# WIFI BCM43xx

## quentin.fr

I installed the bcm43xx kernel module, fwcutter with the driver file bcmwl5.sys or inf. I put a udev rule to set the name to wlan.

The result: sometimes it works, sometimes not:

when i do: iwconfig I get:

```

lo        no wireless extensions.

sit0      no wireless extensions.

lan       no wireless extensions.

wlan      IEEE 802.11b/g  ESSID:off/any  Nickname:"Broadcom 4306"

          Mode:Managed  Access Point: Invalid   Bit Rate=1 Mb/s

          RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off

          Encryption key: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

```

 and when I do iwlist scanning:

```
lo        Interface doesn't support scanning.

sit0      Interface doesn't support scanning.

lan       Interface doesn't support scanning.

wlan      Interface doesn't support scanning : No such device

```

any idea?Last edited by quentin.fr on Wed Sep 06, 2006 9:00 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## quentin.fr

More informations:

lspci says: 

```
Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4306 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Controller (rev 03)

```

dmesg says:

```

bcm43xx: Chip ID 0x4306, rev 0x3

bcm43xx: Number of cores: 5

bcm43xx: Core 0: ID 0x800, rev 0x4, vendor 0x4243, enabled

bcm43xx: Core 1: ID 0x812, rev 0x5, vendor 0x4243, disabled

bcm43xx: Core 2: ID 0x80d, rev 0x2, vendor 0x4243, enabled

bcm43xx: Core 3: ID 0x807, rev 0x2, vendor 0x4243, disabled

bcm43xx: Core 4: ID 0x804, rev 0x9, vendor 0x4243, enabled

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: Detected PHY: Version: 2, Type 2, Revision 2

bcm43xx: Detected Radio: ID: 2205017f (Manuf: 17f Ver: 2050 Rev: 2)

bcm43xx: Radio turned off

bcm43xx: Radio turned off

```

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## quentin.fr

When I reboot I get this in dmesg:

```

bcm43xx driver

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:02.0[A] -> Link [LNK3] -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 21

bcm43xx: Chip ID 0x4306, rev 0x3

bcm43xx: Number of cores: 5

bcm43xx: Core 0: ID 0x800, rev 0x4, vendor 0x4243, enabled

bcm43xx: Core 1: ID 0x812, rev 0x5, vendor 0x4243, disabled

bcm43xx: Core 2: ID 0x80d, rev 0x2, vendor 0x4243, enabled

bcm43xx: Core 3: ID 0x807, rev 0x2, vendor 0x4243, disabled

bcm43xx: Core 4: ID 0x804, rev 0x9, vendor 0x4243, enabled

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: Detected PHY: Version: 2, Type 2, Revision 2

bcm43xx: Detected Radio: ID: 2205017f (Manuf: 17f Ver: 2050 Rev: 2)

bcm43xx: Radio turned off

bcm43xx: Radio turned off

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: InitVals (bcm43xx_initvalXX.fw) file-format error. Please fix your bcm43xx firmware files.

```

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## quentin.fr

up?

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## GNUtoo

try the 2.6.17 kernel there are the broadcom drivers inside

mabe the drivers inside are better?

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## Sachankara

You have to run "ifconfig wlan up" before you can use the card.

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## quentin.fr

I did it too.

Then I have a 1% chance that the card  connects properly to the ap: not able to get an ip address (not protected, so no problem with wep or wpa).

Finally when I reboot I got an error saying that there is a problem with my firmware(I tried all I've found, including the one given in the readme...)

I tried to install ndiswrapper with 64bits drivers, it's working well... but no support aircrack-ng  :Sad: 

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## quentin.fr

UP?

Please help me...

Sometimes ifconfig wlan up works, sometimes I get 

```
ifconfig wlan up

SIOCSIFFLAGS: Protocol error

```

and dmesg output:

```

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: InitVals (bcm43xx_initvalXX.fw) file-format error. Please fix your bcm43xx firmware files.

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: Radio turned on

bcm43xx: Chip initialized

bcm43xx: DMA initialized

bcm43xx: 80211 cores initialized

bcm43xx: Keys cleared

SoftMAC: Associate: Scanning for networks first.

SoftMAC: Associate: failed to initiate scan. Is device up?

ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): wlan: link is not ready

SoftMAC: Start scanning with channel: 1

SoftMAC: Scanning 14 channels

SoftMAC: Scanning finished

SoftMAC: Associate: Scanning for networks first.

SoftMAC: Start scanning with channel: 1

SoftMAC: Scanning 14 channels

SoftMAC: Scanning finished

SoftMAC: Associate: Scanning for networks first.

SoftMAC: Start scanning with channel: 1

SoftMAC: Scanning 14 channels

SoftMAC: Scanning finished

SoftMAC: Unable to find matching network after scan!

SoftMAC: Start scanning with channel: 1

SoftMAC: Scanning 14 channels

SoftMAC: Scanning finished

bcm43xx: Radio turned off

bcm43xx: DMA 0x0200 (RX) max used slots: 1/64

bcm43xx: DMA 0x0260 (TX) max used slots: 0/512

bcm43xx: DMA 0x0240 (TX) max used slots: 0/512

bcm43xx: DMA 0x0220 (TX) max used slots: 1/512

bcm43xx: DMA 0x0200 (TX) max used slots: 0/512

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: InitVals (bcm43xx_initvalXX.fw) file-format error. Please fix your bcm43xx firmware files.

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: InitVals (bcm43xx_initvalXX.fw) file-format error. Please fix your bcm43xx firmware files.

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: InitVals (bcm43xx_initvalXX.fw) file-format error. Please fix your bcm43xx firmware files.

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: InitVals (bcm43xx_initvalXX.fw) file-format error. Please fix your bcm43xx firmware files.

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: InitVals (bcm43xx_initvalXX.fw) file-format error. Please fix your bcm43xx firmware files.

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: InitVals (bcm43xx_initvalXX.fw) file-format error. Please fix your bcm43xx firmware files.

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: InitVals (bcm43xx_initvalXX.fw) file-format error. Please fix your bcm43xx firmware files.

bcm43xx: PHY connected

bcm43xx: InitVals (bcm43xx_initvalXX.fw) file-format error. Please fix your bcm43xx firmware files.
```

I'm sure some of you did make these bcm43xx works with a bcm4306  rev3 ... Help is more than appreciated....

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## quentin.fr

Some more information:

when ifconfig wlan up works, I try to connect to a none protected ap:

```

iwconfig wlan  essid beluga

```

I don't get an error bur dmesg outputs:

```

oftMAC: cannot associate without being authenticated, requested authentication

```

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## quentin.fr

Everything seems to come from the firmware (dmesg tells me to fix it, funny joker...), I tried with with wl_apsta.o too, not better...

I've seen that there are several different wl_apsta.o firmware... In that case, does any list exist?

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## JoseJX

You are probably using udev >= 096.  Please see this bug for the solution.  https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=147006

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## quentin.fr

Ok, thanks for the tip.

Does it fix problems with dhcpd:

 -when the firmware is successfully loaded, and when I try to connect to my AP, it tooks infinite time to get an ip resulting in a timeout error.

 -Sometimes I cannot get authentified by the AP (which seems to be related to the previous problem)

Cheers,

----------

