🛠 Why Do WiFi & HDMI Stop Working After an Upgrade?

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Hi there,

SO often I see questions related to Upgrading the JetPack or the OS on the edge linux devices, often they upgrade but the WiFi or HDMI doesn’t work after the upgrade, why is that ?

All the customizing and clones create a lot of confusion So AI gave me some good tests and tweaks to help understand the issue’s
These are Guidelines and some may not apply to your specific issue. YMMV,
After you go through it and understand where the issues you are having reside, Post up a question and there are lots of smart folks on here doing it and having success.

HTH
GL :slight_smile: PJ :v:

:one: Why Do WiFi & HDMI Stop Working After an Upgrade?

When upgrading JetPack (NVIDIA Jetson) or a Linux OS (Ubuntu, Debian, etc.), several things can go wrong:

:small_blue_diamond: 1. Kernel & Driver Mismatch

  • When you upgrade JetPack or your Linux OS, it often installs a newer Linux kernel.
  • If WiFi or HDMI drivers were custom-built for an older kernel, they may not load properly after the upgrade.
  • Example: NVIDIA’s Jetson boards often require specific WiFi, GPU, and HDMI drivers compiled for the exact kernel version.

:small_blue_diamond: 2. Missing or Incompatible Firmware

  • Many edge devices (Jetson, RPi, etc.) use proprietary firmware for WiFi chips, GPUs, HDMI controllers, etc.
  • An upgrade may:
    • Remove outdated firmware but not install a new one.
    • Change the firmware loading path, causing the system to fail to find it.
  • Example: Qualcomm-based WiFi chips often require qca*.bin firmware files in /lib/firmware, which might be missing after an update.

:small_blue_diamond: 3. Broken or Missing Device Tree Changes

  • Embedded Linux devices (like Jetson, RPi, etc.) use a Device Tree (DTB) to configure hardware.
  • Upgrading the OS may introduce changes that break compatibility with older hardware configurations.
  • Example: An update might remove or rename dtb files that were required for HDMI output or WiFi chipset initialization.

:small_blue_diamond: 4. Dependency Conflicts (Mesa, Xorg, or NVIDIA Drivers)

  • Upgrading JetPack or a custom Linux system may install new graphics libraries (Mesa, Xorg, or NVIDIA drivers).
  • If the new graphics stack isn’t fully compatible, it can cause HDMI output issues.
  • Example: NVIDIA’s Jetson uses proprietary GPU drivers, and a kernel upgrade might break the display driver.

:two: How to Prevent WiFi & HDMI Issues After an Upgrade

If you’re upgrading JetPack or Ubuntu/Debian on an edge device, here’s how to avoid breakage:

:white_check_mark: 1. Check Kernel Compatibility Before Upgrading

uname -r
  • Before upgrading, check if drivers for your hardware (WiFi, HDMI, GPU) exist for the new kernel.

:white_check_mark: 2. Backup Key Firmware & Device Tree Files

  • Before upgrading:
sudo cp -r /lib/firmware /lib/firmware_backup
sudo cp -r /boot/dtb /boot/dtb_backup
  • If WiFi or HDMI fails after upgrade, you can restore:
sudo cp -r /lib/firmware_backup/* /lib/firmware/
sudo cp -r /boot/dtb_backup/* /boot/dtb/

:white_check_mark: 3. Reinstall Proprietary Drivers

  • If WiFi or HDMI doesn’t work after upgrading, try:
sudo apt reinstall linux-firmware
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall  # NVIDIA systems

:white_check_mark: 4. Check & Fix Device Tree (DTB) Files

  • If HDMI doesn’t work, check if a new DTB file is missing or incorrect:
ls /boot/dtb | grep hdmi

:white_check_mark: 5. Use LTS Kernels for Stability

  • If using custom drivers, stick to LTS (Long-Term Support) kernels.
  • On Jetson, check:
cat /etc/nv_tegra_release

:three: How to Fix WiFi or HDMI If It’s Already Broken

If you’ve already upgraded and lost WiFi or HDMI, try:

:small_blue_diamond: Option 1: Manually Load Missing Drivers

sudo dmesg | grep firmware
  • If it shows missing firmware, manually install it:
sudo apt install --reinstall linux-firmware

:small_blue_diamond: Option 2: Reinstall the Kernel Modules

  • If the upgrade removed WiFi or HDMI drivers, reinstall them:
sudo apt install --reinstall linux-modules-extra-$(uname -r)
sudo modprobe -r iwlwifi && sudo modprobe iwlwifi  # For Intel WiFi

:small_blue_diamond: Option 3: Downgrade Kernel

  • If WiFi worked before but not after the upgrade, roll back:
sudo apt install linux-image-previous-kernel-version
sudo reboot

:small_blue_diamond: Option 4: Use HDMI Safe Mode

  • If HDMI stopped working, try forcing a lower resolution:
xrandr --output HDMI-1 --mode 1024x768

:four: Conclusion: Why Does This Keep Happening?

  • Linux edge devices (Jetson, RPi, etc.) rely on custom firmware, drivers, and device trees.
  • When upgrading, the kernel, drivers, or firmware paths may change, breaking compatibility.
  • Always check driver and kernel support before upgrading!

Always Check the Wiki for updates too, the info is changing and coming in so fast they do lag in keeping up, be patients. :v:

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