The kernel module in use appears to be the same, and with the same 5GHz wireless network, Linux Mint gives me >200mbps where Fedora gives me sub-50kbps with over 80% packet loss. This is on the wireless adapter built in to a 2012 Macbook Air, model MacBookAir5,2, with a fresh install of Fedora. lsh…

Is the kernel on mint the same as on fedora?

Your Fedora system strangely shows the device as an ethernet interface, while Mint correctly identifies it as WiFi. Surprising that Fedora connects to anything. You could try a more recent Fedora installer spin with a 7.1 kernel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/alt/live-respins/ .

Note that the driver version is different in those listings. Also note that it appears the fedora version may be the f44 initial release (April 2026) since it has kernel 6.19.10. Potentially an update to fedora may solve this. Also if this is a new install there is a respin of the fedora OS that …

I updated to 7.1.5-201.fc44.x86_64 with an Ethernet adapter, with no change in behavior. Is there a way to downgrade the kernel to 6.14.0 as was installed on linux mint? I’m wondering if this is some kind of regression between 6.14 and 6.19.

You might try and check rpmfusion to see if there is a better or newer driver.

re: new drivers, I think (? not 100% sure how to tell) that both fedora and linux mint are using brcmsmac. So this would imply that it’s not a driver problem?

The driver versions are listed in your lshw output.

Maybe and maybe not a driver problem. Fedora provides brcmsmac but there is also available broadcom-wl from rpmfusion that works as well for many broadcom chipsets. Your post above with the info about both fedora and mint shows fedora was (at that time) using brcmsmac version 6.19.10-300 while min…

With Apple Intel systems each OS update installs new firmware. Linux drivers are generally written for the latest firmware. It could help if you can install inxi and run inxi -ezxx, which will provide an overall summary (sanitized to be suitable for posting) including the firmware version.

Broadcom BCM43224 is catastrophically slow with Fedora 44; works fine with Linux Mint 22.3

Ask Fedora

barryascott (Barry A Scott) August 5, 2026, 1:38pm 7

A web search showed up this post Fedora 44 OS freeze on 2011 MacBook Air with Broadcom BCM43224 WiFi card - #22 by trugul

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Broadcom BCM43224 is catastrophically slow with Fedora 44; works fine with Linux Mint 22.3

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