Wifi connection

Nethercoate

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A few years ago I tried various linux distributions (mainly ubuntu based) mostly booting from a usb key, and there was never a problem connecting to wifi (from puppy to zorin). Now that I am trying again, I find they use ethernet only. Is there a distribution, easy to use, that does not have a problem (and you do not need to replace broadcom with realtek), please?
 


Did you try latest ubuntu and find to use ethernet only?
 
I tried latest lubuntu and mint (same with zorin) and it offered only ethernet and broadcom was disabled.
 
Something is wrong with your WiFi card
Actually check first if for some reason your wlan is down
 
Wifi works fine with windows 10. Linux Mint 17.3 can access wifi. I have to plug the ethernet cable in and go to drivers manager where I am told that I should not use broadcom but if I do, it downloads software then works perfectly well until the next time I boot up in 17.3, then it has gone back to no wifi, even though I have set up persistence. Any ideas?
 
Will have a go but is there a linux distro which does not have wifi problems?
 
Have a read of arochesters link.....in part one of the opening statements is "Note: the biggest issue users will face is having a wireless card that is made by Broadcom"
My point is that the problem lays not with Linux, but with broadcom.....
Read the article thoroughly, and implement the changes it suggests etc etc.....it wont do any great harm and even if it does then all you have to do is reinstall.....
You have nothing to lose.


Hopefully others will chime in here, and point the way to even more solutions for you.
 
Yep Broadcom can be a pita. I have only found certain Puppies to be set up for Broadcom cards.

Yep follow what Arochester has stated in his post. Suffered from the Broadcom curse myself.
 
And some Broadcoms are not a PITA.

There are a lot of them that use the b43 installer/driver, and some that don't, but no one will ever know unless some effort is put into figuring out the exact wifi chip in use.
 
Thank you all for your suggestions. When I retire in a couple of years, I want to learn linux from the ground up. For now I need something easy to use. Does anyone know of a linux distro which does not have an issue with broadcom?
 
Try puppy some puppies , I found to run out of the box.
 
Instead of guessing with some shotgun approach to distro-installing, how about trying to find out some info on the wifi chip.

So, assuming the wifi device is installed/attached, open a terminal and enter (as arochester's link suggested):
Code:
lspci -vv

and then:

Code:
sudo lshw -C network
 
As I have had success in getting linux mint 17.3 to connect to wifi by using driver manager to download some software, I will find a way of getting it to stay. Although I have set up persistence, I have to connect by ethernet until I have downloaded the package which gets installed, each time I start again. I just need to find how to make it permanent.
 
Are you ever going to fully install Linux Mint ?
 
Possibly with this computer (or as a VM) and definitely with the next one I buy. Happy to boot off a usb key.
 
I have not had any wifi connection problems and so have never had the need to chase this info that is bugging the heck out of you.....

However, THIS PAGE tells you in no uncertain terms that software updates etc etc are NOT held in place via persistence.

Therefore.....install LM, or get used to installing the download via ethernet etc etc

Not much of a choice, but it is what it is.

(and if I am wrong, then someone can feel free to blow me out of the water !!! )
 

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