Well now, I gotta tell ya, when your Wi-Fi device ain’t working and keeps sayin’ “device not ready,” it can be mighty frustratin’. I reckon you’d want your Wi-Fi to be runnin’ smooth, but sometimes things don’t go as planned. That little message can pop up outta nowhere, and it makes you wonder what’s goin’ on, right? Now, don’t you worry none, ’cause I’m here to help ya get that Wi-Fi back up and runnin’. Let’s talk about a few things you can check, and I’ll tell ya what might be causin’ all this trouble. Some of it might sound a little techy, but I’ll explain it in a way anyone can understand, no need to get lost in all them fancy terms!
First things first: Check the hardware
Before you start fiddlin’ around with all them software settings, make sure that your Wi-Fi hardware is workin’ fine. I’ve seen plenty of folks think their Wi-Fi’s broke, but it turns out, their little switch or button to turn it on had gotten switched off by mistake. Yes, there’s a little switch on some laptops that turns the Wi-Fi off, and you might’ve accidentally hit it! So go ahead, check and make sure that’s switched on, alright?
Missing firmware
Now, sometimes the problem comes from missin’ firmware. I know, I know, that word “firmware” don’t sound like somethin’ folks in the village would talk about, but here’s the deal. Your Wi-Fi device needs special files to work right, and if it can’t find those files, it just sits there, sayin’ it ain’t ready. If you’re usin’ a card like the Ralink RT5390 or some others, you might be missin’ the firmware that helps it run. The good folks at Linux often need you to download the right firmware, like firmware-brcm80211 or iwlwifi packages, to get everything goin’.
If you see “device not ready,” it could be ’cause your system’s missin’ the correct driver or firmware. To fix this, you gotta make sure you install all them necessary files. You can usually find these in the software center or with a quick command in your terminal, like this:
sudo apt-get install firmware-linux-nonfree
If you’re on a different distribution, there’s always a similar command. Just make sure you grab the right package for your Wi-Fi card! Once you get the firmware installed, restart your machine, and see if your Wi-Fi’s ready to go again.
NetworkManager and device settings
If all your hardware is workin’ and the firmware’s up to snuff, then the next thing to check is NetworkManager. Now, NetworkManager is the tool that controls your internet connections, and sometimes it can get a little confused. If your Wi-Fi device says “device not ready,” it could be because NetworkManager’s settings ain’t quite right. Here’s what you can do:
- First, open up the NetworkManager settings and look for your Wi-Fi card in the list.
- If it’s all greyed out and says “device not ready,” try to disable and re-enable it.
- Also, make sure you’re not in airplane mode. You’d be surprised how often folks forget they put it on.
If you can’t get the Wi-Fi to work even after checkin’ all these things, try restarting NetworkManager with a quick terminal command like this:
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
This should give it a little nudge and might just do the trick. Sometimes all it takes is a simple restart to get things back on track.
Kernel issues
Alright, so if none of that’s workin’ and your Wi-Fi still ain’t ready, then it could be somethin’ with your kernel. I know, sounds real technical, huh? But it ain’t too bad. The kernel is basically the core part of your Linux system that talks to all your hardware, includin’ your Wi-Fi card. Sometimes, the kernel needs to be updated to support new hardware or fix bugs that stop devices from workin’.
If you’re not sure which version of the kernel you got, open a terminal and type:
uname -r
If you’re runnin’ an older version, it might not be compatible with your Wi-Fi hardware, and you might need to update it. You can do that by running the following commands:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
And if that don’t help, you might need to upgrade to a newer kernel altogether, which can be a bit more tricky, but it’s doable. Just be careful and make sure you follow the steps carefully if you go down that road.
Other things to try
- If you’ve been tryin’ to hibernate or sleep your system and that caused the issue, try turnin’ off the hibernation feature for a while.
- Check the dmesg log for any errors related to your Wi-Fi. You can open a terminal and type:
dmesg | grep wlan
This will show you any messages related to your wireless device and might give ya a clue as to what’s wrong.
Now, I know this all sounds a bit complicated, but don’t you worry none. Just take it one step at a time, and soon enough, your Wi-Fi will be up and runnin’ like a charm again. If all else fails, don’t hesitate to ask for help from the Linux community, they’re always willin’ to lend a hand. Good luck, and I hope this helps ya get back online!
Tags：[Linux, Wi-Fi, Device Not Ready, NetworkManager, Firmware, Kernel, Terminal, Wireless Troubleshooting, Wi-Fi Not Working]
