Wireless Troubleshooting Guide - Revision history

AshleySueMas at 00:31, 22 May 2014

2014-05-22T00:31:11Z

AshleySueMas at 00:00, 7 April 2014

2014-04-07T00:00:05Z

Aradan: /* APPENDIX GUIDE A-5 */

2013-04-27T22:58:38Z

APPENDIX GUIDE A-5

Aradan: /* APPENDIX GUIDE A-6 */

2013-04-27T22:55:06Z

APPENDIX GUIDE A-6

Dan.Bauer: Corrected minor GUI mistakes

2013-04-19T19:31:20Z

Corrected minor GUI mistakes

Psullivan: /* APPENDIX GUIDE A-6 */

2013-03-10T00:59:25Z

APPENDIX GUIDE A-6

Liliana at 20:04, 8 February 2013

2013-02-08T20:04:58Z

Liliana at 20:04, 8 February 2013

2013-02-08T20:04:32Z

Psullivan: /* APPENDIX GUIDE A-6 */

2013-01-26T01:22:05Z

APPENDIX GUIDE A-6

Lynnae at 00:28, 29 December 2012

2012-12-29T00:28:45Z

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Migrate}}
+{{Migrated}}
 ==APPENDIX GUIDE A-5==
 '''Troubleshooting steps'''<br>

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:00, 7 April 2014
Line 1:		Line 1:
		+	{{Migrate}}
	==APPENDIX GUIDE A-5==		==APPENDIX GUIDE A-5==
	'''Troubleshooting steps'''<br>		'''Troubleshooting steps'''<br>

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 &#9744; Check the keyboard for a key combination to enable/disable wireless. These are often a number key plus the function (Fn) key. <br>
 &#9744; Reboot to BIOS. Sometimes there is an option in BIOS to disable/enable a mini-PCI or Wireless device. If so, make sure that you enable it. <br>
-&#9744; Boot back to Xubuntu. Open a terminal and run the command <code>lspci | grep -i wireless</code>. Any wireless device recognized by the system should be listed. If the first command does not give any result then try <code>lspci | grep -i network</code>. This may give multiple results including the wired network connection, so check the output closely for an indication that one of the listed devices is a wireless card. This will usually include <code>802.11b/g/n</code><br>
+&#9744; Boot back to Xubuntu. Open a terminal and run the command:<br>
 *If the card is not recognized, it could be a bad card, or bad PCI slot. Try swapping out the card.<br>
 *If the card is recognized as a "Broadcom" branded card you may need to install special firmware; see further instructions below.<br>

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-==APPENDIX GUIDE A-6==
+==APPENDIX GUIDE A-5==
 '''Troubleshooting steps'''<br>
 Wireless problems can be tricky. However, there are ways we can narrow down what is causing the problem. Follow these troubleshooting steps in order, and ask a fellow builder or instructor for help if you have questions.<br>

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 * In Synaptic Package Manager, open Settings >> Repositories.<br>
 * In the Software Sources window that appears, look under the Ubuntu Software tab and select the checkbox labelled "Software restricted by copyright or legal issues (multiverse)"<br>
-* Click the Close button in the software sources window, then click the Reload button at the top right of the Synaptic Package Manager window.
+* Click the Close button in the software sources window, then click the Reload button at the top left of the Synaptic Package Manager window.
 &#9744; Install Broadcom Firmware<br>
   sudo apt-get purge bcmwl*

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 Wireless problems can be tricky. However, there are ways we can narrow down what is causing the problem. Follow these troubleshooting steps in order, and ask a fellow builder or instructor for help if you have questions.<br>
 &#9744; Check and see if any available proprietary wireless drivers are available to install.
 *Open Menu >> Settings >> '''Additional Drivers'''.
 *You will need to be connected via an ethernet cable to install any proprietary drivers detected.

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 * Click the Close button in the software sources window, then click the Reload button at the top right of the Synaptic Package Manager window.
 &#9744; Install Broadcom Firmware<br>
   sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter firmware-b43-installer
 &#9744; Reboot the system and check if wireless can now be enabled.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 &#9744; Check the keyboard for a key combination to enable/disable wireless. These are often a number key plus the function (Fn) key. <br>
 &#9744; Reboot to BIOS. Sometimes there is an option in BIOS to disable/enable a mini-PCI or Wireless device. If so, make sure that you enable it. <br>
-&#9744; Boot back to Xubuntu. Open a terminal and run the command <code>lspci |grep -i wireless</code>. We need to confirm that the wireless card is recognized by the operating system. <br>
+&#9744; Boot back to Xubuntu. Open a terminal and run the command <code>lspci | grep -i wireless</code>. Any wireless device recognized by the system should be listed. If the first command does not give any result then try <code>lspci | grep -i network</code>. This may give multiple results including the wired network connection, so check the output closely for an indication that one of the listed devices is a wireless card. This will usually include <code>802.11b/g/n</code><br>
 *If the card is not recognized, it could be a bad card, or bad PCI slot. Try swapping out the card.<br>
 *If the card is recognized, or you're not sure, ask your instructor. Advanced troubleshooting is likely needed.<br>
 '''Tip'''<br>
@@ Line 19: / Line 20: @@
 *If there is a soft block, wireless is likely a keyboard combination switch.
 *If there is a hard block, wireless is likely either disabled in BIOS, or disabled via a physical switch.
 [[Category:Laptops]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:28, 29 December 2012
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	Wireless ~~has long been~~ the ~~white whale of F/OSS operating systems~~. ~~In recent years~~, ~~however, open source drivers~~ for ~~a variety of~~ wireless ~~devices have greatly improved~~. ~~Frequently~~, it'll ''~~"just work"~~''. ~~Still~~, ~~we'll sometimes have~~ to ~~get our hands dirty~~ in ~~order~~ to ~~get things working~~. This ~~article will cover some general practices on configuring and troubleshooting~~ wireless ~~under Linux~~, ~~and then go into more specific examples and known good solutions~~.	+	==APPENDIX GUIDE A-6==
		+	'''Troubleshooting steps'''<br>
		+	Wireless problems can be tricky. However, there are ways we can narrow down what is causing the problem. Follow these troubleshooting steps in order, and ask a fellow builder or instructor for help if you have questions.<br>
		+	☐ Check and see if any available proprietary wireless drivers are available to install.
		+	*Open Menu >> Settings >> '''Additional Drivers'''.
		+	*You will need to be connected via an ethernet cable to install any proprietary drivers detected.
		+	☐ Click on the WiFi icon, and make sure that the option for '''Enable Wireless''' is checked.<br>
		+	*If it is enabled, select the FreeGeek network from the menu.
		+	*If it is greyed out, your connection may be disabled from software, a physical switch or BIOS.<br>
		+	☐ Look the laptop chassis up and down for a wireless switch. These can be easy to miss. If you find one, make sure the switch is turned on. <br>
		+	☐ Check the keyboard for a key combination to enable/disable wireless. These are often a number key plus the function (Fn) key. <br>
		+	☐ Reboot to BIOS. Sometimes there is an option in BIOS to disable/enable a mini-PCI or Wireless device. If so, make sure that you enable it. <br>
		+	☐ Boot back to Xubuntu. Open a terminal and run the command <code>lspci \|grep -i wireless</code>. We need to confirm that the wireless card is recognized by the operating system. <br>
		+	*If the card is not recognized, it could be a bad card, or bad PCI slot. Try swapping out the card.<br>
		+	*If the card is recognized, or you're not sure, ask your instructor. Advanced troubleshooting is likely needed.<br>
		+	'''Tip'''<br>
		+	rfkill list all
		+	This command can be very helpful when trying to figure out why wireless is disabled. Look for the <code>Wireless LAN</code> section.
		+	*If there is a soft block, wireless is likely a keyboard combination switch.
		+	*If there is a hard block, wireless is likely either disabled in BIOS, or disabled via a physical switch.

−	~~For reference, this will all be conducted under Xubunut 12.04, although much of the material should tranfer to other versions of Linux.~~	+	[[Category:Laptops]]
−
−	~~{TOC}~~
−
−	~~==Configuration==~~
−
−	~~==Troubleshooting==~~
−
−	~~==Specific Solutions==~~
−	~~===Broadcom===~~
−	~~====BCM4311====~~
−
−	~~$> sudo apt-get purge bcmwl-kernel-source broadcom-sta-common broadcom-sta-source~~
−	~~$> sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter firmware-b43-installer~~
−	~~$> sudo shutdown -r now~~
−
−	[[~~http~~:~~//ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1972872 Reference~~]]
−
−	~~==Appendix==~~