[x86-64] 12.2 is missing the WiFi driver completely

jim_p · August 21, 2025 at 8:57 AM

I am one of the "lucky few" who have a broadcom wifi card that works better (if not only) with wl. This is the card in question

Code

02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM43228 802.11a/b/g/n [14e4:4359]

Up until 11, wl was correctly auto selected and the card was working with no extra work

Code

02:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM43228 802.11a/b/g/n
       Subsystem: Dell BCM43228 802.11a/b/g/n
       Kernel driver in use: wl
       Kernel modules: wl, bcma

On 12.0, NONE of the two was auto selected, so I got no network interface at all

Code

02:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM43228 802.11a/b/g/n
       Subsystem: Dell BCM43228 802.11a/b/g/n
       Kernel driver in use: bcma-pci-bridge
       Kernel modules: bcma, wl
       
# connmanctl technologies
/net/connman/technology/ethernet
 Name = Wired
 Type = ethernet
 Powered = True
 Connected = True
 Tethering = False
 TetheringFreq = 0

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So I blacklisted bcma, like so

Code

echo "blacklist bcma" >> /storage/.config/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

and on next boot, wl made it work

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02:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM43228 802.11a/b/g/n
       Subsystem: Dell BCM43228 802.11a/b/g/n
       Kernel driver in use: wl
       Kernel modules: bcma, wl
       
# connmanctl technologies
/net/connman/technology/ethernet
 Name = Wired
 Type = ethernet
 Powered = True
 Connected = True
 Tethering = False
 TetheringFreq = 2412
/net/connman/technology/wifi
 Name = WiFi
 Type = wifi
 Powered = True
 Connected = False
 Tethering = False
 TetheringFreq = 0

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On 12.2 though, wl does not even exist as driver or option, so there is no way to make it work

Code

02:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM43228 802.11a/b/g/n
       Subsystem: Dell BCM43228 802.11a/b/g/n
       Kernel driver in use: bcma-pci-bridge
       Kernel modules: bcma
       
# modprobe wl
modprobe: FATAL: Module wl not found in directory /lib/modules/6.16.0

# connmanctl technologies
/net/connman/technology/ethernet
 Name = Wired
 Type = ethernet
 Powered = True
 Connected = True
 Tethering = False
 TetheringFreq = 0

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The outputs above are from the generic-legacy images for 12.0.2 and 12.2.0, booted in "run mode". Also note that bcma, supposedly, supports the card

Code

# modinfo bcma | grep 4359
alias:          pci:v000014E4d00004359sv*sd*bc*sc*i*

p.s. I also use wl on debian unstable x64 that is the regular os on that laptop, but it is on 6.12, so I can not tell if it compiles or not on 6.16. Hopefully, now that the freeze for debian 13 is over, unstable will move to 6.16 soon and I will know. On that system, I had used b43 the first couple of days, but it has a lot of issues, thus the move to wl.

**heitbaum** · August 21, 2025 at 11:20 AM

Here is the background. https://github.com/LibreELEC/LibreELEC.tv/pull/9522. there was some work being done in other patches that may have worked in later kernels, but didn’t work in the LE kernels, so it was dropped.

jim_p · August 21, 2025 at 11:53 AM

If a better patch becomes available, will it be readded? There is no b43 btw, neither in 12.0.2 nor in 12.2.0.

Code

# modinfo b43
modinfo: ERROR: Module b43 not found.

I wanted to see if anything has changed in 12.2 on the "bad" cooperation between connman and iwd.

**heitbaum** · August 21, 2025 at 2:12 PM

iwd and connman are synced up to that of LE13.

Correct there is no b43 in LE12/13. I don’t see the wl driver returning in LE with “patches”, the decision to drop it was only made after the inability to obtain working patches across multiple kernel releases, and lack of support (community) - lots of reading and research done in the PR and issue, with references to the issue.

The wireless positive with LE12.2/13 is the now available upstreamed rtw88 wireless.

[x86-64] 12.2 is missing the WiFi driver completely

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