Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 - Linux Mint - not working

General Linux Help
1

As suggested I’ve finally got the information.I did run dmseg but didn’t see anything obvious like error messages.

Aspire-ES1-521 phil # lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device 1566
00:01.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Mullins [Radeon R4/R5 Graphics]
00:01.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Kabini HDMI/DP Audio
00:02.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device 156b
00:02.3 PCI bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1
00:02.4 PCI bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1
00:08.0 Encryption controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device 1537
00:10.0 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB XHCI Controller (rev 11)
00:11.0 SATA controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 40)
00:12.0 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB EHCI Controller (rev 39)
00:13.0 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB EHCI Controller (rev 39)
00:14.0 SMBus: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SMBus Controller (rev 42)
00:14.2 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH Azalia Controller (rev 02)
00:14.3 ISA bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH LPC Bridge (rev 11)
00:14.7 SD Host controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SD Flash Controller (rev 01)
00:18.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device 1580
00:18.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device 1581
00:18.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device 1582
00:18.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device 1583
00:18.4 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device 1584
00:18.5 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device 1585
01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 10)
02:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 802.11b/g/n (rev 01)

–

ES1-521 phil # lsmod
Module                  Size  Used by
rfcomm                 77824  14
bnep                   20480  2
binfmt_misc            20480  1
nls_iso8859_1          16384  1
rtsx_usb_ms            20480  0
memstick               16384  1 rtsx_usb_ms
btusb                  45056  0
btrtl                  16384  1 btusb
btbcm                  16384  1 btusb
btintel                16384  1 btusb
uvcvideo               86016  0
bluetooth             557056  41 btrtl,btintel,bnep,btbcm,rfcomm,btusb
videobuf2_vmalloc      16384  1 uvcvideo
videobuf2_memops       16384  1 videobuf2_vmalloc
videobuf2_v4l2         24576  1 uvcvideo
videobuf2_core         40960  2 uvcvideo,videobuf2_v4l2
ecdh_generic           24576  1 bluetooth
videodev              180224  3 uvcvideo,videobuf2_core,videobuf2_v4l2
media                  40960  2 uvcvideo,videodev
edac_mce_amd           28672  0
kvm_amd                86016  0
kvm                   598016  1 kvm_amd
irqbypass              16384  1 kvm
crct10dif_pclmul       16384  0
crc32_pclmul           16384  0
ghash_clmulni_intel    16384  0
pcbc                   16384  0
aesni_intel           188416  0
aes_x86_64             20480  1 aesni_intel
crypto_simd            16384  1 aesni_intel
glue_helper            16384  1 aesni_intel
cryptd                 24576  3 crypto_simd,ghash_clmulni_intel,aesni_intel
snd_seq_midi           16384  0
snd_seq_midi_event     16384  1 snd_seq_midi
snd_hda_codec_realtek    98304  1
snd_hda_codec_generic    73728  1 snd_hda_codec_realtek
snd_hda_codec_hdmi     49152  1
snd_rawmidi            32768  1 snd_seq_midi
snd_hda_intel          40960  5
snd_hda_codec         126976  4 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec_realtek
pcspkr                 16384  0
joydev                 24576  0
input_leds             16384  0
snd_hda_core           81920  5 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec_realtek
serio_raw              16384  0
snd_hwdep              20480  1 snd_hda_codec
snd_seq                65536  2 snd_seq_midi_event,snd_seq_midi
wmi_bmof               16384  0
snd_pcm                98304  4 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_core,snd_hda_codec_hdmi
fam15h_power           16384  0
k10temp                16384  0
snd_seq_device         16384  3 snd_seq,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_midi
snd_timer              32768  2 snd_seq,snd_pcm
i2c_piix4              24576  0
ccp                    73728  0
snd                    81920  21 snd_hda_intel,snd_hwdep,snd_seq,snd_hda_codec,snd_timer,snd_rawmidi,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_seq_device,snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_pcm
soundcore              16384  1 snd
shpchp                 36864  0
evbug                  16384  0
mac_hid                16384  0
parport_pc             36864  0
ppdev                  20480  0
lp                     20480  0
parport                49152  3 lp,parport_pc,ppdev
autofs4                40960  2
btrfs                1126400  0
xor                    24576  1 btrfs
zstd_compress         163840  1 btrfs
raid6_pq              114688  1 btrfs
dm_mirror              24576  0
dm_region_hash         20480  1 dm_mirror
dm_log                 20480  2 dm_mirror,dm_region_hash
amdgpu               2732032  0
chash                  16384  1 amdgpu
rtsx_usb_sdmmc         28672  0
rtsx_usb               20480  2 rtsx_usb_sdmmc,rtsx_usb_ms
radeon               1478656  15
i2c_algo_bit           16384  2 amdgpu,radeon
ttm                   106496  2 amdgpu,radeon
drm_kms_helper        172032  2 amdgpu,radeon
syscopyarea            16384  1 drm_kms_helper
psmouse               147456  0
sdhci_pci              32768  0
sysfillrect            16384  1 drm_kms_helper
sdhci                  49152  1 sdhci_pci
sysimgblt              16384  1 drm_kms_helper
fb_sys_fops            16384  1 drm_kms_helper
ahci                   36864  3
drm                   401408  9 amdgpu,radeon,ttm,drm_kms_helper
r8169                  86016  0
libahci                32768  1 ahci
mii                    16384  1 r8169
wmi                    24576  1 wmi_bmof
video                  45056  0

–

phil-Aspire-ES1-521 phil # iwconfig
enp1s0    no wireless extensions.

lo        no wireless extensions.

I have updates all the time but dont think there ws anything major.

2

Hi Phil,

Your wifi card is Broadcom Corporation BCM43142. First, try to install/rebuild the module. It is possible that after the update you also need to rebuild the module manually to match your current kernel:

sudo apt install broadcom-sta-dkms

Alternatively, you can try to purge the package and install it again:

sudo apt purge broadcom-sta-dkms
sudo apt install broadcom-sta-dkms

Try reboot. If no luck paste any relevant terminal output here as well as the output from the following command:

$ lspci -nn

Also run the wireless script. This will save the output into the file wireless-info.txt located in your home directory. Connect your network cable as you will need to download the script first:

$ wget https://github.com/UbuntuForums/wireless-info/raw/master/wireless-info
$ chmod +x wireless-info
$ sudo ./wireless-info

Look over the output file and see if you can find anything suspicious and also paste the output here.

1 Like
3

Hi Lubos
Thank you for your time on this,
My problem is that the Wifi just stopped working after 12 months or more. I had the same problem then and solved it by blacklisting the acer_wmi which has a conflict with MINT somehow.
I have tried your suggestion and still no wifi. Any other suggestions. I do have wired internet so that not affected.

Phil

4

Hi Phil,

Can you please be more specific. There are many states for not working. For example the module for wifi does not load, you cannot connect to AP or you simply do not have IP address assigned.

Please paste here the output of the following commands:

# lspci
# iwconfig
# lsmod

Also try run dmesg command to see if you do not find anything suspicious.

Lubos

5

Hi
phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ # 1spci
phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ # iwconfig
phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ # 1smod

Hopefully, I did this right nothing happened with each line

In terms of wifi not working, it has disappeared from the network settings but says I had a connection 9 days ago.
Also not on rfkill list, seems not to be recognised at all. Was working seamlessly but about 9 days ago no wifi connection could be made but wired connection working as before.

best
Phil

6

Hi Phil,

BTW: Did something worth to mention happened with your system when the WiFi stopped working? For example, major upgrade, you installed some new packages which may be in conflict etc.

Please read the following Conventions section and and try again to execute previously mentioned commands and paste here the output. Also note the difference between 1spci and lspci.

thank you

Lubos

7

Hi
Did the purge as suggested and the output is here, also did the download and saved to wireless-info txt. Not sure how to access this.

phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ lspci -nn
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1566]
00:01.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Mullins [Radeon R4/R5 Graphics] [1002:9851]
00:01.1 Audio device [0403]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Kabini HDMI/DP Audio [1002:9840]
00:02.0 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:156b]
00:02.3 PCI bridge [0604]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1 [1022:1439]
00:02.4 PCI bridge [0604]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1 [1022:1439]
00:08.0 Encryption controller [1080]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1537]
00:10.0 USB controller [0c03]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB XHCI Controller [1022:7814] (rev 11)
00:11.0 SATA controller [0106]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode] [1022:7801] (rev 40)
00:12.0 USB controller [0c03]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB EHCI Controller [1022:7808] (rev 39)
00:13.0 USB controller [0c03]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB EHCI Controller [1022:7808] (rev 39)
00:14.0 SMBus [0c05]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SMBus Controller [1022:780b] (rev 42)
00:14.2 Audio device [0403]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH Azalia Controller [1022:780d] (rev 02)
00:14.3 ISA bridge [0601]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH LPC Bridge [1022:780e] (rev 11)
00:14.7 SD Host controller [0805]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SD Flash Controller [1022:7813] (rev 01)
00:18.0 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1580]
00:18.1 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1581]
00:18.2 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1582]
00:18.3 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1583]
00:18.4 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1584]
00:18.5 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1585]
01:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller [10ec:8168] (rev 10)
02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 802.11b/g/n [14e4:4365] (rev 01)
8

When you ran the:

sudo apt purge broadcom-sta-dkms
sudo apt install broadcom-sta-dkms

commands, did you check the output. Was the reinstall successful? Any errors or suspicious output?

After execution of the wireless-info script the wireless-info.txt file should be located in the directory from which the script was run. To read the content of the file you can use any text editor or cat linux command. Please paste the content of the wireless-info.txt file here.

9

Copied the last para of output following install, which did not work after reboot

Backing up initrd.img-4.15.0-29-generic to /boot/initrd.img-4.15.0-29-generic.old-dkms
Making new initrd.img-4.15.0-29-generic
(If next boot fails, revert to initrd.img-4.15.0-29-generic.old-dkms image)
update-initramfs…

DKMS: install completed.
Processing triggers for initramfs-tools (0.122ubuntu8.11) …
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-4.15.0-29-generic
Warning: No support for locale: en_GB.utf8

10

Hi #
here id output as suggested lspc nn

phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ lspci -nn
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1566]
00:01.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Mullins [Radeon R4/R5 Graphics] [1002:9851]
00:01.1 Audio device [0403]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Kabini HDMI/DP Audio [1002:9840]
00:02.0 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:156b]
00:02.3 PCI bridge [0604]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1 [1022:1439]
00:02.4 PCI bridge [0604]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 16h Processor Functions 5:1 [1022:1439]
00:08.0 Encryption controller [1080]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1537]
00:10.0 USB controller [0c03]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB XHCI Controller [1022:7814] (rev 11)
00:11.0 SATA controller [0106]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode] [1022:7801] (rev 40)
00:12.0 USB controller [0c03]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB EHCI Controller [1022:7808] (rev 39)
00:13.0 USB controller [0c03]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH USB EHCI Controller [1022:7808] (rev 39)
00:14.0 SMBus [0c05]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SMBus Controller [1022:780b] (rev 42)
00:14.2 Audio device [0403]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH Azalia Controller [1022:780d] (rev 02)
00:14.3 ISA bridge [0601]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH LPC Bridge [1022:780e] (rev 11)
00:14.7 SD Host controller [0805]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SD Flash Controller [1022:7813] (rev 01)
00:18.0 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1580]
00:18.1 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1581]
00:18.2 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1582]
00:18.3 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1583]
00:18.4 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1584]
00:18.5 Host bridge [0600]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Device [1022:1585]
01:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller [10ec:8168] (rev 10)
02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 802.11b/g/n [14e4:4365] (rev 01)
11

I tried to read the wireless txt filebut got this output, must be doing something wrong but not sure what
phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ /home/phil/wireless-info.txt~
bash: /home/phil/wireless-info.txt~: No such file or directory

12

It is possible that the wireless-info script failed to produce the file. However, based on your command line info provided I think you forgot to use cat command. Try instead of:

phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ /home/phil/wireless-info.txt

to run:

phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ cat /home/phil/wireless-info.txt

Then copy and paste entire output here. If you still have an issue, re-run the wireless-info script again as explained previously and paste here the entire execution command line output.

13

Hi
I ran the command as suggested and here is the output

-521 ~ $ cat /home/phil/wireless-info.txt

########## wireless info START ##########

Report from: 25 Jul 2018 16:01 BST +0100

Booted last: 25 Jul 2018 00:00 BST +0100

Script from: 10 Jan 2018 20:04 UTC +0000

##### release ###########################

Distributor ID:	LinuxMint
Description:	Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia
Release:	18.3
Codename:	sylvia

##### kernel ############################

Linux 4.15.0-29-generic #31~16.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Wed Jul 18 08:54:04 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Parameters: ro, quiet, splash, vt.handoff=7

##### desktop ###########################

Cinnamon (from ~/.dmrc)

##### lspci #############################

01:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller [10ec:8168] (rev 10)
	Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller [1025:104b]
	Kernel driver in use: r8169

02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 802.11b/g/n [14e4:4365] (rev 01)
	Subsystem: Lite-On Communications Inc BCM43142 802.11b/g/n [11ad:6645]
	Kernel modules: wl

##### lsusb #############################

Bus 002 Device 003: ID 0bda:0129 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTS5129 Card Reader Controller
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0438:7900 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0bda:57b3 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. 
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 04ca:2009 Lite-On Technology Corp. 
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0438:7900 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

##### PCMCIA card info ##################

##### rfkill ############################

0: hci0: Bluetooth
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: no

##### lsmod #############################

wmi_bmof               16384  0
cfg80211              622592  0
wmi                    24576  1 wmi_bmof

##### interfaces ########################

[/etc/network/interfaces]
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

##### ifconfig ##########################

enp1s0    Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr <MAC 'enp1s0' [IF1]>  
          inet addr:192.168.1.69  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::f6b2:e998:4c61:f4f9/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:14288 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:10757 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:13730360 (13.7 MB)  TX bytes:1234077 (1.2 MB)

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:65536  Metric:1
          RX packets:1449 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:1449 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:142251 (142.2 KB)  TX bytes:142251 (142.2 KB)

##### iwconfig ##########################

enp1s0    no wireless extensions.

lo        no wireless extensions.

##### route #############################

Kernel IP routing table
Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Iface
0.0.0.0         192.168.1.254   0.0.0.0         UG    100    0        0 enp1s0
169.254.0.0     0.0.0.0         255.255.0.0     U     1000   0        0 enp1s0
192.168.1.0     0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U     100    0        0 enp1s0

##### resolv.conf #######################

nameserver 127.0.1.1
search lan

##### network managers ##################

Installed:

	NetworkManager

Running:

root       846     1  0 15:49 ?        00:00:00 /usr/sbin/NetworkManager --no-daemon

##### NetworkManager info ###############

GENERAL.DEVICE:                         enp1s0
GENERAL.TYPE:                           ethernet
GENERAL.NM-TYPE:                        NMDeviceEthernet
GENERAL.VENDOR:                         Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
GENERAL.PRODUCT:                        RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller
GENERAL.DRIVER:                         r8169
GENERAL.DRIVER-VERSION:                 2.3LK-NAPI
GENERAL.FIRMWARE-VERSION:               
GENERAL.HWADDR:                         <MAC 'enp1s0' [IF1]>
GENERAL.MTU:                            1500
GENERAL.STATE:                          100 (connected)
GENERAL.REASON:                         0 (No reason given)
GENERAL.UDI:                            /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.3/0000:01:00.0/net/enp1s0
GENERAL.IP-IFACE:                       enp1s0
GENERAL.IS-SOFTWARE:                    no
GENERAL.NM-MANAGED:                     yes
GENERAL.AUTOCONNECT:                    yes
GENERAL.FIRMWARE-MISSING:               no
GENERAL.NM-PLUGIN-MISSING:              no
GENERAL.PHYS-PORT-ID:                   --
GENERAL.CONNECTION:                     Ethernet connection 1
GENERAL.CON-UUID:                       fa1e31f2-b911-410d-8e48-b4ff74a68c00
GENERAL.CON-PATH:                       /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/ActiveConnection/0
GENERAL.METERED:                        no (guessed)
CAPABILITIES.CARRIER-DETECT:            yes
CAPABILITIES.SPEED:                     100 Mb/s
CAPABILITIES.IS-SOFTWARE:               no
WIRED-PROPERTIES.CARRIER:               on
CONNECTIONS.AVAILABLE-CONNECTION-PATHS: /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Settings/{2}
CONNECTIONS.AVAILABLE-CONNECTIONS[1]:   fa1e31f2-b911-410d-8e48-b4ff74a68c00 | Ethernet connection 1
IP4.ADDRESS[1]:                         192.168.1.69/24
IP4.GATEWAY:                            192.168.1.254
IP4.ROUTE[1]:                           dst = 169.254.0.0/16, nh = 0.0.0.0, mt = 1000
IP4.DNS[1]:                             192.168.1.254
IP4.DOMAIN[1]:                          lan
DHCP4.OPTION[1]:                        requested_routers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[2]:                        requested_domain_search = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[3]:                        requested_time_offset = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[4]:                        requested_domain_name = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[5]:                        requested_rfc3442_classless_static_routes = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[6]:                        requested_broadcast_address = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[7]:                        requested_netbios_scope = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[8]:                        requested_wpad = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[9]:                        next_server = 0.0.0.0
DHCP4.OPTION[10]:                       expiry = 1532616552
DHCP4.OPTION[11]:                       requested_interface_mtu = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[12]:                       requested_subnet_mask = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[13]:                       routers = 192.168.1.254
DHCP4.OPTION[14]:                       dhcp_message_type = 5
DHCP4.OPTION[15]:                       ip_address = 192.168.1.69
DHCP4.OPTION[16]:                       requested_static_routes = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[17]:                       domain_name = lan
DHCP4.OPTION[18]:                       requested_domain_name_servers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[19]:                       broadcast_address = 192.168.1.255
DHCP4.OPTION[20]:                       requested_ntp_servers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[21]:                       requested_netbios_name_servers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[22]:                       dhcp_lease_time = 86400
DHCP4.OPTION[23]:                       domain_name_servers = 192.168.1.254
DHCP4.OPTION[24]:                       requested_ms_classless_static_routes = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[25]:                       subnet_mask = 255.255.255.0
DHCP4.OPTION[26]:                       network_number = 192.168.1.0
DHCP4.OPTION[27]:                       requested_host_name = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[28]:                       dhcp_server_identifier = 192.168.1.254
IP6.ADDRESS[1]:                         fe80::f6b2:e998:4c61:f4f9/64
IP6.GATEWAY:                            

##### NetworkManager.state ##############

[main]
NetworkingEnabled=true
WirelessEnabled=true
WWANEnabled=true

##### NetworkManager.conf ###############

[main]
plugins=ifupdown,keyfile,ofono
dns=dnsmasq

[ifupdown]
managed=false

##### NetworkManager profiles ###########

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto TP-LINK_970B2C]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto TP-LINK_970B2C | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=TP-LINK_970B2C
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto BTWifi-with-FON]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto BTWifi-with-FON | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=BTWifi-with-FON
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto Sagemcom-FQRNT8]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto Sagemcom-FQRNT8 | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=Sagemcom-FQRNT8
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto BTHub5-6Z36]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto BTHub5-6Z36 | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=BTHub5-6Z36
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

##### Netplan config ####################

##### iw reg get ########################

Region: Europe/London (based on set time zone)

country 00: DFS-UNSET
	(2402 - 2472 @ 40), (N/A, 20), (N/A)
	(2457 - 2482 @ 20), (N/A, 20), (N/A), PASSIVE-SCAN
	(2474 - 2494 @ 20), (N/A, 20), (N/A), NO-OFDM, PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5170 - 5250 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (N/A), PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5250 - 5330 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (0 ms), DFS, PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5490 - 5730 @ 160), (N/A, 20), (0 ms), DFS, PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5735 - 5835 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (N/A), PASSIVE-SCAN
	(57240 - 63720 @ 2160), (N/A, 0), (N/A)

##### iwlist channels ###################

enp1s0    no frequency information.

lo        no frequency information.

##### iwlist scan #######################

enp1s0    Interface doesn't support scanning.

lo        Interface doesn't support scanning.

##### module infos ######################

[cfg80211]
filename:       /lib/modules/4.15.0-29-generic/kernel/net/wireless/cfg80211.ko
description:    wireless configuration support
license:        GPL
author:         Johannes Berg
srcversion:     D5B0789D4C423C81CCFB437
depends:        
retpoline:      Y
intree:         Y
name:           cfg80211
vermagic:       4.15.0-29-generic SMP mod_unload 
parm:           bss_entries_limit:limit to number of scan BSS entries (per wiphy, default 1000) (int)
parm:           ieee80211_regdom:IEEE 802.11 regulatory domain code (charp)
parm:           cfg80211_disable_40mhz_24ghz:Disable 40MHz support in the 2.4GHz band (bool)

##### module parameters #################

[cfg80211]
bss_entries_limit: 1000
cfg80211_disable_40mhz_24ghz: N
ieee80211_regdom: 00

##### /etc/modules ######################

##### modprobe options ##################

[/etc/modprobe.d/amd64-microcode-blacklist.conf]
blacklist microcode

[/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-ath_pci.conf]
blacklist ath_pci

[/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-bcm43.conf]
blacklist b43
blacklist b43legacy
blacklist ssb
blacklist bcm43xx
blacklist brcm80211
blacklist brcmfmac
blacklist brcmsmac
blacklist bcma

[/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf]
blacklist acer_wmi

[/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-rare-network.conf]
alias net-pf-3 off
alias net-pf-6 off
alias net-pf-9 off
alias net-pf-11 off
alias net-pf-12 off
alias net-pf-19 off
alias net-pf-21 off
alias net-pf-36 off

[/etc/modprobe.d/broadcom-sta-dkms.conf]
blacklist b43
blacklist b43legacy
blacklist b44
blacklist bcma
blacklist brcm80211
blacklist brcmsmac
blacklist ssb

[/etc/modprobe.d/iwlwifi.conf]
remove iwlwifi \
(/sbin/lsmod | grep -o -e ^iwlmvm -e ^iwldvm -e ^iwlwifi | xargs /sbin/rmmod) \
&& /sbin/modprobe -r mac80211

[/etc/modprobe.d/mlx4.conf]
softdep mlx4_core post: mlx4_en

##### rc.local ##########################

exit 0

##### pm-utils ##########################

##### udev rules ########################

##### dmesg #############################

########## wireless info END ############
14

Hi Phil,

Thanks for the info. Here is what we know:

  • Your card is Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 802.11b/g/n [14e4:4365]
  • You have both bcm43 ( Free software ) and broadcom-sta-dkms ( proprietary ) drivers installed
  • none of the modules for Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 WiFi is loaded
  • both modules bcm43 and broadcom-sta-dkms are blacklisted. Possibly the broadcom-sta-dkms blacklisted the bcm43 during installation and vice versa

So the logical step seems to be to try remove the blacklisted modules to get them loaded after reboot. Let’s try this by executing the following commands:

$ sudo mv /etc/modprobe.d/broadcom-sta-dkms.conf /root/
$ sudo mv /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-bcm43.conf /root/

No output or error should be produced by the above commands. Once ready reboot your laptop and test your WiFi.

Please note that we could simply run modprobe command to load the module but I think this should be easier for you to try and test and if it works no additional work needs to be done.

If no luck and the WiFi is still not working re-run the wireless-info script and paste the output here again.

BTW: This is little bit silly question, but can you please check that the physical toggle switch for your WiFi is ON. I guess it is but it does not hurt to ask :wink:

15

Hi,
I tried the modprobe commands as suggested still no Wifi
Wireless info as follows
phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ chmod +x wireless-info
phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ sudo ./wireless-info
[sudo] password for phil:

Results saved in "/home/phil/wireless-info.txt".

phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ cat /home/phil/wireless-info.txt

########## wireless info START ##########

Report from: 29 Jul 2018 18:39 BST +0100

Booted last: 29 Jul 2018 00:00 BST +0100

Script from: 10 Jan 2018 20:04 UTC +0000

##### release ###########################

Distributor ID:	LinuxMint
Description:	Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia
Release:	18.3
Codename:	sylvia

##### kernel ############################

Linux 4.15.0-29-generic #31~16.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Wed Jul 18 08:54:04 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Parameters: ro, quiet, splash, vt.handoff=7

##### desktop ###########################

Cinnamon (from ~/.dmrc)

##### lspci #############################

01:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller [10ec:8168] (rev 10)
	Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller [1025:104b]
	Kernel driver in use: r8169

02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 802.11b/g/n [14e4:4365] (rev 01)
	Subsystem: Lite-On Communications Inc BCM43142 802.11b/g/n [11ad:6645]
	Kernel modules: wl

##### lsusb #############################

Bus 002 Device 003: ID 0bda:0129 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTS5129 Card Reader Controller
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0438:7900 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0bda:57b3 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. 
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 04ca:2009 Lite-On Technology Corp. 
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0438:7900 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

##### PCMCIA card info ##################

##### rfkill ############################

0: hci0: Bluetooth
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: no

##### lsmod #############################

wmi_bmof               16384  0
cfg80211              622592  0
wmi                    24576  1 wmi_bmof

##### interfaces ########################

[/etc/network/interfaces]
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

##### ifconfig ##########################

enp1s0    Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr <MAC 'enp1s0' [IF1]>  
          inet addr:192.168.1.69  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::f6b2:e998:4c61:f4f9/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:22026 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:15666 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:24769913 (24.7 MB)  TX bytes:1625415 (1.6 MB)

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:65536  Metric:1
          RX packets:1436 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:1436 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:144335 (144.3 KB)  TX bytes:144335 (144.3 KB)

##### iwconfig ##########################

lo        no wireless extensions.

enp1s0    no wireless extensions.

##### route #############################

Kernel IP routing table
Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Iface
0.0.0.0         192.168.1.254   0.0.0.0         UG    100    0        0 enp1s0
192.168.1.0     0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U     100    0        0 enp1s0

##### resolv.conf #######################

nameserver 127.0.1.1
search lan

##### network managers ##################

Installed:

	NetworkManager

Running:

root       821     1  0 18:28 ?        00:00:00 /usr/sbin/NetworkManager --no-daemon

##### NetworkManager info ###############

GENERAL.DEVICE:                         enp1s0
GENERAL.TYPE:                           ethernet
GENERAL.NM-TYPE:                        NMDeviceEthernet
GENERAL.VENDOR:                         Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
GENERAL.PRODUCT:                        RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller
GENERAL.DRIVER:                         r8169
GENERAL.DRIVER-VERSION:                 2.3LK-NAPI
GENERAL.FIRMWARE-VERSION:               
GENERAL.HWADDR:                         <MAC 'enp1s0' [IF1]>
GENERAL.MTU:                            1500
GENERAL.STATE:                          100 (connected)
GENERAL.REASON:                         0 (No reason given)
GENERAL.UDI:                            /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.3/0000:01:00.0/net/enp1s0
GENERAL.IP-IFACE:                       enp1s0
GENERAL.IS-SOFTWARE:                    no
GENERAL.NM-MANAGED:                     yes
GENERAL.AUTOCONNECT:                    yes
GENERAL.FIRMWARE-MISSING:               no
GENERAL.NM-PLUGIN-MISSING:              no
GENERAL.PHYS-PORT-ID:                   --
GENERAL.CONNECTION:                     Ethernet connection 1
GENERAL.CON-UUID:                       fa1e31f2-b911-410d-8e48-b4ff74a68c00
GENERAL.CON-PATH:                       /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/ActiveConnection/2
GENERAL.METERED:                        no (guessed)
CAPABILITIES.CARRIER-DETECT:            yes
CAPABILITIES.SPEED:                     100 Mb/s
CAPABILITIES.IS-SOFTWARE:               no
WIRED-PROPERTIES.CARRIER:               on
CONNECTIONS.AVAILABLE-CONNECTION-PATHS: /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Settings/{2}
CONNECTIONS.AVAILABLE-CONNECTIONS[1]:   fa1e31f2-b911-410d-8e48-b4ff74a68c00 | Ethernet connection 1
IP4.ADDRESS[1]:                         192.168.1.69/24
IP4.GATEWAY:                            192.168.1.254
IP4.DNS[1]:                             192.168.1.254
IP4.DOMAIN[1]:                          lan
DHCP4.OPTION[1]:                        requested_routers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[2]:                        requested_domain_search = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[3]:                        requested_time_offset = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[4]:                        requested_domain_name = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[5]:                        requested_rfc3442_classless_static_routes = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[6]:                        requested_broadcast_address = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[7]:                        requested_netbios_scope = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[8]:                        requested_wpad = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[9]:                        next_server = 0.0.0.0
DHCP4.OPTION[10]:                       expiry = 1532971804
DHCP4.OPTION[11]:                       requested_interface_mtu = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[12]:                       requested_subnet_mask = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[13]:                       routers = 192.168.1.254
DHCP4.OPTION[14]:                       dhcp_message_type = 5
DHCP4.OPTION[15]:                       ip_address = 192.168.1.69
DHCP4.OPTION[16]:                       requested_static_routes = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[17]:                       domain_name = lan
DHCP4.OPTION[18]:                       requested_domain_name_servers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[19]:                       broadcast_address = 192.168.1.255
DHCP4.OPTION[20]:                       requested_ntp_servers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[21]:                       requested_netbios_name_servers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[22]:                       dhcp_lease_time = 86400
DHCP4.OPTION[23]:                       domain_name_servers = 192.168.1.254
DHCP4.OPTION[24]:                       requested_ms_classless_static_routes = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[25]:                       subnet_mask = 255.255.255.0
DHCP4.OPTION[26]:                       network_number = 192.168.1.0
DHCP4.OPTION[27]:                       requested_host_name = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[28]:                       dhcp_server_identifier = 192.168.1.254
IP6.ADDRESS[1]:                         fe80::f6b2:e998:4c61:f4f9/64
IP6.GATEWAY:                            

##### NetworkManager.state ##############

[main]
NetworkingEnabled=true
WirelessEnabled=true
WWANEnabled=true

##### NetworkManager.conf ###############

[main]
plugins=ifupdown,keyfile,ofono
dns=dnsmasq

[ifupdown]
managed=false

##### NetworkManager profiles ###########

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto TP-LINK_970B2C]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto TP-LINK_970B2C | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=TP-LINK_970B2C
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto BTWifi-with-FON]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto BTWifi-with-FON | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=BTWifi-with-FON
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto Sagemcom-FQRNT8]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto Sagemcom-FQRNT8 | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=Sagemcom-FQRNT8
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto BTHub5-6Z36]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto BTHub5-6Z36 | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=BTHub5-6Z36
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

##### Netplan config ####################

##### iw reg get ########################

Region: Europe/London (based on set time zone)

country 00: DFS-UNSET
	(2402 - 2472 @ 40), (N/A, 20), (N/A)
	(2457 - 2482 @ 20), (N/A, 20), (N/A), PASSIVE-SCAN
	(2474 - 2494 @ 20), (N/A, 20), (N/A), NO-OFDM, PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5170 - 5250 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (N/A), PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5250 - 5330 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (0 ms), DFS, PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5490 - 5730 @ 160), (N/A, 20), (0 ms), DFS, PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5735 - 5835 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (N/A), PASSIVE-SCAN
	(57240 - 63720 @ 2160), (N/A, 0), (N/A)

##### iwlist channels ###################

lo        no frequency information.

enp1s0    no frequency information.

##### iwlist scan #######################

lo        Interface doesn't support scanning.

enp1s0    Interface doesn't support scanning.

##### module infos ######################

[cfg80211]
filename:       /lib/modules/4.15.0-29-generic/kernel/net/wireless/cfg80211.ko
description:    wireless configuration support
license:        GPL
author:         Johannes Berg
srcversion:     D5B0789D4C423C81CCFB437
depends:        
retpoline:      Y
intree:         Y
name:           cfg80211
vermagic:       4.15.0-29-generic SMP mod_unload 
parm:           bss_entries_limit:limit to number of scan BSS entries (per wiphy, default 1000) (int)
parm:           ieee80211_regdom:IEEE 802.11 regulatory domain code (charp)
parm:           cfg80211_disable_40mhz_24ghz:Disable 40MHz support in the 2.4GHz band (bool)

##### module parameters #################

[cfg80211]
bss_entries_limit: 1000
cfg80211_disable_40mhz_24ghz: N
ieee80211_regdom: 00

##### /etc/modules ######################

##### modprobe options ##################

[/etc/modprobe.d/amd64-microcode-blacklist.conf]
blacklist microcode

[/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-ath_pci.conf]
blacklist ath_pci

[/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf]
blacklist acer_wmi

[/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-rare-network.conf]
alias net-pf-3 off
alias net-pf-6 off
alias net-pf-9 off
alias net-pf-11 off
alias net-pf-12 off
alias net-pf-19 off
alias net-pf-21 off
alias net-pf-36 off

[/etc/modprobe.d/iwlwifi.conf]
remove iwlwifi \
(/sbin/lsmod | grep -o -e ^iwlmvm -e ^iwldvm -e ^iwlwifi | xargs /sbin/rmmod) \
&& /sbin/modprobe -r mac80211

[/etc/modprobe.d/mlx4.conf]
softdep mlx4_core post: mlx4_en

##### rc.local ##########################

exit 0

##### pm-utils ##########################

##### udev rules ########################

##### dmesg #############################

########## wireless info END ############

I did check the toggle to turn the WIFI off and it didn’t make any difference

Thanks
Phil

16

Hi Phil,

Ok. Let’s try do this manually. Enter the following command:

$ sudo modprobe b43

If there is any command line output when executing the above command please copy and paste it here. Then try to see if your WiFi is working.

You should also see the b43 module loaded/listed when executing the:

$ sudo lsmod

command.

17

Hi the b43 was listed with $ sudo lsmod output (second output copied here) then when I rebooted it disappeared (first output copied here).
Still no wifi
Output after reboot:

phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ sudo lsmod
[sudo] password for phil: 
Module                  Size  Used by
rfcomm                 77824  14
bnep                   20480  2
rtsx_usb_ms            20480  0
memstick               16384  1 rtsx_usb_ms
binfmt_misc            20480  1
nls_iso8859_1          16384  1
btusb                  45056  0
btrtl                  16384  1 btusb
btbcm                  16384  1 btusb
btintel                16384  1 btusb
bluetooth             557056  41 btrtl,btintel,bnep,btbcm,rfcomm,btusb
uvcvideo               86016  0
videobuf2_vmalloc      16384  1 uvcvideo
videobuf2_memops       16384  1 videobuf2_vmalloc
videobuf2_v4l2         24576  1 uvcvideo
videobuf2_core         40960  2 uvcvideo,videobuf2_v4l2
ecdh_generic           24576  1 bluetooth
videodev              180224  3 uvcvideo,videobuf2_core,videobuf2_v4l2
media                  40960  2 uvcvideo,videodev
edac_mce_amd           28672  0
kvm_amd                86016  0
kvm                   598016  1 kvm_amd
irqbypass              16384  1 kvm
crct10dif_pclmul       16384  0
crc32_pclmul           16384  0
ghash_clmulni_intel    16384  0
pcbc                   16384  0
aesni_intel           188416  0
aes_x86_64             20480  1 aesni_intel
crypto_simd            16384  1 aesni_intel
glue_helper            16384  1 aesni_intel
cryptd                 24576  3 crypto_simd,ghash_clmulni_intel,aesni_intel
snd_hda_codec_realtek    98304  1
snd_hda_codec_generic    73728  1 snd_hda_codec_realtek
snd_hda_codec_hdmi     49152  1
pcspkr                 16384  0
snd_hda_intel          40960  5
snd_hda_codec         126976  4 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec_realtek
snd_hda_core           81920  5 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec_realtek
snd_hwdep              20480  1 snd_hda_codec
snd_pcm                98304  4 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_core,snd_hda_codec_hdmi
snd_seq_midi           16384  0
snd_seq_midi_event     16384  1 snd_seq_midi
snd_rawmidi            32768  1 snd_seq_midi
joydev                 24576  0
input_leds             16384  0
serio_raw              16384  0
wmi_bmof               16384  0
snd_seq                65536  2 snd_seq_midi_event,snd_seq_midi
snd_seq_device         16384  3 snd_seq,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_midi
snd_timer              32768  2 snd_seq,snd_pcm
fam15h_power           16384  0
k10temp                16384  0
i2c_piix4              24576  0
cfg80211              622592  0
snd                    81920  21 snd_hda_intel,snd_hwdep,snd_seq,snd_hda_codec,snd_timer,snd_rawmidi,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_seq_device,snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_pcm
ccp                    73728  0
soundcore              16384  1 snd
shpchp                 36864  0
evbug                  16384  0
mac_hid                16384  0
parport_pc             36864  0
ppdev                  20480  0
lp                     20480  0
parport                49152  3 lp,parport_pc,ppdev
autofs4                40960  2
btrfs                1126400  0
xor                    24576  1 btrfs
zstd_compress         163840  1 btrfs
raid6_pq              114688  1 btrfs
dm_mirror              24576  0
dm_region_hash         20480  1 dm_mirror
dm_log                 20480  2 dm_mirror,dm_region_hash
amdgpu               2732032  0
chash                  16384  1 amdgpu
rtsx_usb_sdmmc         28672  0
rtsx_usb               20480  2 rtsx_usb_sdmmc,rtsx_usb_ms
radeon               1478656  14
i2c_algo_bit           16384  2 amdgpu,radeon
ttm                   106496  2 amdgpu,radeon
drm_kms_helper        172032  2 amdgpu,radeon
syscopyarea            16384  1 drm_kms_helper
sysfillrect            16384  1 drm_kms_helper
sysimgblt              16384  1 drm_kms_helper
fb_sys_fops            16384  1 drm_kms_helper
ahci                   36864  3
psmouse               147456  0
r8169                  86016  0
sdhci_pci              32768  0
sdhci                  49152  1 sdhci_pci
drm                   401408  8 amdgpu,radeon,ttm,drm_kms_helper
libahci                32768  1 ahci
mii                    16384  1 r8169
wmi                    24576  1 wmi_bmof
video                  45056  0

Output without reboot

sudo lsmod
Module                  Size  Used by
b43                   417792  0
bcma                   57344  1 b43
mac80211              778240  1 b43
ssb                    57344  1 b43
rfcomm                 77824  14
bnep                   20480  2
binfmt_misc            20480  1
nls_iso8859_1          16384  1
rtsx_usb_ms            20480  0
edac_mce_amd           28672  0
memstick               16384  1 rtsx_usb_ms
kvm_amd                86016  0
kvm                   598016  1 kvm_amd
irqbypass              16384  1 kvm
crct10dif_pclmul       16384  0
crc32_pclmul           16384  0
ghash_clmulni_intel    16384  0
pcbc                   16384  0
aesni_intel           188416  0
aes_x86_64             20480  1 aesni_intel
crypto_simd            16384  1 aesni_intel
glue_helper            16384  1 aesni_intel
snd_hda_codec_realtek    98304  1
snd_hda_codec_hdmi     49152  1
snd_hda_codec_generic    73728  1 snd_hda_codec_realtek
uvcvideo               86016  0
videobuf2_vmalloc      16384  1 uvcvideo
videobuf2_memops       16384  1 videobuf2_vmalloc
videobuf2_v4l2         24576  1 uvcvideo
videobuf2_core         40960  2 uvcvideo,videobuf2_v4l2
videodev              180224  3 uvcvideo,videobuf2_core,videobuf2_v4l2
btusb                  45056  0
media                  40960  2 uvcvideo,videodev
btrtl                  16384  1 btusb
btbcm                  16384  1 btusb
cryptd                 24576  3 crypto_simd,ghash_clmulni_intel,aesni_intel
btintel                16384  1 btusb
bluetooth             557056  41 btrtl,btintel,bnep,btbcm,rfcomm,btusb
ecdh_generic           24576  1 bluetooth
snd_hda_intel          40960  5
snd_hda_codec         126976  4 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec_realtek
snd_hda_core           81920  5 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec_realtek
cfg80211              622592  2 b43,mac80211
snd_hwdep              20480  1 snd_hda_codec
snd_pcm                98304  4 snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_core,snd_hda_codec_hdmi
snd_seq_midi           16384  0
pcspkr                 16384  0
snd_seq_midi_event     16384  1 snd_seq_midi
input_leds             16384  0
joydev                 24576  0
snd_rawmidi            32768  1 snd_seq_midi
fam15h_power           16384  0
serio_raw              16384  0
snd_seq                65536  2 snd_seq_midi_event,snd_seq_midi
wmi_bmof               16384  0
snd_seq_device         16384  3 snd_seq,snd_rawmidi,snd_seq_midi
snd_timer              32768  2 snd_seq,snd_pcm
k10temp                16384  0
shpchp                 36864  0
evbug                  16384  0
snd                    81920  21 snd_hda_intel,snd_hwdep,snd_seq,snd_hda_codec,snd_timer,snd_rawmidi,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_seq_device,snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_pcm
soundcore              16384  1 snd
ccp                    73728  0
i2c_piix4              24576  0
mac_hid                16384  0
parport_pc             36864  0
ppdev                  20480  0
lp                     20480  0
parport                49152  3 lp,parport_pc,ppdev
autofs4                40960  2
btrfs                1126400  0
xor                    24576  1 btrfs
zstd_compress         163840  1 btrfs
raid6_pq              114688  1 btrfs
dm_mirror              24576  0
dm_region_hash         20480  1 dm_mirror
dm_log                 20480  2 dm_mirror,dm_region_hash
amdgpu               2732032  0
chash                  16384  1 amdgpu
rtsx_usb_sdmmc         28672  0
rtsx_usb               20480  2 rtsx_usb_sdmmc,rtsx_usb_ms
radeon               1478656  11
i2c_algo_bit           16384  2 amdgpu,radeon
ttm                   106496  2 amdgpu,radeon
drm_kms_helper        172032  2 amdgpu,radeon
syscopyarea            16384  1 drm_kms_helper
sysfillrect            16384  1 drm_kms_helper
sysimgblt              16384  1 drm_kms_helper
psmouse               147456  0
sdhci_pci              32768  0
fb_sys_fops            16384  1 drm_kms_helper
sdhci                  49152  1 sdhci_pci
drm                   401408  8 amdgpu,radeon,ttm,drm_kms_helper
ahci                   36864  3
r8169                  86016  0
libahci                32768  1 ahci
mii                    16384  1 r8169
wmi                    24576  1 wmi_bmof
video                  45056  0
phil@phil-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $
18

Hi Phil,

After modprobe command you were not supposed to reboot. Simply execute the modeprobe command and see if WiFi works and possibly re-run the wireless-info script and paste here the output.

To make the change permanent, hence to load the b43 module after reboot you need to execute:

$ sudo bash -c "echo b43 >> /etc/modules"

19

h ran the modeprobe and no wifi also ran the wifi script and output is here, have not rebooted or made the changes permanent as yet

-Aspire-ES1-521 ~ $ cat /home/phil/wireless-info.txt

########## wireless info START ##########

Report from: 29 Jul 2018 18:39 BST +0100

Booted last: 29 Jul 2018 00:00 BST +0100

Script from: 10 Jan 2018 20:04 UTC +0000

##### release ###########################

Distributor ID:	LinuxMint
Description:	Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia
Release:	18.3
Codename:	sylvia

##### kernel ############################

Linux 4.15.0-29-generic #31~16.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Wed Jul 18 08:54:04 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Parameters: ro, quiet, splash, vt.handoff=7

##### desktop ###########################

Cinnamon (from ~/.dmrc)

##### lspci #############################

01:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller [10ec:8168] (rev 10)
	Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller [1025:104b]
	Kernel driver in use: r8169

02:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM43142 802.11b/g/n [14e4:4365] (rev 01)
	Subsystem: Lite-On Communications Inc BCM43142 802.11b/g/n [11ad:6645]
	Kernel modules: wl

##### lsusb #############################

Bus 002 Device 003: ID 0bda:0129 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTS5129 Card Reader Controller
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 0438:7900 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0bda:57b3 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. 
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 04ca:2009 Lite-On Technology Corp. 
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0438:7900 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

##### PCMCIA card info ##################

##### rfkill ############################

0: hci0: Bluetooth
	Soft blocked: no
	Hard blocked: no

##### lsmod #############################

wmi_bmof               16384  0
cfg80211              622592  0
wmi                    24576  1 wmi_bmof

##### interfaces ########################

[/etc/network/interfaces]
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

##### ifconfig ##########################

enp1s0    Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr <MAC 'enp1s0' [IF1]>  
          inet addr:192.168.1.69  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::f6b2:e998:4c61:f4f9/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:22026 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:15666 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:24769913 (24.7 MB)  TX bytes:1625415 (1.6 MB)

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:65536  Metric:1
          RX packets:1436 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:1436 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:144335 (144.3 KB)  TX bytes:144335 (144.3 KB)

##### iwconfig ##########################

lo        no wireless extensions.

enp1s0    no wireless extensions.

##### route #############################

Kernel IP routing table
Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Iface
0.0.0.0         192.168.1.254   0.0.0.0         UG    100    0        0 enp1s0
192.168.1.0     0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U     100    0        0 enp1s0

##### resolv.conf #######################

nameserver 127.0.1.1
search lan

##### network managers ##################

Installed:

	NetworkManager

Running:

root       821     1  0 18:28 ?        00:00:00 /usr/sbin/NetworkManager --no-daemon

##### NetworkManager info ###############

GENERAL.DEVICE:                         enp1s0
GENERAL.TYPE:                           ethernet
GENERAL.NM-TYPE:                        NMDeviceEthernet
GENERAL.VENDOR:                         Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
GENERAL.PRODUCT:                        RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller
GENERAL.DRIVER:                         r8169
GENERAL.DRIVER-VERSION:                 2.3LK-NAPI
GENERAL.FIRMWARE-VERSION:               
GENERAL.HWADDR:                         <MAC 'enp1s0' [IF1]>
GENERAL.MTU:                            1500
GENERAL.STATE:                          100 (connected)
GENERAL.REASON:                         0 (No reason given)
GENERAL.UDI:                            /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.3/0000:01:00.0/net/enp1s0
GENERAL.IP-IFACE:                       enp1s0
GENERAL.IS-SOFTWARE:                    no
GENERAL.NM-MANAGED:                     yes
GENERAL.AUTOCONNECT:                    yes
GENERAL.FIRMWARE-MISSING:               no
GENERAL.NM-PLUGIN-MISSING:              no
GENERAL.PHYS-PORT-ID:                   --
GENERAL.CONNECTION:                     Ethernet connection 1
GENERAL.CON-UUID:                       fa1e31f2-b911-410d-8e48-b4ff74a68c00
GENERAL.CON-PATH:                       /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/ActiveConnection/2
GENERAL.METERED:                        no (guessed)
CAPABILITIES.CARRIER-DETECT:            yes
CAPABILITIES.SPEED:                     100 Mb/s
CAPABILITIES.IS-SOFTWARE:               no
WIRED-PROPERTIES.CARRIER:               on
CONNECTIONS.AVAILABLE-CONNECTION-PATHS: /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Settings/{2}
CONNECTIONS.AVAILABLE-CONNECTIONS[1]:   fa1e31f2-b911-410d-8e48-b4ff74a68c00 | Ethernet connection 1
IP4.ADDRESS[1]:                         192.168.1.69/24
IP4.GATEWAY:                            192.168.1.254
IP4.DNS[1]:                             192.168.1.254
IP4.DOMAIN[1]:                          lan
DHCP4.OPTION[1]:                        requested_routers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[2]:                        requested_domain_search = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[3]:                        requested_time_offset = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[4]:                        requested_domain_name = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[5]:                        requested_rfc3442_classless_static_routes = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[6]:                        requested_broadcast_address = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[7]:                        requested_netbios_scope = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[8]:                        requested_wpad = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[9]:                        next_server = 0.0.0.0
DHCP4.OPTION[10]:                       expiry = 1532971804
DHCP4.OPTION[11]:                       requested_interface_mtu = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[12]:                       requested_subnet_mask = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[13]:                       routers = 192.168.1.254
DHCP4.OPTION[14]:                       dhcp_message_type = 5
DHCP4.OPTION[15]:                       ip_address = 192.168.1.69
DHCP4.OPTION[16]:                       requested_static_routes = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[17]:                       domain_name = lan
DHCP4.OPTION[18]:                       requested_domain_name_servers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[19]:                       broadcast_address = 192.168.1.255
DHCP4.OPTION[20]:                       requested_ntp_servers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[21]:                       requested_netbios_name_servers = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[22]:                       dhcp_lease_time = 86400
DHCP4.OPTION[23]:                       domain_name_servers = 192.168.1.254
DHCP4.OPTION[24]:                       requested_ms_classless_static_routes = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[25]:                       subnet_mask = 255.255.255.0
DHCP4.OPTION[26]:                       network_number = 192.168.1.0
DHCP4.OPTION[27]:                       requested_host_name = 1
DHCP4.OPTION[28]:                       dhcp_server_identifier = 192.168.1.254
IP6.ADDRESS[1]:                         fe80::f6b2:e998:4c61:f4f9/64
IP6.GATEWAY:                            

##### NetworkManager.state ##############

[main]
NetworkingEnabled=true
WirelessEnabled=true
WWANEnabled=true

##### NetworkManager.conf ###############

[main]
plugins=ifupdown,keyfile,ofono
dns=dnsmasq

[ifupdown]
managed=false

##### NetworkManager profiles ###########

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto TP-LINK_970B2C]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto TP-LINK_970B2C | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=TP-LINK_970B2C
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto BTWifi-with-FON]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto BTWifi-with-FON | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=BTWifi-with-FON
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto Sagemcom-FQRNT8]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto Sagemcom-FQRNT8 | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=Sagemcom-FQRNT8
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

[[/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/Auto BTHub5-6Z36]] (600 root)
[connection] id=Auto BTHub5-6Z36 | type=wifi | permissions=
[wifi] mac-address=<MAC address> | mac-address-blacklist= | ssid=BTHub5-6Z36
[ipv4] method=auto
[ipv6] method=auto

##### Netplan config ####################

##### iw reg get ########################

Region: Europe/London (based on set time zone)

country 00: DFS-UNSET
	(2402 - 2472 @ 40), (N/A, 20), (N/A)
	(2457 - 2482 @ 20), (N/A, 20), (N/A), PASSIVE-SCAN
	(2474 - 2494 @ 20), (N/A, 20), (N/A), NO-OFDM, PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5170 - 5250 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (N/A), PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5250 - 5330 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (0 ms), DFS, PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5490 - 5730 @ 160), (N/A, 20), (0 ms), DFS, PASSIVE-SCAN
	(5735 - 5835 @ 80), (N/A, 20), (N/A), PASSIVE-SCAN
	(57240 - 63720 @ 2160), (N/A, 0), (N/A)

##### iwlist channels ###################

lo        no frequency information.

enp1s0    no frequency information.

##### iwlist scan #######################

lo        Interface doesn't support scanning.

enp1s0    Interface doesn't support scanning.

##### module infos ######################

[cfg80211]
filename:       /lib/modules/4.15.0-29-generic/kernel/net/wireless/cfg80211.ko
description:    wireless configuration support
license:        GPL
author:         Johannes Berg
srcversion:     D5B0789D4C423C81CCFB437
depends:        
retpoline:      Y
intree:         Y
name:           cfg80211
vermagic:       4.15.0-29-generic SMP mod_unload 
parm:           bss_entries_limit:limit to number of scan BSS entries (per wiphy, default 1000) (int)
parm:           ieee80211_regdom:IEEE 802.11 regulatory domain code (charp)
parm:           cfg80211_disable_40mhz_24ghz:Disable 40MHz support in the 2.4GHz band (bool)

##### module parameters #################

[cfg80211]
bss_entries_limit: 1000
cfg80211_disable_40mhz_24ghz: N
ieee80211_regdom: 00

##### /etc/modules ######################

##### modprobe options ##################

[/etc/modprobe.d/amd64-microcode-blacklist.conf]
blacklist microcode

[/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-ath_pci.conf]
blacklist ath_pci

[/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf]
blacklist acer_wmi

[/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-rare-network.conf]
alias net-pf-3 off
alias net-pf-6 off
alias net-pf-9 off
alias net-pf-11 off
alias net-pf-12 off
alias net-pf-19 off
alias net-pf-21 off
alias net-pf-36 off

[/etc/modprobe.d/iwlwifi.conf]
remove iwlwifi \
(/sbin/lsmod | grep -o -e ^iwlmvm -e ^iwldvm -e ^iwlwifi | xargs /sbin/rmmod) \
&& /sbin/modprobe -r mac80211

[/etc/modprobe.d/mlx4.conf]
softdep mlx4_core post: mlx4_en

##### rc.local ##########################

exit 0

##### pm-utils ##########################

##### udev rules ########################

##### dmesg #############################

########## wireless info END ############
20

Have you tried to reinstall the broadcom-sta-dkms as shown previously? Also try to reinstall/install the opensource driver. You will find this page helpful. Make sure that your modules are not blacklisted.