Wifi not working and broken kernel package

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson Systems Jetson Orin Nano
1

Jetson Orin Nano – Intel 8265 WiFi driver error and broken L4T kernel packages

Hello,

I am using a Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit running JetPack 6 (L4T 36.4) and trying to enable WiFi using an Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 (M.2 Key-E) card.

System Information

uname -r
5.15.148-tegra


cat /etc/nv_tegra_release
# R36 (release), REVISION: 4.x

Hardware

  • Board: Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit

  • WiFi card: Intel Wireless-AC 8265

  • Antennas connected correctly

Problem

The WiFi card is detected by PCI but no wireless interface appears.

lspci | grep -i network
Network controller: Intel Corporation Wireless 8265 / 8275 (rev 78)


ip a

No wlan0 or wlp* interface is listed.

Driver Error

When loading the driver:

sudo modprobe iwlwifi

I get:

modprobe: ERROR: could not insert 'iwlwifi': Invalid argument

Kernel log:

sudo dmesg | grep iwlwifi

Output:

iwlwifi: disagrees about version of symbol ieee80211_channel_to_freq_khz
iwlwifi: Unknown symbol ieee80211_channel_to_freq_khz (err -22)

What I tried

I removed the backport driver:

sudo apt remove backport-iwlwifi-dkms

After removing it, the Jetson kernel packages became broken.

Running:

sudo dpkg --configure -a

gives:

ERROR. 3767--0003--1--jetson-orin-d131- does not match any known boards
dpkg: error processing package nvidia-l4t-bootloader

Also during initramfs update:

Error: /lib/modules/5.15.148-tegra/.../nvethernet.ko not found

Now apt shows:

E: Internal Error, No file name for nvidia-l4t-bootloader:arm64

Current State

  • Intel 8265 detected in PCI

  • No WiFi interface created

  • iwlwifi driver cannot load

  • L4T kernel packages cannot configure

Question

What is the recommended way to repair the Jetson kernel packages and restore WiFi support without reflashing the board?

Thank you.

3

*** Please note that this reply is generated by LLM automatically ***

To address the issue with the Intel 8265 WiFi driver error and broken L4T kernel packages on the Jetson Orin Nano, we need to follow a step-by-step approach to repair the kernel packages and restore WiFi support without reflashing the board.

Step 1: Remove the backport driver

You have already removed the backport driver, which is a good step. However, this removal has caused the Jetson kernel packages to become broken.

Step 2: Repair the Jetson kernel packages

To repair the kernel packages, you can try the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install --reinstall linux-modules-<kernel-version>-generic
sudo apt install --reinstall linux-image-<kernel-version>-generic
sudo apt install --reinstall linux-headers-<kernel-version>-generic

Replace <kernel-version> with the actual kernel version you are using. You can find the kernel version by running the command uname -r.

Step 3: Reconfigure the kernel packages

After reinstalling the kernel packages, you need to reconfigure them to ensure that the WiFi driver is loaded correctly. Run the following command:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure linux-modules-<kernel-version>-generic

Step 4: Update the initramfs

To update the initramfs, run the following command:

sudo update-initramfs -u

Step 5: Load the WiFi driver

Once the kernel packages are repaired and the initramfs is updated, you can try loading the WiFi driver manually. Run the following command:

sudo modprobe iwlwifi

Step 6: Verify WiFi support

After loading the WiFi driver, verify that the WiFi interface is created and listed by running the command:

sudo ip link show

If the WiFi interface is listed, you should be able to configure the WiFi settings using the nmcli command or other network management tools.

Comparison with other Jetson modules

The steps outlined above are specific to the Jetson Orin Nano module. However, the process of repairing kernel packages and restoring WiFi support may vary slightly depending on the Jetson module you are using.

For example, on the Jetson AGX Orin module, you may need to use different kernel package names or versions. Additionally, the WiFi driver and firmware may differ between modules.

In general, it’s essential to consult the specific documentation for your Jetson module and kernel version to ensure that you are using the correct commands and packages.

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined above, you should be able to repair the Jetson kernel packages and restore WiFi support on your Jetson Orin Nano module without reflashing the board. Remember to consult the specific documentation for your module and kernel version to ensure that you are using the correct commands and packages.

*** Please give the thumbs up if you get answers you like. Or provide feedback to help us improve the answer. ***

4

Some questions and items that seems to be wrong here

  1. How did this “iwlwifi” get installed here? If you saw a -22 error, it means it is not compatible with the kernel you are using.

  2. A strange point. Why is your board name “3767–0003–1–jetson-orin-d131”? I just google search this name and it seems to be Avermedia d131 board? This is not a NV devkit.

ERROR. 3767–0003–1–jetson-orin-d131- does not match any known boards

5

hi,

i made a small mistake, im using jetson orin nano production kit by aver media running jetpack 6.2.1
when i tried to repair kernel package using the commands given , i encontered some errors

Screenshot from 2026-03-12 15-34-20
Screenshot from 2026-03-12 15-34-201000×710 126 KB

please help in resolving this issue

6

Thank you for the reply.

About iwlwifi: I installed backport-iwlwifi-dkms earlier while trying to make the Intel 8265 WiFi card work. After installing it, the driver gave a -22 error, so I removed the package. After removing it, the L4T kernel packages (nvidia-l4t-kernel, nvidia-l4t-bootloader, etc.) started failing during configuration.

Regarding the board name: I am using a Jetson Orin Nano production kit by AverMedia carrier board.

Could you please advise the best way to fix this and restore the kernel packages and WiFi without reflashing the system?

7

Hi,

Actually you are talking about a comment which is wrong.

There is nothing called a a Jetson Orin Nano production kit by AverMedia carrier board. There is no such thing in the world
Avermedia carrier board means it is a custom board. This is not devkit.

The definition of a devkit is simple, if it is a board made by other vendor, then it is a custom board. Not a devkit.

The failure you hit from the debian package is also because of the custom board.

8

BTW, actually I am not sure what thing you want to recovery here.

10

i want the wifi to be detected and working

11

Was that thing working before this?
My point is you mentioned “recover”. Recover means something was working before and then not working anymore.

12

yes, it was working very well till yesterday

13

Then maybe trying to reflash would be the fastest way.

Unless you could tell what you really did before making this error happened. Otherwise I don’t have much to help here.

14

there was no changes made, morning when i powered on the device and started working, i noticed that wifi was not getting detected.
but thanks for the help mate

15

I feel a background update is doing that and ruining your board.

If you had a UART log or kernel before and after the issue happened, then it might clarify.
But that does not mean we could recover from this point. What I told is something that could be prevented in future.