Problem with Broadcom BCM43142

[TheGraba]

Hi to everyone, (I hope to have post this topic in the right section) this is the first time that i'm using Linux; in fact, before i've only used Winzozz and MAC OSX, and being curious about Linux, i decided to try it. So, i "deleted" Windows 8 on my new computer (A Lenovo B590) and installed Debian 7.2 (the stable version of course).
Unfortunately, i have a "little" issue: the wi-fi doesn't work; i think that Debian doesn't recognize the network card, a Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 802.11b/g/n, because from the Network Manager, i don't see any Wifi connection and the only two options that i have, are: 1) Cable Network and 2) VPN connection.

I've searched a lot, in the past 2-3 days, trying to find a solution: i've read tons of topics, guides,(not only in my first language, that's italian, but also in english) and so forth, but i'm still stuck on this problem. Probably i can't find a solution, cause i'm a newbie on Linux and i don't know properly how Linux works, so i'm here asking for help, to find a way to fix this issue. So,thank you in advance for every answer to this topic


Just one last thing to add, that maybe can help: during the Debian's installation, Debian itself asked for a firmware that was missing (this one: rtl_nic/rtl8168e-3.fw ), so i downloaded it on my Macbook and saved on a Usb pen, then i connected the USB pen to the Lenovo so that the installer could add the firmware during the installation (as asked). But after, during the network configuration, i had a problem: the installer said " Automatic configuration of network failed; the network may be without a DHCP server or, alternatively, the server may be very slow or one of the components of the hardware network may not function properly " . For this reason, i couldn't download all the updates from a Debian's mirror.

I add also the result of those two commands:

lsci

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root@debian:/home/utente# lsci

02:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 802.11b/g/n (rev 01)
03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168B PCI E 
xpress Gigabit Ethernet controller (rev 07)

ifconfig

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root@debian:/home/utente# ifconfig
eth0             Link encap:Ethernet   HWaddr 3c:97:0e:af:50:57
                 UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
                 RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
                 TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
                 collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
                 RX bytes:0 (0.0 B)    TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)
                 Interrupt:40 Base address:0x4000

lo               Link encap:Local Loopback
                 inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
                 inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
                 UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
                 RX packets:92 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
                 TX packets:92 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
                 collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
                 RX bytes:5664 (5.5 KiB)    TX bytes:5664 (5.5 KiB)

[sunrat]

This may help - http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php? ... t=BCM43142
The firmware you installed is for your Realtek ethernet chip. Have you tried a wired connection? These usually are easy to get working.

[TheGraba]

Thanks for the answer sunrat! Finally i've fixed this problem!
I had already seen that topic, but i found it difficult to make it works (the solution); cause i didn't know how to apply the patch and also, the instructions written in the Readme of the Broadcom file were too long and not so easy to understand, especially for a newbie.

Googling around the web, i found another way, that i think is a lot easier; i will post the solution so that other users with my same problem, can solve it in a fast and easy way. This is exactly how i did it:

1) Firstly you have to be sure, that you have a BCM43142 wireless card: to do this, just write in the terminal the following command:

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lspci

In a line of the output of the command, you will see written "Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 802.11b/g/n" if, of course, you have this wireless card.

2) Then you have to download this package: build essential through this command:

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sudo apt-get install build-essential

(sudo is for obtain the root permissions, in case you don't know// or you can enter in the terminal as root user: just click on the terminal, and write "su". Then you will have to write the password for the Root user, and after you will be logged as Root user). To download this package of course you have to be connected to internet: use an ethernet cable as i did. If you haven't an ethernet cable, try to find the package on another computer (doesn't matter the OS), then download the package on a USB pen and then connect the USB pen to the computer with the BCM wireless card. Then, install the package: if is a file like namefile.deb i think you have only to double click on it to make the installation starts, and debian will do the rest. (Be sure that the package that you've just downloaded is the right one for your system: i mean, that is the right for the architecture of your pc. To know the architecture, just write in the terminal the command "arch".)

3) Now you have to download this deb package that is for the wireless card: download it from this link https://mega.co.nz/#!qIUySZYJ!PgfNRVCcX ... ouaQ97c0yM. As i said before, if you have an ethernet cable, you can download the file directly from the computer that is running Linux; if you haven't an ethernet cable, download it from another computer, and put it into an USB pen. Then connect the USB pen to the other computer.

4) Once you have the previous file, on the computer that has the wireless card "to fix", install the file by clicking on them two times or open it with the software installer (or similar; to do it, just right click on the file and choose the right option). Then Debian will do the rest, as before.

5) Finally, now everything should be fixed: just restart your computer, and you will see the Network Manager works properly. In fact, now from the Network manager icon, the one in the upper right, clicking on them, you will see all the wi-fi networks available.

Hope that this will help others "newbie" users on Debian!

[sunrat]

Good that you got it working.
The download link didn't work for me though. "Your browser does not allow data to be written. Please make sure you use default browser settings." Maybe just a problem with Adblock and Ghostery tracking block.
I'm a little wary of using any unknown .debs from file sharing sites. Where did you find the referral to that download?

[TheGraba]

Well, i found that link on this website (I didn't put the link to the website directly, cause i don't know if you can put links of other forums and so on, and in a lot of forum that i've visited, you can't do it), here is the link: http://thedubiousdisc.wordpress.com/201 ... on-debian/ .

The file that you download through the direct link to the download that i've written in the post before (you download the file from the website Mega, the website is "safe", it has also an Https protocol) is this: wireless-bcm43142-dkms_6.20.55.19-1_amd64.deb .
The file is for amd64 system based and is the right one for the BCM43142 wireless card. There are also a lot of other websites, forums of support for Linux and so forth, that put this file as a solution for the problem; for example, here: http://askubuntu.com/questions/175104/h ... 923#215923 and here http://askubuntu.com/questions/345509/c ... 0-inspiron , but if you search on google "broadcom 43142 linux" you will notice other websites and forums that will suggest you to download this file.

Unfortunately, all these websites and forums, gives to you this link to download the file: https://gemnetworks.com/debian/pool/mai ... _amd64.deb ; as you can see, the file is the same but the link is not working. To me, it says "Not Found. The requested URL /debian/pool/main/w/wireless-bcm43142/wireless-bcm43142-dkms_6.20.55.19-1_amd64.deb was not found on this server. "
While from the website that i've written on the top, there is a link (to the Mega website) that is working, and from you can download easily the "solution".

[rudar]

I am running Debian Testing Xfce on Lenovo G500. My laptop has the same wireless card as described here, Broadcom BCM43142. Thanks to your tip, I previously downloaded a missing drive from https://mega.co.nz/#!qIUySZYJ!PgfNRVCcX ... ouaQ97c0yM and I've managed to get it working, with kernel 3.11. However, since my last upgrade to kernel 3.12, wireless is gone.

I did a little research about it and discovered that the same problems with this wireless card were reported with Arch Linux (see https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1371004 ) and in German section of Debian forum (see http://debianforum.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&p=975809). I noticed that the problem appeared after the kernel upgrade to 3.12, exactly as in my own case. Unfortunately, I was unable to follow their advices, because the first one is concerned with Arch, while I don't speak German, so their discussion on Debian forum was useless to me.

So, if I want to use my wireless card now, I must switch to previous kernel, 3.11, when it works fine, but it doesn't make me happy. I wish to use it also with the new kernel, 3.12. Could you help me, please?

[sunrat]

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Installin ... _Edge_E135
They explain how to use a Ubuntu package, which I would normally recommend against but reported to be ok in this case. Take special note of the last section which describes the wifi card being soft blocked at bootup and how to fix it.

[rudar]

It doesn't work, I'm afraid. What I got was this:

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rudar@debian:~$ sudo apt-get install dkms libc6-dev linux-libc-dev
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
dkms is already the newest version.
libc6-dev is already the newest version.
linux-libc-dev is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 3 not upgraded.
rudar@debian:~$ sudo dpkg -i bcmwl-kernel-source_6.20.155.1+bdcom-0ubuntu6_amd64.deb
Selecting previously unselected package bcmwl-kernel-source.
dpkg: regarding bcmwl-kernel-source_6.20.155.1+bdcom-0ubuntu6_amd64.deb containing bcmwl-kernel-source:
 wireless-bcm43142-dkms conflicts with bcmwl-kernel-source
  bcmwl-kernel-source (version 6.20.155.1+bdcom-0ubuntu6) is to be installed.

dpkg: error processing archive bcmwl-kernel-source_6.20.155.1+bdcom-0ubuntu6_amd64.deb (--install):
 conflicting packages - not installing bcmwl-kernel-source
Errors were encountered while processing:
 bcmwl-kernel-source_6.20.155.1+bdcom-0ubuntu6_amd64.deb

Also, I'm using Debian Jessie, not Debian Wheezy. The wireless still doesn't work.

[rudar]

Here is some additional information:

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02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 802.11b/g/n [14e4:4365] (rev 01)
	Subsystem: Lenovo Device [17aa:0611]
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
	Memory at e0400000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=32K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

[rudar]

I've got the solution, it works again

I passed through the regular upgrade and update, using a USB-stick. So, I got kernel 3.12-1. Then I tried my luck with

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sudo modprobe wl

and it did the trick! There was no need even to reboot, the card has become active again! Alive and kicking!

[rudar]

It's getting quite annoying, but this problem re-appears every time I pass through the kernel upgrade. I'm using 3.13-1 version now. When I checked it with the previous version, 3.12, my Broadcom wireless card BCM43142 worked, for the moment. However, I was advised to remove the first version of my kernel, 3.11-1, what I did (sudo apt-get autoremove). Since then this card does not work on 3.12, nor on 3.13-1 (my actual version of kernel).
I cannot see any change in Synaptic: there are broadcom-sta-common, broadcom-sta-dkms 6.30.223.141-1 and wireless-bcm43142-dkms 6.20.55.19-1, all installed in due order.
When I tried again sudo modprobe wl I got this

modprobe: ERROR: ../libkmod/libkmod-module.c:804 kmod_module_insert_module() could not find module by name='wl'
modprobe: ERROR: could not insert 'wl': Function not implemented
modprobe: ERROR: ../libkmod/libkmod-module.c:954 command_do() Error running install command for wl
modprobe: ERROR: could not insert 'wl': Operation not permitted

I tried to do some homework, but Google provides solutions only for Ubuntu, as much as I can see, and then for OpenSuSe, Fedora and Arch. I feel ashamed but as I can see no other way out, I'm asking you to help me.

[rudar]

Is this problem going to be solved perhaps when the appropriate driver for this card gets into official Debian repositories? There was a link to Kali Linux before, with a possible solution, but that link is dead now. The driver I downloaded and installed from the beginning of this post, from here https://mega.co.nz/#!qIUySZYJ!PgfNRVCcX ... ouaQ97c0yM is out of order again: I see it in Synaptic, it's installed all right, but I cannot use it. Any advices, please? Is there anyone else using the same wireless card?

[rudar]

Here is description of the driver I have (listing from Synaptic):

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This package contains Broadcom 802.11 Linux STA wireless driver for use with Broadcom's BCM43142 hardware.
Repackaged from:
Original deb package name: wireless-bcm43142-oneiric
beta version: 6.20.55.19~bdcom0602.0400.1000.0400-0somerville1
which was found pre-installed on Dell Laptops (Vostro/Inspiron) shipped with
Ubuntu Oneiric.
Original beta package by: Hsin-Yi Chen (hychen) <hycehn@canonical.com>

Although I use Lenovo G500 laptop, and this is supposedly written for Dell, I don't believe this has caused an issue. When I open Dependencies, I got the following information:

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Conflicts: bcmwl-kernel-source
Breaks: broadcom-sta-common
Breaks: broadcom-sta-modules
Breaks: broadcom-sta-source
Replaces: broadcom-sta-common
Replaces: broadcom-sta-modules
Replaces: broadcom-sta-source

What I got installed is

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broadcom-sta-dkms

, and I don't have

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broadcom-sta-common

nor

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broadcom-sta-source

, but again I don't believe this has caused my problem because I had these installed even before my last upgrade. Finally, under Installed files I read this:

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/.
/etc
/etc/modprobe.d
/etc/modprobe.d/wireless-bcm43142-dkms.conf
/usr
/usr/share
/usr/share/doc
/usr/share/doc/wireless-bcm43142-dkms
/usr/share/doc/wireless-bcm43142-dkms/README.Debian
/usr/share/doc/wireless-bcm43142-dkms/changelog.Debian.gz
/usr/share/doc/wireless-bcm43142-dkms/copyright
/usr/share/lintian
/usr/share/lintian/overrides
/usr/share/lintian/overrides/wireless-bcm43142-dkms
/usr/src
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/Makefile
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/dkms.conf
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/lib
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/lib/wlc_hybrid.o_amd64
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/bcmcrypto
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/bcmcrypto/rc4.c
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/bcmcrypto/tkhash.c
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/bcmcrypto/tkmic.c
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/bcmcrypto/wep.c
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/bcmcrypto
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/bcmcrypto/rc4.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/bcmcrypto/tkhash.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/bcmcrypto/tkmic.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/bcmcrypto/wep.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/bcmdefs.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/bcmendian.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/bcmutils.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/bcmwifi.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/epivers.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/linux_osl.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/linuxver.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/osl.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/packed_section_end.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/packed_section_start.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/pcicfg.h
/usr/src/wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19/src/include/proto

There is also an information that this driver (6.20.55.19), which is installed, is also the last available version. I suppose I could try to re-install the whole system and get back to kernel 3.11-2, when I managed this Broadcom wireless BCM 43142 card to get going. However, I'd leave this as my ultimate resort and I would like to try something else. Any advices, please?

[rudar]

Just for the record: I solved my problem (once again!). It took me many hard days and sleepless nights. I am just too exhausted to explain how I did it. Perhaps with another post. Need to rest now.

[jerry.goyal]

I've got the solution, it works again

I passed through the regular upgrade and update, using a USB-stick. So, I got kernel 3.12-1. Then I tried my luck with

Code: Select all

sudo modprobe wl

and it did the trick! There was no need even to reboot, the card has become active again! Alive and kicking!

does my kernel (3.12.6-2kali1) supports the wifi with driver.
if no then how can i downgrade/upgrade to a compatible kernel.
i'm running kali 1.0.6 via USB with BCM43142 lenovob490.

[rudar]

Have you tried this thread

http://www.kalilinux.net/community/thre ... -kali.814/

[michapma]

From the following site, on Tue, 17 Sep 2013:
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrepo ... bug=688823

Source: broadcom-sta
Source-Version: 6.30.223.141-1

We believe that the bug you reported is fixed in the latest version of
broadcom-sta, which is due to be installed in the Debian FTP archive.

This is the version currently in both Jessie and Sid. Theoretically, you could head over to
https://packages.debian.org/search?keyw ... ection=all
then download the .deb file for your architecture and use dpkg to install. (Don't mix Wheezy with Jessie or Sid.) If it works, this might be easier.

[rudar]

After the new update...upgrade I still have kernel 3.13-1, but I got the following warning:

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Examining /etc/kernel/header_postinst.d.

run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/header_postinst.d/dkms 3.13-1-amd64

Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 3.13-1-amd64 (x86_64)

Consult /var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/make.log for more information.

When I checked that log, I found this:

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DKMS make.log for wireless-bcm43142-6.20.55.19 for kernel 3.13-1-amd64 (x86_64)

Wed Apr  2 17:32:34 CEST 2014

make: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-3.13-1-amd64'

CFG80211 API is prefered for this kernel version

Using CFG80211 API

  LD      /var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/built-in.o

  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/shared/linux_osl.o

  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.o

/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.c: In function ‘wl_tkip_printstats’:

/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.c:2696:7: warning: passing argument 1 of ‘wl->tkipmo$

       wl->tkip_bcast_data[idx]);

       ^

/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.c:2696:7: note: expected ‘struct seq_file *’ but arg$

/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.c:2699:4: warning: passing argument 1 of ‘wl->tkipmo$

    wl->tkipmodops->print_stats(debug_buf, wl->tkip_ucast_data);

    ^

/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.c:2699:4: note: expected ‘struct seq_file *’ but arg$

/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.c: In function ‘wl_reg_proc_entry’:

/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.c:2909:2: error: implicit declaration of function ‘c$

  if ((wl->proc_entry = create_proc_entry(tmp, 0644, NULL)) == NULL) {

  ^

/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.c:2909:22: warning: assignment makes pointer from in$

  if ((wl->proc_entry = create_proc_entry(tmp, 0644, NULL)) == NULL) {

                      ^

/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.c:2914:16: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplet$wl->proc_entry->read_proc = wl_proc_read;

                ^

/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.c:2915:16: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplet$

  wl->proc_entry->write_proc = wl_proc_write;

                ^

/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.c:2916:16: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplet$

  wl->proc_entry->data = wl;

                ^

cc1: some warnings being treated as errors

make[3]: *** [/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build/src/wl/sys/wl_linux.o] Error 1

make[2]: *** [_module_/var/lib/dkms/wireless-bcm43142/6.20.55.19/build] Error 2

make[1]: *** [sub-make] Error 2

make: *** [all] Error 2
make: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-3.13-1-amd64'

Let me just add that I already have the recommended broadcom-sta.dkms installed, with the latest available version 6.30.223.141-1. Yes, it's working now, even after reboot, but for how long? Any step closer to the final solution?

[michapma]

Hi rudar,

I don't know what you did in the end to fix your problem, since you haven't (yet) posted your solution; however, earlier you wrote that you had both the 6.30.223.141-1 and 6.20.55.19-1 packages installed. The system will simply try to work with both, which could be a source of confusion. For instance, you said that “this problem re-appears every time I pass through the kernel upgrade.” This is because of the dynamic kernel module support (DKMS), which, from its manpage, “is a framework which allows kernel modules to be dynamically built for each kernel on your system in a simplified and organized fashion.” Every time you install a new kernel, DKMS tries to build modules that will run on that new kernel. It should be apparent from the warnings and make.log you just posted that DKMS tried to build version 6.20.55.19 for kernel 3.13-1 and had trouble.

Ask yourself though why you still have 6.20.55.19 installed, when the latest version, 6.30.223.141-1, is more likely to solve your issue. You don't want your system trying to use both. I would suggest removing both versions with their associated packages, then reinstalling either the way you did it before or the way I suggested above, if they're different.

[rudar]

Thanks for your interest. However, I am afraid I can give only the sequence of my last commands in Terminal, just before this card re-activated itself:

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sudo apt-get install linux-headers$(uname -r | grep -Po "\-[a-z].*")
sudo apt-get install build-essential dkms
sudo apt-get install broadcom-wl
sudo apt-get install broadcom-wl-dkms
sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source
sudo modprobe wl

After this, it became active again. And it still is.
As far as your suggestion is concerned, I'm not sure that 6.30.223.141-1 solves the issue. I just got burned on several occasions, and I would prefer to keep things the way they are. At least until the new upgrade, and until the new kernel arrives...