Public bug reported:
🧩 Bug description
After a recent system update on Ubuntu 24.04, Wi-Fi stopped working
completely on a system with Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211. The system reports “No
Wi-Fi adapter found” even though the hardware is detected correctly.
The issue is caused by the linux-firmware package shipping only
compressed .ucode.zst firmware blobs up to version 96, while the running
kernel requires firmware versions 98–100 for AX211. The iwlwifi driver
does not auto-decompress these files and therefore fails to load any
suitable firmware.
Manually installing upstream firmware versions 98–100 immediately
resolves the issue.
🖥️ System information
Ubuntu version: 24.04 LTS
Kernel: (run uname -r, e.g. 6.x.x-xx-generic)
Wi-Fi hardware: Intel Corporation Wi-Fi 6E AX211
PCI ID: 8086:7740
Driver: iwlwifi
❌ What happens
Wi-Fi disappears from system settings
Settings → Wi-Fi shows “No Wi-Fi adapter found”
Device is detected by PCI but firmware fails to load
Relevant dmesg output:
iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Detected Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6E AX211 160MHz
iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: Direct firmware load for iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0-100.ucode
failed with error -2
iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: no suitable firmware found!
iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: minimum version required: iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0-98
iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: maximum version supported: iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0-100
Installed firmware files:
/lib/firmware/iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0-92.ucode.zst
/lib/firmware/iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0-94.ucode.zst
/lib/firmware/iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0-96.ucode.zst
No uncompressed firmware ≥98 is present.
✅ What should happen
The linux-firmware package for Ubuntu 24.04 should include uncompressed
firmware blobs for:
iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0-98.ucode
iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0-99.ucode
iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0-100.ucode
so that AX211 works out of the box with the shipped kernel.
🛠️ Workaround (confirmed fix)
Manually installing upstream firmware resolves the issue immediately:
iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0-98.ucode
iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0-100.ucode
After copying these files to /lib/firmware/ and rebuilding initramfs, the
driver loads successfully:
iwlwifi 0000:00:14.3: loaded firmware version 100.d6bb293f.0
bz-b0-gf-a0-100.ucode
Wi-Fi functions normally afterward.
📌 Impact
Affects Intel AX211 users on Ubuntu 24.04
Breaks networking entirely after update
Regression introduced by firmware packaging mismatch
Requires manual upstream firmware installation to recover
📎 Additional notes
This appears to be a packaging regression where the kernel and linux-
firmware versions are out of sync. The compressed firmware files are
present, but the driver requires uncompressed .ucode blobs and does not
auto-decompress.
ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 24.04
Package: linux-firmware 20240318.git3b128b60-0ubuntu2.23
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1-generic 6.17.9
Uname: Linux 6.17.0-14-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.28.1-0ubuntu3.8
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
/dev/snd/controlC0: jelle 4085 F.... pipewire
jelle 4092 F.... wireplumber
/dev/snd/seq: jelle 4085 F.... pipewire
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Thu Feb 5 17:59:02 2026
Dependencies: firmware-sof-signed 2023.12.1-1ubuntu1.10
InstallationDate: Installed on 2026-01-27 (9 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS "Noble Numbat" - Release amd64
(20250805.1)
MachineType: Dell Inc. Dell Pro 16 PC16250
ProcFB: 0 i915drmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-6.17.0-14-generic
root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-ubuntu--lv ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
linux-restricted-modules-6.17.0-14-generic N/A
linux-backports-modules-6.17.0-14-generic N/A
linux-firmware 20240318.git3b128b60-0ubuntu2.23
SourcePackage: linux-firmware
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 08/04/2025
dmi.bios.release: 1.7
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 1.7.0
dmi.board.name: 17H4N5
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.ec.firmware.release: 1.5
dmi.modalias:
dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvr1.7.0:bd08/04/2025:br1.7:efr1.5:svnDellInc.:pnDellPro16PC16250:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn17H4N5:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct10:cvr:sku0D64:
dmi.product.family: Dell Pro Laptops
dmi.product.name: Dell Pro 16 PC16250
dmi.product.sku: 0D64
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
** Affects: linux-firmware (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided
Status: New
** Tags: amd64 apport-bug noble wayland-session
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2140586
Title:
Intel AX211 Wi-Fi broken on Ubuntu 24.04 after linux-firmware update:
missing iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0 ≥98 firmware
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