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Atheros AR5210, AR5211, AR5212, AR5213, AR5414 wireless devices (ath5k)

This page describes how to enable support for Atheros AR5xxx wireless chipsets using the ath5k driver on Debian systems.

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ath5k is a module for Atheros AR5xxx wireless LAN chipsets.

Unlike the [:WiFi/ath_pci:?MadWifi] driver, ath5k does not require a binary HAL (hardware abstraction layer) for its use. No firmware is required to be loaded from userspace. It is a completely free and open-source driver.

Supported Devices

Devices containing Atheros AR5210, AR5211, AR5212, AR5213 or AR5414 chipsets are supported by ath5k.

Missing Features

As stated?FootNote(http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/ath5k#features) on the Linux Wireless ath5k driver page:

If required, the above features are available in the [:WiFi/ath_pci:?MadWifi] driver.

Known Issues

The ath5k driver is in a constant state of development, with varying levels of support for chipsets depending on their age.

Installation

ath5k is included in the mainline Linux kernel since 2.6.25. It is present in Debian kernel images since 2.6.24.

Switching from MadWifi to ath5k

The following section can be [#configuration skipped] if [:WiFi/ath_pci:?MadWifi] was not previously used.

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Configuration

  1. Install the wireless-tools package:

     aptitude update
     aptitude install wireless-tools
  2. The necessary kernel module should be [:Modules:automatically loaded]. If necessary, it can be manually loaded via:

    modprobe ath5k
  3. Verify your device has an available interface:

    iwconfig
  4. Raise the interface to activate the radio, for example:

    ifconfig wlan0 up
  5. [:WiFi/HowToUse:Configure] your wireless interface as appropriate.

See Also


CategoryHardware


ToDo: Move ath5k-specific content from ["DebianEeePC/HowTo/UseUpstreamAtherosModules"] to here?