how do I install a proprietary wl Broadcom driver?

Question

I have BCM4313 wi-fi module, which works ok under open-source brcmsmac module, except for numerous disconnects and sudden breakdowns.

So I've downloaded the proprietary tarball, installed it, but can't say it made any impact.

When I remove all the open-source modules by using

rmmod brcmsmac bcma

and then plug all the proprietary ones by

modprobe lib80211 cfg80211 
insmod /lib/modules/my_kernel/drivers/net/wireless/wl.ko

nothing happens, I mean my Wicd app doesn't detect any available connections.

I'm not an expert at Linux by any means, so I wonder what might be an adequate solution.

ps. dmesg |grep wl output:

[ 5801.356381] wlan0: deauthenticating from b8:a3:86:42:93:cb by local choice (reason=3)
[ 5801.455680] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[ 5804.419696] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[ 5804.935700] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[ 5806.994247] wlan0: authenticate with b8:a3:86:42:93:cb
[ 5806.994328] wlan0: send auth to b8:a3:86:42:93:cb (try 1/3)
[ 5806.995904] wlan0: authenticated
[ 5806.998173] wlan0: associate with b8:a3:86:42:93:cb (try 1/3)
[ 5807.001231] wlan0: RX AssocResp from b8:a3:86:42:93:cb (capab=0x401 status=0 aid=5)
[ 5807.001804] wlan0: associated
[ 5807.002284] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): wlan0: link becomes ready
[ 5827.490902] wlan0: deauthenticating from b8:a3:86:42:93:cb by local choice (reason=3)
[ 5827.558074] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[ 5828.108186] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[ 5830.138468] wlan0: authenticate with b8:a3:86:42:93:cb
[ 5830.138583] wlan0: send auth to b8:a3:86:42:93:cb (try 1/3)
[ 5830.140406] wlan0: authenticated
[ 5830.142840] wlan0: associate with b8:a3:86:42:93:cb (try 1/3)
[ 5830.148274] wlan0: RX AssocResp from b8:a3:86:42:93:cb (capab=0x401 status=0 aid=5)
[ 5830.148856] wlan0: associated
[ 5830.150317] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): wlan0: link becomes ready

sudo modprobe wl & dmesg |grep wl:

[10392.295126] wlan0: deauthenticating from b8:a3:86:42:93:cb by local choice (reason=3)
[10392.392534] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[10392.947547] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[10404.291431] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[10404.933929] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan0: link is not ready
[10406.963425] wlan0: authenticate with b8:a3:86:42:93:cb
[10406.963531] wlan0: send auth to b8:a3:86:42:93:cb (try 1/3)
[10406.965115] wlan0: authenticated
[10406.967018] wlan0: associate with b8:a3:86:42:93:cb (try 1/3)
[10406.975538] wlan0: RX AssocResp from b8:a3:86:42:93:cb (capab=0x401 status=0 aid=3)
[10406.976099] wlan0: associated
[10406.976817] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_CHANGE): wlan0: link becomes ready
[13533.369462] wl: module license 'MIXED/Proprietary' taints kernel.

an ouptut of lsmod | grep -e brcmsmac -e b43 -e bcma while my default module is loaded:

brcmsmac              531848  0 
mac80211              539908  1 brcmsmac
bcma                   35656  1 brcmsmac
brcmutil               14755  1 brcmsmac
cfg80211              206566  2 brcmsmac,mac80211
cordic                 12535  1 brcmsmac

my connection was working great since the problem I originally adressed was resolved.

however, today I've made a reboot just to find out that my connection doesn't work again.

first of all, I've loaded the wl module by using

sudo modprobe wl

after that checked ifconfig and saw that eth1 inetrface is down and executed

sudo ifconfig eth1 up

to bring it up

shortly afterwards used iwconfig to make sure that eth1 is properly detected

in the end typed

sudo iwlist eth1 scan

to find all the available networks, which worked just as planned

however, when I've finally decided to connect and used for it

sudo iwconfig eth1 essid Network_name  (no key option here since this it's not set)

the failure kicked in, since no connection is being established and iwconfig shows that no access point is associated with eth1 interface.

I've read a bunch of manuals but still have no idea what I need to do in order to get my internet back.

Solution 1

The re-installation of bcmwl-kernel-source is supposed to blacklist the less good driver brcmsmac and obviously didn't. Please open a terminal and do:

gksudo gedit /etc/modules

If brcmsmac, bcma or b43 are in there, remove them. Add wl. Proofread, save and close gedit. Now do:

gksudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

At the end, add the following lines:

blacklist brcmsmac
blacklist bcma
blacklist b43

Proofread, save and close gedit. Reboot. Check:

iwconfig

Is your wireless interface now eth1? Is your connection now working as expected?

Solution 2

I assume you mean 14e4:4727, not 4272 as above. If so, I believe bcmwl-kernel-source is correct for your device, not brcmsmac. Let's try to get it installed correctly.

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-generic
sudo apt-get install --reinstall bcmwl-kernel-source

If all goes without error, then do:

sudo modprobe wl

Any errors or warnings? Your wireless should now be working properly.

Comments

[chili555]

Are there any clues here? dmesg | grep wl

[user2057368]

I do not know if there are any clues there, but I updated my post with said output

[chili555]

The bcmwl-kernel-source package wl uses the interface eth1. You have wlan0 suggesting that brcmsmac, bcma or b43 are still loaded. Please try your modprobe -r process again and double-check lsmod. Then load wl and see if you can connect.

[user2057368]

I don't think I can tell that I'm familiar with all that interface stuff to be honest. Just used modprobe -r to remove all default modules and the inserted wl related libs — still nothing works

[chili555]

Why did you choose to download and compile the STA driver? Please run the command: lspci -nn. Is your wireless device identified as 14e4:4727?

[user2057368]

beucase I had troubles installing pre-compiled package. and yes, my wireless device is 14e4:4272

[chili555]

Once you tell iwconfig what network you wish to connect to, you must then tell is what method to use, dhcp or static. It should connect if you add to your sequence: sudo dhclient eth1. Again, I suggest you let Network Manager handle all these details for you. Or else, remove Wicd and put all the details in /etc/network/interfaces.

[user2057368]

yep, it worked. i've uninstalled Wicd long ago, still had some troubles with getting default network manager back to work. what excactly should I specify in /etc/network/interfaces to get rid from the necessity to perfom all that sequences?

[chili555]

Just like this: pastebin.ubuntu.com/5599175 Upon reboot, it ought to connect automagically.

[chili555]

/etc/network/interfaces is easy. I suggest you start a new question and I'll be happy to help.

[user2057368]

@chili555 , I've made a new question here: askubuntu.com/questions/329096/… trying to be as explicit as I could

[Olli]

This question appears to be off-topic because it is about Mint.

[user2057368]

I had some minor error messages while installing both linux-headers and bcmwl, but on the whole it was a success. the thing is, after I've inserted wl module still nothing began to work nor any possible connections were detected. for some reason, removing wl enden in kernel panic, so I had to reboot

[chili555]

What does this tell us? sudo modprobe wl and also dmesg | grep wl.

[user2057368]

Made an update using this output

[chili555]

Your interface is still wlan0 strongly suggesting the driver is not wl. I do not see the result of sudo modprobe wl above. Does it load without error? What other drivers are loaded: lsmod | grep -e brcmsmac -e b43 -e bcma.

[user2057368]

made another update. it loads without any error, and when I remove brcmsmac, your command line returns nothing

[user2057368]

blacklisted everything, yes, now iwconfig tells me that my interface is eth1, only it still doesn't help much as no connections are being detected. btw here's the iwconfigs' output: eth1 IEEE 802.11 Access Point: Not-Associated Link Quality:5 Signal level:0 Noise level:0 Rx invalid nwid:0 invalid crypt:0 invalid misc:0

[chili555]

What, if any, is the result of: sudo iwlist eth1 scan as well as: rfkill list all and also dmesg | grep wl.

[user2057368]

ok, weird stuff. iwlist scan returned all wi-fi networks available , which made me suspicous about the use of Wicd as my network manager. I've done a little research and connected to me network from command line, using dhclient eth1 in the end. after all, now i'm connected and all networks suddenly are listed in my Wicd interface again. thanks for help, I guess I'll make a bash-script to do that from now on ok, Wicd behaves really weird, so i don't think there's any point at using it anymore

[chili555]

Glad it's working. I wonder if you'd have better luck removing Wicd and re-installing Network Manager.

[user2057368]

yeah, I wonder that too, already removed Wicd but still finding out how to remove network-manager-gnome to the tray. nontheless, it's not that much of a problem since I have a stable connection.

[user2057368]

i'm afraid i need your help once again (made an update in OP)