No wireless on Lenovo Yoga 2 13" (NOT Pro, for once!)

[yangmusa]

rfkill list all
0: hci0: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: yes
Hard blocked: no
1: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: yes

On my keyboard the airplane mode button is on F7, but anyway - it doesn't seem to have any effect, either before or after removing ideapad-laptop. Would a key press effect a hard block though? My impression from other threads was is either a physical switch or (as in this case) a stubborn software error.

[chili555]

Would a key press effect a hard block though?

Why, absolutely! That's the whole intent of ideapad_laptop or asus-wmi or hp-wmi or, in my case, thinkpad_acpi; to translate key presses into action. In your case, we are trying to translate a press of F7 to 'please turn on the wireless, Mr. Kernel.'

Please execute and report on the tests I suggested.

[yangmusa]

And repeatedly pressing the wireless button (F8) makes no difference? Please press and check:

rfkill list all

And try again. Is there no change at all? Then unload ideapad-laptop and try again:

sudo modprobe -r ideapad-laptop

Pres F8 and then:

rfkill list all

Any change?

Sorry my last reply was unclear - I tried several times unloading ideapad-laptop, listing with rfkill, reloading, listing with rfkill. I got the same result in either case:

rfkill list all

0: hci0: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: yes
Hard blocked: no
1: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: yes

[michal6]

Hi, I just want to say that I have absolutely the same problem with same Lenovo. I have been trying to fix it for almost week with no success. I hope that direct help from someone will make difference in results.
Well, my observations: doesn't matter what linux (even installation of debian with 4 of their 4GB dvd didn't help) and what is more frustrating.. installing windows (so I can at least virtualizing linux) won't make any difference. Wireless card is probably working (radio on) only under original windows with Lenovo "trash".
Will come to this thread as much as possible and help diagnosing..

[chili555]

I'm sorry. We have tried everything I know to try in this case. All I can further suggest is to get an inexpensive fully supported USB wireless and wait for improvements in ideapad-laptop sometime in the future.

I wish the answer could be better.

[yangmusa]

All I can further suggest is to get an inexpensive fully supported USB wireless and wait for improvements in ideapad-laptop sometime in the future.

Hah, I already tried that! But it was hard blocked, just like the built in wifi...

At this point I think my best strategy is to find/borrow/buy a Windows install dvd, reinstall Windows, and return the laptop (I have until Friday, and Best Buy refused to accept it as a return on Saturday - they booted it up and saw the horror that is Linux ) I think it's worth the extra $400 to have a fully functioning laptop, so I'll get the pro.

Thanks for all your help chili555 - much appreciated!

[kainz]

This happened to me on my Yoga 2 13" as well. I managed to fix it by hacking up and rebuilding the ideapad-laptop.c to do the following:

write_ec_cmd(ideapad_handle, VPCCMD_W_RF, 1);
write_ec_cmd(ideapad_handle, VPCCMD_W_BT, 1);
write_ec_cmd(ideapad_handle, VPCCMD_W_WIFI, 1);

That will tweak the Phy0 WLAN block off. After that, rmmod the ideapad-laptop module and keep it blacklisted!

Source: my askubuntu answer via: http://askubuntu.com/questions/43454.../446459#446459

Cheers!

[chili555]

I'm not quite sure how modifying the .c code for the ideapad_laptop module but then blacklisting it so it never loads can do, well, anything.

[kainz]

The trick is that I'm telling the module to enable the RF in general (that might be readonly tho), the BT, and the WIFI, irregardless of the 'soft' logic around it. That tweaks the wifi card somewhere to unblock itself.

I suspect that its the same EC chip and probaly a similar DSDT but with no actual hardware switch wired, which would always make the hardware switch read return null.

[chili555]

I understand that; however, blacklist says to never, ever load it. How, exactly, does the tweak take effect if the module is locked up in prison for life with no possibility of parole, even for good behavior and religious epiphany?

If you had some script, perhaps in /etc/rc.local, that loaded it, turned off rfkill at the device and then unloaded it, I might understand.

I am not at all saying you are incorrect; I am saying that I don't yet understand the process. By the way, I am aware of and have used several tricks that work well that I can't for the life of me understand. That's a perfectly valid answer: I don't know why it works, I just know it works.