This answer explains how to install the drivers manually, without an internet connection on the target computer.
Using a second computer with an internet connection, download the files listed below to a removable USB drive.
Source: ubuntu launchpad.net
- b43-fwcutter_019-2_amd64.deb (23 KB)
- firmware-b43-installer_019-2_all.deb (4 KB)
http://packages.ubuntu.com/vivid/webfs
- webfs_1.21+ds1-10_amd64.deb (65 KB)
http://www.lwfinger.com/b43-firmware/broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2
- broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2 (13.5 MB)
Quick summary:
- Copy files from USB drive to home folder
- Install b43-fwcutter_019-2_amd64.deb = successful
- Install firmware-b43-installer_019-2_all.deb = fails because it needs to download broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2
- Remedy by installing webfs (a light http server) and configuring the resources to match www.lwfinger.com
- Update the hosts file to resolve www.lwfinger.com to localhost
- Install firmware-b43-installer_019-2_all.deb = successful
- Restart computer
- Wireless connection now working
Detailed instructions:
Install webfs (a light http server)
sudo dpkg -i webfs_1.21+ds1-10_amd64.deb
Configure the web server to match www.lwfinger.com
sudo nano /etc/webfsd.conf
Note down the web_root value and change the web_port value to 80
web_root="/var/www"
web_port="80"
Navigate to the web_root folder, create the b43-firmware sub folder, and move broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2 into it
cd /var/www
sudo mkdir b43-firmware
sudo mv ~/broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2 ./b43-firmware
Restart the web server
sudo /etc/init.d/webfs restart
Finally edit the hosts file to complete the configuration.
sudo nano /etc/hosts
Add the following entry
127.0.0.1 www.lwfinger.com
Install b43-fwcutter_019-2_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i b43-fwcutter_019-2_amd64.deb
Install firmware-b43-installer_019-2_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i firmware-b43-installer_019-2_all.deb
Restart the computer, you should now have your wireless connection operating as normal.
For record sake this is the output you would get without the above procedure in place.
Selecting previously unselected package firmware-b43-installer.
(Reading database ... 171103 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack firmware-b43-installer_019-2_all.deb ...
Unpacking firmware-b43-installer (1:019-2) ...
Setting up firmware-b43-installer (1:019-2) ...
No chroot environment found. Starting normal installation
--2015-08-31 15:25:30-- http://www.lwfinger.com/b43-firmware/broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2
Resolving www.lwfinger.com (www.lwfinger.com)... failed: Temporary failure in name resolution.
wget: unable to resolve host address ‘www.lwfinger.com’
Some problem occurred during the firmware download. Please check your internet connection.
This is the output you should get with the above procedure executed correctly.
(Reading database ... 171109 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack firmware-b43-installer_019-2_all.deb ...
Unpacking firmware-b43-installer (1:019-2) over (1:019-2) ...
Setting up firmware-b43-installer (1:019-2) ...
No chroot environment found. Starting normal installation
--2015-08-31 15:32:16-- http://www.lwfinger.com/b43-firmware/broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2
Resolving www.lwfinger.com (www.lwfinger.com)... 127.0.0.1
Connecting to www.lwfinger.com (www.lwfinger.com)|127.0.0.1|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 13514651 (13M) [text/plain]
Saving to: ‘broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2’
broadcom-wl-5.100.1 100%[=====================>] 12.89M --.-KB/s in 0.05s
2015-08-31 15:32:16 (285 MB/s) - ‘broadcom-wl-5.100.138.tar.bz2’ saved [13514651/13514651]
Deleting old extracted firmware...
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/linux/
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/linux/wl_apsta.o
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/linux/wl_ap.o
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/linux/wl_sta.o
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/README
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/config/
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/config/wlconfig_lx_shared
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/config/wl.mk
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/config/wl_default
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/config/wl_hnd
broadcom-wl-5.100.138/config/wlconfig_nomimo
This file is recognised as:
filename : wl_apsta.o
version : 666.2
MD5 : e1b05e268bcdbfef3560c28fc161f30e
Extracting b43/lp0initvals14.fw
Extracting b43/lcn0bsinitvals25.fw
Extracting b43/n0bsinitvals25.fw
Extracting b43/n0bsinitvals17.fw
Extracting b43/ucode17_mimo.fw
Extracting b43/ucode16_lp.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn1initvals27.fw
Extracting b43/lp2bsinitvals19.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn3bsinitvals21.fw
Extracting b43/ucode16_sslpn.fw
ucode time: 01:15:07
Extracting b43/ucode25_lcn.fw
Extracting b43/ucode21_sslpn.fw
Extracting b43/lp0bsinitvals14.fw
Extracting b43/b0g0initvals9.fw
Extracting b43/ucode20_sslpn.fw
Extracting b43/a0g1bsinitvals9.fw
Extracting b43/lp1initvals20.fw
Extracting b43/b0g0bsinitvals13.fw
Extracting b43/lp2initvals19.fw
Extracting b43/n2bsinitvals19.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn4bsinitvals22.fw
Extracting b43/ucode16_sslpn_nobt.fw
ucode date: 2011-02-23
Extracting b43/n1bsinitvals20.fw
Extracting b43/n1initvals20.fw
Extracting b43/b0g0bsinitvals5.fw
Extracting b43/ucode22_sslpn.fw
Extracting b43/b0g0initvals13.fw
Extracting b43/ht0initvals26.fw
Extracting b43/ucode33_lcn40.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn1bsinitvals20.fw
Extracting b43/lcn400bsinitvals33.fw
Extracting b43/ucode14.fw
Extracting b43/a0g0initvals5.fw
Extracting b43/lp1bsinitvals22.fw
Extracting b43/n16initvals30.fw
Extracting b43/lp0bsinitvals16.fw
Extracting b43/lcn1bsinitvals25.fw
Extracting b43/lcn400initvals33.fw
Extracting b43/n0bsinitvals24.fw
Extracting b43/lcn2bsinitvals26.fw
Extracting b43/lcn1initvals26.fw
Extracting b43/n0bsinitvals22.fw
Extracting b43/n18initvals32.fw
Extracting b43/lcn2initvals26.fw
Extracting b43/a0g1bsinitvals5.fw
Extracting b43/n0bsinitvals11.fw
Extracting b43/lcn2initvals24.fw
Extracting b43/lcn0initvals26.fw
Extracting b43/n0absinitvals11.fw
Extracting b43/ucode21_sslpn_nobt.fw
ucode time: 01:15:07
Extracting b43/ucode26_mimo.fw
Extracting b43/n2initvals19.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn3initvals21.fw
Extracting b43/a0g1bsinitvals13.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn4initvals22.fw
Extracting b43/pcm5.fw
Extracting b43/ucode22_mimo.fw
Extracting b43/ucode9.fw
Extracting b43/lcn2initvals25.fw
Extracting b43/lp1initvals22.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn1bsinitvals27.fw
Extracting b43/lcn0initvals24.fw
Extracting b43/ucode32_mimo.fw
Extracting b43/a0g0bsinitvals9.fw
Extracting b43/n18bsinitvals32.fw
Extracting b43/n0initvals24.fw
Extracting b43/n0initvals25.fw
Extracting b43/a0g1initvals5.fw
Extracting b43/ucode24_lcn.fw
Extracting b43/n0initvals17.fw
Extracting b43/n0bsinitvals16.fw
Extracting b43/lp0initvals15.fw
Extracting b43/b0g0initvals5.fw
Extracting b43/ucode20_sslpn_nobt.fw
Extracting b43/lcn1initvals24.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn0initvals16.fw
Extracting b43/a0g1initvals13.fw
Extracting b43/lp1bsinitvals20.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn2initvals19.fw
Extracting b43/a0g1initvals9.fw
Extracting b43/lcn1bsinitvals24.fw
Extracting b43/ucode5.fw
Extracting b43/lcn2bsinitvals24.fw
Extracting b43/lp0bsinitvals13.fw
Extracting b43/n0initvals16.fw
Extracting b43/ucode19_sslpn_nobt.fw
Extracting b43/b0g0bsinitvals9.fw
Extracting b43/ucode11.fw
Extracting b43/lp0initvals16.fw
Extracting b43/ucode16_mimo.fw
Extracting b43/lcn0bsinitvals26.fw
Extracting b43/ht0initvals29.fw
Extracting b43/lcn2bsinitvals25.fw
Extracting b43/a0g0initvals9.fw
Extracting b43/ucode29_mimo.fw
Extracting b43/lcn0bsinitvals24.fw
Extracting b43/ucode19_sslpn.fw
Extracting b43/lcn1initvals25.fw
Extracting b43/ucode30_mimo.fw
Extracting b43/n16bsinitvals30.fw
Extracting b43/ucode25_mimo.fw
Extracting b43/ucode24_mimo.fw
Extracting b43/ucode27_sslpn.fw
Extracting b43/lp0initvals13.fw
Extracting b43/a0g0bsinitvals5.fw
Extracting b43/ht0bsinitvals26.fw
Extracting b43/ucode13.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn2bsinitvals19.fw
Extracting b43/ucode15.fw
Extracting b43/lp0bsinitvals15.fw
Extracting b43/n0initvals11.fw
Extracting b43/lcn0initvals25.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn0bsinitvals16.fw
Extracting b43/sslpn1initvals20.fw
Extracting b43/lcn1bsinitvals26.fw
Extracting b43/n0initvals22.fw
Extracting b43/ht0bsinitvals29.fw