Linux Wireless

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[[http://linuxwireless.sipsolutions.net/en/users/Drivers/b43/|http://linuxwireless.sipsolutions.net/en/users/Drivers/b43/]] 

**b43** and **b43legacy** are wireless drivers for Broadcom [[en/developers/Documentation/Glossary#softmac|SoftMAC]] chipsets. Kernel will automatically pick a proper module for you:
  * **b43** for any new (supported) hardware
  * **b43legacy** for BCM4301 and early BCM4306 versions

===== Summary =====

  * You need to have firmware files (usually in ''/lib/firmware/'') so **b43(legacy)** can upload them to the card and run properly.
  * For [[en/developers/Documentation/Glossary#fullmac|FullMAC]] devices support see [[en/users/Drivers/brcm80211|brcmfmac]] and [[en/users/Drivers/rndis_wlan|rndis_wlan]]

===== Known problems & limitations =====

  * Some stalls (on G-PHY only?) possibly related to CCK vs. OFDM, see [[https://lists.openwrt.org/pipermail/openwrt-devel/2012-August/016432.html|WRT54g / b43 / mac802.11 BREAKTHROUGH]]
  * N-PHY: 5 GHz support requires kernel 3.17+
  * HT-PHY: no support for 5 GHz
  * No support for 802.11n features (HT, aggregation, 40 MHz width)

===== Resolved problems =====

  * G-PHY devices: not working with kernels 3.15 and 3.16-rc1 (a regression). This was fixed in 3.15.5 ([[https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git/commit/?h=linux-3.15.y&id=6f3f164bd0efe9a090cd74e08d6195c95024a1d1|6f3f164]]) and 3.16-rc3 ([[http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=2fc68eb122c7ea6cd5be1fe7d6650c0beb2f4f40|2fc68eb]]).
  * Scanning/connectivity problems: caused by **b43** bug exposed with kernel 3.8 (by [[http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=0172bb75073e11a5aa9d8a953bdaefb8709f00c8|0172bb7]]). Fixed in kernel 3.14 (by [[http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=64e5acb09ca6b50c97299cff9ef51299470b29f2|64e5acb]]) and backported to 3.13.2, 3.12.10, 3.10.29.

===== List of hardware =====

To check for a present hardware model execute following command:
<code>lspci -nn -d 14e4:</code>
Please look carefully at device ID and chipset name.

^ PCI-ID     ^ Supported?       ^ Chip ID    ^ Modes       ^ PHY version  ^ Alternative   ^
| 14e4:0576  | not tested       | BCM43224   | a/b/g/n     | ?            | wl/brcm80211  |
| 14e4:4301  | yes (b43legacy)  | BCM4301    | b           | B            |               |
| 14e4:4306  | yes (b43legacy)  | BCM4306/2  | b/g         | G            |               |
| 14e4:4307  | yes              | BCM4306/3  | b/g         | G            |               |
| 14e4:4311  | yes              | BCM4311    | b/g         | G            | wl            |
| 14e4:4312  | yes              | BCM4311    | a/b/g       | G (r8)       | wl            |
| 14e4:4313  | not tested       | BCM4311    | a           | ?            | wl            |
| :::        | no               | BCM4313    | b/g/n       | LCN (r1)     | wl/brcm80211  |
| 14e4:4315  | yes              | BCM4312    | b/g         | LP (r1)      | wl            |
| 14e4:4318  | yes              | BCM4318    | b/g         | G (r7)       |               |
| 14e4:4319  | yes              | BCM4318    | a/b/g       | G            |               |
| 14e4:4320  | yes (b43legacy)  | BCM4306/2  | b/g         | G (r1)       |               |
| :::        | yes              | BCM4306/3  | ?           | G (r2)       |               |
| 14e4:4321  | partially        | BCM4321    | ?           | N (r2)       |               |
| 14e4:4322  | not tested       | BCM4322    | b/g/n       | N (r4)       |               |
| 14e4:4324  | yes (b43legacy)  | BCM4306    | a/b/g       | G (r1)       |               |
| :::        | yes              | BCM4306/3  | a/b/g       | G (r5)       |               |
| 14e4:4325  | yes (b43legacy)  | BCM4306/2  | b/g         | G (r1)       |               |
| 14e4:4328  | partially        | BCM4321    | a/b/g/n     | N (r2)       | wl            |
| 14e4:4329  | partially        | BCM4321    | b/g/n       | N (r1)       | wl            |
| 14e4:432a  | not tested       | BCM4321    | a/n         | N            | wl            |
| 14e4:432b  | partially        | BCM4322    | a/b/g/n     | N (r4)       | wl            |
| 14e4:432c  | yes              | BCM4322    | b/g/n       | N            | wl            |
| 14e4:432d  | not tested       | BCM4322    | a/n         | N            | wl            |
| 14e4:4331  | yes (3.2-rc3+)   | BCM4331    | a/b/g/n     | HT (r1)      | wl            |
| 14e4:4350  | yes (3.8+)       | BCM43222   | a/b/g/n     | N (r6)       |               |
| 14e4:4353  | yes (3.1+)       | BCM43224   | a/b/g/n     | N (r6)       | wl/brcm80211  |
| 14e4:4357  | yes (3.1+)       | BCM43225   | b/g/n       | N (r6)       | wl/brcm80211  |
| 14e4:4358  | yes (3.17+)      | BCM43227   | b/g/n       | N (r16)      | wl            |
| 14e4:4359  | yes (3.17+)      | BCM43228   | a/b/g/n     | N (r16)      | wl            |
| 14e4:4360  | no               | BCM4360    | ?           | AC (r1)      |               |
| 14e4:4365  | no               | BCM43142   | b/g/n       | LCN40 (r3)   | wl            |
| 14e4:43a0  | no               | BCM4360    | a/b/g/n/ac  | AC?          | wl            |
| :::        | no               | BCM4352    | a/b/g/n/ac  | ?            | wl            |
| 14e4:43a9  | yes (3.17+)      | BCM43217   | b/g/n       | N (r17)      |               |
| 14e4:43aa  | yes (3.17+)      | BCM43131   | b/g/n       | N (r17)      |               |
| 14e4:43b1  | no               | BCM4352    | a/b/g/n/ac  | AC (r3)      | wl            |
| 14e4:4727  | no               | BCM4313    | b/g/n       | LCN (r1)     | wl/brcm80211  |
| 14e4:a8d6  | not tested       | BCM43222   | ?           | N (6)        |               |
| 14e4:a8d8  | yes (3.6+)       | BCM43224   | a/b/g/n     | N (r6)       | brcm80211     |
| :::        | yes (3.6+)       | BCM43225   | ?           | N (r6)       | brcm80211     |
| 14e4:a8db  | yes (3.18+)      | BCM43217   | b/g/n       | N (r17)      |               |
| 14e4:a99d  | not tested       | BCM43421?  | ?           | ?            | wl            |


===== Contact =====

  * For instant contact you can try #bcm-users channel in IRC freenode network. Please note the limited activity and that you may need to wait for an answer.
  * As a more reliable way you can use [[http://lists.infradead.org/mailman/listinfo/b43-dev|b43-dev mailing list]].

In case of any problem, please start with providing hardware model (including ID) and description of the issue.
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