Wireless Troubleshooting Guide
APPENDIX GUIDE A-6
Troubleshooting steps
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.
☐ 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.
- 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.
☐ 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.
☐ Check the keyboard for a key combination to enable/disable wireless. These are often a number key plus the function (Fn) key.
☐ 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.
☐ Boot back to Xubuntu. Open a terminal and run the command lspci |grep -i wireless. We need to confirm that the wireless card is recognized by the operating system.
- If the card is not recognized, it could be a bad card, or bad PCI slot. Try swapping out the card.
- If the card is recognized, or you're not sure, ask your instructor. Advanced troubleshooting is likely needed.
Tip
rfkill list all
This command can be very helpful when trying to figure out why wireless is disabled. Look for the Wireless LAN 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.