Dear all,
I am looking for a Wi-Fi adapter with the following specs:
a) Operates at 5GHz
b) Supports 802.11n and optionally 802.11ac
c) USB interface
d) SMA connector for external antenna(s)
e) It is supported by mac80211, and supports mesh mode
I have done a survey and found only two devices that meet the previous
requirements, and they are only 802.11n. Most of the 802.11ac adapters
that I can find use the RT8812AU chipset, which as far as I know is
not supported by mac80211. Are there any plans to support this
chipset?
I am pasting here a list of adapters, and I would appreciate if anyone
who has experimented with them could provide feedback on whether my
understanding is correct.
Best Regards
Daniel
LIST OF ADAPTERS:
================
1) ALFA AWUS051NH 2.4/ 5GHz Dual Band:
link: http://www.wifi-antennas.co.uk/alfa-awus051nh-2-4-5ghz-dual-band-300mbps-usb-wifi-dongle-with-rp-sma-antenna-4547.html
chipset: Ralink RT2870 A/B/G/N
mac80211 support: YES. rt2800usb.
http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/rt2800usb#external_links
mac80211s mesh support: YES. http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers
2) Sveon SNT1022
link: http://sveon.com/tienda/adaptador-lan-wifi-usb-dual-band-doble-antena-rp-sma-snt1022/
chipset: Ralink 3572 A/B/G/N
mac80211 support: YES. rt2800usb.
http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/rt2800usb
mac80211s mesh support: YES. http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers
3) EDIMAX EW-7811USC
link: http://www.edimax.com/edimax/merchandise/merchandise_detail/data/edimax/global/wireless_adapters_ac600_dual-band/ew-7811usc/
chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU. AC/A/B/G/N
mac80211 support: NO. Not supported by rtlwifi.
http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/rtl819x
mac8011 mesh support: NO.
4) ALFA AWUS036HAC 1200
link: http://www.alfanetworkeurope.eu/en/alfa-awus036hac-ac1200-dual-band-ultra-fast-wifi-u.html
chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU. AC/A/B/G/N. link:
https://wikidevi.com/wiki/List_of_802.11ac_Hardware
mac80211 support: NO.
mac80211s support: NO.
5) ASUS USB-AC56
link: http://www.asus.com/de/Networking/USBAC56/
chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU. AC/B/G/N.
https://wikidevi.com/wiki/List_of_802.11ac_Hardware
mac80211 support: NO.
mac80211s support: NO.
6) ABOCOM AU7212
link: http://www.abocom.com.tw/product.aspx?id=180
chipset: Mediatek MT7610U. AC/A/B/G/N
mac80211 support: NO.
mac80211s support: NO.
7) D-LINK DWA-172
link: http://www.dlink-forum.info/showthread.php?tid=3006
chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU.
mac80211 support: NO.
mac80211s support: NO.
8) HAWKING HD65U
link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164060
chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU.
mac80211 support: NO.
mac80211s support: NO.
On 12/17/14 12:42, Bruno Randolf wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On 12/16/2014 07:09 PM, Dani Camps wrote:
>> I am looking for a Wi-Fi adapter with the following specs:
>>
>> a) Operates at 5GHz
>> b) Supports 802.11n and optionally 802.11ac
>> c) USB interface
>> d) SMA connector for external antenna(s)
>> e) It is supported by mac80211, and supports mesh mode
>
> Me too...
>
> IHMO the best USB based chipset/driver combination is still ath9k_htc
> with Atheros AR7010/AR9280 or AR9271, which is rock solid and has very
> good thruput (and an open firmware). Unfortunately I have heard it's EOL
> but it's still possible to buy them, e.g the "TP-Link TL-WN722N" or
> "TP-LINK TL-WN822N"...
>
> I have not found good alternatives yet... So I repeat: Does anyone know
> a good USB dongle with a good mac/cfg80211 driver and at least 802.11n
> 2x2:2 and support for AP and IBSS mode?
>
> It's a shame that vendors like Ralink/MediaTek and Realtek do not work
> on decent upstream linux drivers... Instead of wasting time cleaning up
> the mess they leave with dozens of incomplete "vendor drivers" they drop
> on us - maybe the Linux community should just choose *ONE* modern
> (preferrably "ac") and cheap USB chipset and concentrate on writing a
> driver for it?
>
> And what about the vendors which are more involved in proper linux
> wireless develpment? Qualcom/Atheros, Intel, Broadcom: don't you have
> any USB chipsets in line?
We do, but no mac80211-based USB devices.
Regards,
Arend
> bruno
>
> --
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-wireless" in
> the body of a message to [email protected]
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Hi,
On 12/16/2014 07:09 PM, Dani Camps wrote:
> I am looking for a Wi-Fi adapter with the following specs:
>
> a) Operates at 5GHz
> b) Supports 802.11n and optionally 802.11ac
> c) USB interface
> d) SMA connector for external antenna(s)
> e) It is supported by mac80211, and supports mesh mode
Me too...
IHMO the best USB based chipset/driver combination is still ath9k_htc
with Atheros AR7010/AR9280 or AR9271, which is rock solid and has very
good thruput (and an open firmware). Unfortunately I have heard it's EOL
but it's still possible to buy them, e.g the "TP-Link TL-WN722N" or
"TP-LINK TL-WN822N"...
I have not found good alternatives yet... So I repeat: Does anyone know
a good USB dongle with a good mac/cfg80211 driver and at least 802.11n
2x2:2 and support for AP and IBSS mode?
It's a shame that vendors like Ralink/MediaTek and Realtek do not work
on decent upstream linux drivers... Instead of wasting time cleaning up
the mess they leave with dozens of incomplete "vendor drivers" they drop
on us - maybe the Linux community should just choose *ONE* modern
(preferrably "ac") and cheap USB chipset and concentrate on writing a
driver for it?
And what about the vendors which are more involved in proper linux
wireless develpment? Qualcom/Atheros, Intel, Broadcom: don't you have
any USB chipsets in line?
bruno
On 12/16/2014 01:09 PM, Dani Camps wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> I am looking for a Wi-Fi adapter with the following specs:
>
> a) Operates at 5GHz
> b) Supports 802.11n and optionally 802.11ac
> c) USB interface
> d) SMA connector for external antenna(s)
> e) It is supported by mac80211, and supports mesh mode
>
> I have done a survey and found only two devices that meet the previous
> requirements, and they are only 802.11n. Most of the 802.11ac adapters
> that I can find use the RT8812AU chipset, which as far as I know is
> not supported by mac80211. Are there any plans to support this
> chipset?
>
> I am pasting here a list of adapters, and I would appreciate if anyone
> who has experimented with them could provide feedback on whether my
> understanding is correct.
>
> Best Regards
>
> Daniel
>
> LIST OF ADAPTERS:
> ================
>
> 1) ALFA AWUS051NH 2.4/ 5GHz Dual Band:
>
> link: http://www.wifi-antennas.co.uk/alfa-awus051nh-2-4-5ghz-dual-band-300mbps-usb-wifi-dongle-with-rp-sma-antenna-4547.html
> chipset: Ralink RT2870 A/B/G/N
> mac80211 support: YES. rt2800usb.
> http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/rt2800usb#external_links
> mac80211s mesh support: YES. http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers
>
> 2) Sveon SNT1022
>
> link: http://sveon.com/tienda/adaptador-lan-wifi-usb-dual-band-doble-antena-rp-sma-snt1022/
> chipset: Ralink 3572 A/B/G/N
> mac80211 support: YES. rt2800usb.
> http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/rt2800usb
> mac80211s mesh support: YES. http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers
>
>
> 3) EDIMAX EW-7811USC
>
> link: http://www.edimax.com/edimax/merchandise/merchandise_detail/data/edimax/global/wireless_adapters_ac600_dual-band/ew-7811usc/
> chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU. AC/A/B/G/N
> mac80211 support: NO. Not supported by rtlwifi.
> http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/rtl819x
> mac8011 mesh support: NO.
>
> 4) ALFA AWUS036HAC 1200
>
> link: http://www.alfanetworkeurope.eu/en/alfa-awus036hac-ac1200-dual-band-ultra-fast-wifi-u.html
> chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU. AC/A/B/G/N. link:
> https://wikidevi.com/wiki/List_of_802.11ac_Hardware
> mac80211 support: NO.
> mac80211s support: NO.
>
> 5) ASUS USB-AC56
>
> link: http://www.asus.com/de/Networking/USBAC56/
> chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU. AC/B/G/N.
> https://wikidevi.com/wiki/List_of_802.11ac_Hardware
> mac80211 support: NO.
> mac80211s support: NO.
>
> 6) ABOCOM AU7212
>
> link: http://www.abocom.com.tw/product.aspx?id=180
> chipset: Mediatek MT7610U. AC/A/B/G/N
> mac80211 support: NO.
> mac80211s support: NO.
>
> 7) D-LINK DWA-172
>
> link: http://www.dlink-forum.info/showthread.php?tid=3006
> chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU.
> mac80211 support: NO.
> mac80211s support: NO.
>
> 8) HAWKING HD65U
>
> link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164060
> chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU.
> mac80211 support: NO.
> mac80211s support: NO.
In general, the USB group at Realtek does not support mac80211, the way the PCI
group does. The only exception is driver rtl8192cu for the RTL81xxCU chips, and
that driver has received little attention from them since the original release.
I can fix problems in the interface between the hardware manipulation and Linux,
but I have no knowledge of the internals of any of the Realtek chips.
As for the RTL8812AU, I have not seen any Linux driver for this chip, but I
doubt that it supports mac80211; however, most of the drivers for the latest USB
chips have supported cfg80211, and will work with the latest hostapd version.
It is unfortunate that the USB group at Realtek has taken this stance as I know
of several users that have chosen not to use their chips because of the
incomplete Linux drivers. I assume they have good reasons, but I do not know
what they are.
Larry
On 12/17/2014 01:14 PM, Arend van Spriel wrote:
>> And what about the vendors which are more involved in proper linux
>> wireless develpment? Qualcom/Atheros, Intel, Broadcom: don't you have
>> any USB chipsets in line?
>
> We do, but no mac80211-based USB devices.
Well, cfg80211 can be enough. Can you give us more information? Are
there any devices which are actually available? Which chipset would you
recommend?
In https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Broadcom the only chipset listed for USB
with "ac" which has more than "O devices" is BCM43526... It looks like
there is no driver for it and this chipset is not listed in
http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/brcm80211. Can we expect a
Linux driver for it anytime soon?
If we look at 2x2:2 abgn chipsets:
BCM4323 is not supported by brcmfmac
BCM43236 rev 3 seems to be supported (is rev 3 the same as BCM43236B?)
So, for BCM43236 rev 3, can we count with the following features:
- AP mode (how many STA?) with proper hostapd support?
- IBSS mode?
bruno
Hi Larry,
Linux drivers for RTL8812AU can be downloaded from here:
http://www.edimax.com/edimax/download/download/data/edimax/global/download/for_home/wireless_adapters/wireless_adapters_ac600_dual-band/ew-7811usc
However, they are not compatible with mac80211, and in my case I need
that support.
Cheers
Daniel
On Tue, Dec 16, 2014 at 8:36 PM, Larry Finger <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 12/16/2014 01:09 PM, Dani Camps wrote:
>>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> I am looking for a Wi-Fi adapter with the following specs:
>>
>> a) Operates at 5GHz
>> b) Supports 802.11n and optionally 802.11ac
>> c) USB interface
>> d) SMA connector for external antenna(s)
>> e) It is supported by mac80211, and supports mesh mode
>>
>> I have done a survey and found only two devices that meet the previous
>> requirements, and they are only 802.11n. Most of the 802.11ac adapters
>> that I can find use the RT8812AU chipset, which as far as I know is
>> not supported by mac80211. Are there any plans to support this
>> chipset?
>>
>> I am pasting here a list of adapters, and I would appreciate if anyone
>> who has experimented with them could provide feedback on whether my
>> understanding is correct.
>>
>> Best Regards
>>
>> Daniel
>>
>> LIST OF ADAPTERS:
>> ================
>>
>> 1) ALFA AWUS051NH 2.4/ 5GHz Dual Band:
>>
>> link:
>> http://www.wifi-antennas.co.uk/alfa-awus051nh-2-4-5ghz-dual-band-300mbps-usb-wifi-dongle-with-rp-sma-antenna-4547.html
>> chipset: Ralink RT2870 A/B/G/N
>> mac80211 support: YES. rt2800usb.
>> http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/rt2800usb#external_links
>> mac80211s mesh support: YES. http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers
>>
>> 2) Sveon SNT1022
>>
>> link:
>> http://sveon.com/tienda/adaptador-lan-wifi-usb-dual-band-doble-antena-rp-sma-snt1022/
>> chipset: Ralink 3572 A/B/G/N
>> mac80211 support: YES. rt2800usb.
>> http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/rt2800usb
>> mac80211s mesh support: YES. http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers
>>
>>
>> 3) EDIMAX EW-7811USC
>>
>> link:
>> http://www.edimax.com/edimax/merchandise/merchandise_detail/data/edimax/global/wireless_adapters_ac600_dual-band/ew-7811usc/
>> chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU. AC/A/B/G/N
>> mac80211 support: NO. Not supported by rtlwifi.
>> http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/rtl819x
>> mac8011 mesh support: NO.
>>
>> 4) ALFA AWUS036HAC 1200
>>
>> link:
>> http://www.alfanetworkeurope.eu/en/alfa-awus036hac-ac1200-dual-band-ultra-fast-wifi-u.html
>> chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU. AC/A/B/G/N. link:
>> https://wikidevi.com/wiki/List_of_802.11ac_Hardware
>> mac80211 support: NO.
>> mac80211s support: NO.
>>
>> 5) ASUS USB-AC56
>>
>> link: http://www.asus.com/de/Networking/USBAC56/
>> chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU. AC/B/G/N.
>> https://wikidevi.com/wiki/List_of_802.11ac_Hardware
>> mac80211 support: NO.
>> mac80211s support: NO.
>>
>> 6) ABOCOM AU7212
>>
>> link: http://www.abocom.com.tw/product.aspx?id=180
>> chipset: Mediatek MT7610U. AC/A/B/G/N
>> mac80211 support: NO.
>> mac80211s support: NO.
>>
>> 7) D-LINK DWA-172
>>
>> link: http://www.dlink-forum.info/showthread.php?tid=3006
>> chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU.
>> mac80211 support: NO.
>> mac80211s support: NO.
>>
>> 8) HAWKING HD65U
>>
>> link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164060
>> chipset: Realtek RTL8812AU.
>> mac80211 support: NO.
>> mac80211s support: NO.
>
>
> In general, the USB group at Realtek does not support mac80211, the way the
> PCI group does. The only exception is driver rtl8192cu for the RTL81xxCU
> chips, and that driver has received little attention from them since the
> original release. I can fix problems in the interface between the hardware
> manipulation and Linux, but I have no knowledge of the internals of any of
> the Realtek chips.
>
> As for the RTL8812AU, I have not seen any Linux driver for this chip, but I
> doubt that it supports mac80211; however, most of the drivers for the latest
> USB chips have supported cfg80211, and will work with the latest hostapd
> version.
>
> It is unfortunate that the USB group at Realtek has taken this stance as I
> know of several users that have chosen not to use their chips because of the
> incomplete Linux drivers. I assume they have good reasons, but I do not know
> what they are.
>
> Larry
>