Problem with unauthorized MiniPCI network card - Revision history

ThinkGNU: Spelling. The FCC has no requirement for BIOS whitelisting and sabotage.

2025-04-11T00:29:03Z

Spelling. The FCC has no requirement for BIOS whitelisting and sabotage.

Depau: Use templates for X1 Yoga and Carbon pages

2018-05-06T17:48:15Z

Use templates for X1 Yoga and Carbon pages

Depau: /* Modifying the card's ID */ Fix broken category links

2018-05-06T17:17:57Z

‎Modifying the card's ID: Fix broken category links

Depau: /* Modifying the card's ID */ Add instructions on how to unbrand an HP lt4132 WWAN card

2018-05-06T17:15:53Z

‎Modifying the card's ID: Add instructions on how to unbrand an HP lt4132 WWAN card

Mariush: added IBM T40 with Broadcom BCM94318MPG (working)

2014-07-28T17:09:47Z

added IBM T40 with Broadcom BCM94318MPG (working)

Siemer: /* Use another MiniPCI (express) slot */

2014-05-06T15:31:56Z

‎Use another MiniPCI (express) slot

Siemer: /* Use another MiniPCI (express) slot */

2014-05-06T15:28:05Z

‎Use another MiniPCI (express) slot

Siemer: /* Use the spare slot */

2014-05-05T20:35:11Z

‎Use the spare slot

Siemer: /* Affected models */

2014-05-05T19:50:32Z

‎Affected models

Siemer: /* Problem description */

2014-05-05T19:48:00Z

‎Problem description

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 : Unauthorized network card is plugged in - Power off and remove the miniPCI network card.
-The card's sub-vendor PCI-ID (which can be seen using ''lspci -v'') is checked against a [[Wikipedia:Whitelist|whitelist]] in the BIOS. IBM/Lenovo's reasoning for this is that the combination of MiniPCI card and the integrated antenna in the ThinkPad needs to be certified by the US FCC (Federal Communications Commission).{{footnote|1}} or similar agencies in other countries.
+The card's sub-vendor PCI-ID (which can be seen using ''lspci -v'') is checked against a [[Wikipedia:Whitelist|whitelist]] in the BIOS. IBM/Lenovo's given reason for this is that the combination of MiniPCI card and the integrated antenna in the ThinkPad needs to be certified by the US FCC (Federal Communications Commission).{{footnote|1}} or similar agencies in other countries, but it was about forcing the customer to purchase any replacement Wi-Fi cards from them, as the FCC had no requirement that a computer be made to refuse to boot if a different Wi-Fi card is installed.
 == Solutions ==
-{{NOTE|Any of the following solutions should suffice to make the wireless card useable.  You only need to perform one of them.}}
+{{NOTE|Any of the following solutions should suffice to make the wireless card usable.  You only need to perform one of them.}}
 It may be possible to use the computer with the unauthorized card deactivated (but not removed).  Press {{key|F1}} to enter the BIOS and deactivate the WLAN card, then attempt to boot with the card disabled.  This does not make the wireless card work, but it may allow you to boot the computer normally.
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 # You'll risk the wireless card instead of the motherboard.
 # Future BIOS updates will not create any problems.
-# No problem with newer laptops with different BIOS; the only reqirement is to find an ID that is already listed in the BIOS, which can be easily achieved if the community maintaina a compatibility table.
+# No problem with newer laptops with different BIOS; the only requirement is to find an ID that is already listed in the BIOS, which can be easily achieved if the community maintains a compatibility table.
 The instructions are [http://www.dagarlas.org/stuff/computing/article0001.php here] (link down, 2011/05/14 - archive.org mirror [http://web.archive.org/web/20071016063645/http://www.dagarlas.org/stuff/computing/article0001.php here], second mirror [http://www.broken.com/mirror/thinkpad here]).  This page is for Atheros-based cards and HP notebooks, but it applies to Thinkpads as well. It also has links on how to edit the PCI-ID on Intel Pro Wireless cards.

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 Instruction for intel 2200/2915 cards are [http://stachon.webpark.cz/ipw-eeprom.html here] or [http://fx.cz/sklad/intel/ here] or [http://www.thinkpad-forum.de/thinkpad-hardware/zubeh%C3%B6r/44192-tutorial-nicht-ibm-wlan-karte-2200-2915-im-thinkpad/ here] (in German). The second one is much simpler because it provides an already patched and compiled ipw2200 driver required to do the job.
-Instructions on how to unbrand an HP lt4132 (HP-rebranded Huawei ME906s WWAN module, compatible with some [[:Category:X1 Yoga | X1 Yoga]] and [[:Category:X1 Carbon | X1 Carbon]] models) can be found [http://blog.depau.eu/2018/04/28/unbrand-huawei-me906s/ here]
+Instructions on how to unbrand an HP lt4132 (HP-rebranded Huawei ME906s WWAN module, compatible with some {{X1 Yoga}} and {{X1 Carbon}} models) can be found [http://blog.depau.eu/2018/04/28/unbrand-huawei-me906s/ here]
 {{NOTE|On Linux-based distributions, the driver is loaded based on the PCI-ID. Keep this in mind when "faking" other models. }}

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 Instruction for intel 2200/2915 cards are [http://stachon.webpark.cz/ipw-eeprom.html here] or [http://fx.cz/sklad/intel/ here] or [http://www.thinkpad-forum.de/thinkpad-hardware/zubeh%C3%B6r/44192-tutorial-nicht-ibm-wlan-karte-2200-2915-im-thinkpad/ here] (in German). The second one is much simpler because it provides an already patched and compiled ipw2200 driver required to do the job.
-Instructions on how to unbrand an HP lt4132 (HP-rebranded Huawei ME906s WWAN module, compatible with some [https://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:X1_Yoga X1 Yoga] and [https://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:X1_Carbon X1 Carbon] models) can be found [http://blog.depau.eu/2018/04/28/unbrand-huawei-me906s/ here]
+Instructions on how to unbrand an HP lt4132 (HP-rebranded Huawei ME906s WWAN module, compatible with some [[:Category:X1 Yoga | X1 Yoga]] and [[:Category:X1 Carbon | X1 Carbon]] models) can be found [http://blog.depau.eu/2018/04/28/unbrand-huawei-me906s/ here]
 {{NOTE|On Linux-based distributions, the driver is loaded based on the PCI-ID. Keep this in mind when "faking" other models. }}

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 # No problem with newer laptops with different BIOS; the only reqirement is to find an ID that is already listed in the BIOS, which can be easily achieved if the community maintaina a compatibility table.
-The instructions are [http://www.dagarlas.org/stuff/computing/article0001.php here] (link down, 2011/05/14 - archive.org mirror [http://web.archive.org/web/20071016063645/http://www.dagarlas.org/stuff/computing/article0001.php here], second mirror [http://www.broken.com/mirror/thinkpad here]).  This page is for Atheros-based cards and HP notebooks, but it applies to Thinkpads as well. It also has links on how to edit the PCI-ID on Intel Pro Wireless cards. Instruction for intel 2200/2915 cards are [http://stachon.webpark.cz/ipw-eeprom.html here] or [http://fx.cz/sklad/intel/ here] or [http://www.thinkpad-forum.de/thinkpad-hardware/zubeh%C3%B6r/44192-tutorial-nicht-ibm-wlan-karte-2200-2915-im-thinkpad/ here] (in German). The second one is much simpler because it provides an already patched and compiled ipw2200 driver required to do the job.
+The instructions are [http://www.dagarlas.org/stuff/computing/article0001.php here] (link down, 2011/05/14 - archive.org mirror [http://web.archive.org/web/20071016063645/http://www.dagarlas.org/stuff/computing/article0001.php here], second mirror [http://www.broken.com/mirror/thinkpad here]).  This page is for Atheros-based cards and HP notebooks, but it applies to Thinkpads as well. It also has links on how to edit the PCI-ID on Intel Pro Wireless cards.
 {{NOTE|On Linux-based distributions, the driver is loaded based on the PCI-ID. Keep this in mind when "faking" other models. }}

@@ Line 558: / Line 558: @@
 | Ubuntu 10.04 LTS
 | no-1802 W98 boot floppy
 ! style ="color:green;"| Yes
 |- style="background: white; color:black;"

@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 * Thinkpad X61s / Intel Wifi link 4965agn
 * Thinkpad X61 / Intel 3945abg (bulk)
-* Thinkpad X200 / Intel 5300
+* Thinkpad X200 / Intel 5300 and Broadcom 4312
 * Thinkpad T60p (widescreen) / Sierra MC8781

@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 === Use another MiniPCI (express) slot ===
-On models with multiple MiniPCI (express) slots, the BIOS checks only the “WiFi-slot” for unauthorized WiFi cards. A neighboring WWAN slot is allowed to hold such a card. But there might be a catch: the WWAN slot’s “disable radio” signal could be active, so that the card will refuse from using the radio. The operating system can see this condition: on Linux it is reported as “hard blocked” by rfkill. (This actually depends on the driver: “b43” does notice and reports it via the rfkill interface.)
+On models with multiple MiniPCI (express) slots, the BIOS checks only the “WiFi-slot” for unauthorized WiFi cards. A neighboring WWAN slot is allowed to hold such a card. But there might be a catch: the WWAN slot’s “disable radio” signal could be active, so that the card will refuse from using the radio. The operating system can see this condition: on Linux it is reported as “hard blocked” by rfkill. (This actually depends on the driver: “b43” does notice that the card refuses to switch it’s radio on and reports it via the rfkill interface.)
 Combinations that work in the WWAN slot without further tweaking:
@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 Questions still open:
-* can the signal be deactivated otherwise?
+* can the signal be deactivated otherwise? (WLAN-on-for-WWAN-slot)
-* do WWAN cards have such a signal? Is it on another pin (“second disable radio” pin is defined for mPCIe since at least 2010)?
+* do WWAN cards have such a signal? Is it on another pin (a “second disable radio” pin is defined for mPCIe since at least 2010)?
 * as the card (usually) drives an LED to reflect it’s state, can that signal be routed to the WWAN or WiFi LED?
-Taping over any Mini PCI-e pin is a delicate exercise in patience, the connectors are less than the width of most ball point pens and even smaller than fine wires. Transparent scotch type tape is easier to work with since it is possible to see where you're cutting but it's effectiveness in blocking the connection is debatable.
+Taping over any Mini PCI-e pin is a delicate exercise in patience, the connectors are less than the width of most ball point pens. Transparent scotch type tape is easier to work with since it is possible to see where you're cutting.
-See the discussion page for picture and more.
+See the discussion page for more.
 === Modifying the BIOS ===

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:50, 5 May 2014
Line 6:		Line 6:

	The card's sub-vendor PCI-ID (which can be seen using ''lspci -v'') is checked against a [[Wikipedia:Whitelist\|whitelist]] in the BIOS. IBM/Lenovo's reasoning for this is that the combination of MiniPCI card and the integrated antenna in the ThinkPad needs to be certified by the US FCC (Federal Communications Commission).{{footnote\|1}} or similar agencies in other countries.		The card's sub-vendor PCI-ID (which can be seen using ''lspci -v'') is checked against a [[Wikipedia:Whitelist\|whitelist]] in the BIOS. IBM/Lenovo's reasoning for this is that the combination of MiniPCI card and the integrated antenna in the ThinkPad needs to be certified by the US FCC (Federal Communications Commission).{{footnote\|1}} or similar agencies in other countries.
−
−	~~== Affected models ==~~
−
−	~~All machines with integrated WiFi, or machines with WiFi added. The problem is in the BIOS.~~

	== Solutions ==		== Solutions ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 == Problem description ==
-Although the MiniPCI slot is an industry standard and can accept any MiniPCI adapter, the ThinkPad BIOS is set to only allow you to boot with an "authorized" adapter installed. Attempts to install an unsupported card will result in the following message:
+The ThinkPad BIOS only allows to boot with an "authorized" adapter installed. If an unsupported card is detected, the BIOS prints a message on the screen and stops the system:
 : Unauthorized network card is plugged in - Power off and remove the miniPCI network card.
-This is because the card's sub-vendor PCI-ID (which can be seen using ''lspci -v'') are checked against a [[Wikipedia:Whitelist|whitelist]] in the BIOS.  IBM/Lenovo's reasoning for this is that the combination of MiniPCI card and the integrated antenna in the ThinkPad needs to be certified by the US FCC (Federal Communications Commission).{{footnote|1}} or similar agencies in other countries.
+The card's sub-vendor PCI-ID (which can be seen using ''lspci -v'') is checked against a [[Wikipedia:Whitelist|whitelist]] in the BIOS. IBM/Lenovo's reasoning for this is that the combination of MiniPCI card and the integrated antenna in the ThinkPad needs to be certified by the US FCC (Federal Communications Commission).{{footnote|1}} or similar agencies in other countries.
 == Affected models ==