Question about Broadcom driver after new Ubuntu Budgie install

[jeremy31]

Your connection speed may improve as allowing Network Manager to enable wifi power management causes issues for many wifi devices

[chili555]

So...there were comments yesterday that what I had was not correct and I needed to go through the process you all provided. With that not working, should I just leave well enough alone?

If everything is working as expected, why do anything at all?

It might be interesting to see what exact driver is in use, after all this. Please run and post:

lsmod | grep -e brcm -e wl

[davepool]

Your connection speed may improve as allowing Network Manager to enable wifi power management causes issues for many wifi devices

Gotcha. Thanks!

[davepool]

If everything is working as expected, why do anything at all?

It might be interesting to see what exact driver is in use, after all this. Please run and post:

lsmod | grep -e brcm -e wl

brcmsmac 569344 0
brcmutil 16384 1 brcmsmac
cordic 16384 2 b43,brcmsmac
mac80211 819200 2 b43,brcmsmac
cfg80211 679936 3 b43,mac80211,brcmsmac
bcma 61440 3 b43,brcmsmac

And the answer to your question is that in my initial post, after relating what had happened to my wireless speed during the brief flirtation with Deepin, I asked if there was any way to determine that whatever Ubuntu Budgie had installed (either in the original .iso or later via post-installation driver updates) was giving me the maximum I could achieve.

Further, when I posted what I saw reported in the Drivers tab of Software & Updates and asked "Does that appear as it should?" it was you who replied "No. Please double-check: https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2214110"

So that's why I went through the whole process that you pointed me to. And I definitely appreciate the reply even if you now think the process wasn't necessary.

Anyway...what do you see above in the info you requested I post as the results of "lsmod | grep -e brcm -e wl"?

[chili555]

brcmsmac 569344 0
brcmutil 16384 1 brcmsmac
cordic 16384 2 b43,brcmsmac
mac80211 819200 2 b43,brcmsmac
cfg80211 679936 3 b43,mac80211,brcmsmac
bcma 61440 3 b43,brcmsmac

And the answer to your question is that in my initial post, after relating what had happened to my wireless speed during the brief flirtation with Deepin, I asked if there was any way to determine that whatever Ubuntu Budgie had installed (either in the original .iso or later via post-installation driver updates) was giving me the maximum I could achieve.

Further, when I posted what I saw reported in the Drivers tab of Software & Updates and asked "Does that appear as it should?" it was you who replied "No. Please double-check: https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2214110"

So that's why I went through the whole process that you pointed me to. And I definitely appreciate the reply even if you now think the process wasn't necessary.

Anyway...what do you see above in the info you requested I post as the results of "lsmod | grep -e brcm -e wl"?

I definately think you needed to go through the process above; to research and find that the incorrect driver suite was installed, namely bcmwl-kernel-source; to remove it and allow the correct driver, namely brcmsmac, to take over and do a better job. That is, faster speeds and no stuttering.

Now that things are working correctly, I see no need whatever to, "...go back to the Budgie Welcome tool and the Getting Started/Drivers tab and re-install whatever that brings." That tool will happily reinstall the wrong driver again. Please do not do so.

[davepool]

I definately think you needed to go through the process above; to research and find that the incorrect driver suite was installed, namely bcmwl-kernel-source; to remove it and allow the correct driver, namely brcmsmac, to take over and do a better job. That is, faster speeds and no stuttering.

Now that things are working correctly, I see no need whatever to, "...go back to the Budgie Welcome tool and the Getting Started/Drivers tab and re-install whatever that brings." That tool will happily reinstall the wrong driver again. Please do not do so.

Wow! Based on the responses I was getting from the terminal in going through that (such as "not found" and "not permitted") I really don't know how the proper steps came to pass! But I'm certainly not complaining! Thanks again!

No, I did not go back to the post-install tool...I was just spit-balling there. But is my computer's incorrect response to that tool....or the tool's incorrect action with my computer...anything that a developer somewhere (Solus? Ubuntu?) would benefit from knowing about?

[chili555]

.anything that a developer somewhere (Solus? Ubuntu?) would benefit from knowing about?

I'll work on it.

[davepool]

I'll work on it.

Sounds like you might be discussing this with yourself, then?

Sorry...bear with me. Being a new member, I am only just starting to learn who's who and does what. Thanks!

[chili555]

Sounds like you might be discussing this with yourself, then?

Sorry...bear with me. Being a new member, I am only just starting to learn who's who and does what. Thanks!

Not really. I am not a developer. I am a rusty old volunteer that has managed, in my 18 years running one version or another of Linux, to learn just a bit about wireless networking.

While I am honored to be an Ubuntu Member, that, in reality, means that you've been significantly helpful to other users over a significant time and that you applied for it in writing. That doesn't at all mean that I know the first thing about source code.

In fact, I doubt that there is a single developer here on this forum. As far as I know, we are all volunteers with no professional connection to Ubuntu or Canonical.

[davepool]

Not really. I am not a developer. I am a rusty old volunteer that has managed, in my 18 years running one version or another of Linux, to learn just a bit about wireless networking.

While I am honored to be an Ubuntu Member, that, in reality, means that you've been significantly helpful to other users over a significant time and that you applied for it in writing. That doesn't at all mean that I know the first thing about source code.

In fact, I doubt that there is a single developer here on this forum. As far as I know, we are all volunteers with no professional connection to Ubuntu or Canonical.

Interesting stuff. Thanks for the insights, both personal and general. I'm going to try not to badger anyone needlessly as I continue to learn about Linux.

I guess I *am* a bit puzzled, then, as to how/why the distro .iso for Ubuntu Budgie would install an incorrect wireless driver for my Thinkpad (though, come to think of it, I do not know if that happened in the original installation or in the post-install "First Things" update of the drivers....or, for that matter, if Deepin put the wrong driver in...or if the driver was incorrect to begin with [device bought used] and then neither Deepin nor Ubuntu detected it and corrected it).