Install Broadcom STA wireless driver in Ubuntu 14.04 / 13.10 / 13.04 / 12.04

Updated by | Apr 17, 2014 | How To Install | 36 comments

In my previous post I wrote about how to activate STA wireless driver using Additional Drivers but I had comments saying it doesn’t work. Additional Drivers always search for the proper driver and it will install it, If it doesn’t work for you then you have to install the driver manually.

Note

This Guide is for STA driver only. If you want to install the b43 and b43-legacy follow my other guide on how to install Broadcom b43 driver in Ubuntu 14.04 / 13.10 13.04 / 12.10 / 12.04. If the below driver doesn’t work then try b43 driver.

To Install STA Driver

sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source

Run the above command to install the driver, type the password for the user when prompted.

Once it finished installing the driver Activate the driver using Additional Drivers, then restart your system. After restarting your system it should work.

Hope this will be helpful for you!!!

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  • I really thank you!!
    It works.
    best regards

    • basant

      hey not working . Is there any way to install manually b43 wifi drivers

  • andy

    missing that you need a few packages

    sudo modprobe -r b43 ssb wl
    sudo apt-get remove bcmwl-kernel-source
    sudo apt-get install build-essential dkms linux-headers-generic
    sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source

  • YassineDV

    Oh thank you SO much wokrs great ,for all who have a problem with broadcom b34xx just follow try this !

  • Drmgiver

    When the GUI fails, all hail the terminal!

    Thanks for this guide!

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  • sevs

    thanks, it worked on my HP pavilion dm1-1010eo running Ubuntu 12.10 64-bit on a Live USB stick :)

  • Don

    I tried three other “fixes” before i found this one. It finally got the wireless working on my vostro 1520. thanks for the guide

  • niv

    Worked great. Lots of failures before finding this. 2009 MacBook Pro Broadcom 4322. I connected via ethernet.

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  • Shrinivas Prabhu

    Thanks a tonn!!! it worked like a charm ………………. have been trying for a long time to enable wifi but my my repeted failed attempts

    Thanks,

  • Moyo Freeman

    thanks man, worked like a charm in PEAR OS

  • qqq

    Excellent!
    THX

  • Bernhard Harshman

    Great advice. Some screen shots would be helpful to newbies such as myself.

  • obadiahorthodox

    FOOLS!!! I have installed both windows and OS X numerous times and NEVER had any problems with wifi connections EVER. Linux sucks.

    • titianmom

      No, proprietary hardware sucks. Has nothing to do with Linux. The same thing would happen in Windoze or OS X if they weren’t all in bed together for $$$$$$….

      • obadiahorthodox

        Propriety hardware and software is great because they are stable and reliable. It is the hardware and software like that used in Linux which sucks, because there is never any consistency or compatibility between platforms.

        • titianmom

          You are going in circles and exaggerating grossly, my friend. Try Mint, for instance. “Never any consistency or compatibility” just ain’t true these days. If there is *any* consistency or compatibility problems, it is only with the hardware that is proprietary.

          I’ve been using solely Linux on multiple platforms for years with absolutely no problems. Ever try to keep a MS machine up for months without rebooting and no problems with upgrades along the way? Good look, my friend…

          Some folks just hate change.

          • obadiahorthodox

            I have a 2008 20 inch IMac running OS X 10.10.1, I have had it for about 6 months and keep it on constantly, the only time I rebooted was when I update my software, other than that I keep it on. never had a problem at all. Plus OS X now is FREE as in no cost.

          • titianmom

            OS X is a modified BSD Unix OS. That’s why it runs forever and doesn’t need a reboot. UNIX, LINUX, best out there.

    • Prashant Dhawase

      coz you are not programmer .. sir

      • obadiahorthodox

        I don’t need to be a programmer to use a MODERN computer with MODERN software.

        • Prashant Dhawase

          you know its like fashion !! moddel use new type of cloths then rest of world folllow them ….. same way researchers like programmer use new technology once you will need to use 😀

    • JPEASOC

      hey just wanted to let you know that it work from above:

      sudo apt-get install build-essential dkms linux-headers-generic
      sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source

      BTW i have worked with all three and linux is the best – you do not have the right stills for linux
      I love linux it is awsome!! DUDE !!!

  • Mungo

    THANK YOU!!!!!
    If I can just get the last 3 hours back.. I’m not that young anymore.

  • kan

    Hello there and thanks for the article.
    I have just got a new netgear network wifi adaptor and I wanted to download the drivers. Although the command worked pretty well and downloaded the bcmwl-kernel-source successfull, the system gives me a message “no additional drivers available”… Any ideas?

  • Doug Bohrer

    Speaking from personal experience, I would recommend just buy a dongle for $10 and forget about trying to get the Broadcom Wifi or Ethernet to work. I spent two weeks on it before I gave up. I followed multiple posts into multiple dead ends. I concluded it just wasn’t worth the trouble. Unless you are doing it because you like the challenge, trying to install the drivers when you are new to Linux with rusty Unix experience, like I am, is too frustrating to be worth saving $10 for an Ethernet dongle.

    • obadiahorthodox

      Or you could just get a Windows or Apple Computer and save yourself the frustration of Linux altogether.

      • Xander Robar

        Just so that I understand this clearly… You come to a forum dedicated to open source, specifically to tell people that they’re wasting their time with open source operating systems. Not only that, but you stick around for *months* just to keep responding to the same people, over and over again, telling them that they’re wrong.

        Talk about a waste of time…

      • Code is Art

        I think your lost. Try sniffing out Bills butt to find your home.

  • Diane Chen

    Your title says it is also for Ubuntu 14.04, so I ran your sudo apt-get install bcmwl-kernel-source command. Not only did it fail to work, now when I type uname -a it says I have 3.13.0-36-generic #63 SMP. Help! I’m not too familiar with Linux yet, what can I do to fix it?

  • tr

    Ran every command in andy’s list. They all succeeded. But nothing shows up in Additional Drivers.

  • Albin

    In Mint 17.x the Broadcom STA driver (my old Dell laptop is 11g) is recognized and available through the Driver Manager interface. An ethernet internet connection is necessary, but it’s a one click installation. I am also able to use a $7 11n Realtek dongle instead, but that requires a moderately complex terminal session for a replacement driver, available at WebUpD8

  • germdman

    Worked for me!… THANKS!

  • HJ

    Works like a charm! Thnx 👍

  • Thanks … it works

  • you-suck

    WOW, what an interesting tutorial 😮
    I thought you describe how to build it from source, because everybody knows how to use apt…………………….

  • ashish bansal

    I AM HAVING THI ERROR

    DKMS: install completed.
    modprobe: ERROR: could not insert ‘wl': Required key not available
    update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)
    Processing triggers for shim-signed (1.17~16.04.1+0.8-0ubuntu2) …
    Processing triggers for initramfs-tools (0.122ubuntu8.1) …
    update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-4.4.0-31-generic