firmware-linux

This is a meta-package. It doesn’t contain firmware itself but pulls in a broad set of firmware packages for various hardware.

What it typically includes:

• Firmware for network cards (Ethernet & Wi-Fi)
• Firmware for GPUs (especially AMD)
• Firmware for storage controllers
• Misc device firmware (USB controllers, sound cards, etc.)

firmware-iwlwifi

Provides firmware for Intel wireless (Wi-Fi) chipsets. Maintained as part of the Intel Wireless WiFi project (often called iwlwifi)

Enables Wi-Fi connectivity on Intel cards (e.g., AX200, AX210, older Centrino chips)

Without it, your Intel Wi-Fi card may:

• Not be detected
• Fail to connect
• Work unreliably

Why firmware matters

Linux kernel drivers often rely on external firmware files (usually proprietary). The driver is open-source, but the firmware:

• Runs directly on the hardware
• Is loaded at runtime (from /lib/firmware)

What actually gets installed

After running:

sudo apt install firmware-linux firmware-iwlwifi

You’ll typically get:

• Files in /lib/firmware/ (e.g., iwlwifi-*.ucode)

• Dependencies like:

  • firmware-linux-free
  • firmware-linux-nonfree (on some distros/configs)

Important note

• Some firmware (including Intel Wi-Fi) is non-free/proprietary
• On Debian, you may need the non-free repository enabled