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I have a fresh install of Ubuntu 15.1 running on a dual boot system with Windows 10 on the other partition. I have the following networking equipment available:

  • Broadcom wireless card installed (it's a Dell) which I do not expect to get to work until I have network access by other means
  • Linksys AC1200 wireless adapter which I had hoped might work out of the box
  • Belkin USB hub with ethernet port connected to my router, which I did expect to work right out of the box, but doesn't. (It does work on the same hardware but under Windows 10.) Note there is no ethernet port directly on the machine, hence the USB hub.

Ifconfig -a gives me nothing but the lo loopback interface. I'm not sure if I should see eth0, usb0, or both, but the fact is, I see neither. Just the lo loopback.

How can I get the ethernet-by-USB working so I can fix the other interfaces?

UPDATE: Other networking/ethernet issues run through similar questions before a solution can be offered. I am running some of the more common requests and posting their output proactively to make things easier:

Output of lspci | grep Eth: Nothing, no hits

Output of lspci | grep USB: 

00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset Family eSB xHCI (rev 05)
00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset Family eSB EHCI #2 (rev 05)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset Family eSB EHCI #1 (rev 05)

Contents of `/etc/network/interfaces':

# interfaces (5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8)
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

Any help would be appreciated: Without any kind of network access, this device is as useful as a boat anchor.

UPDATE: for anyone who gets here by searching for Dell or Broadcom, the following page is an excellent resource, still valid for 15.1.

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Novak
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  • If you have an android mobile phone, just connect it to your wifi and enable "usb tethering" on your computer. – davidbaumann Nov 15 '15 at 17:24
  • This is a great idea, and it almost works. Ubuntu seems to be continuously mounting (often failing) and unmounting the phone (Samsung Galaxy running Android 5.0.1.) I can briefly get a network connection-- better than anything so far!-- but then it dies soon afterward. – Novak Nov 15 '15 at 17:51
  • It continuously tries, mostly failing to mount the phone with error message: "Unable to open MTP device '[usb:001, xxx]'" where xxx is the number of the failed attempt. – Novak Nov 15 '15 at 18:04
  • Check your wireing. Maybe your port does not provide enough power, so try another port, a usb hub or charge it before you try again. – davidbaumann Nov 15 '15 at 19:02
  • All three ports are known to work (tested with other devices) but for some reason, using a hub seemed to do the trick. While I am very curious about why the ethernet-through-USB failed to work and how to fix it, I have managed to get the onboard wireless working to my satisfaction. Thank you! – Novak Nov 15 '15 at 20:41

1 Answers1

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You can use any Android phone to connect to wifi on linux.

Just connect it to your wifi, connect it to your pc, and enable usb-tethering.

You might need to charge the phone before so it's not using too much power, or use an active hub with it's own power supply.

davidbaumann
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  • I think that comment misses the point about not expectng the DeLL network card to work before having another network link (to download drivers I imagine??). Along similar lines though; you could try the USB Wired Ethernet from the mobile phone's micro-USB .... ? – will Dec 07 '15 at 11:50
  • Novak, if you have any question, please ask. If not, set it as solution. – davidbaumann Dec 07 '15 at 13:04