Is there any hope of getting documentation?

[scotty2541]

Hello "morrownr", and others,

Thank you for your "short list", I found it very useful.

A quick question:

I know many (most) chip manufacturers do not share any spec or programming references, but is there any company or person who would share a programming reference? Even with an NDA?

A more detailed explanation:
My employer has tasked me with finding a USB dongle which can be plugged into our small device which uses an RTOS and bare metal access. So that means we would need to also write code to drive it. And there isn't enough memory to hold a code for a few dozen different dongles/chipsets, let alone 70+ of them supported by Linux.
(Yeah... this just screams "meant to fail" all over it. And my attempts to explain it fall on deaf ears)
Worse, they are specifying 2.4/5 which limits it to MediaTek or RealTek according to the "short list".

A few years ago, I sniffed one USB dongle device. Then I was able to then mimic the communication in our RTOS acting as a USB host, where it sent the message on pipe 0, and saw the identical reply. But obviously that's not much good without any documentation of what the messages mean.

A few years ago, I tried contacting a few of the chipset manufactures and didn't even get a reply. Not even a "go pound sand".

The only other path I see is to reverse engineer the driver code from Linux, which seems daunting, since I'm not a kernel programmer. Plus do not have experience with WiFi. My specialty is just TCP/IP.

So any advice to point me in a direction would be appreciated.

-Scott

[morrownr]

Hi @scotty2541

Thank you for your "short list", I found it very useful.

Keep in mind the main list is the Plug and Play List. I don't even show the Short List on the Main Menu. Long story as to why.

So that means we would need to also write code to drive it.

Do you have a Linux kernel wifi driver programmer on staff? One that is experienced with usb?

If not, then then your best bet is likely to make a contract with an experienced programmer. I might be able to put you in contact with some that could be interested.

A few years ago, I tried contacting a few of the chipset manufactures and didn't even get a reply. Not even a "go pound sand".

There is a very high level of security in the WiFi sector. IP theft is a fact or life.

The only other path I see is to reverse engineer the driver code from Linux, which seems daunting, since I'm not a kernel programmer.

Okay, your employer does not understand what he/she is doing. How many years is the employer going to allow for you to learn Linux kernel wifi programming?

I realize that the above is general advice but you were providing general information. Is the RTOS based on Linux? If not, whew. The Linux WiFi stack provides a large set of APi's to support WiFi. This stack is open for you to view. The firmware provided by each chip maker is not open for you to view. You are welcome to contact me via direct email if you want to discuss this further: [email protected]

[scotty2541]

Thanks. These are all the answers I expected.

Okay, your employer does not understand what he/she is doing.

They are being driven by the sales department (no surprise there), and things like "I can buy one and plug it into a PC, so we should be able to do this". And engineering management isn't pushing back, because this is a new realm for them (and a bit for me as well). The product has always been a USB tethered device or RJ45 connected because the customer base usually refused any WiFi for security reasons. That is changing.

How many years is the employer going to allow for you to learn Linux kernel wifi programming?

In my email I am composing about this, I am indicating that as a milesone necessary for the project. And yes: I understand it to be "years" not a few weeks or month.

I realize that the above is general advice but you were providing general information.

Intentionally, to protect my employer. I want to educate and push back without giving them a black eye on a forum :-) Apart from this, the product is well established and has a good reputation.

Is the RTOS based on Linux? If not, whew.

"Whew" ? I would think "if not, YIKES! " The RTOS is not Linux based. And apart from tasks, semaphore, queues, atomic kernel objects like that, everything else is bare metal access.

As this progresses, if I can convince them to outsource this part, I will reach out to you. I don't want you bother you with to many questions for free :-)

I appreciate the quick response.

-Scott