Free Firmware for Broadcom WiFi Chips
Developers Francesco Gingoli and Lorenzo Nava have released firmware under GPL for a number of Broadcom 802.11 chips.
Through some reverse engineering, the two developers produced firmware for at least three Broadcom wireless cards (4306, 4318 and 4320) and announced their release under GPLv2. They based their work explicitly on their own experience and assembler/disassembler software developed by the b43 community "as a starting point to implement other MAC [Medium Access Control] algorithms for research purposes." It can spare Linux users who use wireless cards with the chips from having to access the Broadcom website.
Previously users needed to run a special b43-fwcutter (firmware cutter) script that extracted the firmware from the website. Broadcom has recently supported Linux only via proprietary drivers without providing free access to the firmware. The open drivers from the Open Firmware for WiFi (OpenFWWF) project are meanwhile still based on the initval data from Broadcom's firmware. Users extract this data by following the b43 driver installation process.
The OpenFWWF project firmware is available for download from the University of Brescia (Italy) website. A few caveats: unsupported in the firmware are RTS/CTS handshakes, hardware cryptography acceleration and dot11 quality of service (QoS).
Most users will have to wait some time before the drivers go into a distro. The b43 tools to compile the firmware are available here and the source code here. The project website also shows how to use the downloaded firmware.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.
-
SUSE Offers CentOS 7 Support with Liberty Linux Lite
SUSE's Liberty Linux support offering now includes CentOS 7, which means businesses won't be forced to migrate those servers for some time.
-
Ubuntu's App Center Finally Supports Local Installs Again
If you regularly download .deb files and would prefer a GUI method of installing, Ubuntu has your back.
-
AlmaLinux Now Supports Raspberry Pi 5
If you're looking to create with the Raspberry Pi 5 and want to use AlmaLinux as your OS, you're in luck because it's now possible.
-
Kubuntu Focus Releases New Iterations of Ir14 and Ir16 Laptops
If you're a fan of the Kubuntu Focus laptops or have been waiting for the right time to purchase one, that time might be now.
-
NixOS 24.05 Is Ready for Prime Time
The latest release of NixOS (Uakari) has arrived and offers its usual reproducible, declarative, and reliable goodness.
-
Linux Lite 7.0 Officially Released
Based on Ubuntu 24.04 and kernel 6.8, Linux Lite version 7 now offers more options than ever.
-
KaOS Linux 2024.05 Adds Bcachfs Support and More
With updates all around, KaOS Linux now includes support for the bcachefs file system.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils New Iteration of the Stellaris Laptop Line
The Stellaris Slim 15 is the 6th generation and includes either an AMD or Intel CPU