Tell me more ×
Ask Ubuntu is a question and answer site for Ubuntu users and developers. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite
1

Yesterday I installed Ubuntu 12.04 for the first time (I've always been a Windows user) as I was at the office and I had the Ethernet connected.

At home I only use WI-FI. When I started Ubuntu it didn't connect or try to connect with any network.

By google, I found the command rfkill and these are the results:

0: hci0: Bluetooth
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: no

1: brcmwl-0: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: no

2: dell-wifi: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: yes
    Hard blocked: yes

3: dell-bluetooth: Bluetooth
    Soft blocked: no
    Hard blocked: no

Well, the WI-FI is blocked by hardware, so I tried the command rfkill unblock 2 and it didn't work. As I didn't know even my Broadcom model, I found lspci and the result for the WI-FI is:

0e:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4312 802.11b/g LP-PHY (rev 01)

My laptop is a Dell Vostro 1520 with WinXP also installed. Thanks for the help!

PS: It also may help that when I enter System Settings > Network (it may be different, my Ubuntu is in Spanish) "Airplane Mode" is connected. When I try to unlock it, it goes to its original place after I close that window and open it again and when I reboot.

Update added from comment to an answer

The Broadcom "Additional Drivers" are turned on and enabled.

share|improve this question

3 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

Broadcom and ubuntu do not play nicely together

Try these fixes

Wireless doesn't work on a Broadcom BCM4312

share|improve this answer
OMG that's speed. Thanks, it DID work! – Fernando Jun 15 '12 at 6:35
any time I reboot my computer it doesn't work again and I have to launch the commands again. Is there any mode to fix this? – Fernando Jun 15 '12 at 9:14
up vote 1 down vote

I found this and it worked for me.

This is how to get the wireless hardswitch to turn on using the terminal:

sudo apt-get remove bcmwl-kernel-source
sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer
sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter

Then enter this command to turn it on:

cat /etc/modprobe.d/* | egrep '8180|acx|at76|ath|b43|bcm|CX|eth|ipw|irmware|isl| lbtf|orinoco|ndiswrapper|NPE|p54|prism|rtl|rt2|rt3 |rt6|rt7|witch|wl'

Reboot and see if it stays on.

share|improve this answer
The cat ... | egrep ... command just outputs information, it does not actually change anything. (See man cat and man egrep.) – Eliah Kagan Jul 5 '12 at 10:15
up vote 0 down vote

Broadcom hardware often requires closed-source drivers. Have you enabled Proprietary Drivers? To do this go to System Settings -> Additional Drivers

Are you sure the hardware switch for Wi-Fi on your PC is turned on?

share|improve this answer
It's turned on indeed and the driver are enabled. – Fernando Jun 15 '12 at 6:24

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.