# [SOLVED] RTL8723BE Wifi problems

## cfaulkner70

Gentoo x64 running on a Lenovo G50-45 Laptop

uname -a

```
Linux HAL-9001 3.17.8-gentoo-r1 #7 SMP Wed Feb 11 21:37:34 CST 2015 x86_64 AMD A6-6310 APU with AMD Radeon R4 Graphics AuthenticAMD GNU/Linux
```

Enabled the RTL8723BE driver in the kernel (not as a module)

sys-kernel/linux-firmware v20141009 and v20140902 tried, no luck

lspci -k

```
01:00.0 Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8723BE PCIe Wireless Network Adapter

        Subsystem: Lenovo Device b736

        Kernel driver in use: rtl8723be
```

dmesg | grep 8723

```
[    0.773807] rtl8723be: Using firmware rtlwifi/rtl8723befw.bin

[    0.773912] rtl8723be 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for rtlwifi/rtl8723befw.bin failed with error -2

[    0.774039] rtlwifi: Firmware rtlwifi/rtl8723befw.bin not available
```

locate rtl8723befw.bin

```
/lib64/firmware/rtlwifi/rtl8723befw.bin
```

Anything i'm missing?Last edited by cfaulkner70 on Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:10 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## Roman_Gruber

maybe worth to dig in the kernel source and check out what*s happening

```

[    0.773912] rtl8723be 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for rtlwifi/rtl8723befw.bin failed with error -2 
```

or use another branch of the kernel itself. I highly recommend to stick to a stable long term release like 3.10 from kernel.org => 3.10.XX gentoo-sources....

You narrowed it down, But i would suggest you dig in the source and check waht that error code really does and therefore you will see than if teh module is on the right spot.

and sometimes just using a newly build fresh kernel with another version string magically solves problems.

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## cfaulkner70

 *tw04l124 wrote:*   

> maybe worth to dig in the kernel source and check out what*s happening
> 
> ```
> 
> [    0.773912] rtl8723be 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for rtlwifi/rtl8723befw.bin failed with error -2 
> ...

 

Thanks tw!

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## cfaulkner70

I do have a hunch that it is because the driver is not built as a module and instead built-in.

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## cfaulkner70

recompiling the kernel now making the rtl8723be driver a module instead of built in.

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## cfaulkner70

I do believe that's what it was..  I compiled the 8723be as a module and here's what I got now

dmesg | grep 8723

```
[    0.458723] pci 0000:00:01.1: supports D1 D2

[    5.654792] rtl8723be: Using firmware rtlwifi/rtl8723befw.bin

[    5.977875] rtl8723be 0000:01:00.0 wlp1s0: renamed from wlan0
```

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## chithanh

If you build the driver into the kernel, you often need to build the firmware into the kernel too:

```
CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE_DIR="/lib/firmware/"

CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE="rtlwifi/rtl8723befw.bin"
```

would allow you to make rtl8723be built-in again.

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## cfaulkner70

 *chithanh wrote:*   

> If you build the driver into the kernel, you often need to build the firmware into the kernel too:
> 
> ```
> CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE_DIR="/lib/firmware/"
> 
> ...

 

Nice!  Thank you!  Learn something new all the time..  :Smile: 

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## mroutput

 *chithanh wrote:*   

> If you build the driver into the kernel, you often need to build the firmware into the kernel too:
> 
> ```
> CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE_DIR="/lib/firmware/"
> 
> ...

 

thank you very much! I wonder can I load microcode through there as well?

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