- Driver Version: v5.8.7.4 (Realtek) (2020-09-22)
- Plus updates from the Linux community
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IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi compliant
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Supported Ciphers:
- WEP40 (00-0f-ac:1)
- WEP104 (00-0f-ac:5)
- TKIP (00-0f-ac:2)
- CCMP-128 (00-0f-ac:4)
- CMAC (00-0f-ac:6)
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Supported interface modes:
- IBSS
- Managed
- AP (WiFi Hotspot) (Master mode)
- Monitor
- P2P-client
- P2P-GO
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USB mode control
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Log level control
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LED control
- Kernels: 2.6.24 ~ 5.8 (Realtek)
- Kernels: 5.9
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Raspberry Pi OS (08-20-2020) (ARM 32 bit)
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LMDE 4 (Linux Mint based on Debian)
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Linux Mint 20 (Linux Mint based on Ubuntu)
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Linux Mint 19.3 (Linux Mint based on Ubuntu)
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Ubuntu 20.10
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Ubuntu 20.04
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Ubuntu 18.04
- Raspberry Pi OS - https://www.raspberrypi.org/
- Linux Mint - https://linuxmint.com/
- Ubuntu - https://ubuntu.com/
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EDUP EP-AC1605GS WiFi Adapter 1300Mbps USB 3.0 High Gain Wireless Adapter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q56K68T
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FIDECO 6B21-AC1200M WiFi Adapter - AC1200 Dual Band: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08523KPP9
- ASUS AC1300 USB-AC55 B1
- ASUS U2
- Dlink - DWA-181
- Dlink - DWA-182
- Edimax EW-7822ULC
- Edimax EW-7822UTC
- EDUP EP-AC1605GS
- FIDECO 6B21-AC1200M
- NetGear A6150
- TP-Link Archer T3U
- TP-Link Archer T3U Plus
- TP-Link Archer T4U V3
- TRENDnet TEW-808UBM
- Numerous additional products that are based on the supported chipsets
Note: The installation instructions that are provided are for the novice user. Experienced users are welcome to alter the installation to meet their needs.
Note: The installation instructions require that your system has access to the internet. There are numerous ways to enable temporary internet access depending on your hardware and situation. One method is to use tethering from a phone. Another method is to keep an ultra cheap adapter in your toolkit that uses an in-kernel (plug and play) driver. Here is one:
https://www.canakit.com/raspberry-pi-wifi.html
Note: The installation instructions require the use of the terminal. The quick way to open a terminal: Ctrl+Alt+T (hold down on the Ctrl and Alt keys then press the T key.)
Note: The installation instructions make use of DKMS. DKMS is a system utility which will automatically recompile and install this kernel module when a new kernel is installed. DKMS is provided by and maintained by Dell.
Note: It is recommended that you do not delete the driver directory after installation as the directory contains documentation (README.md) and scripts that you may need in the future.
Step 1: Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)
Step 2: Update the system:
$ sudo apt-get update
Step 3: Install the required packages: (select the option for the OS you are using)
Option for Raspberry Pi OS:
$ sudo apt-get install -y raspberrypi-kernel-headers bc build-essential dkms git
Option for LMDE (Debian based):
$ sudo apt-get install -y linux-headers-$(uname -r) build-essential dkms git
Option for Linux Mint or Ubuntu:
$ sudo apt-get install -y dkms git
Step 4: Create a directory to hold the downloaded driver:
Note: The technique used in this document is to create a directory in the home directory called src
.
$ mkdir src
Step 5: Move to the newly created directory:
$ cd ~/src
Step 6: Download the driver:
$ git clone https://github.com/morrownr/88x2bu.git
Step 7: Move to the newly created driver directory:
$ cd ~/src/88x2bu
Step 8: Run the installation script and reboot: (select the option for the OS you are using)
Option for LMDE, Linux Mint or Ubuntu:
Run installation script and reboot:
$ sudo ./install-driver.sh
$ sudo reboot
Note: The installation for LMDE, Linux Mint or Ubuntu is complete.
Option for Raspberry Pi OS: (select either Option 1 or Option 2 but not both)
Turn off I386 support:
$ sed -i 's/CONFIG_PLATFORM_I386_PC = y/CONFIG_PLATFORM_I386_PC = n/g' Makefile
Option 1: for Raspberry Pi OS (32 bit), turn on ARM support:
$ sed -i 's/CONFIG_PLATFORM_ARM_RPI = n/CONFIG_PLATFORM_ARM_RPI = y/g' Makefile
Option 2: for Raspberry Pi OS (64 bit), turn on ARM64 support:
$ sed -i 's/CONFIG_PLATFORM_ARM64_RPI = n/CONFIG_PLATFORM_ARM64_RPI = y/g' Makefile
Run installation script and reboot:
$ sudo ./install-driver.sh
$ sudo reboot
Note: The installation for Raspberry Pi OS is complete.
Step 1: Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)
Step 2: Move to the driver directory:
$ cd ~/src/88x2bu
Step 3: Run the removal script and reboot:
$ sudo ./remove-driver.sh
$ sudo reboot
A file called 88x2bu.conf
will be installed in /etc/modeprob.d
by default.
Location: /etc/modprobe.d/88x2bu.conf
This file will be read and applied to the driver on each system boot.
To change the driver options, there are two options:
Option 1: Edit 88x2bu.conf
with a text editor using a terminal interface.
Example:
$ sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/88x2bu.conf
Option 2: From the driver directory, run the ./edit-options.sh
script:
$ sudo ./edit-options.sh
The driver options are as follows:
USB mode options: ( rtw_switch_usb_mode )
0 = no switch (default)
1 = switch from usb 2.0 to usb 3.0
2 = switch from usb 3.0 to usb 2.0
Note: When changing USB options, a cold boot is recommended.
Log level options: ( rtw_drv_log_level )
0 = NONE (default)
1 = ALWAYS
2 = ERRORS
3 = WARNINGS
4 = INFO
5 = DEBUG
6 = MAX
Note: View RTW log entries by running the following in a terminal:
$ sudo dmesg
LED control options: ( rtw_led_ctrl )
0 = Always off
1 = Normal blink (default)
2 = Always on
USB 3 support is off by default as there can be problems with older USB 3 ports, however, almost all USB 3 ports on modern systems work well so turning USB 3 support on should work fine for almost everyone and the difference in performance can be large.
See what your USB mode is:
$ lsusb -t
USB 2 = 480M
USB 3 = 5000M
Bitrate
-------------
566 Mbits/sec
545 Mbits/sec
556 Mbits/sec
577 Mbits/sec
566 Mbits/sec
556 Mbits/sec
556 Mbits/sec
556 Mbits/sec
565 Mbits/sec
Start by making sure the system recognizes the Wi-Fi interface:
$ sudo iw dev
Note: The output shows the Wi-Fi interface name and the current mode among other things. The interface name may be something like wlx00c0cafre8ba
and is required for the below commands. The interface name wlan0
will be used in the instructions below but you need to substitute your interface name.
Take the interface down:
$ sudo ip link set wlan0 down
Set monitor mode:
$ sudo iw wlan0 set monitor control
Bring the interface up:
$ sudo ip link set wlan0 up
Verify the mode has changed:
$ sudo iw dev
Take the interface down:
$ sudo ip link set wlan0 down
Set managed mode:
$ sudo iw wlan0 set type managed
Bring the interface up:
$ sudo ip link set wlan0 up
Verify the mode has changed:
$ sudo iw dev
Add the following line to /boot/config.txt:
dtoverlay=disable-wifi
- Edit wpa_supplicant.conf:
$ sudo nano /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
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Delete the relevant wifi network block (including the 'network=' and opening/closing braces.
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Press ctrl-x followed by 'y' and enter to save the file.
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Reboot
Note: These are general recommendations based on years of experience but may not apply to your situation so testing to see if any help fix your problem is recommended.
Security: Use WPA2-AES. Do not use WPA or WPA2 mixed mode or TKIP.
Channel Width for 2.4G: Use 20 MHz. Do not use 40 MHz or 20/40 automatic.
Channels for 2.4G: Use 1 or 6 or 11. Do not use automatic channel selection.
Mode for 2.4G: Use G/N or B/G/N. Do not use N only.
Network names: Do not set the 2.4G Network and the 5G Network to the same name. Many routers come with both networks set to the same name.
Power Saving: Set to off. This can help in some situations. If you try turning it off and you see no improvement then set it back to on so as to save electricity.
After making these changes, reboot the router.
Check the current setting:
$ sudo iw reg get
If you get 00, that is the default and may not provide optimal performance.
Find the correct setting here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2
Set it temporarily:
$ sudo iw reg set US
Note: Substitute your country code if not the United States.
Set it permanently:
$ sudo nano /etc/default/crda
Change the last line to read:
REGDOMAIN=US
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add and test addional driver options
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add support for Linux kernel 5.10