Some time ago a number of users were having issues using Broadcom wireless cards so I decided to write some SLKBUILD's (package build scripts) in an attempt to help these users install the b43 wireless firmware required for the b43 kernel module to interact with this hardware.
With help from zAchAry and kepta there is now a b43-fwcutter package in the repository which includes a script that will download, compile and install a b43 or b43legacy firmware package for your system.
Here is a quick guide on how to use this script and with any luck get your Broadcom wireless card working.
Prerequisites:
1. All the commands used in this guide required root (superuser) access from a terminal.
2. You must have a working internet connection but you don't have to use the target machine for this.
Installation:
1. Install the b43-fwcutter package from the repository:
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root[~]# slapt-get -u
root[~]# slapt-get -i b43-fwcutter
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root[~]# install-b43-firmware
If you are unsure about which version to use, you can use lspci to find your wireless card's model number before reading the help page at linuxwireless.org.
As you'll notice, the machine I'm currently using has an Atheros AR928X card:
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root[~]# lspci -nn | grep -i network
0b:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Atheros Communications Inc. AR928X Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express) [168c:002a] (rev 01)
2b. Once you have made your selection the relevant source archive will be downloaded and a package created. You will then see a screen prompting you to either install or save the package you have just created:
It is worth noting that once the package has been created it is always saved regardless of any choices you make.
2c. If you decide to install the package but a package containing b43 firmware already exists on your system then the next screen will prompt to remove it:
2d. The installation will continue after the existing package has been removed:
3. Once the installation is complete your wireless card should have a device node (e.g. /dev/wlan0) that is accessible via the wicd network manager. This is handled by the package installation script (doinst.sh) so no reboot or service startup is required.
3a. The package also includes an rc script to load the relevant kernel module (b43 or b43legacy) at start up and/or unload or view the status of the module at any other time:
You can install the b43 and b43legacy packages together on the same system but only one module can be used at a time.
For this reason there are two rc scripts, one for each type of firmware (b43 or b43legacy). Both scripts will disable each other as well as unload the opposing kernel module on startup. This is evident in the screenshot above (see the last command).
Finally, the b43 and b43legacy and pcmcia modules all require the ssb module so if, for example, you disable the pcmcia service '/etc/rc.d/rc.pcmcia stop' you will also unload the b43/b43legacy modules.'