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AP support for wl driver

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  AP support for wl driver Himanshu Shekhar <irm2015006@iiita.ac.in> - 2015-12-05 17:20 +0100
    Re: AP support for wl driver Stuart Longland <stuartl@longlandclan.id.au> - 2015-12-20 04:20 +0100
      Re: AP support for wl driver Himanshu Shekhar <irm2015006@iiita.ac.in> - 2015-12-20 10:30 +0100
        Re: AP support for wl driver Gene Heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2015-12-20 10:40 +0100
          Re: AP support for wl driver Stuart Longland <stuartl@longlandclan.id.au> - 2015-12-20 21:30 +0100
            Re: AP support for wl driver Himanshu Shekhar <irm2015006@iiita.ac.in> - 2015-12-21 04:10 +0100
              Re: AP support for wl driver "John L. Ries" <jries@salford-systems.com> - 2015-12-21 17:40 +0100
              Re: AP support for wl driver Stuart Longland <stuartl@longlandclan.id.au> - 2015-12-23 03:20 +0100

#161574 — AP support for wl driver

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I have made several attempts on this mailing list, internet, and also tried
various distros, just to get the hotspot work on my laptop.
How could I request the developers to add support for the driver to allow
AP mode on my Broadcom wireless hardware (Dell 1704 card, precisely).
The device does support AP mode, tested on Windows 10.

Regards
Himanshu Shekhar

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#161924

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On 06/12/15 02:15, Himanshu Shekhar wrote:
> I have made several attempts on this mailing list, internet, and also
> tried various distros, just to get the hotspot work on my laptop.
> How could I request the developers to add support for the driver to
> allow AP mode on my Broadcom wireless hardware (Dell 1704 card, precisely).
> The device does support AP mode, tested on Windows 10.

Getting hardware docs for Broadcom stuff is like getting blood from a
stone, and in any case, Debian don't directly maintain the driver, they
simply repackage it.

The 'wl' driver is Broadcom's proprietary driver, so you'll need to ask
Broadcom directly, nobody else can help you.

-- 
Stuart Longland (aka Redhatter, VK4MSL)

I haven't lost my mind...
  ...it's backed up on a tape somewhere.

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#161927

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On Dec 20, 2015 8:40 AM, "Stuart Longland" <stuartl@longlandclan.id.au>
wrote:
>
> On 06/12/15 02:15, Himanshu Shekhar wrote:
> > I have made several attempts on this mailing list, internet, and also
> > tried various distros, just to get the hotspot work on my laptop.
> > How could I request the developers to add support for the driver to
> > allow AP mode on my Broadcom wireless hardware (Dell 1704 card,
precisely).
> > The device does support AP mode, tested on Windows 10.
>
> Getting hardware docs for Broadcom stuff is like getting blood from a
> stone, and in any case, Debian don't directly maintain the driver, they
> simply repackage it.
>
> The 'wl' driver is Broadcom's proprietary driver, so you'll need to ask
> Broadcom directly, nobody else can help you.
>
> --
> Stuart Longland (aka Redhatter, VK4MSL)
>

Thanks Stuart! I have made several attempts and almost scanned the Broadcom
driver download page. No support email.
They have 64 bit driver for Linux available for download. I tried,
following the README file, and compilation failed with errors.
Bad experience with Broadcom.

> I haven't lost my mind...
>   ...it's backed up on a tape somewhere.
>

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#161928

On Sunday 20 December 2015 04:24:50 Himanshu Shekhar wrote:

> On Dec 20, 2015 8:40 AM, "Stuart Longland"
> <stuartl@longlandclan.id.au>
>
> wrote:
> > On 06/12/15 02:15, Himanshu Shekhar wrote:
> > > I have made several attempts on this mailing list, internet, and
> > > also tried various distros, just to get the hotspot work on my
> > > laptop. How could I request the developers to add support for the
> > > driver to allow AP mode on my Broadcom wireless hardware (Dell
> > > 1704 card,
>
> precisely).
>
> > > The device does support AP mode, tested on Windows 10.
> >
> > Getting hardware docs for Broadcom stuff is like getting blood from
> > a stone, and in any case, Debian don't directly maintain the driver,
> > they simply repackage it.
> >
> > The 'wl' driver is Broadcom's proprietary driver, so you'll need to
> > ask Broadcom directly, nobody else can help you.
> >
> > --
> > Stuart Longland (aka Redhatter, VK4MSL)
>
> Thanks Stuart! I have made several attempts and almost scanned the
> Broadcom driver download page. No support email.
> They have 64 bit driver for Linux available for download. I tried,
> following the README file, and compilation failed with errors.
> Bad experience with Broadcom.
>
Exactly that caused me to blacklist & leave it on the shelf or pegboard, 
anthing with a broadcom radio in it. I don't buy headches if I can help 
it.

> > I haven't lost my mind...
> >   ...it's backed up on a tape somewhere.


Cheers, Gene Heskett
-- 
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
Some mill pix are at:
Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene/GO704-pix>

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#161951

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On 20/12/15 19:32, Gene Heskett wrote:
>> > Thanks Stuart! I have made several attempts and almost scanned the
>> > Broadcom driver download page. No support email.
>> > They have 64 bit driver for Linux available for download. I tried,
>> > following the README file, and compilation failed with errors.
>> > Bad experience with Broadcom.
>> >
> Exactly that caused me to blacklist & leave it on the shelf or pegboard, 
> anthing with a broadcom radio in it. I don't buy headches if I can help 
> it.

Likewise.  I have one machine with a Broadcom WIFI chip, that's the
MacBook I'm typing this email on:

> RC=0 vk4msl-mb stuartl $ lspci -vnn | grep Network
> 03:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4322 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Controller [14e4:432b] (rev 01)

That one, is compatible with the 'b43' driver in the Linux kernel, and
after a few ritual sacrifices, *does* work.  It does however frequently
drop its link (dhclient soon fixes it), and even on MacOS X, misbehaves.

I've never tried HostAP with this particular device.

I don't blame the 'b43' developers for this.  They have done an
excellent job to get it working to the level they have.  Their work has
been almost entirely the result of clean-room reverse engineering.

It shouldn't be that way though.

Himanshu, if your chip is supported by one of the drivers listed here:
https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers.  If one of those is
compatible, then you've got a chance.

Otherwise your only option is begging and grovelling to Broadcom, or
voting with your wallet and buying something else.  Given the level of
contempt Broadcom has shown the Linux community historically, I
generally find it easier to avoid them and go with someone like Atheros
or Intel, who actively develop their drivers in the Linux mainline kernel.

If I wanted a proprietary binary soup I'd use Windows.
-- 
Stuart Longland (aka Redhatter, VK4MSL)

I haven't lost my mind...
  ...it's backed up on a tape somewhere.

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#161956

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On Mon, Dec 21, 2015 at 1:58 AM, Stuart Longland <stuartl@longlandclan.id.au
> wrote:

>
> > RC=0 vk4msl-mb stuartl $ lspci -vnn | grep Network
> > 03:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM4322
> 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Controller [14e4:432b] (rev 01)
>
> That one, is compatible with the 'b43' driver in the Linux kernel, and
> after a few ritual sacrifices, *does* work.  It does however frequently
> drop its link (dhclient soon fixes it), and even on MacOS X, misbehaves.
>
> I've never tried HostAP with this particular device.
>

Please make a try once. We would be pleased to have your experiences. I
would suggest to use the hotspotd program (depends on hostapd, dnsmasq).
It's the simplest I've known, but not in Debian repos. A Google search
would pop it up.

>
> I don't blame the 'b43' developers for this.  They have done an
> excellent job to get it working to the level they have.  Their work has
> been almost entirely the result of clean-room reverse engineering.
>
> It shouldn't be that way though.
>

I understand the pain for a proprietary software manufacturer to spend time
and money on a free project with no monetary return.
However, one should not make a software that locks the capabilities of the
hardware, making the device function in a non-appreciable manner.


>
> Himanshu, if your chip is supported by one of the drivers listed here:
> https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers.  If one of those is
> compatible, then you've got a chance.
>

Yup! That's the 'wl' driver. I've been using it right from the first day I
installed Debian.
I began with 'broadcom-sta-dkms' package but later switched to
'bcmwl-kernel-source' from Ubuntu repos.
Also, changing the regulatory allowed me to make use of certain disabled
channels and make better use of the device.
However, it is the hotspot disappointing me, which I need everyday badly
and have to depend on other people as my roommate which not at all gives a
good feeling.

>
> Otherwise your only option is begging and grovelling to Broadcom, or
> voting with your wallet and buying something else.  Given the level of
> contempt Broadcom has shown the Linux community historically, I
> generally find it easier to avoid them and go with someone like Atheros
> or Intel, who actively develop their drivers in the Linux mainline kernel.
>
> That's the biggest mistake I ever did. Perhaps, one should focus more on
wireless and driver support than any other thing while purchasing a laptop.
The laptop came with Ubuntu preinstalled, making me believe that Linux
would function perfectly on it. Misconception indeed!

If I wanted a proprietary binary soup I'd use Windows.
>

I downloaded the Windows driver, but ndis suports drivers made for Windows
XP only.
Walking through the Windows driver made me discover multiple ".hex" files
with no idea on how to use them.


> --
> Stuart Longland (aka Redhatter, VK4MSL)
>
> I haven't lost my mind...
>   ...it's backed up on a tape somewhere.
>

Not at all, you seem to be a perfectly sound man :P

Regards
Himanshu Shekhar

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#161967

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> I understand the pain for a proprietary software manufacturer to spend 
> time and money on a free project with no monetary return. However, one 
> should not make a software that locks the capabilities of the hardware, 
> making the device function in a non-appreciable manner.

If a hardware manufacturer loses sales because his product doesn't work 
with the user's preferred OS (or it's a major hassle to get it to work), 
then he's losing money and might well find it profitable to sponsor an 
open source project aimed at addressing the problem (or do the work 
internally if such is his preference).

There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.  Even inaction has associated 
costs.

--------------------------|
John L. Ries              |
Salford Systems           |
Phone: (619)543-8880 x107 |
or     (435)867-8885      |
--------------------------|


On Sun, 20 Dec 2015, Himanshu Shekhar wrote:

> On Mon, Dec 21, 2015 at 1:58 AM, Stuart Longland
> <stuartl@longlandclan.id.au> wrote:
>
>       > RC=0 vk4msl-mb stuartl $ lspci -vnn | grep Network
>       > 03:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation
>       BCM4322 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Controller [14e4:432b] (rev
>       01)
>
>       That one, is compatible with the 'b43' driver in the Linux
>       kernel, and
>       after a few ritual sacrifices, *does* work.  It does however
>       frequently
>       drop its link (dhclient soon fixes it), and even on MacOS X,
>       misbehaves.
>
>       I've never tried HostAP with this particular device.
> 
> 
> Please make a try once. We would be pleased to have your experiences. I
> would suggest to use the hotspotd program (depends on hostapd, dnsmasq).
> It's the simplest I've known, but not in Debian repos. A Google search would
> pop it up. 
>
>       I don't blame the 'b43' developers for this.  They have done an
>       excellent job to get it working to the level they have.  Their
>       work has
>       been almost entirely the result of clean-room reverse
>       engineering.
>
>       It shouldn't be that way though.
> 
> 
> I understand the pain for a proprietary software manufacturer to spend time
> and money on a free project with no monetary return.
> However, one should not make a software that locks the capabilities of the
> hardware, making the device function in a non-appreciable manner.
> 
>
>       Himanshu, if your chip is supported by one of the drivers listed
>       here:
>       https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers.  If one of
>       those is
>       compatible, then you've got a chance.
> 
> 
> Yup! That's the 'wl' driver. I've been using it right from the first day I
> installed Debian.
> I began with 'broadcom-sta-dkms' package but later switched to
> 'bcmwl-kernel-source' from Ubuntu repos. 
> Also, changing the regulatory allowed me to make use of certain disabled
> channels and make better use of the device.
> However, it is the hotspot disappointing me, which I need everyday badly and
> have to depend on other people as my roommate which not at all gives a good
> feeling. 
>
>       Otherwise your only option is begging and grovelling to
>       Broadcom, or
>       voting with your wallet and buying something else.  Given the
>       level of
>       contempt Broadcom has shown the Linux community historically, I
>       generally find it easier to avoid them and go with someone like
>       Atheros
>       or Intel, who actively develop their drivers in the Linux
>       mainline kernel.
> 
> That's the biggest mistake I ever did. Perhaps, one should focus more on
> wireless and driver support than any other thing while purchasing a laptop.
> The laptop came with Ubuntu preinstalled, making me believe that Linux would
> function perfectly on it. Misconception indeed! 
>
>       If I wanted a proprietary binary soup I'd use Windows.
> 
> 
> I downloaded the Windows driver, but ndis suports drivers made for Windows
> XP only.
> Walking through the Windows driver made me discover multiple ".hex" files
> with no idea on how to use them.
>
>       --
>       Stuart Longland (aka Redhatter, VK4MSL)
>
>       I haven't lost my mind...
>         ...it's backed up on a tape somewhere.
> 
> 
> Not at all, you seem to be a perfectly sound man :P
> 
> Regards
> Himanshu Shekhar 
> 
> 
>

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#162020

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On 21/12/15 13:01, Himanshu Shekhar wrote:
> On Mon, Dec 21, 2015 at 1:58 AM, Stuart Longland
> <stuartl@longlandclan.id.au <mailto:stuartl@longlandclan.id.au>> wrote:
>     I've never tried HostAP with this particular device.
> 
> 
> Please make a try once. We would be pleased to have your experiences. I
> would suggest to use the hotspotd program (depends on hostapd, dnsmasq).
> It's the simplest I've known, but not in Debian repos. A Google search
> would pop it up. 

Well, the machine runs Gentoo, not Debian.  Most of my personal machines
run Gentoo Linux.

Machines I support for my workplace either run Ubuntu or, more recently,
Debian.

>     I don't blame the 'b43' developers for this.  They have done an
>     excellent job to get it working to the level they have.  Their work has
>     been almost entirely the result of clean-room reverse engineering.
> 
>     It shouldn't be that way though.
> 
> 
> I understand the pain for a proprietary software manufacturer to spend
> time and money on a free project with no monetary return.
> However, one should not make a software that locks the capabilities of
> the hardware, making the device function in a non-appreciable manner.

Tell that to those who make the 'wl' driver.  None of us replying to
this thread are responsible in any way shape or form for the features,
or lack thereof, of the 'wl' driver.

>     Himanshu, if your chip is supported by one of the drivers listed here:
>     https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers.  If one of those is
>     compatible, then you've got a chance.
> 
> 
> Yup! That's the 'wl' driver. I've been using it right from the first day
> I installed Debian.

Nope.  Look again, 'wl' isn't listed on that page.

> I downloaded the Windows driver, but ndis suports drivers made for
> Windows XP only.
> Walking through the Windows driver made me discover multiple ".hex"
> files with no idea on how to use them.

Yeah, ndiswrapper oddly enough was Broadcom's "officially supported"
driver for Linux.  i.e. if someone asked, they'd tell people to use
their Windows driver with ndiswrapper.

This, amongst other things, is why I do not support Broadcom for WiFi chips.
-- 
Stuart Longland (aka Redhatter, VK4MSL)

I haven't lost my mind...
  ...it's backed up on a tape somewhere.

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