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I have just downloaded Ubuntu 14.04 but I'm unable to connect to the internet. I travel a lot and connect to WiFi hotspots at various bars and restaurants. No home service.

In Windows 7, I just ask the bartender or waitress the password, type it in, and I'm connected. Not so in Ubuntu.

Computer is brand new, Lenovo 11e. AMD A4-6210 APU with AMD Radeon R3 Graphics. Four gigs of RAM. 64-bit operating system. Windows 7 installed.

There is a “windshield wiper” type icon in the upper right hand corner of my desktop that seems to refer to connecting to the internet:

I click the windshield icon and I get three choices: Option # 1: VPN Connections and an option to configure VPN- click on that and I get a window that says Ethernet and an “ADD” button.

Option #2: Enable Networking. Click on that and I get “Disconnected.”

Option #3: Edit Connections – click on that and get I get Ethernet, Wired connection 1. And the “ADD” button.

Can someone walk me through this maze? Please realize I am in a foreign country and can't speak the language. The guy behind the counter doesn't know what a router is. He does not know what a Connection Name is. Nor a SSID, a BSIDD or a MAC Address is. And frankly, neither do I. Just tell me, in plain English, where to type in the bar's password so I can get connected.

grooveplex
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bcripps
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  • See https://help.ubuntu.com/16.04/ubuntu-help/net-wireless-connect.html –  Apr 14 '16 at 17:37
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    It sounds like your wifi is not being seen. Make sure that if there is a hardware radio disable switch, it has not been switched to disable, but is set to the enabled position. If it is enabled and no access points are listed in that network menu, then it is possible you are using a computer with a wireless card which does not have open drivers in the Linux kernel. Please update your question to include the output of sudo lshw -c network – dobey Apr 14 '16 at 17:49
  • Wow! This is getting way too complicated! Let me look. – bcripps Apr 15 '16 at 15:34
  • I have looked at this and, frankly, I have no idea what either or you are talking about. I appreciate your help but PLEASE tell me what you want me to do in plain English. – bcripps Apr 16 '16 at 14:54
  • The easiest way to confirm @ngng's suspicion is to run the network diagnostics and [edit] your question to include a link to the result. – David Foerster Apr 20 '16 at 14:40
  • Thank you David, but I have no idea how to do that. – bcripps Apr 24 '16 at 14:14

1 Answers1

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If we assume that your Lenovo 11e uses the same WIFI adapter as this Lenovo 11e:

Broadcom Corporation BCM4352 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter [14e4:43b1] (rev 03)

  • Download the necessary packages dkms and bcmwl-kernel-source on Windows. see answer of Pilot6.

  • Reboot into Ubuntu.

  • Open necessary Windows partitions (drives) with a file manager. If you use Wubi, one partition is already open in the folder host in root directory.
  • open a Terminal.

  • Navigate to Windows download folder with terminal command cd. e.g. :

    cd /host/Users/bcripps/Downloads

  • List available files with

    ls

  • Install the downloaded packages with

    sudo dpkg -i *.deb

Community
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ngng
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  • Thanks ngng, but it does not sound like plain English to me, but I will see how far I get... Bry – bcripps Apr 16 '16 at 16:22
  • Downloaded dkms and bcmwl-kernel-source. Now where is this File Manager located in Ubuntu? And I don't know what a Partition is... – bcripps Apr 17 '16 at 16:48
  • @bcripps: Here are some pictures of the File Manager. It has a drawer icon with file cards on the left sidebar. Partition is a part of a hard disk. On Windows it has a drive letter. e.g. C: If you open a partition on Ubuntu it is "mounted" in a file path. /host for your Windows drive with Wubi Ubuntu, /media/yourname/id for other Windows drives. e.g. C:\Users\yourname\Downloads on Windows could be /host/Users/yourname/Downloads or /media/yourname/id/Users/yourname/Downloads on Ubuntu – ngng Apr 17 '16 at 19:51
  • @bcripps: If you open the File Manager CTRL and L shows you the file path or in the menu of the File Manager Go -> Enter location.... In the left sidebar of the File Manager "Volume" is a drive on Windows. "Computer" shows you the root directory (=folder which includes all other folders and files) – ngng Apr 17 '16 at 20:51
  • Ok. I clicked on the Drawer Icon and when it opened up, I hit CTRL and L and I got /home/bc in the bar across the top of the screen. Is this right? Thank you....Bry – bcripps Apr 18 '16 at 15:47
  • @bcripps: This is right. If you change /home/bc to /host, is it possible to find your Windows folder with your downloaded files ? I assume the path is /host/Users/bc/Downloads. If you found the downloaded files, press CTRL and L again and use the shown path for cd command in the terminal: e.g. cd /host/Users/bc/Downloads and then type sudo dpkg -i *.deb to install them. – ngng Apr 18 '16 at 19:06
  • Sorry for delay. Wendy's has been closed. Typed in /host. Nothing happened until I hit “enter” (Please don't leave out details.) Got 13 folders: Boot; mfg; PerfLogs; ProgramData; ProgramFiles; ProgramFiles (x86); $RecycleBin; support; SW Tools; System Volume Infromation; ubuntu; Users; Windows...

    and then some other documents: bootmgr; BOOTSECK.BAK; Documents and Settings; hiberfil.sys; pagefile.sys; wubildr; Wubildr.mbr... This make any sense to you?

     – bcripps Apr 22 '16 at 15:52
  • It makes sense. After hitting "enter", you saw your Windows files. If you open "Users", then "bc" (I assume that this is your name on Windows) and "Downloads", you should find your downloaded driver files for Ubuntu. – ngng Apr 22 '16 at 18:59
  • Ok ngng... Thanks for hanging in with me. Not sure what I did, but I downloaded the two files and I see them listed under the first icon on the desktop: Search Your Computer. They are listed under: Files and Folders. Now how do I install them? – bcripps Apr 23 '16 at 15:52
  • @bcripps It seems that you don't want the Terminal. OK. The alternate method is: double click on the found package file dkms_2.2.0.3-1.1ubuntu5.14.04.5_all.deb . It should open Software Center. Click on Install. It should install this package. Repeat the procedure with the second package (bcmwl-kernel-source_6.30.223.248+bdcom-0ubuntu0.2_amd64.deb). Done. – ngng Apr 23 '16 at 20:51
  • Under Files & Folders, I have 2 files: bcmwl-kernal...Oubuntu0.2_amd64 and bcmwl-kernel...untu0.2_amd64.deb I double click onl the first and get 2 files: DEBIAN and usr. I double click on the second and the Ubuntu Software Center opens and says: "Dependensy is not satisfable: dkms. Error this package contains Broadcom 802.11 Oinus STA and then a bunch of other stuff.... Help!!!! – bcripps Apr 24 '16 at 14:41
  • @bcripps "Dependency is not satisfiable: dkms" means that you have to install the dkms package dkms_2.2.0.3-1.1ubuntu5.14.04.5_all.deb first. – ngng Apr 24 '16 at 17:20
  • Once again, sorry for the delay but I'm losing my enthusiasm for this nonsense. Ubuntu says the program is installed. What's next? – bcripps Apr 28 '16 at 16:46
  • If both packages are installed (Software Center needs sometimes a double-click to install it), Wifi should work after next reboot. If it still doesn't work, I can't help you. I can ask some experts around me but without some information from Terminal, I get also no help from the experts. – ngng May 01 '16 at 14:14
  • Thanks ngng... is there a way I can be certain that both packages are installed? David, above, mentions network diagnostics... – bcripps May 01 '16 at 14:24
  • If you use a Terminal: dpkg -l shows all packages. The packages with ' iiare installed. Add "| grep" to filter packages:dpkg -l | grep dkmsanddpkg -l | grep bcmwl` – ngng May 01 '16 at 15:07
  • Do you want me to type dpkg -1 someplace? Or is there someplace that I'm supposed to click on it? Thanks, Bry – bcripps May 05 '16 at 16:07
  • dkpg -1 is wrong because 1 (one) and l (L in lower case) are different. You should run the Terminal<- Click on it for further information. A possible way to run the Terminal is to use the search icon. The search icon is the first icon on the top of the left side (white spiral with Ubuntu logo). Click on it. A line opens where you can type terminal Now you should see an icon below with >_. Click on it. It opens a window where you can type all commands I wrote in my previous posts. – ngng May 06 '16 at 18:01
  • I want to thank you, ngng, for all the effort you put into this. You deserve an award for patience. But I'm afraid I'm done with it. I uninstalled Ubuntu this morning and don't care if I ever hear the name again. I understand now, why Bill Gates made all that money. He made it easy.

    Anyway, good luck to you. Bry

     – bcripps May 12 '16 at 15:12