RunsOnLinux

Do wifi and bluetooth work on Linux?

Verdict: Mostly yes

Mostly yes, and it depends entirely on which chip is inside rather than which laptop brand is on the lid. Intel and most Realtek wifi work straight away. Some Broadcom chips need an extra step, and a few of the oldest ones need an internet connection to fix themselves.

This is the single most common cause of a switch going badly. Everything else on the laptop comes up, and the wifi does not, which also means you cannot easily download the thing that would fix the wifi. It is a frustrating loop and it is entirely avoidable if you check the chip first.

Most wifi and Bluetooth chips need a small piece of manufacturer code called firmware to start working. Debian used to leave that out for licensing reasons. Since Debian 12 in early 2023 the installation images include those firmware packages and the installer detects and loads what your machine needs. Ubuntu, Mint and Fedora have shipped the common firmware for years. So the default position today is that wifi works during installation, not after it.

Broadcom is the exception that has earned its reputation. Debian's own notes on these chips say the firmware for the b43 family is not packaged by the project and is instead downloaded and extracted during installation, which needs a working internet connection at that moment. Debian also warns that you cannot tell which Broadcom chip you have from the hardware identifier alone. If you have an older MacBook, or a budget laptop from roughly 2009 to 2015, Broadcom is a strong possibility.

Bluetooth usually follows the wifi, because on laptops the two are normally the same combination chip. If the wifi works, expect Bluetooth to work, including headphones, mice and keyboards. Bluetooth audio quality and codec support are a separate matter and generally fine on current systems.

The practical answer for anyone buying: laptops with Intel wifi are the least trouble, and they are the overwhelming majority of business laptops.

Check yours before you switch

  1. On your Windows PC, open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, and read the full name of the wireless adapter. You want the chip maker, which will say Intel, Realtek, Broadcom, MediaTek or Qualcomm.
  2. Look your laptop model up on the Linux Hardware Database, which collects reports from hundreds of thousands of real machines and shows which parts were detected.
  3. Boot a Linux live USB on the machine and try to join your home wifi from the desktop before installing anything. This is the real test and it costs you nothing.
  4. Have a wired network cable or a cheap USB wifi adapter on hand if the chip turns out to be Broadcom, so you are not stuck without a connection.

How the brands compare

Intel

Works

The safest choice. Firmware ships with every mainstream distribution and the adapters are supported by code maintained in the Linux kernel itself.

Realtek

Partly · Mostly works

The common USB and laptop adapters work. Some very new models arrive before support does, so a brand new chip can lag by a release or two.

MediaTek

Partly · Mostly works

Widely used in recent laptops and generally supported. As with Realtek, the newest chips can be ahead of the software.

Qualcomm Atheros

Partly · Mostly works

Long-standing support for most adapters. Some newer Qualcomm chips in recent thin laptops are less well covered.

Broadcom

Partly · Depends on the model

The classic problem brand. Some models need firmware that is downloaded during installation, which requires a wired connection at setup time. Common in older MacBooks and budget laptops.

Hardware changes model by model, so the surest test is your own.Running Linux from a USB stick lets you try it with nothing installed.

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