[zeugma]

Broadcom BCM4312 based wireless mini_PCI...fails.

Yeah, broadcom wireless sucks. You'll probably have to use the bcm wadcutter tool. It's a pain. I no longer buy any hardware that's not fully supported. I don't giving money to folks who don't support Linux.

[Myrddin]

Dell seems to have another wireless mini-pci card that can be substituted in the D820. I've seen one for sale on the used market for $19. That would be worthwhile. The b42-fwcutter just didn't produce a usable result. I might just fallback to plugging in a USB or PCMCIA card to restore connectivity.