News: A new version of this driver is now available. Testing has shown the new driver to be a very solid driver in managed and master modes but additional testing and work is needed on monitor mode. Monitor mode works but there are some quirks. It may be an issue of documentation or there may need to be code changes. The work is ongoing. You are invited to help test and break in the new driver: 8812au-20210629
The plan is to discontinue this driver by the end of December 2021. This URL will then be used to provide basic chipset information and a link to the new driver so this URL is a good permanent bookmark. Please transition to the new driver as you are able to do so. Regards. Nick
- v5.9.3.2 (Realtek) (2020-10-12)
- Plus updates from the Linux community
- IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi compliant
- 802.1x, WEP, WPA TKIP and WPA2 AES/Mixed mode for PSK and TLS (Radius)
- IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac Client mode
- Support wireless security for WEP, WPA TKIP and WPA2 AES PSK
- Support site survey scan and manual connect
- Support power saving mode
- Supported interface modes:
- IBSS
- Managed
- AP (see Bridged Wireless Access Point located in the main directory of this repo)
- Monitor
- P2P-client
- P2P-GO
- USB mode control
- Log level control
- LED control
- Power saving control
- VHT control (allows 80 MHz channel width in AP mode)
- SU Beamformee and MU Beamformee control
- SU Beamformer control
A FAQ is available at the end of this document.
- x86, amd64
- ARM, ARM64
- Kernels: 2.6.24 - 5.8 (Realtek)
- Kernels: 5.9 - 5.14 (community support)
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Arch Linux (kernel 5.4)
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Arch Linux (kernel 5.9)
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Fedora (kernel 5.11)
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Kali Linux (kernel 5.10)
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Linux Mint 20.2 (Linux Mint based on Ubuntu) (kernel 5.4)
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Linux Mint 20 (Linux Mint based on Ubuntu) (kernel 5.4)
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LMDE 4 (Linux Mint based on Debian) (kernel 4.19)
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Manjaro 20.1 (kernel 5.9)
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Raspberry Pi OS (2021-01-11) (ARM 32 bit) (kernel 5.10)
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Raspberry Pi Desktop (x86 32 bit) (kernel 4.9)
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Ubuntu 21.04 (kernel 5.11)
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Ubuntu 20.10 (kernel 5.8)
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Ubuntu 20.04 (kernel 5.4)
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Ubuntu 18.04 (kernel 5.4)
- Alfa AWUS036AC
- Alfa AWUS036ACH
- Belkin F9L1109
- Buffalo - WI-U3-866D
- D-Link DWA-182 (Rev. C1)
- Edimax EW-7822UAC
- Linksys WUSB6300 V1
- Rosewill RNX-AC1200UBE
- TRENDnet TEW-805UB
- Numerous products that are based on the supported chipset.
Warning: Beware of "multi-state" USB WiFi adapters. Some USB WiFi adapters have proprietary Windows drivers onboard. When plugged in, they act like a flash drive or CDROM and on Windows will attempt to start installing the Windows driver. That won't work on Linux or MAC or any other non-Windows OS so the adapter sits there in flash drive or CDROM mode. The problem is that the state of the adapter has to be changed for the adapter to show up as the device that you expect, in this case, a WiFi adapter. Most modern Linux distributions ship with a utility called "usb-modeswitch" that will handle this issue for you if it has the correct information for your adapter. It is a good utility but if you buy adapters that are "multi-state," that is one more potential headache you may have to deal with when something goes wrong. Often you can indentify adapters that are "multi-state" as they are advertised as "free driver" or "free installation driver." If you are looking to buy a USB WiFi adapter for use on Linux, MAC OS, *NIX or anything besides Windows, it is a good idea to seek out single-state adapters.
Note: Some adapter makers change the chipsets in their products while keeping the same model number so please check to confirm that the product you plan to buy has the chipset you are expecting.
The installation instructions are for the novice user. Experienced users are welcome to alter the installation to meet their needs.
Temporary internet access is required for installation. 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 to enable temporary internet access is to keep a wifi adapter that uses an in-kernel driver in your toolkit.
You will need to use the terminal interface. The quick way to open a terminal: Ctrl+Alt+T (hold down on the Ctrl and Alt keys then press the T key)
DKMS is used for the installation. DKMS is a system utility which will automatically recompile and install this driver when a new kernel is installed. DKMS is provided by and maintained by Dell.
It is recommended that you do not delete the driver directory after installation as the directory contains information and scripts that you may need in the future.
There is no need to disable Secure Mode to install this driver. If Secure Mode is properly setup on your system, this installation will support it.
Step 1: Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)
Step 2: Update the system (select the option for the OS you are using)
Option for Debian based distributions such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Kali and Raspberry Pi OS
$ sudo apt update
Option for Arch based distributions such as Manjaro
$ sudo pacman -Syu
Option for Fedora based distributions
# sudo dnf -y update
Step 3: Install the required packages (select the option for the OS you are using)
Option for Raspberry Pi OS
$ sudo apt install -y raspberrypi-kernel-headers bc build-essential dkms git
Option for Debian, Kali or Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE)
$ sudo apt install -y linux-headers-$(uname -r) build-essential dkms git libelf-dev
Option for Ubuntu (all flavors) or Linux Mint
$ sudo apt install -y dkms git build-essential
Options for Arch or Manjaro
if using pacman
$ sudo pacman -S --noconfirm linux-headers dkms git
Note: If you are asked to choose a provider, make sure to choose the one that
corresponds to your version of the linux kernel (for example, "linux510-headers"
for Linux kernel version 5.10) if you install the incorrect version, you'll have
to uninstall it and reinstall the correct version.
if using other methods, please follow the instructions provided by those methods
Option for Fedora
# sudo dnf -y install git dkms kernel-devel kernel-debug-devel
Step 4: Create a directory to hold the downloaded driver
$ mkdir ~/src
Step 5: Move to the newly created directory
$ cd ~/src
Step 6: Download the driver
$ git clone https://github.com/morrownr/8812au.git
Step 7: Move to the newly created driver directory
$ cd ~/src/8812au
Step 8: Warning: this step only applies if you are installing to Raspberry Pi hardware.
Run a preparation script
Option for 32 bit operating systems to be installed to Raspberry Pi hardware
$ ./raspi32.sh
Option for 64 bit operating systems to be installed to Raspberry Pi hardware
$ ./raspi64.sh
Note: I will only address issues having to do with the 64 bit version of the
Raspberry Pi OS once it is out of beta and is released as generally available.
Step 9: Run the installation script (For automated builds, use NoPrompt as an option)
$ sudo ./install-driver.sh [NoPrompt]
Step 10: Reboot
$ sudo reboot
A file called 8812au.conf
will be installed in /etc/modeprobe.d
by default.
/etc/modprobe.d/8812au.conf
This file will be read and applied to the driver on each system boot.
To edit the driver options file, run the edit-options.sh
script.
$ sudo ./edit-options.sh
Documentation for Driver Options is included in the file 8812au.conf
.
Note: This script should be used in the following situations:
- the driver is no longer needed
- a fresh start with default settings is needed
- a new version of the driver needs to be installed
- a major operating system upgrade is going to be applied
Note: This script removes everything that has been installed, with the exception of the packages installed in Step 3 and the driver directory. The driver directory can and probably should be deleted in most cases after running the script.
Step 1: Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)
Step 2: Move to the driver directory
$ cd ~/src/8812au
Step 3: Run the removal script
$ sudo ./remove-driver.sh
Step 4: Reboot
$ sudo reboot
Note: These are general recommendations, some of which may not apply to your specific situation.
Security: Set WPA2-AES. Do not set WPA2 mixed mode or WPA or TKIP.
Channel width for 2.4G: Set 20 MHz fixed width. Do not use 40 MHz or 20/40 automatic.
Channels for 2.4G: Set channel 1 or 6 or 11 depending on the congestion at your location. Do not set automatic channel selection.
Mode for 2.4G: For best performance, set "N only" if you no longer use B or G capable devices.
Network names: Do not set the 2.4G Network and the 5G Network to the same name. Note: Unfortunately many routers come with both networks set to the same name.
Channels for 5G: Not all devices are capable of using DFS channels. It may be necessary to set a fixed channel in the range of 36 to 48 or 149 to 161 in order for all of your devices to work on 5g. (for US, other countries may vary)
Best location for the wifi router/ access point: Near center of apartment or house, at least a couple of feet away from walls, in an elevated location.
Check congestion: There are apps available for smart phones that allow you to check the congestion levels on wifi channels. The apps generally go by the name of WiFi Analyzer or something similar.
After making and saving 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 you are not in the United States.
Set it permanently
$ sudo nano /etc/default/crda
Change the last line to read:
REGDOMAIN=US
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Moving your USB WiFi adapter to a different USB port has been known to fix a variety of problems. Problems include WiFi going on and off as well as connections coming and going.
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If connecting your USB WiFi adapter to a desktop computer, use the USB ports on the rear of the computer. Why? The ports on the rear are directly connected to the motherboard which will reduce problems with interference and disconnection that can happen with front ports that use cables.
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If your USB WiFi adapter is USB 3 capable then plug it into a USB 3 port.
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Avoid USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports if possible as almost all currently available adapters have been tested with USB 3.1 Gen 1 (aka USB 3) and not with USB 3.1 Gen 2.
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If you use an extension cable and your adapter is USB 3 capable, the cable needs to be USB 3 capable.
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Some USB WiFi adapters require considerable electrical current and push the capabilities of the power available via USB port. One example is devices that use the Realtek 8814au chipset. Using a powered multiport USB extension can be a good idea in cases like this.
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
Question: Does WPA3 work with this driver?
Answer: No, WPA3 does not work with this driver. If you need an AC class adapter that does support WPA3, I suggest an Alfa AWUS036ACM (mt7612u chipset) but there are other adapters based on the mt7612u chipset available at various price points. Be aware that WPA3 support is not fully in place in all Linux distros currently. More than driver support is required for WPA3 support. You can get more information and links at the following site:
https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi
Question: What interface combinations does this driver support?
Answer: None. Realtek out-of-kernel drivers, including this driver, do not support interface combinations. If you need support for interface combinations, I suggest adapters based on the Mediatek chipsets. You can get more information and links at the following site:
https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi
Question: What extended features does this driver support?
Answer: None. For extended features, you need an adapter that uses Mediatek or Atheros drivers. You can get more information and links at the following site:
https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi
Question: I bought two rtl88x2bu adapters and am planning to run one of them as an AP and another as a WiFi client. How do I set that up?
Answer: You can't. Realtek drivers do not support more than one adapter with the same chipset in the same computer. However, testing has shown that the Mediatek drivers do support more than one adapter with the same chipset in the same computer. I recommend adapters with the mt7612u chipset if you are looking for AC 1200+ adapters. You can get more information and links at the following site:
https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi
Question: Why do you recommend Mediatek based adapters when you maintain this repo for a Realtek driver?
Answer: Many Linux users already have adapters based on Realtek chipsets. This repo is for Linux users to support their existing adapters but my STRONG recommendation is for Linux users to seek out WiFi solutions based on Mediatek, Intel or Atheros chipsets and drivers. If users are looking at a USB solution, Mediatek and Atheros based adapters are the best solution. If users want a PCIe, mPCIe, SDIO or other implementation then Intel, Mediatek or Atheros are good solutions. Realtek based USB adapters are not a good solution because Realtek does not follow Linux Wireless standards for USB WiFi adapters. Realtek drivers are problematic in many ways. You have been WARNED. For information about usb wifi adapters:
https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi