/rtw88

A backport of the Realtek Wifi 5 drivers from the wireless-next repo.

Primary LanguageC

rtw88 downstream 🐧

This is a downstream repo for the Linux in-kernel rtw88 series of drivers for Realtek WiFi 5 chips.

🌟 Up-to-Date Drivers: The code in this repo stays in sync with the wireless-next repository, with additional changes to accommodate kernel API changes over time. The current repo matches the kernel as of March 5, 2024.

📌 Note: The wireless-next repo contains the code set for the next kernel version. If kernel 6.X is out, kernel mainline repo is on 6.X+1-rcY, and wireless-next targets kernel 6.X+2 material.


Compatibility

Compatible with Linux kernel versions 5.4 and newer as long as your distro hasn't modified any kernel APIs. RHEL and all distros based on RHEL will have modified kernel APIs and are unlikely to be compatible with this driver.

Supported Chipsets

  • USB : RTW8812AU, RTW8821AU, RTW8811AU, RTW8822BU, RTW8812BU, RTW8822CU, RTW8821CU, RTW8811CU, RTW8723DU
  • PCIe: RTW8822BE, RTW8822CE, RTW8821CE, RTW8723DE
  • SDIO: RTW8822BS, RTW8822CS, RTW8821CS, RTW8723DS

Issues 🚨

Report problems in Issues after you have checked the FAQ at bottom of this README.

⚠️ If you see a line such as: make[1]: *** /lib/modules/5.17.5-300.fc36.x86_64/build: No such file or directory. Stop.

This indicates you have NOT installed the kernel headers.

Use the following instructions for that step.

Installation Guide

Prerequisites 📋

Below are prerequisites for common Linux distributions before you do a basic installation or installation with SecureBoot:

Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install make gcc linux-headers-$(uname -r) build-essential git

Fedora

sudo dnf install kernel-headers kernel-devel
sudo dnf group install "C Development Tools and Libraries"

openSUSE

sudo zypper install make gcc kernel-devel kernel-default-devel git libopenssl-devel

Arch

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/rtw88-dkms-git.git
cd rtw88-dkms-git
makepkg -sri

Raspberry Pi OS

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install -y raspberrypi-kernel-headers build-essential bc git

Basic Installation for All Distros 🛠

git clone https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw88
cd rtw88
make
sudo make install

Installation with SecureBoot for All Distros 🔒

git clone https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw88
cd rtw88
make
sudo make sign-install

You will be prompted a password, please keep it in mind and use it in next steps.

Reboot to activate the new installed module, then in the MOK managerment screen:

  1. Select "Enroll key" and enroll the key created by above sign-install step
  2. When promted, enter the password you entered when create sign key.
  3. If you enter wrong password, your computer won't not bebootable. In this case, use the BOOT menu from your BIOS, to boot into your OS then do below steps:
sudo mokutil --reset
  • Restart your computer.
  • Use BOOT menu from BIOS to boot into your OS.
  • In the MOK managerment screen, select reset MOK list.
  • Reboot then retry from the step make sign-install.

Important Information

Below is important information for using this driver.

1. Blacklisting 🚫

A file called blacklist-rtw88.conf will be installed into /etc/modprobe.d when you run sudo make install. It will blacklist all in-kernel rtw88 drivers, however, it will not blacklist out-of-kernel vendor drivers. You will need to uninstall any out-of-kernel vendor drivers that you have installed that may conflict. blacklist-rtw88.conf will be removed when you run sudo make uninstall.

2. Recovery Problems After Sleep/Hibernation 🛌

Some BIOSs have trouble changing power state from D3hot to D0. If you have this problem, then:

sudo cp suspend_rtw8822be /usr/lib/systemd/system-sleep/.

That script will unload the driver before sleep or hibernation, and reload it following resumption. If you have some device other than the 8822be, edit the script before copying it.

3. How to Disable/Enable a Kernel Module 🪛

sudo modprobe -r rtw_8723de # This unloads the module
sudo modprobe -r rtw_core

# Due to some pecularities in the modprobe utility, two steps are required.

sudo modprobe rtw_8723de    # This loads the module

# Only a single modprobe call is required to load.

4. Option Configuration 📝

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/<dev_name>.conf

There, enter the line below:

options <device_name> <<driver_option_name>>=<value>

The available options for rtw_pci are disable_msi and disable_aspm. The available options for rtw_core are disable_lps_deep, support_bf, and debug_mask.


Kernel Updates 🔄

When your kernel updates, run:

cd ~/rtw88
git pull
make
sudo make install

💡 Remember, every new kernel requires this step - no exceptions. If the kernel update means that you have no network, skip the 'git pull' and build the driver as it is, but run git pull once you have connectivity, and rebuild if any updates were pulled.

FAQ

Below is a set Frequently Asked Questions when using this repository.


Q1: My driver builds and loads correctly, but fails to work properly. Can you help me?

When you have problems where the driver builds and loads correctly, but it fails to work, a GitHub issue on this repository is NOT the place to report it.

We have no idea about the internal workings of any of the chips, and the Realtek engineers who do will not read these issues. To reach them, send E-mail to linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org.

Be sure to include a detailed description of any messages in the kernel logs and any steps that you have taken to analyze or fix the problem. If your description is not complete, you are unlikely to get the help you need. NOTE: E-mail sent to that mailing list MUST be plain text. HTML mail will be rejected.

Start with this page for guidance: https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/support


Q2: I'm using Ubuntu, and the build failed. What do I do?

Ubuntu often modifies kernel APIs, which can cause build issues. You'll need to manually adjust the source code or look for solutions specific to your distribution. We cannot support these types of issues.


Q3: How do I update the driver after a kernel update?

You will need to pull the latest code from this repository and recompile the driver. Follow the steps in the Maintenance section.


Q4: Is Secure Boot supported?

Yes, this repository provides a way to sign the kernel modules to be compatible with Secure Boot. Check out the Installation with SecureBoot section.


Q5: My card isn't listed. Can I request a feature?

For feature requests like supporting a new card, you should reach out to Realtek engineers via E-mail at linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org.


Q6: How to remove this driver if it doesn't work as expected?

Run this command in the rtw88 source directory and then the rtw88 driver will be unloaded and removed.

sudo make uninstall