NOTE: this page is for archival only, see the note at the end of the page.

Linux Broadcom b43/b43legacy driver Frequently Asked Questions

Q: The LEDs do not work.

A: You have to enable LEDs support in the kernel configuration. The config options you have to enable are: CONFIG_LEDS_CLASS, CONFIG_LEDS_TRIGGERS, CONFIG_MAC80211_LEDS.

Q: The radio-enable-button on my laptop does not work.

A: You have to enable RF-kill support in the kernel configuration. The config options you have to enable are: CONFIG_RFKILL, CONFIG_RFKILL_INPUT, CONFIG_INPUT_POLLDEV.

Q: After enabling the config options, LEDs/RF-kill still don't work.

A: If you have the b43/b43legacy driver built-in (not as a module), you must also enable all the LEDs/RF-kill options (see above) built-in (not as a module).

Q: It all loaded but my signal strength is 0

A: If iwconfig shows

  • Link Quality:0 Signal level:0

then you may have wireless disabled in the BIOS. Check for things like "Wireless : Application Control".

Q: I'm confused about this b43/b43legacy business. Which one do I need?

A: If your chipset is 802.11b-only or BCM4306 rev 2, you need to use b43legacy. All other devices, including BCM4306 rev 3, use b43.

You can also ignore this issue and simply compile both drivers, they will automatically detect which one you need by themselves and the appropriate one will be loaded.

Q: I found a bug in the driver, now what?

A: See Bug reporting.


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