{"id":468710,"date":"2022-06-28T21:00:27","date_gmt":"2022-06-28T18:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/"},"modified":"2022-06-28T21:00:27","modified_gmt":"2022-06-28T18:00:27","slug":"why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why Isn\u2019t Linux Detecting My Wi-Fi Adapter?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aed1743c1d91\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aed1743c1d91\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/#%E2%80%9CWhy_Isnt_Linux_Detecting_My_Wi-Fi_Adapter%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Why Isn\u2019t Linux Detecting My Wi-Fi Adapter?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/#Linux_and_Wi-Fi_Its_A_Love-Hate_Thing\" >Linux and Wi-Fi: It\u2019s A Love-Hate Thing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/#Before_You_Install\" >Before You Install<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/#Look_for_the_Simple_Gotchas\" >Look for the Simple Gotchas<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/#Working_Through_the_Issues\" >Working Through the Issues<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/#Is_Any_Type_of_Networking_Operational\" >Is Any Type of Networking Operational?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/#Identifying_the_Wi-Fi_Card_Hardware\" >Identifying the Wi-Fi Card Hardware<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/#Trying_To_Bring_the_Card_Online\" >Trying To Bring the Card Online<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/#Checking_the_Drivers\" >Checking the Drivers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-isnt-linux-detecting-my-wi-fi-adapter\/#Use_Your_Community\" >Use Your Community<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhy_Isnt_Linux_Detecting_My_Wi-Fi_Adapter%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Why Isn\u2019t Linux Detecting My Wi-Fi Adapter?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-770699\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/shutterstock_1278851809.png?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Linux terminal on a laptop screen.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-vector\/command-line-interface-cli-programming-language-1278851809\">fatmawati achmad zaenuri\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ever installed Linux on a laptop, rebooted, and found it can\u2019t see your Wi-Fi card? It\u2019s pretty deflating. Try these hints. One or more of them might just get it working.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"linux-and-wi-fi-its-a-love-hate-thing\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Linux_and_Wi-Fi_Its_A_Love-Hate_Thing\"><\/span>Linux and Wi-Fi: It\u2019s A Love-Hate Thing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Historically, Linux has had a somewhat strained relationship with Wi-Fi cards. In recent years, the situation has changed considerably\u2014and for the better\u2014but it is still possible to boot into your new Linux installation and get that sinking feeling when you realize you\u2019ve got no Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n<p>Installation routines are very good at identifying the various components of the target computer and configuring itself to work with that hardware. But problems can still h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>en.<\/p>\n<p>Troubleshooting hardware issues is difficult, especially if the only computer you have on hand is the broken device. Obviously, not everything presented here will be applicable to all cases. But hopefully, something below will either fix your issue or point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"before-you-install\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Before_You_Install\"><\/span>Before You Install<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Do some research. Most distributions have listings of supported hardware. Ask on their forums whether anyone else is using the same make and model of laptop as you intend to use. Did they have any issues, and if so, how did they fix them?<\/p>\n<p>To get a good idea of what you\u2019ll be facing, boot your laptop from a Live USB or Live CD of the most recent release of your intended distribution. You can then make sure it works as you\u2019d expect, without taking the leap of faith of installation.<\/p>\n<p>Check things like the screen resolution and graphics, the mouse pad and gestures, and your Wi-Fi connection. If they work in the live environment they should work when you install the distribution. If any of these don\u2019t work, try a Live CD from a different distribution. You might get different results. If that\u2019s the case, can you identify why? Perhaps they use a more recent kernel, or they bundle the drivers with their installation.<\/p>\n<p>Using the commands we show you in this article you can identify the Wi-Fi hardware inside your laptop. With that knowledge, you can do some web searches. If you\u2019re lucky, your Wi-Fi card will be one that just works. If not, you\u2019ll probably need to use some of the techniques we describe in this article.<\/p>\n<p>Look up the key combination that you need to interrupt the boot sequence and enter the BIOS of the laptop. You might not need it, but if you do you\u2019ll be glad you found it out in advance. It\u2019s often one of the following: Esc, F2, F5, or F10. On a lot of laptops, you\u2019ll need to hold down the \u201cFn\u201d button at the same time. Make sure you know what the keys are to get into the BIOS on your laptop.<\/p>\n<p>Plan on what you will do if the Wi-Fi doesn\u2019t come up straight away. Can you use a wired connection to get your laptop onto the internet? If not do you have access to another computer? Can you tether to your cell phone and use that to access the internet?<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"look-for-the-simple-gotchas\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Look_for_the_Simple_Gotchas\"><\/span>Look for the Simple Gotchas<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to leap straight into the deep end and start investigating complex root causes, but don\u2019t overlook the simple things.<\/p>\n<p>Some laptops have physical external switches\u2014usually sliders\u2014that disable Wi-Fi. These are often well-camouflaged and designed to blend into the laptop\u2019s bodywork. Accidentally sliding one of these to the \u201coff\u201d position will prevent the Wi-Fi from working no matter what you do in the operating system.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also possible to disable Wi-Fi from the BIOS. Reboot your laptop and enter the BIOS. Find the networking or Wi-Fi section, and make sure Wi-Fi is enabled.<\/p>\n<p>Let the boot sequence continue. Log in and open the system menu by clicking on the right-hand end of the GNOME status bar (or wherever network settings are located in your desktop environment). If there is a menu entry titled \u201cWi-Fi Off\u201d, click it.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806847\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-7.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"System menu with Wi-Fi not working\" width=\"340\" height=\"343\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>From the expanded menu options, select \u201cTurn on\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806848\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-7.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"System menu with the Wi-Fi options expanded\" width=\"339\" height=\"438\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The menu will close. Re-open it, and select \u201cSettings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806849\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/3-6.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"System menu with the Settings option highlighted \" width=\"337\" height=\"344\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In the Settings application, select Wi-Fi from the sidebar, and ensure that the slider in the top bar is \u201con\u201d and the airplane mode slider is \u201coff\u201d. Then select a Wi-Fi network to connect to.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806850\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/4-6.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The Settings application Wi-Fi pane\" width=\"430\" height=\"540\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not seeing any of these options, your network card is not being recognized by the operating system.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"working-through-the-issue\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Working_Through_the_Issues\"><\/span>Working Through the Issues<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Now that we\u2019re sure we\u2019ve not missed any basic fixes, let\u2019s get into the nitty-gritty of Wi-Fi card troubleshooting.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_Any_Type_of_Networking_Operational\"><\/span>Is Any Type of Networking Operational?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you have an ethernet connection on the laptop, and you can get a connection using a wired connection, then networking is operational on your laptop. It\u2019s just the Wi-Fi that isn\u2019t working. If you don\u2019t have an Ethernet port, you may still have hope\u00a0with an Ethernet adapter.<\/p>\n<p>If you can\u2019t get a connection through your wired connection, then there\u2019s something wrong with the computer\u2019s networking capability, period. Try to get your laptop to ping itself.<\/p>\n<pre>ping localhost<\/pre>\n<pre>ping 127.0.0.1<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806851\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/5-6.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"making the laptop ping to itself\" width=\"644\" height=\"380\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If neither of those work, your network manager might be missing or broken. Try re-installing it. This will either install it or replace it if it is already installed.<\/p>\n<p>On Ubuntu type:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo apt install network-manager<\/pre>\n<p>On Fedora use:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo dnf install network-manager<\/pre>\n<p>On Manjaro, the command is:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo pacman -Sy network-manager<\/pre>\n<p>Reboot, and see if that improves the situation.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Identifying_the_Wi-Fi_Card_Hardware\"><\/span>Identifying the Wi-Fi Card Hardware<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re still without Wi-Fi, we need to identify the Wi-Fi card hardware. The <code>lspci<\/code> command will list all of your PCI devices.<\/p>\n<pre>lspci<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806852\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/6-6.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Listing the PCI devices in the laptop\" width=\"644\" height=\"55\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Look for an entry with \u201cwireless\u201d or \u201cwi-fi\u201d in its description.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806853\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/7-6.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The Wi-Fi card entry in the lspci command results\" width=\"644\" height=\"380\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>On this laptop, it\u2019s a Realtek RTL8723BE. We can also see this information using the <code>nmcli<\/code> command, including the network interface identifier.<\/p>\n<pre>nmcli<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806854\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/8-5.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The network manager CLI command\" width=\"644\" height=\"55\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Our wireless interface <code>wlan0<\/code> is showing as unavailable, but it still identifies the hardware for us.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806855\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/9-6.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The Wi-Fi card and network interface identifier in the nmcli results\" width=\"644\" height=\"380\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>This entry is showing as \u201csoftware disabled\u201d because we\u2019ve turned the Wi-Fi card off to emulate a failure. In a real-world scenario, the message here might give you a clue to what the issue is or what it may be related to.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Trying_To_Bring_the_Card_Online\"><\/span>Trying To Bring the Card Online<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The <code>iw<\/code> command can sometimes prove useful. Substitute <code>wlan0<\/code> for the appropriate interface on your computer.<\/p>\n<pre>iw dev wlan0 link<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806857\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/10-6.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The iw command showing the wlan0 interface is not connected\" width=\"644\" height=\"95\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re told the interface is not connected. Let\u2019s try and bring it up.<\/p>\n<pre>sudo ip link set wlan0 up<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806858\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/11-6.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"RF-kill identified as a preventing the Wi-Fi card from operating\" width=\"644\" height=\"95\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re told the network connection cannot be brought up because of <code>rfkill<\/code> . This is a utility to forcibly prevent radio frequency network interfaces from operating. We can get it to show us what it is blocking.<\/p>\n<pre>rfkill list<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806859\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12-5.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The rfkill command showing the Wi-Fi card is software blocked\" width=\"644\" height=\"250\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>And we can tell it to unblock whatever is blocked. Note that if the card is listed hard blocked it means there is a physical switch on the laptop that needs to be set to the \u201con\u201d position. Let\u2019s remove the software block.<\/p>\n<pre>rfkill unblock wifi<\/pre>\n<pre>rfkill list<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806860\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/13-5.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Using rkill to unblock the Wi-Fi card\" width=\"644\" height=\"270\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In our case, this seems to have cured the issue. If your issue is still present, it\u2019s likely to be a driver module issue.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Checking_the_Drivers\"><\/span>Checking the Drivers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We can check the drivers in use using the <code>lspci<\/code> command, with the <code>-k<\/code> (kernel drivers) option.<\/p>\n<pre>lspci -k<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806862\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/14-5.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Listing the kernel drivers and modules\" width=\"644\" height=\"55\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Our wireless card is using the \u201crtl8723be\u201d driver and kernel module.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806863\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/15-5.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The Wi-Fi card kernel drivers and modules\" width=\"644\" height=\"380\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>We can check whether this is being loaded by searching the system logs using <code>dmesg<\/code> and <code>grep<\/code> . Substitute \u201crtl8723be\u201d with the name of the module for your computer.<\/p>\n<pre>sudo dmesg | grep rtl8723be<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806864\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/16-6.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The Wi-Fi card driver entry in the system logs\" width=\"644\" height=\"95\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t see a positive indication that the driver is loaded, check the website and online help for your distribution, and search for instructions on how to download drivers from your distribution. Distributions often have bundled packages of common drivers that you might be able to use, and they may well have distribution-specific applications to make loading new drivers simple.<\/p>\n<p>If you can\u2019t find a way to get your drivers from your distribution\u2019s package manager or website, you can review the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/wireless.wiki.kernel.org\/en\/users\/drivers\">list of supported wireless cards<\/a>, and find your card hardware in the list.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806865\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/17-2.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Closest match to our Realtek Wi-Fi Card in the list of known Linux Wi-Fi drivers\" width=\"644\" height=\"263\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Clicking on the model\u2014or closest match\u2014of the Wi-Fi card takes you to a card-specific page. This page will list all of the cards in that family of hardware releases. See if your card is listed there.<\/p>\n<p>In our case, we clicked on the \u201crtl8723ae\u201d link, which gave us a page with the rtl8723be listed on it, too.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806866\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/18-3.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The exact match for our card hardware\" width=\"644\" height=\"230\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>At the bottom of the page is a link under the \u201cfirmware\u201d title.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806867\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/19-3.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The link to the download page\" width=\"644\" height=\"290\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>This takes you to the git repository page for the firmware. Use the <code>git clone<\/code> command and one of the locations listed at the bottom of the page to download the repository. We used:<\/p>\n<pre>git clone git:\/\/git.kernel.org\/pub\/scm\/linux\/kernel\/git\/firmware\/linux-firmware.git<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806868\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20-1.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Cloning the git repository\" width=\"644\" height=\"75\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In the (large) downloaded directory tree you should find the appropriate driver file for your hardware.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-806869\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/21-1.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The driver file in the downloaded repository directory tree\" width=\"644\" height=\"350\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Refer to your distribution\u2019s instructions on how best to load this.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Use_Your_Community\"><\/span>Use Your Community<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The communities associated with Linux distributions are one of the greatest strengths of Linux. Ask for help in the community of your chosen distribution. The chances are high that someone else has been through the same thing you\u2019re battling with.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/806845\/linux-not-detecting-wi-fi-adapter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Why Isn\u2019t Linux Detecting My Wi-Fi Adapter?&#8221; fatmawati achmad zaenuri\/Shutterstock.com Ever installed Linux on a laptop, rebooted, and found it can\u2019t see your Wi-Fi card? It\u2019s pretty deflating. Try these hints. One or more of them might just get it working. Linux and Wi-Fi: It\u2019s A Love-Hate Thing Historically, Linux has had a somewhat strained&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":468711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/shutterstock_1278851809.png?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-468710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}