PfSense setup & installed crash at each boot with Dell integrated wifi

sbs

Re: pfSense Crash "Fatal trap 12: page fault while in kernel mode"

Hello,

I am trying to setup a new pfsense box (I am already running some pfsense boxes & appliances). I wanted to reuse a Dell Optiplex 7040 with integrated wifi NIC.

Setup crashes with the same kernel trap after finding the iwm0 <Intel Dual band Wireles AC8260>.
Error is : iwm8000Cfw ; could not load firmware image error 6.

I can install & restart in pfsense if I disable the wifi NIC in the BIOS. however if I reenable the NIC the system shows the same kernel crash during boot.

How can I fix this? Is this a missing driver issue?
Shoudl I use the solution provided at this site : https://dimitar.me/pfsense-v-2-8-x-repeatedly-crashing-due-to-a-kernel-panic/

Regards.

stephenw10

Do you need the wifi interface? The best solution here would be to simply remove it.

That linked page is for an unrelated issue. That won't help at all with this. What you are hitting is almost certainly this: https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/16237

sbs

@stephenw10 :

Yes I need the wifi NIC, as I want to install this pfsense in a remote location to connect wifi users to the internet, and our corporate network via a 5G box.

I have tried using another wifi NIC on a usb stick, but it is not recognised/loaded at boot by pfsense.

Sorry for linking a wrong issue. I thought it could be linked.

Is there a path to add the missing drivers, once pfsense has been installed with the onboard wifi disabled?

I also have an ASUS USB-AC53 nano stick and a LAIRD LWB5 available, but they do not show as additional interfaces when connected to the box (even after rebooting with the usb stick connected)

Regards,

stephenw10

There's no easy way to add that firmware no. You would probably need to build it.

However pfSense makes a bad wifi access point. It can only run at 802.11N speeds on any NIC.

More importantly the iwm(4) driver only supports station mode, not hostap mode, so it cannot be an access point.

You are almost always better off using an external wifi access point.

sbs

@stephenw10 . Thank you, this is clear. I will change my hardware setup.

Regards,