You’ve installed Linux on your system for the first time, and everything seems to be working fine. Everything except the Internet. But the Internet is the main priority since a computer that can’t connect is almost useless. So you don’t know what to do? Follow this troubleshooting guide to fix the problem.
So What’s Up with the Internet
First, you must ensure that the problem isn’t somewhere outside your PC, such as your router, modem, or Internet Service Provider. Then, if possible, connect to your router via Ethernet cable and see if you can connect to the Internet. Unlike Windows, Ethernet is so rare on a computer that it’s a reliable way to ensure everything else is working. Also, hardly anyone installs extra drivers to make Ethernet work.
Maybe It’s a Driver
Once you confirm that your Internet connection works, move on to the next step. Then you can figure out why the WiFi isn’t working correctly. Unfortunately, no open-source drivers can make it work for a decent number of laptops, so you’ll need to download a proprietary driver to make it operate instead.
In addition, Broadcom wireless chipsets are more likely to have this problem than any other chipset. There are two ways to get a proprietary driver. First, if you installed Ubuntu from a USB drive or DVD, you can insert it again and run the Additional Drivers option. It detects the drivers found on the USB drive or DVD and automatically offers to install them for you.
Another option is to access the Internet via an Ethernet cable and run the Additional Drivers app once your computer is connected. If neither method prompts you to install a proprietary driver, no available drivers are suitable for your particular chipset. It could mean that the chipset doesn’t support Linux, or you should use an open-source driver to fix that.
What About Configuration
To double-check all your settings, you can right-click on the WiFi-tray icon and select the Edit Connections section. Next, tap the network you’re trying to connect to (if you could get that far), go through all the tabs, and make sure all the settings are correct. Again, it’s best not to touch it if you’re unsure what it is. Then, you must visit the website to get instant help from the experts in the form of online consultation.
Updated Drivers Are Usually Not Available
You may face a situation when a new or improved open source driver will be available for your wireless chipset, but only in a more recent version than your distribution provides. In such cases, getting the latest kernel and installing it is a good idea. For example, Ubuntu users can go to the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel PPA, then scroll to the newest kernel release and select the following files: Linux-image (for your architecture) and Linux-headers (for your architecture. Install them and then restart to start using them. Hope it would help if you had a working WiFi connection.
Conclusion
These few tops should give you plenty of options for adequately enabling your Internet connection. But, of course, in Linux, you usually have no problem connecting to the web if the hardware isn’t working as it should, which is why these tips are so focused on the hardware. Hope that everything works out for you. And if things don’t go as smoothly as you’d like, you can ask the experts for help anytime.