# Broadcom NDIS Driver: No Output/Functionality?



## MeisBarry (Sep 25, 2015)

I'm installing FreeBSD 10.2 amd64 on my UEFI-based laptop (Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro installed with Windows 8, presently has Windows 10, single disk). I'm having a couple of issues, but the primary one is my inability to get the Broadcom wireless card from being detected.

I followed the handbook, relevant man pages, and this post: https://forums.FreeBSD.org/threads/broadcom-ndis-howto.36611/. The post guides the reader through the creation and installation of a NDIS-based Broadcom driver.

However, `# kldload bcmwl564_sys` does nothing noticeable besides putting the driver (and ndis/if_ndis) in the kernel module list. There's no output to dmesg about it (besides the acknowledgment that a Broadcom device existed on boot), and `ifconfig` only shows the loopback device. I restarted the netif service to no avail. I also tried `sysctl debug.ndis=1` too, but got no output.

I made some attempt to install the bwn driver from ports, but without internet it became a deep hole quick.

I've been using some of the more DIY Linuxes as my primary work/play OS for several years, and at this point I've exhausted my ideas on how to fix this. Does anyone have any ideas? What should be my next step?


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## Oko (Sep 25, 2015)

IMHO your first step should have been checking if you can add a good open hardware miniPCI express module to your laptop and forget about Broadcom. This is an interesting discussion from which I learned that you can get nice Atheros or Intel miniPCI for $10.

http://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=144293499231282&w=2

Note that those people are discussing adding miniPCI to their router to create WiFi Access Point for their home network so their taste is partial as they need devices which drivers support HostAP mode.


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## MeisBarry (Sep 25, 2015)

That'd be ideal, yes, but everything indicates that this is something FreeBSD is capable of doing. My issues are just as much an indication of a lack of knowledge on my part (or maybe the docs) regarding kernel modules and ndis, and it seems irresponsible to just ignore it even if I'm newish to the BSDs.


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## Oko (Sep 26, 2015)

ndis is quick dirty hack and will not improve your knowledge.


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## Wozzeck (Sep 26, 2015)

After some research on the net in appears that your Wifi card could be a
BCM43162 1x1ac + BT4.0, but not totally sure as Yoga 3 may have several version.

So you can forget it, you can compile and recompile the ndis driver how many time you want, this is useless... FreeBSD has not implemented yet the 802.11 ac stack, and for Bluetooth 4.0 we can say that FreeBSD will probably never implement this protocol

Recent new PC/Tablet/Ultrabook work far better with Windows, my god... why looking for problems with FreeBSD.

If you want absolutely to play with FreeBSD you will need to a add compatible Wifi USB dongle as it would be stupid to remove the card for a cheaper one. You will loose Bluetooth what is necessary on such device, and you will loose the Wifi ac protocol far better than the Wifi n protocol. (theoretical max speed limit : wifi ac => 900 mbps, Wifi n 450 mbps...)

https://www.freebsd.org/releases/10.0R/hardware.html


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