Dell Latitude D610, Ubuntu 11.10, and BCM4306 No Wireless

Hello Everyone,

I am really hoping to find some solid help here. I have 27 Dell Latitude D610 with BCM4306 ver 3 wireless cards installed. I have to get the wireless up and running so the students at the school I work at can use these computers.

I am an Ubuntu newbie and let me apologize upfront if I seem to not have a clue because I pretty much don't right now.

I have been reading a lot of these forums and doing what they said and was able to get the wireless to work for about 2 minutes, but can not get it back now and have no idea what I did to get it to work. Basically I have done a lot already and probably start by undoing everything I have done but do not know how to do that.

I want to thank everyone for the help up front. Tell me what to do and I will.

Just 27 laptops? That's all??

All kidding aside, that sounds like an awesome project. First, let's see exactly what you have. Please open a terminal and run and post:

Code:

---

lspci -nn | grep 0280
rfkill list all
lsmod | grep dell

---

The pipe symbol | is on the right side of my US keyboard on the same key with \.

I envision, when we figure out what's missing, we burn a CD and apply the same fix to all 27 laptops. Is that what you'd like?

Please see Private Messages at the top.

Realisticlly . . .

"Latitude D610 problems

Some Dell Latitude D610 units with a dedicated ATI x300 graphics card seem to have problems with the audio-out jack. Symptoms of this problem include a noise or whine when an audio device is connected to the audio-out jack. Up to this date Dell does not have a clear solution to this problem.[1][2][3][4]

A number of Dell Latitude D610 units will develop microscopic fractures of the motherboard. Symptoms of this problem may include inability to turn on the computer, unexpected shut down within 30 seconds of being turned on, or visible screen artifacts while in operation. This problem also frequently contributes to the blue screen of death (BSOD) in Windows.

The Dell Latitude D610 was intended to have a 3-4 year life. After this period, some known issues include deterioration of CPU and other issues causing poor performance, especially with newer software."

source -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_L..._D610_problems

. . . like ubuntu 11.10.

How much RAM is each one maxed out at? If more than 512, find the good mobos and cpus and match them to maxed RAM machines Then, you could possibly use lubuntu or peppermint; if not, antiX is a good choice.

Best wishes from an Old PC junkie!

I have an Inspiron 6000 with the same BCM4306 wireless card and problem.

lspci

Code:

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Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4306 802.11a/b/g (rev 03)

---

rfkill list all

Code:

---

0: phy0: Wireless LAN
        Soft blocked: no
        Hard blocked: no

---

lsmod | grep dell

Code:

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dell_laptop            13519  0
dcdbas                14098  1 dell_laptop

---

I had this issue before, but when I upgraded to a new version of Ubuntu it started to work.

I found a solution here.

Basically, you download this file http://www.omattos.com/sites/default...all-fw.tar_.gz. Then extract it in /lib/firmware/.

lspci -nn | grep 0280
03:03.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4306 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Controller [14e4:4320] (rev 03)

rfkill list all
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no

lsmod | grep dell
dell_laptop 13519 0
dcdbas 14098 1 dell_laptop

Quote:

---

Broadcom Corporation BCM4306 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Controller [14e4:4320] (rev 03)

---

Your device is claimed by the usual suspect b43 and ssb. It requires proprietary firmware. Download the attached file to your desktop. Right-click it and select Extract Here. Now open a terminal and copy the firmware to the correct location:

Code:

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sudo cp Desktop/b43/ /lib/firmware

---

Now unload and reload the driver so it grabs the firmware:

Code:

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sudo modprobe -r b43
sudo modprobe b43

---

Your wireless should now be working.

I'd suggest the folder b43, with its contents, be copied to a CD and the process repeated on the other 26.

Post back if you need further assistance.

Chili555,

Followed directions to the letter and still no wireless yet. :(

Let's do some diagnosis. Please run and post:

Code:

---

dmesg | grep b43
ls -al /lib/firmware/b43

---

Thanks.

dmesg | grep b43
[ 1.349309] b43-pci-bridge 0000:03:03.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
[ 24.459384] b43-phy0: Broadcom 4306 WLAN found (core revision 5)
[ 24.865495] Registered led device: b43-phy0::tx
[ 24.865585] Registered led device: b43-phy0::rx
[ 24.865661] Registered led device: b43-phy0::radio
[ 26.175066] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 26.175072] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 26.175076] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 34.323762] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 34.323767] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 34.323771] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 34.337854] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 34.337860] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 34.337864] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 57.282552] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 57.282558] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 57.282562] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 57.419385] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 57.419390] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 57.419394] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 57.434725] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 57.434731] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 57.434735] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 57.718441] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 57.718446] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 57.718450] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 63.042289] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 63.042295] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 63.042299] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 68.044341] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 68.044347] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 68.044350] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 273.371800] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 273.371810] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 273.371819] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 273.397554] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 273.397560] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 273.397564] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 466.264316] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 466.264322] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 466.264326] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 466.287168] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 466.287174] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 466.287178] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 467.907623] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 467.907629] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 467.907633] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 467.930471] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 467.930477] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 467.930480] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 469.998780] b43-pci-bridge 0000:03:03.0: PCI INT A disabled
[ 471.147701] b43-pci-bridge 0000:03:03.0: restoring config space at offset 0xf (was 0x100, writing 0x10a)
[ 471.147721] b43-pci-bridge 0000:03:03.0: restoring config space at offset 0x4 (was 0x0, writing 0xdfcfe000)
[ 471.147727] b43-pci-bridge 0000:03:03.0: restoring config space at offset 0x3 (was 0x0, writing 0x4000)
[ 471.147734] b43-pci-bridge 0000:03:03.0: restoring config space at offset 0x1 (was 0x0, writing 0x106)
[ 471.300071] b43-pci-bridge 0000:03:03.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 17
[ 477.266034] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 477.266040] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 477.266044] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.
[ 477.304915] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 477.304921] b43-phy0 ERROR: Firmware file "b43-open/ucode5.fw" not found
[ 477.304925] b43-phy0 ERROR: You must go to http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/...devicefirmware and download the correct firmware for this driver version. Please carefully read all instructions on this website.

ls -al /lib/firmware/b43

ls: cannot access /lib/firmware/b43: No such file or directory