Diff for "WiFi" - Debian Wiki

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Portal/IDB/logo_portal.png Welcome to Debian Wireless Fidelity

This portal deals with the installation and configuration of WiFi devices. Device installation is essentially a two-part process: 1) installing the driver (also called a module) and 2) setting up your WiFi interface.

Introduction

A WiFi device operates on an electronic chip called a "chipset". We can find the same chipset in several different devices. Consequently, the driver/module for one chipset will work for all wireless devices using that chipset.

Free software based systems such as Debian depend on the cooperation between manufacturers and developers to produce and maintain quality drivers and firmware. Drivers and firmware are what determine if and how well your hardware works.

Debian's Social Contract mandates the freeing of the distribution. In practice this means manufacturers are required to cooperate by releasing specifications and free drivers that can be worked on by the community. Newer versions of Debian (6+) do not include non-free drivers or firmware.

Non-free drivers and firmware are produced by companies refusing or unable to cooperate with the free software community. With non-free drivers and firmware support is often unavailable or severely strained. For instance features are often left out, bugs go unfixed, and what support does exist from the manufacture is fleeting.

By encouraging good social practices the community is able to support end-users. Complex installation procedures are no longer required and support continues long after a product has been discontinued.

Availability of compatible WiFi chipsets

Currently there are only a few modern wifi chipsets readily available that work with free software systems. For USB wifi devices this list includes the Realtek RTL8187B chipset (802.11G) and the Atheros AR9170 chipset (802.11N). For Mini PCIe all cards with an Atheros chipset are supported.

Wifi has always been a problem for free software users. USB Wifi cards are becoming less free. With the older 802.11G standard many USB wifi cards had free drivers and did not require non-free firmware. With 802.11N there is only one chipset on the market from Atheros which is completely free.

One company which specialises in free software and sells 802.11N USB wifi cards, ThinkPenguin.com, has indicated the availability of free software supported 802.11N USB wifi cards is disappearing. Solving this problem will require more demand than currently exists. Next time you purchase a piece of hardware ask yourself if it is free software compatible.

Simple guide

The following devices are confirmed to work with free software only with the latest Debian:

Device	Confirmed	Drawbacks/Comments e.g. price or bugs (check issues)	Guide
TP-Link TL WN821N		- The original code of the driver is copyrighted and later contributors don't know by whom. The driver download does not contain license information. (Most C files are licensed under GNU General Public License (GPL), version 2.) - Only works when disabling random MAC addresses. it used to be noisy /*	1. Update: `sudo apt-get update && apt-get upgrade && && apt-get dist-upgrade` and reboot if you updated the kernel 2. Connect the device. `lsusb` should show `2357:0107` 3. Install required packages: `sudo apt-get install gcc-6 git build-essential` 4. Get the latest driver from ?GitHub and install it: `git clone https://github.com/jeremyb31/rtl8192eu-linux-driver.git` `cd rtl8192eu-linux-driver` `sudo make` `sudo make install` 5. Reboot and check that the kernel module is loaded by running: `lsmod` 6. Use your network-interface to connect to the WLAN. You could use the pre-installed NetworkManager for that. (7.) Edit NetworkManager.conf as root: `sudo kate /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf` Append the following: `[device]` `wifi.scan-rand-mac-address=no` Save and run: `/etc/init.d/network-manager restart`

Devices that might work

According to some users/reviewers these devices might possibly work with the latest Debian. They need to be confirmed and specific guides. Furthermore they might only work with proprietary firmware.

Device	Type	Count reviewers (date/Debian version)
Atheros 9280	PCI card (half-size)	1 (2018)
TP-Link Archer T6E AC1300	PCI card	1 (9), 1 (7), 1 (2017)

Prerequisites

A WiFi interface is an Ethernet interface which also provides WiFi-specific configuration parameters. These parameters are controlled using the iwconfig program.

www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch05 - Debian Reference Chapter 5 - Network setup

For basic command line usage:
1. iw tool for manipulating Linux Wireless stack via cfg80211/nl80211.
2. wireless-tools, tools for manipulating Linux Wireless Extensions (installed by default on Desktop & Laptop installations)
For GUI systems:
1. NetworkManager (installed by default on Gnome-Desktop & Laptop installation)
2. wicd, a wired and wireless manager, is recommended for other environments without GNOME dependencies such as XFCE, Fluxbox, Openbox, Enlightenment.
Other related packages:
- wpasupplicant, client support for WPA and WPA2 networks
- rfkill, simple tool used to enable and disable wireless networking devices, typically WLAN, Bluetooth and mobile broadband.
- iwd, aims to potentially replace wpasupplicant in the future by utilizing modern Linux features via nl80211

If these are missing, you can install these via:

aptitude install iw

…and similar

Use lsusb to see information about which USB WiFi adapter is connected

Use lspci to see information about which PCI cards is connected

Install Driver

Before you buy, verify your intended device is supported by an available Linux driver. A good indication of support is Tux being displayed on the product's packaging.

This section presents general lists of WiFi devices (grouped by host interface) and sorted by driver/module name. Each list has two main elements: the module name and the chipset(s) it supports. Known unsupported chipsets are at the end of each list.

If available, a help page link will provide you with further information. We recommend you read the associated help page, as some devices may require to be supplied with microcode (aka "firmware") before they can be used.

For an indication of support with a specific device, see the Wireless Adapter Chipset Directory.

PCI Devices

See HowToIdentifyADevice/PCI for more information

module name	Device name(s)	help page	free (?)
acx-mac80211	Texas Instruments chipsets (ACX100/TNETW1100, ACX111/TNETW1130)	acx
adm8211	ADMtek ADM8211 chipset	adm8211
airo		?airo	?
arlan		?arlan	?
ath5k	Atheros Communications chipsets (AR5210, AR5211, AR5212, AR5213, AR5414, AR2413, AR242x)	ath5k
ath9k	Atheros Communications 802.11n chipsets	ath9k
atmel_pci	Atmel at76c506 chipset	atmel_pci
b43 b43legacy	Broadcom chipsets	bcm43xx
brcm80211 brcmsmac	Broadcom chipsets (BCM4313, BCM43224, BCM43225)	brcm80211
hostap_pci hostap_plx	Intersil Prism 2/2.5/3 chipsets	hostap	/ ¹
ipw2100 ipw2200	Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 Intel PRO/Wireless 2915	ipw2200
iwl3945 iwl4965	Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 Intel PRO/Wireless 4965	iwlegacy
iwlagn iwlwifi	Intel Wireless WiFi Link Intel Wireless-N Intel Advanced-N Intel Ultimate-N	iwlwifi
mwl8k	Marvell chipsets (88W8363, 88W8366, 88W8687)	mwl8k
orinoco_nortel orinoco_plx orinoco_tmd	Lucent/Agere Hermes and Intersil Prism 2/2.5/3 chipsets	orinoco	/ ²
p54pci	Intersil Prism54 chipsets (ISL3877, ISL3880, ISL3886, ISL3890)	prism54
r8192_pci r8192e_pci	Realtek RTL8192E chipset	rtl819x
rt2400pci	Ralink chipsets (RT2400/RT2460, RT2401/RT2460)	rt2400pci
rt2500pci	Ralink RT2500/RT2560 chipset	WiFi/rt2500
rt2800pci	Ralink chipsets (RT2760, RT2790, RT2860, RT2890, RT3060, RT3062, RT3090, RT3091, RT3092, RT3390, RT3562, RT3592, RT5390)	rt2800pci
rt2860sta	Ralink chipsets (RT2760/RT2790/RT2860/RT2890, RT3090/RT3091/RT3092)	rt2860sta
rt61pci	Ralink chipsets (RT2501/2561, RT2600/RT2661)	rt61pci
rtl8180	Realtek chipsets (RTL8180, RTL8185)	rtl818x
r8187se rtl8187se	Realtek RTL8187SE chipset	rtl818x
rtl8192ce	Realtek chipsets (RTL8188CE, RTL8192CE)	rtl819x
rtl8192de	Realtek chipsets (RTL8188DE, RTL8192DE)	rtl819x
rtl8192se	Realtek chipsets (RTL8191SE, RTL8192SE)	rtl819x
strip		?strip	?
wavelan		?wavelan	?
wl	Broadcom chipsets (BCM4311, BCM4312, BCM4313, BCM4321, BCM4322, BCM43224, BCM43225, BCM43227, BCM43228)	wl
	Atheros Communications AR5005VL (AR5513) chipset [168c:0020]	NdisWrapper
	InProComm IPN 2120 chipset [17fe:2120]	NdisWrapper
	InProComm IPN 2220 chipset [17fe:2220]	NdisWrapper
	Marvell Libertas 88W8335 chipset [11ab:1faa]	NdisWrapper
	WavePlus WP1200 chipset [17f7:0001]	NdisWrapper

Legend :
= OK ; Unsupported(No Driver) ; $/!\$ = Error (Couldn't get it working); [?] Unknown, Not Test ; [-] Not-applicable
= Configuration Required; = Only works with a proprietary driver and/or firmware

An extended list of PCI-IDs to kernel-module mapping is available at DeviceDatabase/PCI.

USB Devices

See HowToIdentifyADevice/USB for more information

module name	Device name(s)	help page	free (?)
acx-mac80211	Texas Instruments chipsets (ACX100USB, TNETW1450)	acx
ar5523	Atheros Communications chipsets (AR5005UG, AR5005UX)	ar5523
ar9170usb	Atheros Communications AR9170 chipset	ar9170usb	/ ³
at76c50x-usb at76_usb	Atmel chipsets (at76c503, at76c505, at76c505a)	at76_usb
ath9k_htc	Atheros Communications chipsets (AR9271, AR7010)	ath9k_htc	⁴ /
carl9170	Atheros Communications AR9170 chipset	carl9170
orinoco_usb	Lucent/Agere Hermes chipset	orinoco_usb
p54usb	Intersil Prism54 chipsets (ISL3886, ISL3887)	prism54
prism2_usb	Intersil Prism 2/2.5/3 chipsets	linux-wlan-ng
r8712u r8192s_usb	Realtek chipsets (RTL8188SU, RTL8191SU, RTL8192SU)	rtl819x
r8192u_usb	Realtek RTL8192U chipset	rtl819x
rndis_wlan	Broadcom BCM4320 chipset	rndis_wlan
rt2500usb	Ralink RT2500USB/RT2571 chipset	rt2500usb
rt2800usb	Ralink chipsets (RT2070, RT2770, RT2870, RT3070, RT3071, RT3072, RT3370, RT3572, RT5370)	rt2800usb
rt2870sta	Ralink chipsets (RT2770/RT2870, RT3070/RT3071/RT3072)	rt2870sta
rt73usb	Ralink RT2501USB/RT2571W chipset	WiFi/rt73
rtl8187	Realtek chipsets (RTL8187, RTL8187B)	rtl818x
rtl8192cu	Realtek chipsets (RTL8188CE-VAU, RTL8188CUS, RTL8192CU)	rtl819x
usb8xxx	Marvell Libertas 88W8388 chipset	libertas
vt6656_stage	VIA VT6656 chipset	vt665x
zd1201	ZyDAS ZD1201 chipset	zd1201
zd1211rw	ZyDAS ZD1211/1211B and Atheros AR5007UG chipsets	zd1211rw
	Netgear MA111v2 [0846:4230]	NdisWrapper
	Netgear WN111v1 [0846:9000]	NdisWrapper
	TRENDware TEW-424UB v2 [0457:0163]	NdisWrapper

An extended list of USB-IDs to kernel-module mapping is available at DeviceDatabase/USB.

PC Card (PCMCIA) Devices

See HowToIdentifyADevice/PC_Card for more information

module name	Device name(s)	help page	free (?)
acx-mac80211	Texas Instruments chipsets (ACX100/TNETW1100, ACX111/TNETW1130)	acx
adm8211	ADMtek ADM8211 chipset	adm8211
airo_cs		?airo_cs	?
ath5k	Atheros Communications chipsets (AR5210, AR5211, AR5212, AR5213, AR5414)	ath5k
ath9k	Atheros Communications 802.11n chipsets	ath9k
atmel_cs	Atmel chipsets (at76c502x, at76c504x)	atmel_cs
b43 b43legacy	Broadcom chipsets	bcm43xx
hostap_cs	Intersil Prism 2/2.5/3 chipsets	hostap	/ ¹
netwave_cs		?netwave cs	?
orinoco_cs	Lucent/Agere Hermes and Intersil Prism 2/2.5/3 chipsets	orinoco	/ ²
p54pci	Intersil Prism54 chipsets (ISL3877, ISL3880, ISL3886, ISL3890)	prism54
ray_cs		?ray cs	?
rt2400pci	Ralink chipsets (RT2400/RT2460, RT2401/RT2460)	rt2400pci
rt2500pci	Ralink RT2500/RT2560 chipset	WiFi/rt2500
rt2800pci	Ralink chipsets (RT2760, RT2790, RT2860, RT2890, RT3060, RT3062, RT3090, RT3091, RT3092, RT3390, RT3562, RT3592, RT5390)	rt2800pci
rt2860sta	Ralink chipsets (RT2760/RT2790/RT2860/RT2890, RT3090/RT3091/RT3092)	rt2860sta
rt61pci	Ralink chipsets (RT2501/2561, RT2600/RT2661)	rt61pci
rtl8180	Realtek chipsets (RTL8180, RTL8185)	rtl818x
spectrum_cs	Symbol Spectrum24 Trilogy chipsets	orinoco	/ ⁵
wavelan_cs		?wavelan/cs	?
wl	Broadcom chipsets (BCM4311, BCM4312, BCM4313, BCM4321, BCM4322)	wl
wl3501_cs		?wl3501/cs	?
	Atheros Communications AR5005VL (AR5513) chipset [168c:0020]	NdisWrapper
	InProComm IPN 2120 chipset [17fe:2120]	NdisWrapper
	Marvell Libertas 88W8335 chipset [11ab:1faa]	NdisWrapper
	WavePlus WP1200 chipset [17f7:0002]	NdisWrapper
	ZyDAS ZD1201 chipset (16-bit PC Cards)	n/a

Routers

module name	Device name(s)	help page	free (?)
source code	Linksys WRT54GC	Wikipedia; it isn't similar to the WRT54G; The WRT54GC is based on the Sercomm IP806SM reference design the same chipset as the current Linksys WTY54G the Airlink101 AR315W, Alloy WRT2454AP, and Hawking HWR54G. You also can use NdisWrapper

http://hostap.epitest.fi/, hostapd is a daemon to turn a computer into an access point.

Configure Interface

Your wireless network interface can be configured using a connection manager or Debian's network interface configuration file (/etc/network/interfaces).

Graphical Network Connection Tools:

Network Manager for GNOME (network-manager) or wicd

For more information, please see WiFi/HowToUse.

Resources

WiFi/HowToUse
WiFi/AdHoc
WifiRadar
?Internet_Connection_Sharing
Network

External Links

http://www.linuxwireless.org , including devices and drivers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_open-source_wireless_drivers#Linux
How to Configure Wireless on Any Linux Desktop.
http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/#howto The Linux Wireless Compatibility and ?HowTo.
Linux home networking wiki page about wireless networking.
http://linux-wless.passys.nl/ Wireless Adapter Chipset Directory
Wi-Fi definition

CategoryPortal | CategoryNetwork | CategoryWifi

Prism3 SSF devices require non-free firmware from userspace. (1 2)
For WPA support on Hermes-based devices, non-free firmware from userspace is required. Non-WPA usage and Prism chipsets (except Prism 3 SSF) use firmware stored in flash memory. (3 4)
Binary-only and GPL firmware available. (5)
Binary-only and BSD/MIT firmware available. (6)
For devices without flash memory (eg. Intel WPC2011BWW), non-free firmware from userspace is required. (7)

-  ⇤ ← Revision 205 as of 2018-06-16 23:26:25 → 
  Size: 16766
  Editor: ?cipher
  Comment: Also mention rfkill and iwd in addition to wpasupplicant
+   ← Revision 206 as of 2018-09-01 18:53:12 → ⇥
  Size: 19442
  Editor: ?Average-User-Prototype
  Comment: added simple guide for the average user who just wants to get things working
-Deletions are marked like this.
+Additions are marked like this.
 Line 23:
+== Availability of compatible WiFi chipsets ==
-Line 29:
+Line 31:
-Continuing on, a WiFi interface is an Ethernet interface which also provides WiFi-specific configuration parameters. These parameters are controlled using the
+== Simple guide ==
The following devices are __confirmed__ to work with __free software only__ with the __latest Debian__:

||'''Device'''||'''Confirmed''' /* = user editing has tested this himself; it is still working without problems and does not require any other steps than those under "Guide" */ ||'''Drawbacks/Comments''' /* e.g. price or bugs (check issues) */ ||'''Guide'''||
||TP-Link TL WN821N || (./) ||- The original code of the driver is copyrighted and later contributors don't know by whom.<<BR>>The driver download does not contain license information.<<BR>>(Most C files are licensed under GNU General Public License (GPL), version 2.)<<BR>>- Only works when disabling random MAC addresses. /* it used to be noisy /* ||1. Update: {{{sudo apt-get update && apt-get upgrade && && apt-get dist-upgrade}}} and reboot if you updated the kernel<<BR>>2. Connect the device. {{{lsusb}}} should show {{{2357:0107}}}<<BR>>3. Install required packages: {{{sudo apt-get install gcc-6 git build-essential}}}<<BR>>4. Get the latest driver from GitHub and install it:<<BR>>{{{git clone https://github.com/jeremyb31/rtl8192eu-linux-driver.git}}}<<BR>>{{{cd rtl8192eu-linux-driver}}}<<BR>>{{{sudo make}}}<<BR>>{{{sudo make install}}}<<BR>>5. Reboot and check that the kernel module is loaded by running: {{{lsmod}}}<<BR>>6. Use your network-interface to connect to the WLAN. You could use the pre-installed [[NetworkManager]] for that.<<BR>>(7.) Edit NetworkManager.conf as root: {{{sudo kate /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf}}}<<BR>>Append the following:<<BR>>{{{[device]}}}<<BR>>{{{wifi.scan-rand-mac-address=no}}}<<BR>>Save and run: {{{/etc/init.d/network-manager restart}}}||

== Devices that might work ==
According to some users/reviewers these devices might possibly work with the latest Debian. They need to be confirmed and specific guides. Furthermore they might only work with proprietary firmware.

||'''Device'''||'''Type'''||'''Count reviewers (date/Debian version)'''||
||Atheros 9280||PCI card (half-size)||[[https://www.amazon.com/Atheros-Wireless-300Mbps-AR5BHB92-Dual-band/product-reviews/B008UNNG1Y?filterByKeyword=debian|1 (2018)]] ||
||TP-Link Archer T6E AC1300 ||PCI card ||[[https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Archer-T6E-Wireless-Technology/product-reviews/B016K0896K?filterByKeyword=debian|1 (9), 1 (7), 1 (2017)]] ||

##Devices that don't work (properly): ...

== Prerequisites ==

A WiFi interface is an Ethernet interface which also provides WiFi-specific configuration parameters. These parameters are controlled using the
-Line 34:
+Line 53:
-== Prerequisites ==
-Line 52:
+Line 69:
+Use {{{lsusb}}} to see information about which USB WiFi adapter is connected

Use {{{lspci}}} to see information about which PCI cards is connected
-Line 205:
+Line 226:
+ * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_open-source_wireless_drivers#Linux