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I am using HP Probook 4540s. I am unable to turn off the airplane mode. Thus, neither WiFi nor Bluetooth is working.

rfkill list all shows the following output:

Soft blocked: no 
Hard blocked: yes

Until Ubuntu 14.04, the WiFi used to work. It is since Ubuntu 16.04 this problem started.

I have referred other answers on the community, I have tried multiple paths but all in vain.

At the moment I feel this an HP specific issue.

Please help.

Pranjal Nanavaty
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1 Answers1

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The issue of HP wireless being inoperable because of a hard block and therefore the usual wireless key not toggling wireless on and off is long-standing. There are only a few things you can try.

First, try removing the helper module hp_wmi and then try to switch the wireless on with the key combination.

You could also try:

sudo modprobe -r hp_wmi
sudo rfkill unblock all
rfkill list all

Second, check the user guide for your HP laptop and be certain that the wireless key combination you are using is correct. Be certain that you are not using Fn+F12, for example, if the user guide says it is simply F12. On the other hand, if you are certain you are using the correct sequence, try the wrong sequence as an experiment; i.e., use Fn+F12 (or whatever your sequence is) if the user guide says it’s F12 and vice versa.

Next, you can remove the card, tape off pin 20 and re-insert it: https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2150597

You can, if all these steps fail, file a bug report against the module hp_wmi: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/

Finally, in many, but not every case, a USB wireless will also be hard blocked for the same reasons. If you want to try one, be certain to try it within a return period.

I regret that there isn’t a better answer for HP laptops.

Possibly related: Why does "Airplane Mode" keep toggling on my HP laptop in Ubuntu 18.04?

chili555
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