Installing Broadcom Wireless BCM43xx on Ubuntu

Broadcom after Intel is perhaps the leading supplier for Wi-Fi adapter in Laptops, Notebooks and Netbooks. However the support on Linux platforms is very limited.

Installing from the Internet

On an Ubuntu PC, the following steps are required to install Broadcom Wireless BCM43xx adapters.

Run the command:

sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source

Restart and it will work. To display the details of the drivers:

sudo lspci -nn

Installing from the Ubuntu ISO Image

The drivers for Broadcom Wireless BCM43xx adapters are available in the Ubuntu CD-ROM or ISO image (Tested with Ubuntu 10.10). The following steps are required.

Run the command:

sudo mount -t iso9660 -o loop [path_to_iso_image] /cdrom

Now this source needs to be added to the Synaptic Repositories:

sudo synaptic --add-cdrom /cdrom

Now finally run the tool System->Administration->Additional Drivers and the drivers will be located from the ISO image.

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