until the TPLink gets here.
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Re: Getting Netgear WNA3100 (Broadcom BCM43231) Working

Post by Inundated »

For what it's worth, the TP-Link 722 has arrived, and it even works plug and play with my USB stick.

It shows up as a new adapter in addition to the laptop's built in adapter.

Now, I can't get it working on the desktop because it is not booting anymore...even into the Dell BIOS (it's a Dell Dimension 8400). Probably a dead battery or something inside. It doesn't appear to involve Linux Mint at all, as even hitting F2 to get into the BIOS doesn't work.

But I put this here because I can confirm the TP-Link 722 is indeed plug and play in Linux Mint 19.
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Re: Getting Netgear WNA3100 (Broadcom BCM43231) Working

Post by Joe2Shoe »

"Tolerance is the refuge of men without conviction."
"Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire
jglen490

Re: Getting Netgear WNA3100 (Broadcom BCM43231) Working

Post by jglen490 »

There are some wireless adapters that work in Linux without any setup at all, others never work on Linux. A large number require (some to considerable) effort but eventually are stable.

I don't work for these guys, but I got tired of wifi adapters that work until some software update occurs. I got tired of adapters that work, but have poor antenna(s). So I dropped a few more dollars and got a Panda PAU09 - dual antennae, USB extension cable, 802.11a/b/g/n. It ALMOST started working before it was connected - hyperbole, of course, but it required no setup, I just started network manager and immediately worked. It sits on top of my Kubuntu desktop's case with a clear shot at everything. Good strong signal.

My advice it don't waste money on adapters that work with Windows, but might work with Linux - or not.. Do some research, find a good adapter, forget about your ulcers and upset head fighting with junk.
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Re: Getting Netgear WNA3100 (Broadcom BCM43231) Working

Post by Inundated »

Update: I left the old Dell Dimension 8400 desktop on all night, sitting at the blinking cursor before booting...and eventually, sometime overnight, it booted.

I'm on it right now, and the TP-Link 722 adapter works great. No setup required. I turned on the monitor, and it already presented the available networks. Twisting the antenna so it's vertical gave me 100% on my home network.
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Re: Getting Netgear WNA3100 (Broadcom BCM43231) Working

Post by TLARbb »

Is this the TP link adapter that works with mint?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TP-Link-TL-WN7 ... SwE9hcYuiS
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Re: Getting Netgear WNA3100 (Broadcom BCM43231) Working

Post by Inundated »

TLARbb wrote: Thu Mar 28, 2019 8:13 pm Is this the TP link adapter that works with mint?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TP-Link-TL-WN7 ... SwE9hcYuiS
That does appear to be the same one I'm using - all the way through my change to a new (to me) Lenovo desktop that replaced the dead Dell.

But I seem to recall that there are three different firmware revisions, and I don't know if all three are as "plug and play" as the one I have.
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Re: Getting Netgear WNA3100 (Broadcom BCM43231) Working

Post by TLARbb »

I'm going to consider this solved at least for me. I will pick up one of these and see what happens!

EJ
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