Broadcom chips aren't open source, and depending on which model of Mac you have, YMMV. Can you at least lock down the year or model number?
Yeah its a 2017 27"
Similar chipset, try this: https://www.amirootyet.com/post/how-to-get-wifi-to-work-after/
This is for Ubuntu
I have WiFi problems on most distros with my 2012 Retina MBP. Generally I can’t get it working.
I didn’t have as many issues in the past, but the only two distros I can get it working on these days are EndeavourOS and Linux Mint.
Mint requires installing the proprietary drivers after installation, which is easy to do.
EndeavourOS is actually easier and works “out of the box” for me. But I need to change it to use WPA2 instead of WPA3 for it to work on my Mac, being as old as it is.
Mint requires installing the proprietary drivers after installation, which is easy to do.
I could do that. I've never actually tried Mint before. Do you have a link or instructions?
From memory….
If you open Driver Manager after installation it will say you need to either connect to Ethernet or insert the installation USB. Using the Installation USB is fine.
It should then automatically detect you have a Broadcom WiFi module and just give you a checkbox you can click next to the correct driver.
It will install the driver from the USB, say you need to restart and then you should be done! Upon rebooting your Mac should immediately recognise available WiFi networks and let you join them.
Turns out Mint works just fine out of the box 😀
Amazing!
That distro is highly deserving of the praise it gets.
Hope you get on ok with the rest of Mint (and Cinnamon) 👍
Unfortunately the audio outputs are not detected, the cursor blinks and disappears constantly, Steam wouldn't launch, and my camera is activated constantly for some reason...
😔
That sounds pretty straightforward, I'll give that a shot, thanks!
This is probably not the best system for bazzite. Stick with something with a longer track record like Debian/ubuntu or better documentation like arch.
Those old macs can get really pissy with Linux sometimes but it can be done. Their WiFi chips are incredibly obnoxious to deal with. Worst case scenario you can swap wifi cards in some those or even simply use a USB WiFi card instead.
if there's another distro that works "out of the box" on Macs with GNOME I'd be open to installing that as well.
Google used to use Ubuntu on MacBooks though I’m not sure if that’s still the case. It has a reputation of being straightforward and well supported but not everyone likes what canonical is doing anymore.
Fedora is weirdly more complex and its documentation isn’t as great as it looks on the surface. It’s worth a try but honestly documentation is more important than out of box support at this point.
Arch needs a lot of handholding and it’s a bit of a handful but the wiki is amazing and frankly the best part of that particular distro. Unlike Ubuntu you would get a virgin GNOME experience more similar to fedora but it’s also easier to break things in arch than elsewhere so keep that in mind before you head down this road. Arch is an excellent education but not always a best place to live in.
Start with Ubuntu if you want to see how that hardware is supported. If it is a pain in the ass in Ubuntu, it’s likely to be a pain in the ass elsewhere too. Consider using a usb wifi nubbin and just moving in with that.
Ubuntu is literally the only distro that I object to LOL but I will give Linux Mint Ubuntu a try on this machine. I haven't tried it before.
Mint is in a weird place right now with their transition to Wayland. It’s not complete yet and in my opinion it’s not ready for daily use.
Well the Wifi on Mint worked out of the box but the cursor would flash in and out, the audio didn't work, Steam wouldn't launch and my webcam was constantly lit up for some reason.
Okay then try Fedora and look into power management settings for the WiFi adaptor
How do you do that?
Unfortunately I dont have specific instructions on how to tame an angry fedora. It’s not my main so I dont have that memorized, but I do know Ubuntu likes to include some quality of life tweaks out of box that other distros like fedora can omit, including power management settings that can help tame stubborn wireless cards like these.
What does power management have to do with wireless cards?
wireless cards have their own power management settings that typically arent shown in the GUI and in linux the defaults for some of them are so aggressive they cause problems. Intels are notorious for this but some older broadcom cards had this problem too.
So if the wireless card draws too much power it won't be visible?
Opposite problem. Some wireless cards have unstable low power modes that get turned on anyway.
Interesting, thanks for that perspective.
I'm not using Fedora.
Bazzite is based on Fedora so most/all Fedora stuff will work
dnf does not.
https://docs.bazzite.gg/Installing_and_Managing_Software/rpm-ostree/
I'd also Google how to add the repo you need.
The only distros I've found that carry the broadcom drivers at install are the Ubunto families
I know how to use rpm-ostree but thank you.
I don't use Google.
Saying "use a search engine" is not helpful. I've already done that.
Can you add the repo and then use whatever package manager you have to install the drivers from it?
Fedora uses RPM packaging format and dnf is just a front-end for that. Atomic variants of Fedora and uBlue distros (they are based on the former) use rpm-ostree, which also works with RPM.
Also, please stop being so confident in your stance when you don't know much about Linux or your distribution of choice. People are here to help you only out of kindness and not obligation.
I already know all of that.
This is where I got answers about how to get the wifi working on my wifés 2012 MacBook Pro running Fedora
I don’t remember the steps but the answers are in there.
My experience (from using Linux since 1998) is that the best way to use Linux is to get compatible hardware (that is, unless you want to develop device drivers). And this doubly and triple for laptops and graphics cards. Refurbished business Thinkpads are a very good option.
I got a free iMac
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