This page describes how to install and Configure your Broadcom Device. Broadcom: 4311, 4312, or 4318 (1390 is working with ndiswrapper unless you have a kernel 2.6.20 then you can use bcm43xx-fwcutter)
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Device Identification
This is a 1390 card but yours might have a different name.
lspci 0c:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN Mini-PCI Card (rev 01)
If you are not sure what hardware you have visits this site: [http://kmuto.jp/debian/hcl/ Hardware Identification]
Native b43 driver
On kernels 2.6.24 and newer, you should use the b43 driver, which is included as a module in Debian kernel images.
You must also install the firmware for this driver.
- Add contrib section to your apt sources.list
- Install the b43-fwcutter package
aptitude update aptitude install b43-fwcutter
- Make sure driver is loaded
modprobe b43
- Verify that your card works
ifconfig -a iwconfig ifconfig wlan0 up
If everything goes okay, you should see the wlan0 interface in the output of "ifconfig -a", wireless extensions for that interface in the output of "iwconfig", and no output at all from "ifconfig wlan0 up". If "ifconfig wlan0 up" gives you a message "SIOCSIFFLAGS: No such file or directory", then probably you don't have the proper firmware. Look [http://www.linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43#devicefirmware here] for more information, and also consider filing a bug against the b43-firmware package.
Native bcm43xx driver
On kernels older than 2.6.24, you should use the bcm43xx driver, which is included as a module in Debian kernel images. The bcm43xx driver requires a firmware package which must be downloaded separately.
Installing the firmware (option 1)
- Add contrib section to your apt sources.list
aptitude update aptitude install bcm43xx-fwcutter
*Now test if drivers work
modprobe bcm43xx
- Verify that your card is there:
iwconfig
Installing the firmware (option 2)
If you experience an error 404, go here [http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=445133 Bug 445133]
If failed, Download this script which was taken from lenny package:
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?msg=19;filename=install_bcm43xx_firmware.sh;att=1;bug=445133
- Remove old script and place a new one.
rm /usr/share/bcm43xx-fwcutter/install_bcm43xx_firmware.sh cp install_bcm43xx_firm ware.sh /usr/share/bcm43xx-fwcutter/ chmod u+x /usr/share/bcm43xx-fwcutter/install_bcm43xx_firmware.sh
- Retry install
apt-get install bcm43xx-fwcutter
- Now test if drivers work
modprobe bcm43xx
- Verify that your card is there:
iwconfig
Installing the firmware (option 3)
- If iwconfig is not showing your card that means the drivers are not correct. We will need to try few sources of drivers.
- First source is dell site.
- Download dell drivers,
mkdir tmp cd tmp wget http://ftp.us.dell.com/network/R151517.EXE
- unzip
unzip R151517.EXE
- Extract drivers
bcm43xx-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware bcmwl5.sys
- Now test if drivers work
modprobe bcm43xx
- Verify that your card is there:
iwconfig
Installing the firmware (option 4)
- If that didn't work try following sources:
[http://www.learnaboutlinux.net/files/bcmwl5.sys bcmwl5.sys from source 2]
- Extract drivers
bcm43xx-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware bcmwl5.sys
- Now test if drivers work
modprobe bcm43xx
- Verify that your card is there:
iwconfig
Installing the firmware (option 5)
[http://www.learnaboutlinux.net/files/wl_apsta.o wl_apsta.o from source 3] (treat wl_apsta.o just like bcmwl5.sys)
- Extract drivers
bcm43xx-fwcutter -w /lib/firmware wl_apsta.o
- Now test if drivers work
modprobe bcm43xx
- Verify that your card is there:
iwconfig
Ndiswrapper
- If the generic bcm43xx driver didn't work.
- Usually because you don't have kernel version 2.6.20, you will have to use ndiswrapper.
- But because we already went through so many problems we will use the latest source code for ndiswrapper to make sure it works with our current kernel.
Install ndiswrapper
- Install what is neccessary:
aptitude install build-essential aptitude install linux-headers-`uname -r`
- uninstall all versions you might have:
aptitude remove ndiswrapper-common aptitude remove ndiswrapper-utils
Download the source, or check their website for latest source code [http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=93482 check for new source code]
mkdir tmp cd tmp wget http://superb-east.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/ndiswrapper/ndiswrapper-1.52.tar.gz tar -xzvf ndiswrapper-1.52.tar.gz
Prevent conflict with bcm43xx
- Now to make sure there is no conflic with generic bcm43xx driver do this:
echo blacklist bcm43xx >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist
- Go to your ndiswrapper directory and compile the source:
cd ndiswrapper-1.52 make make install make distclean
Install driver
- We already download this file R151517.EXE if not wget it again:
wget http://ftp.us.dell.com/network/R151517.EXE
- Unzip:
unzip -a R151517.EXE
Install driver. This time we use .inf file, and not the sys file.
ndiswrapper -i bcmwl5.inf
- List devices:
ndiswrapper -l
- You should see:
bcmwl5 : driver installed
device (14E4:4311) present- Do final steps:
ndiswrapper -m modprobe ndiswrapper echo ndiswrapper >> /etc/modules
Check the device
- Check if device is in a list:
iwconfig
- You should see something like:
wlan0 IEEE 802.11g ESSID:off/any
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.462 GHz Access Point: Not-Associated
Bit Rate:54 Mb/s Tx-Power:32 dBm
RTS thr:2347 B Fragment thr:2346 B
Encryption key:off
Power Management:off
Link Quality:0 Signal level:0 Noise level:0
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0
Connect to network
- Gnome- Double click on Network Connection (If you don't have an icon click on add to panel, then Select "Network Monitor" and click add)
- Name: Wlan0
- Click on configure
- Select Wireless connection
- Properties
- Pick a network, add a password, select dhcp and click ok
- You should be connected.
External Links
[http://www.learnaboutlinux.net/wireless_1390.htm generic bcm43xx and ndiswrapper (Explains it all)]
[http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=297092 ndiswrpapper for 1390 only]