Solved Broadcom BCM4313

It has been awhile, but I had success following the Handbook on wireless networking.
Handbook Section 11.5

ndis(4) is a wrapper for a Windows XP driver. Not sure if newer window drivers will work.
NDIS
From what I have read here, others have had good luck getting it to work with later versions of WinDOZE.

In my opinion, and from reading the section of the Handbook which you referenced here, I think that what I have done up to this point has been far too complex.

I am going to drop back and try doing something a bit more simple. I AM a firm believe in the KISS principle, after all.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Ken
 
It is useless what you are trying with Broadcom BCM4313 wireless card, in Linux this driver works very well, but in BSD it is a waste of time with this driver since many people have complained about the lack of interest of FreeBSD to make it compatible with this driver and the alternatives given in the handbook as ndis are useless, when rebooting the system it becomes a panic kernel.
So far, I have had no panics. And others here have gotten the BCM4313 adapter to work, so I am reasonably sure I can too...eventually.

I am going to simplify matters and see what happens. It is quite clear to me now that the reason that what I have done up to this point isn't working is because the necessary drivers are loaded into the kernel much too late in the boot process. When NDIS is called, it has nothing to work with.

Thanks for the info.

Ken
 
So far, I have had no panics. And others here have gotten the BCM4313 adapter to work, so I am reasonably sure I can too...eventually.

I am going to simplify matters and see what happens. It is quite clear to me now that the reason that what I have done up to this point isn't working is because the necessary drivers are loaded into the kernel much too late in the boot process. When NDIS is called, it has nothing to work with.

Thanks for the info.

Ken
I'm glad you're optimistic, I got tired of trying and when I succeeded... when I rebooted the system it was spoiled with kernel panic. I hope you succeed in making that driver work fully in FreeBSD compatibility.
 
Well, NOW I got a panic!! 😂😂 And that is enough for today. Tomorrow I'll go into single-user mode and change things. I didn't say "fix", because I still don't know what I am doing.

I did learn that I had been using ndisgen incorrectly, and had not actually built the correct driver, so at least I've learned how to use that tool.

Later.

Ken
 
I did learn that I had been using ndisgen incorrectly, and had not actually built the correct driver, so at least I've learned how to use that tool.

Later.

Ken

How do you proceed to use the ndisgen correctly and build the right driver? I remember that the modules did not activate or took a long time to activate and when the system restarted it produced a panic kernel.

There is a lot of information on these subjects that most if not all of them tried without success.
 
How do you proceed to use the ndisgen correctly and build the right driver? I remember that the modules did not activate or took a long time to activate and when the system restarted it produced a panic kernel.

There is a lot of information on these subjects that most if not all of them tried without success.
Well, there are 4 choices in the menu when you first fire up ndisgen. When I first used it, I chose to modify individual files, instead of trying to build the _SYS file correctly. When you do it correctly, ndisgen uses BOTH the .SYS file and the .INF file to build one driver. You can then add any other "supporting" files if you wish, and ndisgen will then convert those also, but as separate files.

This morning, I have determined that what is causing the panic crash is the driver file, "..._sys.ko" made by ndisgen. I commented out the other two "supporting" files, a "...dll.ko" and a "...cat.ko", one at a time, leaving only the "..._sys.ko" file to be loaded and still got a crash.

I have several other things to try. If none of those work, then I will have to determine the exact cause of the panic-crash.

Although this is certainly an interesting "learning experience", IMHO it is taking longer than I really wish it was.

Ken
 
At this point, I have backed-out all the things I have tried to make this work. I am now going to re-research this issue to see if I can come up with something that will work for our Acer "Aspire One" laptop. I do know that some others have been successful in their attempts with different laptops, so I still am optimistic that I too will succeed. This HAS to be more simple than it has been so far. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Ken
 
At this point, I have backed-out all the things I have tried to make this work. I am now going to re-research this issue to see if I can come up with something that will work for our Acer "Aspire One" laptop. I do know that some others have been successful in their attempts with different laptops, so I still am optimistic that I too will succeed. This HAS to be more simple than it has been so far. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Ken
In my HP notebook I have been trying to replace my Broadcom Mini PCI-Express wireless card with another FreeBSD and Notebook machine compatible Mini PCI-Express wireless card and those it is on the manufacturer's white list with the motherboard, because it seems that there are Mini PCI-Express cards on the black list and when the computer is turned on it says that it does not recognize the card or simply does not turn on the machine. For those who understand more about this topic it would be good to help us test this option.
 
Lenovo and HP are notorious for whitelisting hardware. Acer not so much.
I have an older Acer Aspire on that came with an Atheros 5424. The wifi card does not look hard to change out:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_hSHTLYkO8


You can pick up pulled wifi cards on Ebay. Just be sure to get the same form factor - the image in the Video above looks like full-size mini-pci-e. The Acer Aspire One has been made since 2008 - so eyeball your slot before buying one. There are also 1/2 height cards that would need an adapter to go in a full size slot. Newer cards use the M.2 form factor.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Wire...689618?hash=item19d8099752:g:A8MAAOSwKMxbPXn8

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atheros-Ge...984919?hash=item2f2cf91797:g:kBAAAOSwNRJcgYOi

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ralink-RT2...111306?hash=item489deba48a:g:dCsAAOSwgApXBmlx

Atheros, Intel and RaLink are well supported.


A final option is to get a Realtek usb dongle. These are low profile, easy to install but suffer from short antennae. There are a number of versions - these are supported in FreeBSD: urtwn(4)

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...S0&_nkw=realtek+usb+wireless+adapter&_sacat=0
 
In my HP notebook I have been trying to replace my Broadcom Mini PCI-Express wireless card with another FreeBSD and Notebook machine compatible Mini PCI-Express wireless card and those it is on the manufacturer's white list with the motherboard, because it seems that there are Mini PCI-Express cards on the black list and when the computer is turned on it says that it does not recognize the card or simply does not turn on the machine. For those who understand more about this topic it would be good to help us test this option.
What model of HP Notebook do you have? I am an old (very old) hardware hacker from way back. Maybe I can help you with this issue. Give me as much info as you have on your machine.

Ken
 
Lenovo and HP are notorious for whitelisting hardware. Acer not so much.
I have an older Acer Aspire on that came with an Atheros 5424. The wifi card does not look hard to change out:
It kinda depends on what exact model of Acer Aspire One is involved. This one I am working with does not have a separate door for the wireless NIC. I will have to remove the entire bottom to get at it.

BUT, now that you bring it up, I think at this point and from the experience of the past week, it will be far more efficient to replace the POS Broadcom card with something more compatible.

Good on ya! :D

Ken
 
Lenovo and HP are notorious for whitelisting hardware. Acer not so much.
I have an older Acer Aspire on that came with an Atheros 5424. The wifi card does not look hard to change out:

You can pick up pulled wifi cards on Ebay. Just be sure to get the same form factor - the image in the Video above looks like full-size mini-pci-e. The Acer Aspire One has been made since 2008 - so eyeball your slot before buying one. There are also 1/2 height cards also that would need an adapter to go in a full size slot and an M.2 form factor.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Wire...689618?hash=item19d8099752:g:A8MAAOSwKMxbPXn8

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atheros-Ge...984919?hash=item2f2cf91797:g:kBAAAOSwNRJcgYOi

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ralink-RT2...111306?hash=item489deba48a:g:dCsAAOSwgApXBmlx

Atheros, Intel and RaLink are well supported.


A final option is to get a Realtek usb dongle. These are low profile, easy to install but suffer from short antennae. There are a number of versions - these are supported in FreeBSD: urtwn(4)

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...S0&_nkw=realtek+usb+wireless+adapter&_sacat=0

Hello shepper, if you help me look at the correct hardware of the Broadcom BCM4313 wireless Mini PCI-Express card and be able to replace it with another Mini PCI-Express card that is compatible and white-listed with the HP notebook machine and that supports with el (driver) for FreeBSD, this is my original Broadcom BCM4313 Mini PCI-Express card that brought my HP notebook G62.

screenbro.png


Looking at compatibility these brands (I don't get the whole slot and frequency thing) may be the possible candidates to replace that card.

AtherosAR5B95.png AtherosAR9285.png

In addition to the hardware compatibility with broadcom and the HP G62 Notebook machine (G62-b86SS) this reports:

Code:
Note:

Atheros AR9285  or Atheros AR5B95   802.11 a/b/g/n 2x2 WiFi adapter   S/N :580101-001

Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11/b/g/n WLAN module        593530-001

Realtek RTL8191SE 802.11b/g/n 1x1 WiFi Adapter       593533-001

Broadcom 4313 802.11b/g/n 1x1 WiFi Adapter           593836-001

Broadcom 4313 802.11b/g/n 1x1 WiFi and 2070 Bluetooth 2.1+EDR Combo adapter (BT3.0+HS ready)
(for model 1.1 only)                                600370-001
                                                          
Ralink RT3090BC4 802.11b/g/n 1x1 WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR Combo Adapter (BT3.0+HS ready)                 602992-001      (for model 1.1 only)



KenGordon said:
What model of HP Notebook do you have? I am an old (very old) hardware hacker from way back. Maybe I can help you with this issue. Give me as much info as you have on your machine.

Hello KenGordon, the exact Model of my machine is:

HP G62 (G62-b86SS)

Product No: XR495EA

Serial No: ACZ0320VJ4

WILAN 802.11/b/g/n

The identification of the PCI device on the Linux system is this:

$ lspci -nn | grep Network
Code:
03:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4313 802.11bgn Wireless Network Adapter [14e4:4727] (rev 01)
$

More inofrmation from my HP machine which is installed with the linux system.

$ lspci -nn
Code:
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Core Processor DRAM Controller [8086:0044] (rev 02)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:0046] (rev 02)
00:16.0 Communication controller [0780]: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset HECI Controller [8086:3b64] (rev 06)
00:1a.0 USB controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset USB2 Enhanced Host Controller [8086:3b3c] (rev 05)
00:1b.0 Audio device [0403]: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset High Definition Audio [8086:3b56] (rev 05)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 1 [8086:3b42] (rev 05)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 3 [8086:3b46] (rev 05)
00:1d.0 USB controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset USB2 Enhanced Host Controller [8086:3b34] (rev 05)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge [8086:2448] (rev a5)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge [0601]: Intel Corporation HM55 Chipset LPC Interface Controller [8086:3b09] (rev 05)
00:1f.2 SATA controller [0106]: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset 4 port SATA AHCI Controller [8086:3b29] (rev 05)
00:1f.3 SMBus [0c05]: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset SMBus Controller [8086:3b30] (rev 05)
00:1f.6 Signal processing controller [1180]: Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset Thermal Subsystem [8086:3b32] (rev 05)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL810xE PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller [10ec:8136] (rev 02)
03:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4313 802.11bgn Wireless Network Adapter [14e4:4727] (rev 01)
7f:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Core Processor QuickPath Architecture Generic Non-core Registers [8086:2c62] (rev 05)
7f:00.1 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Core Processor QuickPath Architecture System Address Decoder [8086:2d01] (rev 05)
7f:02.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Core Processor QPI Link 0 [8086:2d10] (rev 05)
7f:02.1 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation 1st Generation Core i3/5/7 Processor QPI Physical 0 [8086:2d11] (rev 05)
7f:02.2 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation 1st Generation Core i3/5/7 Processor Reserved [8086:2d12] (rev 05)
7f:02.3 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation 1st Generation Core i3/5/7 Processor Reserved [8086:2d13] (rev 05)
$


$ discover --vendor-id --model-id pci | uniq
Code:
8086 2d01 Intel Corporation Core Processor QuickPath Architecture System Address Decoder
8086 3b46 Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 3
8086 2d10 Intel Corporation Core Processor QPI Link 0
8086 0046 Intel Corporation Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller
8086 3b32 Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset Thermal Subsystem
8086 2d12 Intel Corporation Core Processor Reserved
8086 3b34 Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset USB2 Enhanced Host Controller
8086 3b3c Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset USB2 Enhanced Host Controller
8086 2c62 Intel Corporation Core Processor QuickPath Architecture Generic Non-core Registers
8086 0044 Intel Corporation Core Processor DRAM Controller
8086 3b30 Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset SMBus Controller
8086 2448 Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge
8086 2d11 Intel Corporation Core Processor QPI Physical 0
8086 3b56 Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset High Definition Audio
8086 3b64 Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset HECI Controller
8086 2d13 Intel Corporation Core Processor Reserved
10ec 8136 Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8101E/RTL8102E PCI Express Fast Ethernet controller
8086 3b09 Intel Corporation Mobile 5 Series Chipset LPC Interface Controller
8086 3b42 Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port 1
8086 3b29 Intel Corporation 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset 4 port SATA AHCI Controller
14e4 4727 Broadcom Corporation BCM4313 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Controller
$
 
Teo: from what I can see so far, that Atheros card which you sent the photo of should work properly and IS a direct replacement for the Broadcom card.

I just bought an Intel 5100 card off eBay for $7 which will do the trick for us. In fact, Acer lists the Intel card as one of three possible cards for our laptop. Removing my Broadcom card was very easy.

From what you have written above, it seems that you are afraid that by replacing the card, your computer may not recognize it or may lock up. I think before you worry about that, you should simply replace the Broadcom card with the Atheros one and try it. I'll bet it will work OK. Let us know.

I have a nice, working, Broadcom 4313 mini wireless card, free to good home (FTGH) if anyone wants it. I'll even pay the postage. Either that, or I will use a large hammer to make this one as thin as possible.... :mad:

Ken
 
Teo: from what I can see so far, that Atheros card which you sent the photo of should work properly and IS a direct replacement for the Broadcom card.

From what you have written above, it seems that you are afraid that by replacing the card, your computer may not recognize it or may lock up. I think before you worry about that, you should simply replace the Broadcom card with the Atheros one and try it. I'll bet it will work OK. Let us know.

Ken

Not that, the little knowledge I have about the slot and the exact frequency of the PCI cards, and that the new card is on the white list for the motherboard to identify it and the FreeBSD operating system to recognize it, would be great. :D

Help me identify a correct one from that brand it says and pass me the link? I don't know anything about the online store like eBay or Amazon and I would like to buy or help me to buy, I will pay whatever it costs making a shipment, tell us how it was with your new PCI card. :D
 
Not that, the little knowledge I have about the slot and the exact frequency of the PCI cards,
You do not need to worry about the "exact frequency" of the PCI cards. All those factors are standardized, so you do not need to worry about that at all.
and that the new card is on the white list for the motherboard to identify it and the FreeBSD operating system to recognize it, would be great. :D
First of all, as another person posted here, that "white-list" by the manufacturer is pretty much something you should completely ignore. Secondly, we know that FreeBSD supports just about every Intel, Atheros, or RaLink card out there, so that is also something you no longer need to worry about.
Help me identify a correct one from that brand it says and pass me the link?
OK. The one you show in your photo is ONE of the correct ones, and is probably the easiest to consider.
I don't know anything about the online store like eBay or Amazon and I would like to buy or help me to buy, I will pay whatever it costs making a shipment, tell us how it was with your new PCI card. :D
My "new" card isn't going to arrive here until Feb 22. I will immediately install it (takes all of 10 minutes...if that long). Then I'll do what I need to with FreeBSD and will report here.

As for eBay, as far as I know, you do not need to be a "member" of eBay in order to buy things from there, but I will check for you. BTW, where are you? I mean where, in the world, do you live? Cost for shipping of the card I bought to me is $2.25.

Ken
 
Hello shepper, if you help me look at the correct hardware of the Broadcom BCM4313 wireless Mini PCI-Express card and be able to replace it with another Mini PCI-Express card that is compatible and white-listed with the HP notebook machine and that supports with el (driver) for FreeBSD, this is my original Broadcom BCM4313 Mini PCI-Express card that brought my HP notebook G62.
Not clear to me if your card is the combo wifi/bluetooth version of the Broadcom or just straight wifi. Although I do not know about FreeBSD bluetooth support, it is not very good in Linux and OpenBSD. If you do not mind loosing bluetooth, I would lean towards either the intel, atheros or realtek in that order.

I'm not sure of your location but in the US, a cottage industry has sprung up cannibalizing old hardware and selling it on Ebay. If you know of a source in your area, I would search it by HP + part number.
https://www.google.com/search?q=HP 593530-001
 
Shepper, he is in Spain. We may have a solution for him.

In my case, MY solution is to get rid of the Broadcom device and install an Intel card. The Intel card I bought off eBay will arrive here late this week. I'll report results here as soon as I have them.

As far as I'm now concerned, trying to get the Broadcom device to work with FreeBSD is like beating your head against a wall: it feels so good when you stop.

Ken Gordon
 
Not clear to me if your card is the combo wifi/bluetooth version of the Broadcom or just straight wifi. Although I do not know about FreeBSD bluetooth support, it is not very good in Linux and OpenBSD. If you do not mind loosing bluetooth, I would lean towards either the intel, atheros or realtek in that order.

I'm not sure of your location but in the US, a cottage industry has sprung up cannibalizing old hardware and selling it on Ebay. If you know of a source in your area, I would search it by HP + part number.
https://www.google.com/search?q=HP 593530-001

Hello shepper, the wireless PCI card broadcom BCM4313 is the of combo with bluetooth support and that in linux works very well, if there is no other alternative I do not care much bluetooth and replace with the other cards either Atheros or Realtek. With respect to the location, the user friend of the KenGordon topic has replied.
 
Today, the Intel wireless NIC I bought for $7.00, a model 5100, arrived. It took me less than 10 minutes to install it and reassemble the laptop.

Upon firing up FreeBSD, the card was almost instantly recognized, the correct drivers were loaded, and upon login, after giving my local router the password, I had internet.

Two weeks of beating my head against a wall, trying to deal with that POS Broadcom card, and the issue is solved.

Thanks for the help and suggestions, folks 👍

Ken Gordon
 
I think you have to create wlan0 from ndis0 ― do you see the latter?
Code:
ifconfig wlan0 create wlandev ndis0
There is Broadcom NDIS HOWTO thread (from 2012).
Also, there is even older NDIS related HOWTO.

I used to use NDIS long time ago, unfortunately do not remember details...
It is too old and useless those instructions that at present are not valid due to the delay in the load of the modules when re-starting the system that gives kernel panic. Because of FreeBSD's lack of interest in driver compatibility, many users have no choice but to take refuge in linux.
 
Well, I don't agree with that, Teo. The main problem as I see it is that Broadcom has shown ZERO interest in providing drivers for anything other than Windows. As I understand it, Linux users are having the same issues with Broadcom as FreeBSD users.

In addition, if there IS a Linux solution, any drivers which work in Linux should also work in FreeBSD.

I STILL say that the simplest solution to the Broadcom problem is get rid of the stupid things and replace them with a better one, like Intel, or Atheros, or Ralink.

Ken Gordon
 
Sorry, I know this is not what you need to hear, but broadcom is a lot of trouble in FreeBSD, a lot more than it is worth IMO. I've been down that road, you can get an aetheros wlan card for under 10 dollars on ebay.
 
I replaced mine with an older Intel card: a 5100 if I remember correctly. That completely solved my problem. Thanks.

Ken Gordon
 
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