BCM4331 on MBP 9,1

rand_a · 2014-06-28 16:14:57

Hi,

I'm trying to install arch on my macbook pro 9,1 (mid-2012) but I need wifi working for the installation for a network connection. I viewed almost all the wikis and tried nearly everything I saw. The last thing I tried was installing the broadcom-wl package. When I did modprobe wl it loaded and said that it was being used for the wifi card (via lspci -k) but didn't show up with ifconfig -a. Not sure what else to do from here to get the wifi card working in the installation CD.

Edit: lspci -vv

03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4331 802.11a/b/g/n (rev 02)
	Subsystem: Apple Inc. AirPort Extreme
	Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
	Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
	Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 256 bytes
	Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 17
	Region 0: Memory at c1a00000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
	Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 3
		Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0+,D1-,D2-,D3hot+,D3cold+)
		Status: D0 NoSoftRst+ PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=2 PME-
	Capabilities: [58] Vendor Specific Information: Len=78 <?>
	Capabilities: [48] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
		Address: 0000000000000000  Data: 0000
	Capabilities: [d0] Express (v1) Endpoint, MSI 00
		DevCap:	MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <4us, L1 unlimited
			ExtTag+ AttnBtn- AttnInd- PwrInd- RBE+ FLReset-
		DevCtl:	Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported-
			RlxdOrd- ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop-
			MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 512 bytes
		DevSta:	CorrErr+ UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq+ AuxPwr+ TransPend-
		LnkCap:	Port #0, Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, ASPM L0s L1, Exit Latency L0s <4us, L1 <64us
			ClockPM+ Surprise- LLActRep+ BwNot-
		LnkCtl:	ASPM L0s L1 Enabled; RCB 64 bytes Disabled- CommClk+
			ExtSynch- ClockPM+ AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
		LnkSta:	Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, TrErr- Train- SlotClk+ DLActive+ BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-
	Capabilities: [100 v1] Advanced Error Reporting
		UESta:	DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
		UEMsk:	DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
		UESvrt:	DLP+ SDES- TLP- FCP+ CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF+ MalfTLP+ ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
		CESta:	RxErr- BadTLP- BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- NonFatalErr+
		CEMsk:	RxErr- BadTLP- BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- NonFatalErr+
		AERCap:	First Error Pointer: 14, GenCap+ CGenEn- ChkCap+ ChkEn-
	Capabilities: [13c v1] Virtual Channel
		Caps:	LPEVC=0 RefClk=100ns PATEntryBits=1
		Arb:	Fixed- WRR32- WRR64- WRR128-
		Ctrl:	ArbSelect=Fixed
		Status:	InProgress-
		VC0:	Caps:	PATOffset=00 MaxTimeSlots=1 RejSnoopTrans-
			Arb:	Fixed- WRR32- WRR64- WRR128- TWRR128- WRR256-
			Ctrl:	Enable+ ID=0 ArbSelect=Fixed TC/VC=ff
			Status:	NegoPending- InProgress-
	Capabilities: [160 v1] Device Serial Number eb-24-c3-ff-ff-88-7c-d1
	Capabilities: [16c v1] Power Budgeting <?>
	Kernel driver in use: bcma-pci-bridge
	Kernel modules: bcma, wl

Last edited by rand_a (2014-06-28 16:44:47)

rand_a · 2014-08-05 16:25:03

I installed arch and tried to use the b43 drivers as the wiki states. Unfortunately, the b43 drivers are absolutely horrible and give me nothing but problems. Doesn't support 5ghz networks and has no 802.11n support. I switched to the broadcom-wl package in the AUR and it seems to work a little better. My only problem is that the wifi connection keeps dropping out. It eventually kicks back in after a minute but it does this very often. I've tried googling this issue to death but I haven't come up with any solutions. Thoughts?

stibi · 2014-09-06 23:52:40

Hi, I have the same problem, connection keeps dropping, very often, almost not usable this way, It was ok before, just in the past few weeks it started behaving like that. I have the same from with both b43 and broadcom-wl.
Any hints welcomed.

Trilby · 2014-09-07 01:14:14

Stibi, while this isn't an extremely old thread this is still essentially necrobumping and to be avoided. Is your card really exactly the same? That can't even be known as we never got the chip ID info form the OP. But in any case, we should not pursue and solve your issue here. Start a new thread and link to this one if you think it is relevant. But post all your diagnostic information. As a first hint I strongly suspect you have multiple competing network services which is the number one cause of such issues - and this may be due to a recent issue with systemd starting unneeded services at boot as described in a couple other threads.

EDIT: I was about to close this too, but I see Rand_a is still visting the forums, just not posting more recently. @Rand_a, the output of `lspci -vnn | grep -i net` would help to identify the specific chip you have.

Last edited by Trilby (2014-09-07 01:15:29)

Arch Linux

#1 2014-06-28 16:14:57

BCM4331 on MBP 9,1

#2 2014-08-05 16:25:03

Re: BCM4331 on MBP 9,1

#3 2014-09-06 23:52:40

Re: BCM4331 on MBP 9,1

#4 2014-09-07 01:14:14

Re: BCM4331 on MBP 9,1

Board footer